GIRL EXPLORER

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19129, 25 September 1936, Page 12

GIRL EXPLORER

RESCUES ‘GLACIER’ PRIEST

ALASKA’S “LADY MUSHER”

BOAT WRECKED IN RAPIDS

JUNEAU, Alaska, July 14

The chance arrival of a motor-boat fishing parly led by Miss Mary Joyce, Alaska’s “Lady Musher,” helped to save Father Bernard Hubbard when his boat was wrecked recently in icy rapids of twin glacier river,' the explorer dis- V closed yesterday. Miss Joyce, who drove a dog team ICOO miles last*midwinter to a Fairbanks ice carnival, and her party had sailed their boat downstream to view tbe rapids. “She was horrified, she said later, to see a man on a rock and a wrecked boat in the raging waters,” FqtherjHubbai’d said- “They ran their boat ashore and found George Gatty, a member of our expedition. “He jumped in and piloted it downstream. I leaped into it as it swirled past and soon we were sale below the rapids.” Father Hubbard, describing the wrecking of the river boat from which he and Iven Chisholm, had leaped “by almost a miracle” on to a rock, said it was the first serious mishap in his 10 years of Alaskan exploration. Father Hubbard’s specially built lightweight steel boat and much valuable equipment was lost in the accident, which occurred last week. He ordered a new one shipped but planned to return to the scene with a heavily built wooden riverboat he bought here. “With the high water aiding us, we had gone through the rapids both ways' several times' and all but the last load of our tons of equipment were safe at our island base camp,” said the University of Santa Clara priest. “The last trip, our propeller sheared a rock. Our heavily loaded boat hit and turned over. We managed to unsnap the chains of Mageik and Magook, pur sled dogs, and jumped.” Ice floes were swirling down the rapids and their position appeared precarious. Chisholm volunteered to try to swim the rapids. Taking off his boots and shirt, he received the priest’s blessing and plunged in. “He went under twice, but, chilled dnd numb, made shore and ran through the forest to the camp,” Father Hubbard related. - . His shouts aroused Nicholas 'Cavaliere, cameraman, and John Dimohd, h'is assistant, and they returned with ropes and axes. With night coming on two hours later, Miss Joyce’s boat appeared. “After all, this is my first real disaster in 10 years,” said the “glacier priest.” ■ ’ ’ ■ ;