The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1884-01-09
An Arctic Mummy.

1t having been limited that Louli
Slos4, Secretary of the Alaska Com.
mercial Company, was in possession OF
one of the curious specimens brought
down from Alaska by Prof. jacobsen,
of the ROYAL Museum of Berlin, who
made a valuable collection of interest
ing objects while prosecuting his arch
aological researches in that region
recently, Chronicle reporter called on
Mr.. Sloss yesterday and was shown the
specimen. 1t is kept under lock and
KEY, not yet being prepared and
mounted for scrutiny. The object
proved to be mummy, claimed by
Prof. Jacobsen, as well as other scien-
tifc gentlemen. to be at least five hun
dred years old. 1t was found on Green
Island, few miles north of Kodiak.
Although perfectly preserved and so
singularly grotesque as to translix the
beholder with wonder, its value lies al
most entirely in the great scientific in
terest attached to it as relic of ancient
life in that comparatively unknown
region. The specimen is male, about
five feet six inches in height, and bear
ing close resemblance to Japanese.
Though the flesh is desiccated and the
dried to the bones in some parts of the
body, the outline is very generally pre-
served. The face has look of despair
and anguish depicted on it and the
teeth are protruded. One hand is
clasped upon the heart and the lower
limbs are curled up in peculiar man.
ner.
Capt. Melville G. Erskine, who has
sailed the Arctic seas for the past
eighteen years, being interviewed on the
subject, remarked
81 never saw such fellow in my life
as that Jacobsen. He is most
thorough worker in the interest OF sci
ence, and would leave no stone un-
turned while conducting his researches. ="
"Where is the professor nowP" was
asked.
son his way to Berlin, with six spec
linens of mumies and lots of other stuff
that he found in different places.
SIN what condition did he find these
mumies?" queried the reporter
80, in all shapes" said the captain.
"Some in baskets, some in straw mat
ting and others in furs and skins. "
'How were they preservedP'
"They were found in caves, you
know, and these seemed to possess q
remarkable power of preservation, as
yet not fully understood. But there
they were kept, in an almost perfect
state, for long centuries.
"Do you think they are SO very an
cient?" was next asked.
81 consider them prehistoric relics O
a people whose traditions antedat'
those of the present generation by hun
dreds Of years, and III tell you why
Within sixty years only Christian buria
has been practiced by the natives. Be
fore that time the bodies of men wer
disioined and burned, and those o
I women were cast into the sea. No sucl
trouble as embalming was gone to b.
. these people then, assure. The rae
\ preceding them was no oubtasuperio
: one, and no traditions now exists con
8 cerning them"
"Do any of the Aleutin group affor
9 such specimensP"
: 81 have heard that such was the case
Captain Henning secured few scragg
s pieces of human remains from tn
island of Four Mountains, which wer
!, sent to Europe ten years ago. Blu
q these and the Jacobsen collection ar
Q the only ones discovered thus far, an
r the latter, in fact, may be said to cor
tain the only perfect specimens"
!, Captain Erskine went on to say tha
+ the Aleutian Islands had never bee
n properly surveyed, rendering naviga
i ton difficult and dangerous. Fe'
s travellers, therefore, visit the smalle
u islands and whalers never touch exceT
at Buralacka, and that rarely. A thol
o ough research in this region would Gel
g tainly prove of vast interest to the SC
J; entifc world, and this should be made
+ and probably will be before long .
l. A SUSTAINING argument advanced b
q a scientific gentleman in regard to tt
n theory of these mummies being of
+ prehistoric race was the fact that the
e were found on the older islands. The
a was no doubt of the fact that many
+ the Aleutian chain were of compar'
.e lively recent volcanic origin, and tt
Is mummies were taken from the O
g islands near the mainland.-SGn Fra
u, cisco Chronicle.