The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-14
ALASKA-LAND AND CLIMATE.
EN- for the Indiapapolis journal.

Written for the indianapolis Journal.
The name Alaska is a touchstone to most peo-
pies minds to call up an image of Arctic desola-
ton; great icebergs and snowy wastes swept by
chilling winds with their solitude broken at long
intervals by the shutting tread of the polar bear,
or an occasional Esquimau with sledge and
dogs creeping over the white landscape. Much
of the same feeling filled the writer's mind when,
few years since, he left the Golden Gate for the
shores of Behring'S sea- 1t was in early May,
when, one calm morning. with the sky only hid
den by a light fog-cloud here and there, we
steamed slowly through pass in the Aleutian
Islands to the harbor of Unalaska.
On either hand across the islands in great
cliffs are rocky precipices with an occasional
silvery thread of water falling into the sea
down their rugged faces. The snow still lay in
great masses on the higher slopes and about the
SUBMITS of the island mountains. On the
lower Slopes bare rocks alternated with russell
colored slopes, showed where 4 month later
would bloom myriads of handsome flowers and
rank growth of grass would spring up. Nota
tree OF bush showed ITSELF and the only relief to
the harsh. repelling character of the
scene was in the CLASSY sea, on whose bosom
foated thousands upon thousands of water-fowls.
Scattered here and there, or gathered in chatter
ing groups, they splashed and plumed them
selves. enjoying to the full the rare and well
come sunlight Coasting along the cliffs in
struggling lines flew great northern gulls, and,
at intervals tiny dove colored petrol fitted by
on airy wing like graceful butterfly. In few
hours we steamed slowly into the harbor OF I'm
alaska in an island of the same name, and pass
ing number ofisanderS cod -hshing in their seal
skin kyaks we were soon on shore, eagerly eX-
aiming everything to be seen in this odd little
town which seems, to a new conner, to belong to
new world.
The Aleutian islands extend from the Alaskan
coast westward in long line of thousand
miles or more and divide the waters of Behring
sea from those of the North Pacific; at the same
time their point of departure from the coast
might readily be used as a division between two
widely different climates and consequent differ
ence in the animal and plant life of the two re-
gions even extending to the aboriginal occupants.
Along the coast of the Territory south of these
islands are innumerable small islands, which,
with the rising shores of the mainland, are COW
cred with dense growth Of spruces, pines and
cedar
The warm. damp air of the Japanese gulf
stream here makes itself first felt on the Amer
lean shore, and the magnificent forests so well
known as found in Oregon and Washington Ter
ritory are rivaled by their northern continue
sion along the southern coast of Alaska.
This part of the coast is very mountainous,
and the numerous deep fjords cut back into the
shore are frequently crowned at their upper end
by great glaciers, in comparison with some OF
which the glaciers of the Alps are but pigmies.
The scenery among the islands there is of the
grandest kind, and at certain seasons, when fine
weather prevails voyage on the steamer
through them affords a view of some of the
most impressive scenery of mountain, woodland
and water to be found in America-all from the
steamers deck The natives along this coast are
notedfor their strange and picturesque costumes,
and add greatly to the pleasure of a voyage to
this easily-reached yet almost unknown land
North of the Aleutian islands lie the stormy
waters of Behring sea, giving access through
the straits to that portion of the Arctic ocean
wherein the Jeanette met her unfortunate fate
Around the reefs and rocky islets forming the
outworks of the great chain of the Aleutian
islands, on the southern side congregate the sea
otter; which latter yields one of the most costly
furs known, and in consequence this animal is
perSeveringly hunted by both the native and
white hunters
Just north of these islands, in the waters of
Behring sea, are the small islands where the fur
seal gathers to breed each summer, and whence
comes the main supply of the sealskins so highly
priced by the fair DANES of more southern lands
In early June, when the writer passed these
islands, dense fog covered the sea- and beyond
a narrow circle about the vessel everything was
hidden in blank wall of vapor. Our proximity
to the islands was easily perceived, however, by
the number of guillemots and other sea fowl
which circled about US or swan in the water
with the seals and sea lions which
constantly played about u.s. now ap-
pearng and now disappearing about
the foggy limit to our vision in
the most uncanny way like hobgoblins of the
sea. For some three months each summer these
seal islands are hidden in dense fog as if under
the spell of some Prospero, and it is only at in
tervals during this time that the curtain rises
and allows the sun to pour its rays down upon
the rocky shores for few hours.
During the time that the fog walls in these
islands, the annual catch of fur seals is made,
and about 100000 of the animals are driven in
bands back from the shore and knocked on the
head with clubs, and their skins removed and
sailed by the Esquimaux inhabitants of the
islands, directed by Americans, the latter being
treasury officials and officers of the Sealing
Company which has the islands leased from the
government. EDWARD w. NELSON.
THE PATH OF A PRIMA DONNA.