New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-11
LIFE IN ALASKA.

SITKA, Alaska Territory, Oct. Cd have
experienced all OF the pecuares Of the Summer season.
and arriving In February last something of the
Winter and now another Winter ia upon with its long,
long nights and dreary rains The days already shorten
perceptbly and o'clock will find with
ont daylight. and half past three in the afternoon Will
bring with il the nighfa while, IL II is overcast, is
usually the case, "a lighted lamp becomes necessary
throughout every hour OF the day when sewing writing
is TO be done, and can't the dormouse 90 into
Winter quarters in torpid state. do the next best
thing and look about for Of amusement by which
TO pass without too much thought, the many hours Of
darkness. This amusement we find In whist parties
euchre parties little musical reunions at each others
houses, a dance at the building known here 1.-THE
Club House. the same that was used by the Russians
before us as Club House for the officers of the Russian
American Fur Company In it we keep room always
decorated with flags and evergreens, for ballroom,
that should the sprt move anyone to wish for dance
all that necessary is to send word around the town
that dance is TO be gwen and 10 the company for the
soldiers who furnish the music and the thing ia accom-
plsled With such diversion, and our daily duties with
writing and reading, expect pass the Winter with
short days comfortably, nay pleasantly. For
WHILE during the Summer IL was daylight all OF the
time all OF night We had being about two hours Of tw
light not dark but that could read newspaper with
my front door, one scarcely know when to 60 10
bed, and usually only went when tired We went TO
sleepiwblle il was light and when awoke il still
light Taps were sounded In broad daylight, and have
awakened several times at two ami three o'clock In the
morning taken my fshngrod and gone of TO the lake
trout TO rocky point and pushed out into the
bay for rockcod. Between these two extremes there
all sorts Of days and nights light and dark long and
short.
With regard 10 climate, IL can safely be classed az
decidedly moist statistics giving 900 humid days against
c. dry dry IL rains, other words, nearly all Of
the time, making Inda.rubber Oyercoat almost as
essential hat or any other Indispensable garment,
aud almost everything Is covered with spongy moss;
the house-tOps fences, gravestones rocks Tees, and
rope allowed TO hang any length Of time IN the
weather becomes rope OF moss such one now hangs
from low roof on Main-st or "LiHeon.ave" II is
called by the more patriotic OF IL rains and rains
and then stops and takes breath and rains again. and
have severe cold weather here the
vegetation almost tropical In It's luxurance trees
grow upon that have fallen and the forests are one
grand morass Of deeayed and decaying vegetable mat
ter; they are impenetrable aud would be impossible
even could YOU penetrate them away mp the sides
Of the steep, forestcOveTed mountains, You find but
tfeacherous, DOGGY footing. Game abounds, but none
but Indians hunt II, as they only have the time and
patience 20 and wait for II come to them An officer
some time ago thought it would be sport 10 hunt, not
knowing the ncues be surmounted before he could
consmmato his desires Hiring Indian attendant
hunter and guide he set out They had gone some dis
lance when they came TO the timber and to trail leading
out OF it, Here the Indian halted and sitting down on
one side OF the trail on q moss'coyered stump. he
motoned 10 the officer to sit down the other side.
saving in his broken English, maybe deer 10 come
today come tomorrow; no come tomorrow. come next
day" The woud-be sportsman OF deer thought that
they we're cheaper than that in the market and 20 made
his way home In that way the Indians really Kill their
game aud We usually find an abundance Of wild meat IN
this market Ducks abundant here but very Wild and
the mountain grouse delicious Many oithem In plum
age are as white while notified the dark
feathers being the those Of the ordinary grouse
or partridge; they are beautiful birds. or fish We have
an endless variety running through tho SCALE from tho
habut and all OF ts lesser fiat relatives TO the beautiful
specked bro0ktrout which is not, however the gamey
FISH Of orr home waters IL will not rise to the hy and
takes the bait best in soyeny, provoklngy matter
ofcourse way The Indians often catch them by putting
the bait on bottom of some deep, eddying nook OF
the stream and placing large hook on the end OF long
mole on the ground, near the bait, with the point
of the hook up; they then wait untI NUMBER OF tue
trout collect about the bait, When by dexteronsef
they land the largest The salmon caught here Is most
delicious; but during the season OF their running tho
town ia so filled with them that, after relishng the first
few delciousy Juicy fish Of the season ono gets very
tired of Them OF shell fish we have tho CRAB, enor
mously large and singular TO say the sweete
the clam and the mussel. which Is very delicate ana
when picked IS very excellent; but We have no oysters
at least we have discovered none yet although thnkt
very nrobabe that II the Indians could be madeto under
and what they were they could point out bed OF them
10 anyone as they suddenly produced Wild srawDereS
last Summer after they found out that the Boston
Mani liked them During the Summer We had an
abundance OF berries principally berry called here the
from its strong resemblance 10 the roe OF
that fish both IN color and in its collection OF little
globues like fish eggs IL Is about large as ones
thumb to the joint and in shape ike an elongated
asnherrv Il ia very palatable and lasts during nearly
the whole Summer Cranberes plentiful and are OF
excellent oualIty Tho Indians raise few potatoes
which arc very small and watery. Many vegetables
crow we'll limited however to those that require but
little ann and ripen In q short season. Cabbages VIII hot
Generally head tomatoes will not do we'll here and peas
not aavs though this season the crop was very good;
as "a corn wheat barley oats or any such grams they
I not rpeu here; they head pretty WELL but there IS
not sun TO harden and rpen the grams ana even
~ ono could get crop ripe he could not IND enough airy
,yoathereoptnuously dry-in which to get IL on the
ground All OF the vegetables that are raised here are In
email quantities for home consumption the garden OF
Rattery H." Second Artillery stationed here being the
only ono Of any pretensons to size
The about here and in truth over the whole OF
Tho routs Victoria British Columbia TO this place,
no the hssare between the islands and the main land,
has more grandeur scenery than anything that have
aver SEEM and this voyage by the inside pas
e can be made In water smooth that Of the Hud
son river. The great drawback to the country lie
the ncessant rain; oo IL Is dsmCTaha an Of the
seif rsiIent stneckedness, out OF one and inc re-
that the Russian Princess made with regard 10 ~
that Alaska must be right under COOS wasn,nose,
,ronld give one pretty fair idea OF what saturated
solution OF purchase we are occupying E.cuse' Oe
oral the freedom OF style with which this letter is witt
von nv ideas OF Alaska and particularly OF this portion
of IL.