Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1879-01-09
THE ALASKA INDIANS.
Life on st Paups Island-Habits Of
the People-How Business is Carried

Life on st PauI's Island-Habits of
the People-How Business is Carried
on.
Among the passengers of the steamer
st. Paul, eleven days from Ounalaska,
we're q number Of gentlemen who had
spent some years in the solitary islands
adjacent to Alaska, where the great seal
fisheries are carried on by the Alaska
Commercial company, and from whom
some interesting facts were learned.
Inc islands are largely populated by
natives, who live in primitive style of
hut called barabaka. These. natives are
as dark az Gypsies, where their blood is
pure, and have faces Of the usual Es-
quimaux.type. Their standard of moral
ity is low, and scIofulous diseases pre-
vail. They drink liquor made from
brown sugar and an infusion of herbs,
which is more overpouring in its effects
the most villainous whisky, and are,
moreover, much addicted to gambling
when they have the wherewithal to
stake. The native tongue is corrup-
ton of Russian, but the majority have
learned to speak very fair En- glish from
their intercourse with the employees Of
the seal company. They are devout
worshipers of the Greek Church. and the
restraining influence of church and
priest is of incalculable value. The
temperature Of the islands is quite cold,
but without the sudden variations which
occur in the New England states. The
the only vegetable that can be raised
throughout the islands is the radi3h,
which can neither be fricasseed, boiled
or stewed for change, but must be eat
en- in the simple, old-fashioned way,
however greatly tempted the cultivators
may be to present some variety in the
way Of serving their one fresh vegetable.
Potatoes, onions and cabbages are car
ried up from San Francisco, and the
company transport every variety of
canned and dried fruit and vegetable;
but fresh fruit and the choicer vegeta-
bles, such as green peas, string beans,
green corn and asparagus, are not tasted
from one years end to another, save in
their poorly canned substitutes, de-
privat!on that must be particularly
severe on Californians. St. Pauls
Island, one Of the principal seal fisher
les, is a billy strip Of land about twelve
miles long, with beautiful harbor
There are about 6OJ houses here, bull,
by the company for the natives in thei>
employ, ard the company's house, 8
frame building OF plain exterior, con
tanning ten or twelve rooms AID nice
library and piano, much appreciated by
the exiles and visitors to this lonely
land. Mails are received only about
twice a year, but the time is passed
pleasantly and happily, far away as The
inhabitants are from politics and fash
ing and congress and yellow fever
Chickens, hogs and cattle are raised by
the company, but the most stylish equip
age on the island is an express car
drawn by mule-ncne the less appre
! ciated, however. The natives here earl
good wages, sometimes making from SlVi
to $l40 month during the four work
ing months in the year. Having thei
rent free, burning coal supplied by tn,
company, and blubber for lights, ant
| subsisting chiefly on sea meat, they ma,
| be considered very prosperous The,
spend a great deal of money in clothe;
usually preferring bri ght colors, but vii
throw sack of blubber just as readil
across their shoulders when clad in ga
new suit as if in their working clothe:
The children are educated in schoc
provided by the company, but are any
thing but apt scholars, extremely filth
il their habits and difficult to manage
There is pretty little Greek church i
the settlement, and adjoining it sma
graveyard with many grayes-a simp]
wooden cross marking these last abidin
places. Here lies buried a young fello,
belonging to the signal service detach
ment, who died of exhaustion a sho1
time after he arrived at the station. Th
cold during the winter is very intens'
but so subtle that the victim is scarcel
aware of its rigor before he is overrov
cred. During the summer months abou
one hundred varieties of fowers-man
very beautiful-bloom on the hillside
The season is so short that they sprin
from the frozen ground, bud, blossel
and mature in an Incredibly short tim
Beautiful sea moses are also washe
ashore.-,S1n Francisco Chr ouicle.