Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1891-07-03

aAOhSbcT twenty rect htkh
Thirty Feet in Length-Tusks Weighing
ESQ Pounds-Garden Sass" and Gla-
ciers Side by Side.
ALASKA is a country of paradoxes!"
That is what Mr. Cola F. Fowler, of
the Alaska Fur and Commercial com
pany, said in answer to the question of
a reporter respecting his late field of
operations
During all that time, up to two
months ago, when resigned and started
for home" said Mr.. Fowler, 81 have had
my headquarters at Zodiac, which is the
most northern station occupied by agents
Of our company. We have our head
quarters in San Francisco, and trading
stations all over Secretary Stewards pur-
chase AS yet Alaska is almost terra
incognita. The country Immediately sur
rounding some of the principal rivers
like the Yukon, Snake and Stickeer has
been explored, and few miles inland
from the coast line, but the great in
terror is almost unknown. What we
have learned of it is a surprise, and was
the foundation of my answer to your
question.
Alaska is certainly country of par
adoxes. You who live here in the states
look upon it as land of perpetual ice
and snow, and yet you would be aston
ished if | told you that grew in my
garden at Zodiac abundant crops of rad
ishes, lettuce, carrots, onions, caulifiow-
ers, cabbage, peas, turnips, potatoes,
beets, parnips and celery. Within five
miles of this garden was one of the larg-
est glaciers in Alaska, and between the
fertile coast slip and the interior is reared
along the entire sea boundary a contin-
uous mountain of perpetual ice and
snow.
During your twelve years residence
in Alaska what was the most wonderful
thing you ever saw or heard there?"
Mr.. Fowler smiled at this question,
and, after a moments hesitation, said:
1.-TWO years ago last summer left Ko-
diac for a trip to the headwaters of the
Snake river, where our travelling agents
had established trading station at an
Indian village The chief of this family
of Innuits was named To-lee-ti-ma, and
to him | was well recommended. He
received me Hospitality, and / at once
began negotiations for the purchase of a
big lot of fossil ivory which his tribe
had cached near the village The lot
weighed several thousand pounds, and
was composed of the principal and infe-
rior tusks of the mammoth, the remains
Of thousands Of which gigantic animals
are to be found in the beds of interior
Alaskan water courses. subjected the
ivory to rigid inspection, and upon two
of the largest tusks l discovered fresh
blood traces and the remains of partly
decomposed flesh.
Il questioned To-lee-ti-ma, and he as
sured me that less than three months
before a party of his young men had en-
countered a drove of monsters about
fifty miles above where he was then en-
camped, and had succeeded in killing
two, an old bull and COW. At my re-
quest he sent for the leader 90 the hunt
ing party, young and intelligent In
dian, and questioned him closely about
his adventure among a race of animals
that the scientific people claim are ex-
tinct. He told straightforward story,
and l have no reason to doubt its truth.
KILLING MONSTER
HE and his band were searching along
a dry water course for ivory, and had
found a considerable quantity. One of
the bucks, who was in advance, rushed
in upon the main body one morning
with the startling intelligence that at a
spring of water about mile above where
they then were he had discovered the
sign of several Of the big teeth They
had come down to the spring to drink
from lofty plateau farther inland, and
had evidently fed in the vicinity of the
water for some time. The chief imme-
diately called about him his warriors,
and the party, under the leadership of
the scout, approached the stream.
''They had nearly reached it when their
ears were suddenly saluted by chorus
of loud, shrill, trumpet like calls, and an
enormous creature came crashing toward
them through the thicket, the ground
fairly trembling beneath its ponderous
footballs. With wild cries of terror and
dismay the Indians fled, all but the chief
and the scout who had first discovered
the trail of the monsters. They were
armed with large caliber muskets and
stood their ground, opening fire on the
mammoth. A bullet must have pene-
trated the creatures brain, for it stag
gered forward and fell dead, and subse-
quently, on their way back to their camp
ground, they overhauled and killed a COW
big teeth, which was evidently the mate
of the first one killed.
Il asked the hunter to describe the
monster, and, taking a sharp stick, he
drew me picture of the male animal
in the soft clay. According to his de-
scription it was at least twenty feet in
height and thirty feet in length. In
general shape it was not unlike an ele-
plant, but its ears were smaller, its eyes
bigger and its trunk longer and more
slender. Its tusks were yellowish white
in color and six in number. Four of
these tusks were placed like those of a
boar, one on either side in each Jaw;
they were about four feet long and came
to a sharp point. The other two tusks
he brought away.
Il measured them and they were over
fifteen feet in length and weighed up
wards of $50 pounds each. They gradu-
ally tapered to sharp point and curved
inward. The monsters body was COW
cred with long, coarse hair of a reddish
dun color. | took a copy of the rude
sketch made by the Indian.
"By the way, our late governor, the
Hon. Alfred P. Swineford, has pretty
carefully investigated the matter, and he
is certain from thorough sitting Of ma
tive testimony that large herds of these
monsters are to be found on the high
Mo taa11S in intarior A larl-a IL q