Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-06-21

| IDrCugh Tue nafrOWeSt OF these passages the
| water rushes with terrible velocity and roar.
| They are filled now with the waters of the Pa
! ctc, and now, the tide turning, with the waters
1 of Boring Sea. They are thus seldom at rest.
Making, in February, 1870, a trip among these
islands in the light frail skin boat ofthe Aleuts-
! the 'bydarka" waited twenty-four hours on
! a small island in Akutan passage for the surg
| ing waters to subside, but they refused 10 be
| stilled, and was compelled TO enter Bering Sea
/ 10 avoid its dangers. Again, in the United States
steamer Newbern, in the same passage,
we steamed for nearly half an hour and made
| no perceptible Roadway.
| While the Russian charts of these islands and
! waters are imperfect, cur government has taken
| no measures to perfect our knowledge OF this
| portion of our dominions These charts give us
| about seventy-ive islands in this group; but,
| counting the smaller islands, which they omit,
their number would be hundreds. Filled as
| every passage is with small islands and rocks
| hidden and visible, navigation is rendered both
] troublesome and dangerous. Sailing vessels
| never visit these waters without having to
| chronicle in their logs one or more hairbreadth
| escapes from wreck Too frequently vessels are
| lost, and in these instances of wreck neither
crew nor log are left TO tell us the terrible dis
| aster.
| Extensive Goldfish banks stretch from Kadak
island to the toe of the peninsula, and every bay
| in the whole stretch of the Aeutan islands is
| filed with this valuable fish of commerce. Hal
| hut, too, are caught in great numbers, and the
| silvery salmon and a delicious herring literally
| PACK the bays in their running seasons.
"The VOLTS long howl from Oonaaska's shore"
| May be very good poetry, Mr. Campbell but it is
not the truth. The largest wild animal in the
| Aeutan islands is the fox. Water fowl of
| many species there are IN abundance. The de-
| llel0us snow grouse are found IN great numbers
| IN the hills. The whlte-ncaded eagle IS seen
| pefched on every peak ana Dlu1 In the water
| SWIM and dive the precious sea otter and seal.
| You have only TO 90 to the peninsula TO find
| the bear and the Swlit-looted deer Inc VOL,
| 100, mere roahS Ill packs, Dut seluom gets up
long now.
| AT the head oil the peninsula and around Ma
| AJAX are a lew scattering trees south OF inns,
| on the peninsula, and on every island, except
| ing Unalaska, to Attu, a shrub cannot be found
| large enough TO lofln walking suck. On
small island III Unalaska harbor the Russians
| twenty years ~" SET out lew mr. saphngs,
| taken from the Continent. They form to-day
dwaIied clnmp OF hail-dozen trees, the LOT
| tleSl OIL whcn Is mol over hiteen leet nigh
| surrounded, as the islands are, by vast bodies
| OF water, the arr Is almost constantly trelghted
| with moisture, ana clouds are ever present.
| These moving clouds, held for time bv the
lOlly mountains, are discharged OF their NaporS.
| Inc ralns-moStly passing showers and not pro-
| tracted storms-make deep ruts in the noun
| tain sides and overflow every natural basin, be
| 1t IN the valley, on the mountain slant or ON
! their very SUBMITS The crater of every eX-
| tnct volcano Is thus filled to overlooking.
| Many of the active volcanoes of to-day are but
| steam producers. The fires below heating the
| basin of water above, steam is generated. This
| vapor rises in immense volume, and at dis
| lance cannot be distinguished 'FRONT.' smoke.
| Every few years eruptonS of molten lava and
| fires occur; not alone from the old craters, but
| 1t may he from the base oil an extinct volcano,
| or miles away even from old eruptionS. In
| 1913, ut the extreme northwestern point of Aku-
tan island, in sight OF the village OF UnalaSka, a
| terrible pTuDfiOu Ocpurrp1 If burnp1 fOr q
| months and then went out. | saw this little
| extinct fire mountain i'll 1870. Vegetation had
not been smoothed over its original, rugged, nell
| ter-skelter appearance. The little extinct vol
| cano, with its sides symmetrical and of nky
| blackness, rose about one hundred and fifty feet
| above the level of the sea. From its base q
| rocky cape made out into Bering sea. Over
this cape, over the surrounding hills and along
| the shore for a great distance, lay scattered
| its Jagged, blackened remains. Not more than
mile inland, away up among the clouds, rose
| bold, black peak in striking contrast with the
| surrounding snow covered hills with an i'm
mense pillar of smoke rolling up ifrom its SUM-
nit. This is Aeutan island scenery in winter
and far into the summer: snow-coyered tree,
less hills and mountains, with here and there a
blac ened top with its outpouringS of smoke or
steam. The loitier peaks are covered for at
least nine months in the year with snow, but
the low lands are seldom visited, even in winter,
| by il. In the valleys, as early as the middle of
| July the grass has reached a height of four feet
| Hills and mountains are now literally carpeted
| with flowers. Berries there are in abundance,
| and many OF them of delicious flavor, About
kadlak cranberrles abound.
The excessive dampneSs is the only drawback
to extensive sheep raising in the Aleutian islands,
| | VIII mere quote passage from tue report Of
| Capt, Charies Bryant dated st. Paul'S island,
1870. lie says; The climate is not favorable
10 agriculture 0ut there Is at least thousand
| u lan oil tba fNr.fh
east shore and in the vicinity of the village.
Last year morse and Tour meat cattle were
brought 10 the lSiahu directions had been CIV
en- TO prepare nay Tor them, but owing to the
dampheSS oil the atmosphere 1t was not done,
so that When the cattle were landed there were
only such supplies of food for them as the
island naturally afforded. They therefore had
| had to SubSlst on the dry grass of the fats, on
| winch they wlniered in good condition, the cows
ewing a good supply OF milk: me wild rye
| heads proved nutritious food, OF which the sup.
| ply was abundant Inc horse also came through
| IN eXcellent CONDITION, though having no grain.
coats and sheep nave been added to the stock
on the Island duRng the past season, lhey
nave all pred ana are dong well,
| Inc lsIanu OF St, raul lies IN Herring sea,
| nearly Two hundred miles north of Unalaska,
lis summers are cooler and ITS winters much
| more severe AT Unalaska, contrary to the eX-
! perlence OF captain Bryant on ST. Paul, saw
| nay cured III quantity. Coal OF the brown or
| llgaldd, Amlla and Amchitka. Rumor reports
| petroleum somewhere on the peninsula, a yerIta-
Ole oil spring. Pumce stone can be picked up
| on any shore. Erected from volcanoes, this
light substance, falling into the sea, is ioaled to
| every bay.
or iur-bearing animals the islands produce
the fur and hair seal, the sea otter aud the fox
| the black, the cross and the red. The agents
| of the commercial company pay the natives Tor
| the lurs in cash, and sell them, at a nominal
advance on San Francisco price, the nccessaries
| OF life The high price now paid bv this com
! pany for skins not only places the Aleut above
| want but gives him a degree of atliuence not
obtained by the majority Of the working classes
| OF the states. A good hunter win yearly secure
| from Eve hundred to a thousand dollars worth
of skins. Depending, as the Aleuts do, for
lumber on the limited supply of logs hoated to
their shores, they cannot build their houses
| from wood alone. Constructing the outer walls
OF sod, aud matching the roof, they line the in
| side with hewn boards. Although damp, I'M
| healthy abodes, they have improved greatly in
their construction since the transfer under the
| benign influence of American example.
The entrance to the barber of Unalaska-the
| most Important point in the Aleutian islands
| Is nom Bering sea. All furs collected through