Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-04-30
WONDERFUL ALASKA.

Rev. G., A. Easton, venerable anu
eloouent minister of the Episcopal
church told the story OF his travels
and experience in Alaska to the con-
gregation of the church OF St. fau's'
on California street, says San Fran
cisco paper. He began with fasci-
mating description of his voyage up
the waveless Pacific under the soft
skies of summer. 1t was delight
full passage to wonderful country
land Of enormous extent, OF mighty
rivers, vast forests, stupendous gla'
ciers and multitudes of islands. III
has the most gorgeous anroras' tue
most Ice and the most snow OF any oil
our possessions. The remotest island
of its archipelago is far beyond the
western limit of the Sandwich islands
ats mines, forests aud rivers" said
the speaker, "are wonderful. But 1t
is the most wonderful country in the
world for fish. It's rivers and bays
TEEN with members OF the fnny
tribes. Its shores are dotted with
canneries and it could without diff
Guilty supply the worlds demand Tor
fish. At little town where l stopped
for few days the daily catch OF her.
ring was 1900 barrels, and these were
caught solely for the oil, which was
, pressed out OF them.
SUBLIME SCENERY.
"The scenery of Alaska is sublime.
Its enormous glaciers are constant
: source of wonder. From one OF these
: huge cataracts of ice immense mas
t ses are frequently detached and roll
9 laundering into ten thousand abyses-
n SEES. | have seen masses of ice as
s large as the Palace hotel pitching
! with tremendous speed down the in
O clines.
g "When we bought Alaska from
,. Russia IN 1867, it contained GO,00(
}. Indians. We can now fluid 10000
q The white mans fre-water and thu
d white mans vices have caused the
1t disappearance of the other 10000
l. In some parts of the Territory can
st nibalism is practiced. M. Duncan
a who has labored as a missionary Ii
d Alaska for thirty years, told me tina
is he had recently attended dew
;" dance Of the natives. When tn
in frenzy Of the dancers was at its high
n est pitch the medicine man appeared
On and fastened his teeth in the make
k back of a young woman. She an
r. her child were torn limb from lin
a. and eaten. The natives may be d
oh vided into cannibals or human tlesl
g. eaters, dog eaters and 6sh-eaters.
FRIGHTFuL CEREMONIES.
of "Many of their ceremonies al
oi- frightful to contemplate. Whenevt
on a new chief is elected he must be pr'
le- vided with new house, and th'
nd house is built IN the following name
IT, The supporters of the chief gath'
W the necessary material to the site ar
is dig four holes, in which the corn,
he posts of the house are planted; b'
lu- before the posts are planted tt
an threats of four women are cut al
ng their dead bodies are placed in tt
be holes. Then the posts are put in al
&C. the construction of the house begin
es, "In Alaska witchcIaft is still pu
on ished with death. In one of the he
us pltals | found beautiful little g
nc with long faxen hair, and asked t
an Indian nurse whose child she W;
an The nurse replied that the little o
the had been found on barren isla
led beside the dead body of her moth
the who had been killed for wltchcra
ced Whenever woman is suspected
ira consorting with the evil one, she
OPP taken to the medicine man. I
pre- feet are tied together and the liz
red ture is then attached to her hair, a
on her feet and head are thus drawn
'wn gether until her tongue and eyes p
rom trude. She is then cast upon an