Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-02-25
LycEuM LECTURES.
Description Of Alaska-Its Glaciers and It's
Gold Fields


The fifth lecture of the present course given
by the Sacramento Literary Institute was
delivered at the Congregational Church last
evening by John Muir, his subject being
" Alaska; Its Glaciers, Forests, Gold Fields,
ETC." There was a fair attendance, and the
attention paid evinced desire on the part of
his hearers to know something of that coun-
try. The speaker adopted the conversational
tone, and his narration was straightforward
and unstudied, the pictures of what he had
seen seeming to have been wildly impressed
upon his mind. In his description of the
geography of localities he used number of
original sketches which he had taken. He
said that thirteen years ago, when the Terri
tory was purchased, many thought it use
less country, where only polar bears lived and
lcebergs formed the land, but it was now
proved to have noble forests, magnificent
fisheries, valuable gold and silver mines, and
the trade in furs had gone far towards paying
for the purchase.
ITS AREA Is ABOUT THREE TINES
As great as that of California, its coast line
being of great length, and it contains forty
rivers, the principal of which is the Youcon,
1900 miles in length, and being navigable Tor
distance of 1,500 miles, and 80 miles wide
at its mouth. The coast range of Alaska is
from 10, 600 to 10, 600 feet high for distance
of 800 miles, up and down the coast. AS
compared to the Alaska range, the Sierra
Nevadas sink into insgnifcance. The range |
seems to be a number of chains grouped
alongside each other. From one place l
counted over 200 immense glaciers. The
spaces between the peaks are 1lled with flow
ing, grinding ice, which continually modihes
the architecture of the grand structures. |
More beautiful scenery than that along the
inland lakes was never seen. Along the
Youcon river are
IMMENSE FORESTS,
But the grandest are found in the southeast
ern portion l saw raft there composed of |
ten trees 40 feet in length and two feet in |
diameter at the small end. They are princi- |
pally spruce and pine trees. The wood is of |
excellent quality, and when its qualities are |
known there will be a great demand for it. |
Some of these trees are 100 feet high and 8 feet |
in diameter four feet from the base. All the |
channels through southeastern Alaska are |
filled with salmon. There is one quartz mine |
in the Territory, where ores can be worked
cheaply the temperature not being cold enough |
to prevent their being worked. At Sitka
this winter the thermometer has not been
lower than s. above zero. There are also a
few placer mines, where miner can earn So |
or 81 per day. For five years the mining in
dustries in the British territory near by have
employed about 1000 men. There the mer-
curry falls to
SEVENTY DEGREES BELOW ZERO,
So that only for few months can work be
done. The gravel mines, however, are far
richer than any ever found in California. All
this shows that the gold bearing district ex-
tends from Mexico to co. north, and perhaps
even further. Along the coast the ground is
densely covered with brush and moss, so that
the prospector has great trouble in working
the soil. The seals lare found on a group of
islands to the west All through the mount
aims are found various species of goats, some
of which are unknown elsewhere. Deer
fairly cover the islands Of the Archipelago in
the southeastern part of the Territory.
POLAR BEARS ARE NOT FOUND,
Unless on the extreme northern coast. Black
bears and wolves, however, abound. There
are many varieties Of birds. The inland
waters are resorted to by ducks and geese in
great numbers. The Indians of Alaska are
an interesting people. visited various tribes,
who were kind and hospitable. There are
about 10000 of them in the Territory. |
Among some of the tribes there is an old-tim |
system of slavery. Captives in war become |
slaves, and their children are reared IN
bondage The principal articles of food |
among the Indians are turnips, potatoes and
salmon.
In speaking Of glaciers he gave an inter-
esting sketch of their formation from snow
in the mountains, gradually rolling down,
packing and becoming transparent ice. In
Alaska, in addition to the great glaciers that
roll down to the sea, there is fragment of
the e-sheet that once covered the country.
He had seen there four or five thousand
glaciers, ten of which flowed as rivers into
the sea. One of them was
THREE MILES WIDE
At the mouth, and moved one foot per hour,
discharging an iceberg over the wall into the |
sea about every four minutes. The glacier, |
OF ice river, is about one mile deep. |
In journey of 700 miles in canoe |
fully 100 miles were made by pushing through |
waters literally crowded with broken ice. 1t
seems strange to see ice flowing down through |
valleys filed with evergreen growth. and
bushes loaded with ripe berries hanging into
the frozen river.
The lecture was concluded with some in
teresting statements concerning the manner
in which icebergs have cut the land into
islands, and how it has worn away great
mountains, and to what extent the Territory
is being conquered by the sea by this grind
ing, wearing action.