The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1880-08-19
A Lady's Account Of Z Trip to Alaska.

A Lady's Account Of . Trip to Alaska.
"WE reached Sitka two weeks from
the time we left San Francisco. 1t is
pretty place. neatly laid out. contain
ing many nice-looking buildings, with q
foreground Of water and background
Of mountains. The most prominent
buildings are the Greek Church, neat
wooden edifice with q tall spire-and
the CASTLE formerly occupied by the
Russian Governor large building.
prominently located on q high point of
rock. The Indian village lies just be-
low; and in order and aspect is one OF
the most revolving and disgusting sights
imaginable. We have brought home
few mementoes of it, odor and all. You
shall have the privilege of enjoying
little of the fragrance YOURSELF"
Stepping lightly to a mantel, the fair
traveller took down a small piece of
wooden carving, resembling a miniature
canoe. saying:
"This has undergone repeated wash
ings and scrapings since it came into
our possession, but the delectable per-
fume of that Indian village refuses to
leave it."
The interviewer bowed his face over
the curious bit of handiwork, fashioned
out of a hard. close grained wood, and was
rewarded by q powerful and indescriba-
BILE aroma. There was a hint of Linn
burger cheese, q suggestion of carrion,
a scent like Chinese fish market, a
reminder of the odors of Butchertown,
mingled with an intangible something
that told of filthy huts, dirty food and
an unwashed population.
.Is the general appearance of the
natives prepossessing?"
''They are quite in harmony with
their abodes- unclean, ignorant and
misunderstanding. Some of them smear
their faces with a kind of lampblack, to
keep off the mosquitoes, and their
coal black faces, taken in conjunc-
ton with their singular hair, which has
been faded by the sunlight to duh
mahogany. gives them a curious aspect.
They all have peculiarly old and with
cred look. We did not see a young
looking face among those who had
passed childhood. The Indians have
threatened to revolt lately, but the
jamestown lies anchored there, with her
guns bearing straight down on the will
age, and no apprehensions are enter
tanned of the courage of the savages
waxing so great as to brave powder and
shot"
SHOW did you like the climate?''
"We were very agreeably surprised,
having expected to find the weather
rather frigid. During the whole of our
stay it was warm and sunny, though the
air was very bracing. Sitka seems far
north to US, but it is, in reality, in about
the same latitude as Edinburgh, and
the pure invigorating air is compared
by travellers to that of the Scottish
Highlands. The most noticeable fea-
ture to us, accustomed to more equal
division of time in southern latitudes,
was the strange long days. I could not
get used to it, and one night resolved
to sit up until dark. At twenty-five
minutes past nine the sun went down
with the most glorious pageant of clouds
l. ever saw. Then ensued the long,
strange twilight. At eleven I was able
to read the fine print of newspaper
distinctly, and I went meekly to bed.
The officers of the jamestown say that
the winter is much more trying to one
unaccustomed to the country. On the
shortest days the sun rises about ten
O'Clock, and sets at three, giving them
good long evenings"
"Did you visit the glaciers?'
cit is unkind to make us tell of that.
That portion of our trip was bit of ex-
perience so rare and choice and unique
that we meant to keep it all to our.
selves. Besides, it is impossible to de.
scribe adequately the wonders and beau
ties of the Stickeen country.
"River boats run up the river from
Fort Wrangle, making a trip of forty
miles and returning the same day, and
one fine morning at an early hour we
started up the Stickeen. The scenery
along the river is very imposing. The
first glacier we saw was ten miles long,
and as the sun shone upon it it looked
Us if covered with little blue flames. The
largest glacier is sixty miles long, and
although appearing to be a single mass
Prof. Muir says it has dual existence
one of its underground currents flowing
to the sea, the other to the Stickeen
At the mouth of this our steamer
stopped and we landed, encounterine
one of the most charming surprises o.
the trip. The ground was covered al
around with lovely crimson-tipped,
coral like lichens, which looked like q
beautiful carpet spread over the gray
EARTH"
The speaker exhibited a basket Of
curious blood-tipped MOSES and Itch
ems, brought home astrophies. and CON
tinued:
"The moraine at this point was five
miles across. We lay down fiat on the
ice and put our faces down to drink the
water, which was far from ice-cold
tasting more like cool spring water
There were great crevasses everywhere
We knelt and looked for fairies in the
deep cracks, and beheld instead fairy
palaces, with magical walls and pillar.
of ice aglow with prismatic colors anl
gigantic pendant icicles. We threw
stones down and heard them, after what
seemed long time, splash in the sub
terranean stream. We left them re
gretfully, and passed back down the
stream. It was so warm upon the water
it seemed incredible that we were sur
rounded by ice fields. San francisco
Chronicle. ...... ........
Georges Visit to the Circus.
Georges papa told George one day
that he would take him to the circu!