St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-02-27
LIFE IN ALA SKA.

The following extracts, taken from
a letter of Gov. Knapp of Alaska,
will interest Vermont readers as Gov.
Knapp is a Middlebury man:
! have not yet become so accustom-
ed to the climate of this country that
| the mild, beautiful winter weather
does not impress me in wonderful
manner. The thermometer has only
twice indicated 14o above zero, never
| lower than that, and yet so steady
| has the weather been that with three
inches of SNOW, the extreme depth at
this place, we have had the finest of
coasting-I could say sleighing, only
that we have no sleighs-and con-
tinuous skating for full six weeks. 1t
is paradise for coasters and skaters.
| think, however, that it is not al
ways SO. Last winter there was al
most no snow or ice. Another pecu-
liar teatureis the presence of SO many
birds during the winter season.
! There are myriadS of sea birds hover
ing over the waters of our tranquil
bay, making the air musical with
their peculiar call, while in their
! flight hither and thither they seem
like SwarmS of flies on a summer day,
or like a white, f1eecy cloud in a con-
dition of seething agitation. Then
there are ducks and wild geese, and
brilliant-plumaged blue jays, and fine
red-breast robins, and birds some
what resembling the sparrow, and
| the dignified ravens who reside here
in great numbers and serve as scav-
engers in our streets. AS l write
they are holding a convention upon
the parade ground in front of our
house-perhaps should say the ex-
ecutive mansiOn-I can count above
fifty of them and presume there may
be hundred. 1t is amusing, when
one secures piece of meat, or q fish
is taken from a sea-gull, to witness
the scramble and hear the loud
screaming and note the roughness
with which the robbers handle the
! fortunate pOssessOr of the treasure
trove until he is fain to drop his
plumber to be picked up and fought
over, again and again, until some
one secures it who is strong and
plucky enough to keep and devour it.
During a snow-squall few days ago
fourteen of them came and perched
in row upon the pickets of the
| stOckade near our window There
was no further movement for long
time and silence reigned supreme.
Soon as the snow ceased to fall they,
one by one, silently flew away.
The Russian population, some three
hundred, and the natives belonging
to the Russian church, observe the
holidays beginning January 5, which
is Christmas, and ending January 16
of our time. During these eleven
days all their houses are open, tables
are kept spread, wine and even
stronger liquors are free as water to
all corners Except that we strictly
enforce the law against furnishing to
Indians and children) and regular
carnival goes on by night. Masked
parties visit from house to house
during the evenings. We have had
calls from them every evening except
Sundays, one evening to the number
of twenty-three and another evening
fifteen different ones came in. Every
thing, however, has been orderly and
| decOrous, and with our police ar
rangementS it could not be other
wise. There are about six hundred
natives, mostly Sitkans, belonging
to the Russian church here and about
| four hundred of the Sitka Indians are
Presbyterians and have church by
| themselves. The latter are advanc-
ing rapidly in the acquisition of our
language and our ways of thinking.
One young man has just returned
here from a three years residence
with Mr.. Moody at Mortified, Mass.
He is a fine young fellow and desir-
Gus of benetitting his race. We have
just organized the Alaska Historical
society under apparently favorable
conditions, and trust it may event
ually secure something better in the
way of history than the unreliable
statements of tourists who come here
and return upon the same steamer
and publish a book upon Alaska.
TILE I,RESInEN,IvS (NTIXE SYM