Speaker, Alex Galloway

Stirling Rotary meeting 13.5.16
President Peter Mehta welcomed members, together with 6 visitors from Falkirk club.  These were Linda Noble, John Struthers, Margaret Lyon, Jim Cairns, Tom Curry and Bill Laurie.  The next council meeting will be at Senior Vice President’s Alan’s house on May 23rd.  Colin Bayes announced that the Wylkedin golf competition had made a substantial surplus.  Provost Mike Robins will address the club on May 27th, whilst Gardening Scotland will take place on the 3rd, 4th. and 5th. June.

The speaker was our own Alex Galloway, who had been prompted to talk on the Alaskan Gold Rush by a cruise he had made last year from Vancouver BC to Anchorage, Alaska.  Gold was found in the Yukon in 1896, resulting in a rush to the Klondyke, with the port of Skagway being the main setting off point.  By 1899, the gold had largely petered out.  Next, the action moved 800 miles West to Nome, 150 miles below the Arctic circle. on the Bering Sea, which separates Russia from the USA.  Little gold was found and many miners became outlaws, in order to survive.  Even Wyatt Earp, famous for his exploits in Tombstone, went to Nome.  A military post was constructed and communication was by dog sleds. 

In 1924, after the last ship of the year had sailed ahead of the sea ice closing in, many children and others started dying of apparent tonsillitis, later identified as diphtheria, which blocks the windpipe and causes 10% fatalities in sufferers. An anti-toxin had been developed in 1891 and an appeal was put out for 1 million doses.  Transport was a problem, with open-cockpit flying too risky. Instead, it had to go by dog sled relay, traveling night and day.   20 of the most experienced mushers were put in place.  The lead dog in each team could find its way in whiteout and detect thin ice, which was clearly of great benefit.

The medicine came from Anchorage by train to the town of Nenana, where the line ended. From there, a group of sled dog mushers, in relay, had to race more than 600 miles in order to get the serum to Nome. The first team departed on January 25, 1925. The 674 mile trip was made in about 127 hours and survival meant not stopping . Hazards included frozen rivers, outside temperatures of -64 degrees, ice, fog and zero visibility.  The route crossed the Barents Sea and climbed 5000 ft. to an altitude of 12,000 ft. , traversing the lower slopes of Mount McKinlay.  On February 2nd at 5 a.m., the first sled arrived , having covered 674 miles in just 5½ days, with the serum frozen  solid.  A second supply arrived on February 15th. There were numerous stories in the press and Gunnar Carson and his dog Balto became heroes.  Later, the tale was recognised by President Reagan as a “story of epic proportions”. 

The Vote of Thanks was given by Ranald Ross-Watt and well supported.  This week’s Speakers Host is Crawford Gordon, with Visitors Host Derek Anderson.

Ranald Ross-Watt
Communications Convener