The morning call., 1890-06-27
NEWS FROM ALASKA.
Latest Items From the Land of
the Midnight Sun.
The Canneries Not Yet Started Up-Fisher.
men on Strike Living on CLANS and Sea-
weed-Hootchino and Swash

Among the passengers who arrived here on the
steamer City OF Puebla from Victoria and Sound
ports were several gentlemen who have spent
the last few months In Alaska
They came thence to Port Townsend by the
steamer Bertha. and there took the steamer for
this city. One OF the passengers was seen by a
c ALL reporter, and regarding affairs In the land
OF The midnight sun, gave considerable informa-
ton, which will prove interesting to many who
have interests In Alaska.
1t is learned that at Oliver Smiths cannery a
Portuguese shot and killed an American. sum
of money, said to be s4oo. was paid by the
murderer or his fliends. and no legal proceed
ings were Instituted.
CANNERIEs NOT STARTED.
The informant stated that the canuerles at
Karluk on Kodiak Island had not started up up
to the time he had left on June 18th. The fish
bad not commenced TO run, nor had they at
Akyack at the south end.
AT Karluk The fishermen had been hauling
seines 300 fatboms in width and catching about
$50 TO 200 reddish at haul. When the fish run
they usually catch from 5000 TO 900 at haul.
There are about thirty or forty people there on
the beach. AT Afognak Island, thiry-eght
miles from ST. Paul settlement on Kodiak, The
men were running about 200 cases a day for the
two canneiieS located there. The TWO employ
about seventy five fishermen.
AT Prince William Sound, or Copper Island, as
IL Is VIC hIuSHSu was a Q
on account OF ice, and reddish had not COM
menced TO run when the party left. The fisher
men expecting them daily and were well
pre- pared for them.
PROSPECTS FOR A GOOD CATCH
The prospects for a good catch OF salmon
around Kodiak and Sbellikof straits good,
and the fishermen are about starting in now.
On Prince Williams Sound the prospects are
doubtful. There are located the cannerles OF
the Pacific Packing Company, the Pacific Steam
Whaling Company Captain Humphrey late
OF the JEANNE in chargel and the Pen
inSular Trading aud Fishing Company
(at Kiak island. Captain Shaw in eharge). They
employ altogether about 100 white men, and
there are about seventy-nye Cinnamon In each
cannery.
Ali lie work inside the cannerles is done by
Cinnamon, who make cans split and clean the
fish, cap tile cans and tend To the steam boxes
and retoTts. The men who catch the fish are
paid so much month and so much per thousand
fish they catch. and are boarded free. In kar-
LUX, for seinlDg they receive about $50 a month
and SO thousand fish; for eill-nettng the men
receive the same regular pay and $50 thousand
or cents a fish
In seine-nettlng there are sixty men in gang.
In This method the meShes OF the net are made
large enough TO let small fish ESCAPE that too
small for canning. Gill nets about 125
fatboms III length and are worked by two men
from Il boat. Meshes in gill nets measure about
eleven inches, In seines between four aud six
Inches. When tile nets are hauled III the fish are
taken from them by means OF a kind OF pike
fixed on the end OF a pole, which Is called
a. fish gore" Some OF the kingish al Cooks
inlet weigh from 80 to 100 pounds. The fisher
men Work day or night, Just when the tide suits
them.
CANNING THE FISH.
When the salmon are taken from the senes In
gill nets they are taken ashore to the flSi.
house, where they are headed, Quilted. cleanrd
and washed by Cinnamon. They are then taken
by wagon to the cannery. Here four hsn are
placed IN a receptacle and cut by an accurately
gauged, gang knife Into sizes Just enough TO
az IG1nE h.. lIFs..Tt
chine. AT the hlling-machine is a table, under
meath which Is drawer containing Two dozen
cans. In the top OF the table are bored Two
dozen haliincb anger holes, each over a eau.
Attached 10 the table Is frame filled with salt.
Chiuaman scoops salt over tie table, then
shakes II and one teasp00niul OF salt runs into
each can. When the salt is In a ChiDaman at
the hling-machine throws a chunk OF salmon
INTO each can after IL has been pressed into
shape.
II il is too bic for the can machine slices the
excess of, and 1t either thrown away or used
to I'LL NJ the light weight cans" Alter the
cans are hed they are treated with muriatlc
acid and then capped either by hand or
.'shrImped" and capped by machinery. The
caus are next taken to the ''iIon tray" where
they are dipped in hot water.
