Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1880-02-13
Alaska.

ing facts in relation to our northern
possessions. derived from personal
observation, while travelling through
part of that almost wholly unex-
plored country. The district ex-
amined by him does not include the
southeastern portion, in which Sitka
is situated, and through which the
Stickeen river flows, but a region
1000 miles to the northwest of it..
During the Winter of his sojourn
there, the snow was "a feet deep.
During the Summer the weather was
foggy and damp. Tie mountains of
Alaska are devoid of timber. Trees
grow only on the lakes and rivers.
The varieties are willow, cotton ices,
pine and birch. The valleys, during
the Summer months, are succession
of marshes and swamps.
The lecturer Travelled in company
with traders and Indians up the
Yucon river and its tributaries. The
Yucon is n magnificent river 5000
miles long, navisable by vessels OF
any size for 1900 miles, and 600
miles from its mouth is s miles wide.
1t is of great depth, and the current
is very sluggish; its velocity not ex-
ceeding six miles per hour in any
place, and averaging about three
miles per hour. The volume of wa
ter flowing through it is so great that
where it empties into the straits the
water is fresh enough to drink six
miles out from shore.
The lecturer related many anus
ing incidents of his journey through
this region, of their sufferings from
mosquitoes, of being SO hungry that
they made IN enjoyable meal out of
a boiled chicken-hawk. He de-
scribed the mode of travel, which is
by sleds drawn by dogs. The sleds
are from 8 to 10 feet long and carry
from 200 to 800 pounds. They are
drawn by seven, eight or nine dogs
harnessed in pairs. One dog takes
the lead and they are proceeded by u
Russian runner who shows them the
path to follow.
There are two distinct classes of
Indians in Alaska; those who inhab-
it the coast and those occupying the
interior. The coast Indians are
short and fat. They live principally
upon fish and game. The Indians of
the interior are tall and slender and
live upon game. The coast Indians
obtain spirits from whalers and 9th
ers, and are dissipated. The inte-
rio1 Indians are sober and temper
ate. The language, customs and
manners of the two classes of Indi-
ans are much alike in every respect.
1t is held by some that the Indians
of the interior are the aborigines of
America, and that the coast Indians
came from Japan or China, but the
wonderful similarity of all of their
customs and their languages would
seem to point to a common origin.
It is at times very cold in that lati-
tude. For two days the thermome-
ter stood about CO. below zero.
1t appears from the Bishops &C.
count that our northern possessions
do not offer very tempting field of
operations to the emigrant, and it is
doubtful whether they will ever be
valuable except for the few indus
tries already developed. The Alas
ka Commercial Company, the only
paying enterprise carried on within
its borders, is operated almost en-
tirely by natives, and is q business
In which white people cannot expect
to compete with those Injured to the
climate and willing to work for the
smallest of wages.
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The land-slides on Capitol Hill
and along the bay to the site of the
Unitarian Church, have, this year,
been unprecedented, and encroacL
considerably upon the premises
fronting on the steep bank.
BRINK-ABp 1cH Waltzes, by James
B. Reding, is the latest piece of nu-
sic published by NJ. Gray, of San
Francisco. They are easy and bril-.
liant, and viii; doubtless he quite
popular.
p,c1E1r EooSf pDcfo1 TDIpr IL ~ n