New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-02-15
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
o,u,,pu,s TRAVELS ON THE YUKON.

scUWATXNS TRAVELS ON THE YUKON.
ALONG ALAsKA's GREAT RIVER by FRkDLmcx
I;,ptenart Schwa,la has i'll this volume given
nopular account of lis expedition from the neat
waters TO the mouth of the Yukon, Alaskas great
river. in 1888. IL was toisome ana tedlo"s
journey and curiously enough, some or the Woie.
onpoyanccs encountered were such as one wouIu
have looked for only in tropical region The long
ionrnev was made on a raft and it speaks well for
the tboroughness with which this was construtVfu
that il should have come unshattered out OF Foy
age of two thousand miles i'll the course Oh "nVn ~
was hurled down rapids, twisted ABOUT ia "u
pools repeatedly driven against All "ah'oi VI
rocks shoals sand bars and banks, aud eApoScu 10
nerils which would have destroyed inc strongest
boat.
part Of the time the expedition had the not very
valuable assistance of some Indians, VINO PROGRESSED
a. MIC, tha raft but seldom were of any practical
use Had the party had more time at their dls-
posal they could have made the journey much more
interesting. AS it was the monotony OF IL seems 10
have been relieved by the difficulties OF raft naV-
cation during the day and the torments Inflicted ny
mosquitoes black and horse flies and other insects
whom they landed at night. The mosquitoes were
terrible 1t is said. though not yerlhed t"aI they
sometimes kill the great brown bear, which Is the
grizzly of the North; and Lieutenant Schwatka
possible The Indians they met OH the upper waters
of the Yukon have made little advance in ciyiliza-
tion Ii is deserving of remark that some OF these
tribes show much more progress III boat-Dniiaihg
carving and ornamentation and the construction Vi
tools and weapons. than in house-buIid'hS' inos
live in flimsy. squald and filthy hutS, often sort
of cross between the tpee OF the Ihdian ol Inv
plains and tho glOo of the Esquimau' lhey SuoSiS'
nrincipally upon dried and smoked salmon III inc
l.;IIe III
is precari GUS they have little energy ana goherauy
their copdtion is very low None of the Indians on
the Yukon appear now to be hostile though the
Chiikats were strongly warlike not many years ago.
They are merry hght-hearted but by no means
unselish race, and they possess an endurance anu
otrcngth which seems remarkable when the poverty
of their diet is considered
Some of the Yukon indians possess keenness OF
vision the like Of which even among savages we do
not recall and Lieutenant cch"a'A"s account u
it deserves citation:
If was at this village that what to mo was tho
most wonderful and striking performance gwen by
any natives we encountered on tne WHO'S zip TaS
dIsplaved ] refer to their method OF hshlng lor
salmon. | have already spoken OF tie extreme
muddincss Of the Yukon below the mouth oil inc
White River; and this spot, OF course ID no eHeep.
ton. / believe do not eXaggerate ID tne r" se
when say that if an ordinary pint lineup were
filled with IT. nothing cona oe seen az ere about
nine or ten feet deep the fishing banks IN front
of the houses where they fsh with ther nets OF az
least that is about the length of tho poles TO when
the nets are attached. The salmon saw them take
were caught about two hundred or two hundred
and fty wards directly out from the shore in iron;
"f tbe honses Standing in front Of this row OF
cabins, some person, generally an ola man squaw
or child. possibly on duty Tor That purpose w"uu
announce in a loud voice that a salmon was coming
IN the river, perhaps from quarter to third OF a
mile away This news would stir up some young
man from the cabins, who from MS elevated posi-
lion in 'front.' of them Womb identify the salmOns
position, and then run down to the beach, pick up
his canoe paddle ana net ibe I net Wing On
the canoes birch deck In front OF nihl' Ms move
ments heing guided by his own sight ana that OF a
half dozen others on the high bank all shouting
advice to him at the same time. Evidently IN the
canoe he could not judge well OF the hshs position,
the advice from the shore to direct MS movements
until the fish was near him. when with TWO OF three
deyterons and powerful strokes with both hands, he
shot the little to point near the position he
wished 10 take up, regulating Us huer uoN einehts
by the paddle used as soulllng oar IN MS leit
hand while with his right he grasped the net at the
end of ITS handle and plunged 1t into the water the
whole length of its pole to the bottom OF the rlver
(some niue or ten feet often leaning 1ar over ana
fhrusting the arm deep lLto the water so as 10
adjust the mouth of the net, covering about two
square feet directly the course of the salmon
so as to entrap HIM. Or seven attempts, at
intervals covering three hours. two were successful
land In two others salmon were caught but escaped
while the nets were beng raised, salmon being
canaht that weighed FROM fifteen to twenty pounds.
How these Indians at this distance the
coming OF a single salmon along the bottom 1l a
course position near enough to catch them IN the
narrow mouth OF small net when immediately
under the eye vessel holding that number OF
inches of " alter from the muddy river completely
obscures an object at its bottom, IL a problem that
will mt attempt to solve Their success depends
of course in some way the motion OF the tsh. In
vain they attempted to show members Of my party
the coming fish, fe1 perfectly sdeq lr aa ff tbe
movements to which their attention was called.
Under the skin roofs of their loyca1ns and on the
scahOldiugs upon the gravel beach were many
hundred salmon that had been caught IN this
curious way The only plausible theory which
could evolve within the limits OF the nOnmaT-
yelous was that the salmon came along near the
top of the water, so as 10 show or indicate the
dorsa fin, and that as it approached the canoe, the
sight of it, or more likely some shght noise, made
with that intention. drove the fish TO the bottom
without any considerable lateral deviation where
upon they we're iuclOSed by the net. But my inter
prefers told ne land think then Interpretation was
correct in tnis case, roundabout as 1t was, that
this superficial sN inning did not take place, but
that the motion of tue fish was communicated from
the deep water to the surface, often Wnen the hSn
was quite ut the bottom.
Certainly this ability to trace the progress of a
fish at the bottom of muddy river exceeds any
thing of the kind on record.
The Yukon has powerful current and eats away
its banks like all large rivers. Many of It's trbu
taries along its lower bring great quantities
of sediment into the current There are lakes
along the course which appear to be gradually
sitting up, and may probably contract in time iato
mere creeks. great part Of the territory through
which the river runs seems TO be united for tage
OF any kind. In places the country is covered
with q neavy moss which grows over the river
banks and frequently down to the waters edge
The mt squitoes serious pest as the Isetse
fly iu Africa Nothing can withstand their num-
bers and persistence The moose seek the mountains
to get away from them, and no work is possible in
the region they infest
Lieutenant Schwatka has written simple and
interesting account of his expedition and it is we'll
illustrated and furnished with three good maps and
an index.