Those that bubble are not good and are re-
jected aud the contents are burned. The good
next taken TO steam box, and there
boil an hour. AT the end OF that time little
hole Is punched In each can TO let the air and hot
water out. The holes made thus next re-
sOldered up.
LOOK OUT FOR - DO-ONERS.
After that the filled cans are taken 10 the
retOrt TO be boiled for one hour at temperature
Of 225o 10 25Oo. The boiling over, they
treated to strong lye bath to take grease and
dirt off, washed in Clean fresh water, put away
TO cool and be tested, labeled and cased
Each can Is tested three times. They are
tested by man with small iron fiat on one
side and pointed on the other, and he tells II
they are perfect by the sound. Ii not perfectly
tight the cans are rejected, aud are boiled and
stopped over again. some are boiled twice on
Then ism l0saS IL nj
the cans are put on TO the market under another
label aud sold by tue Gamers cheap.
They called "do-overs." Look out for
them II you 20 into store and see can with
more than one hole stepped up in the top of The
can don't buy It'll is a "do-over." When The
cans swell they are called "swell-heads," and
are not sold; the contents are burned.
FIsHERSIEN's TROUBLES.
There has been trouble between the fishermen
and their bosses at the Alaska Improvement
Company'S cannery. at Karluk, account OF
the men being required to work on Sundays.
The men-some twenty-five or tbirty-struck,
ana when our iuformants left were living on the
beach on what fish they could catch and CLANS
and sea-weed.
The winter in Alaska has generally been
hard one. On the Islands OF Kodiak and Afog-
max IL was not so bad, but there was lots OF
snow and frost until after Christmas The catch
of otter and other iurs was below The average.
All The miners who went up prospecting on
Copper River, the kinay Peninsula and the
principal islands were dead broke. They had
subsisted by cutting wood Tor the cannerSes, aud
would go 10 work for them when the fish COM
menced TO run One old miner, named Bloom,
who 10 well known here. built himself 4 d0ry and
sailed from Prince Williams Sound 10 Kodiak a
distance OF 800 miles. HewaS greatly exhausted
when he arrived there.
The sealer Nellie Martin was at HewcbIk on
Prince Williams Sound. twelve days ago. She
then had 8 otter and 200 seal skins. She was
going 10 Kodiak for supplies. Other sealers
were seen cruising around Middleton Island.
The Alaska Commercial Company has opened
a coal mine at lortage Harbor, TO westward of
I1npa. the main land, and mine has been
opened at Cooper, or Cooks Inlet.
HooTCHINoo AND SMASH.
"Is hootchlnoo made In Alaska now?'' asked
the reporter.
YES" was the answer, "and Pll tell you how
1t Is made. 1 have often seen 1t mentioned in
the papers here, but no one seems TO have got Oh
to how the peculiar whisky Is made.
1.-The men take 10 pounds OF brown sugar,
pounds Of graham -four and mix them well to-
geIher dry; Then seaid the mixture IN a barrel
cooled ddsJn to blood temperature with cold wn-
Ter and yeast made OF hops flour aud sugar
added. II then fetments Alter good fermenta-
The iermented liquor is strained and drawn
off. A coal-oil can is taken aud the top cut oil.
Another one Is taken and placed on top of Ii for
a cover. The liquor is placed In the lower can,
and the two cans are soIdered together with
dough. hole Is cut IN the upper can and a
Run-Darrel fitted into Ii. On the outer END OF the
barrel is placed a bottle. The gun barrel i.
slanted, q bucket of water is used for conden-
SER and when fire IS lit under tile bottom OF The
lower can hootchinoO Is distilled. Sometimes the
hOotchnOo Is redistilled aud then 1t is stronger.
SO Swash,' or Aleut beer, is made as follows:
Take three pints brown sugar, one pint graham
-four, and place on stove. Boil twO-thirds of a
pound OF hops, and If They can be had two pota-
toes, aud pour the water they are boiled In over
the sugar and flour; cool down to blood heat !;
add one quart fresh yeast; skim after twenty.
four hours raising, stirring in two more piuis
brown sugar; raise twenty-four hours more;
skim aud strain in barrel, bung up tight, and
put in faucet. In one week you have five gallons
OF Al beer"
The price of all kinds Of furs Is reported high
this summer. Sea furs are very high and land
furs plentiful