Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-09-13
ssattle. June 10 1888.
AL LaskA.

lHk FUCt Wv GhhseSNSS" SSs w
seattle. June 10 1888.
ALaskA.
vs., an Exeursionist saw There,
.sd what he Thinks or the
Country.
iSt. Paul Pioneer Press.
Prof. r. J. Richardson. teacher Of
a,avino in the Minneapolis public
sskools and president of the local ar
,,ts' cIub, has Just returned from two
sa.tbs' tour Of the far west and that
ailI farther northwest embracing our
Is.est territorial acquisition, Alaska,
nd its neigh aoring islands. Yesterday
reporter found the gentleman mea-
,ursbly recovered from the fatigue of
he trip, and as enthusiastic as though
bs had compasssd journey to the
Povefy Kingdom instead of pilgrim
zoe to the region of perpetual frosts
and icebergs. The pro ,essor first 81
plaired that when he left Minneapolis.
he first of July. in company with his
tovusman Mr.. Du Bois. of the Specta-
tor. 1t was his intention to spend his va
cation merely in sketehing along that
cart Of the Pacific ooas. within our own
domain, having no thought of the Alaska
expedition.
TOUR TO ALASKA.
However" he continued, latter
three or four weeks skstching in that
fruitful field, by which my portfolio
vas flled with choice sketches for fu.
ture work in the studio, found myself
As far north as Port Townsend. at the
lower end Of Puget Sound, and along
came the Alaska party, made up from
all parts of the United States, and among
them ]. @. Shafter aud Arthur A. Pond
Of Minneapolis. The whole party num-
bered about seventy-fiye. fifty of them
being from the Eastern States. Justice
Miller Of the Supreme bench, with bis
niece, Miss Corkhill, daughter of the
attorney; Prof. Bicknell of Boston, pres
ident Of the National Teachers Associ.
alton; Mr.. Atkinson, superintendent of
congregational missions ON the Pacific
coast; Mrs. Haines of New York, whose
great generosity to the cause of western
missions has caused one of the new
Alaska towns to be named after her; the
Hon. Mr.. Carpenter of Madison, Wis,
who was really the protector of the OK
petition; Mr.. Aloott, of the Postoffice
Department, and number of mission
aries we're among the party from the
East. which at San Francisco was rein
forced by twenty five lalies, the wives
and daughters of prominent California
miners. The ladies and gentlemen were
about equally balanced; there were
plenty of young people and musicians
and wits-and reportsrs2 yes-and to
me the party seemed complete Ia itself.
But | was mistaken. There WAS still
one thing needful. aud that was n spe
cial artist Into that position | was
mustered. and We sailed Aug. upon the
line spacious steamer Ancon from Port
Townsend.
The trip was essentially an inland
one. being between the coast and the
chain of islands, seldom more than five
miles distant. Consequently We were
spared the agony of seasiokness; and ]
want to say that, for a lazy mans trip,
lot me commend this one. All We had
to do was to sit still on deck and witsess
the passing panorama ef snow- capped
mountains and the rugged, magnificent
coast. Before sailing We visited Victo-
ria. which We found typical English
town, unlike the average Canadian, of
about ten thousand inhabitants. We
had had u sight of Mounts Hood. Raj.
nier and Baker, and before leaving the
United States six of our party we're for
tunate enough TO get glorious sight of
Mount Fairweather at sunrise. fhis
may only be seen at rare intervals, rs IL
10 usually overhung with mist. | can
only describe il al appearing like vast
mountain Of gold as the rays Of the sua
slid down its sides.
IN THE BRITISH POSSESSIONS.
We landed at Metlakahtla, an In.
dian mission, the only port in the Brit
ish provinces which We were permitted d
to touch, and were somewhat puzzled
when, as result of our firing u salute
at miles distance from the coast. We
We beheld great commotion among
the people on shore. Presently, how
ever, the wharf was lined with people,
while TO the front marched All Indian
brass band, which weloomed us With
Hail Columbia and all sorts of de-
monstrations of welcome. We were
conducted to the church. where Justios
Ailler, President BiokRell and others
made speeches, which were duly inter
pFeted. and then we we're marched To
tne town hall, where the chiefs and head
men welcomed Us in form. And all the
VINE the band kept playing outside, re
eufring at frequent intervals TO Hail
oolumbia,' which, though some of the
zones were b9diy haited, was good ss
american ears for all that.
The next point az which we stopped
was the Island of Sitka, which came
INTO our possession along with Alasks
Ise village of SItka, the capital, con
ssins about one thousand people: these.
oeside the native Indians, being chiefly
nuasians. The Russian. barracks and
castles, erected about the year 100, still
i'own IN the harbor, though our newly
appointed governor is already on bis
way to occupy them. The executive af-
.airs or the island are now under mill
,,aiy control. Tbs situation of the vii
,aae remarkably use. IL is fortified
uya chain OF islands along the cosst,
anu heavy system of mountain ranges
!as. back OF the town. We all agreed
sost We had come to Sitka to see the
nnest church in America. This il the
wreck church, built on the Greek cross
pan. The interior is a mass of gold
ana silver, Of the naenificence of which
Ican give you no idea whatever. The
waiis are also hung with portraits of roy.
hy ana the priesthood, sent by a Rus
IAN princess who took this temple IN
aeI nef patronage.
VI course IL rained all the time We
ssre there, Otherwise we would have
zen bitterly disappointed, as the island
Min TO have the greatest rainfall 81
aas place IN the world. But the poiui
~ ~ greatest interest. before which every
snn'nR else paled. was in what is csiIeo
xusacier bay l5o miles north of Satka
s es before reaching the glaciers we
uonftered the streams of green, mud
water which always flow from them
5.' u When We came within two miles
sa:ssnce' our impression was that the
uinR mass upon the edge of the shors
- ABOUT seventy. five feet high. L
eu ssu 20 extend out over the water
~ while We we're speculasing in !
sssf snef disappointed way as 10 its dimen
"a ssns, We saw a considerable chunk spill
m,n ron the main body. as il under
so a.o oy tho water. The report VA
shoIseIy like heavy cannonading, ens
"a wave which resulted from what W
ss.sa regarded ss an inconsiderabli
- sn s was enough, at that distance. {,
is.ouf ouf steamer rocking with great vio
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