The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-06-17

the ALASKA fur ana COlhIhcICld C'ii-
nanv, said in answer to the question OF
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. Il have had
nv headquarters ut Kodiae. which is the
most northern station occupied Ly agents
of our company. We have our mead
quarters in San Francisco. and trading
stations all over Secretary Seward 5 pur-
chase As vet Alaska is almost terra
incognita. The country Immediately sur
rounding some of the principal rivers
like the Yukon, Snake and Stlckeer has
been explored. and few miles inland
from the coast line. but the great III
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 a country Of par
adoxcs. You who live here in the states
look upon it as "A land of perpetual ice
and snow. and yet you would be aston
ished if | told YOU that grew in my
garden at Kodiac abundant crops Of rad
ishes. lettuce. carrots, onions, caulltiow-
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 slipand the interior is reared
along the entire sea boundary Il 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 Il moments hesitation, said:
Two years ago last summer left ko-
/ diac for a trip to the headwatcrs Of the
| Snake river, where our travelling agents
! had established trading station at an
| Indian village. The chief of this family
/ of nnuits was named Io-lcc-Ji-ma. and
| to him WAS well recommended. lie
received me Hospitality, and l 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 info
| riar tJisls Of the mammoth, the remains
/ Of thousands OF which gigantic animals
! are 10 b, found in tine beds Cf interior
/ Alaskan water courses. | subjected the
ivory to "a rigid inspection, and upon two
/ Of the largest tusl=s discovered fresh
/ blood traces and the remains of partly
| dccompcsod flesh.
| Il questioned To-lcc-ti-ma. and he as
| sured me that less than three months
before 4 party OF his young men lad en-
| colntcred a drove of monsters about
/ fifty miles above where he was then en-
/ camped. and had succeeded in killing
/ two, an old bull and Il cow. At my re
/ quest he sent for the leader of the hunt
| ing party. q young and intelligent In
/ dian. and questioned him closely about
| his adventure among . race of animals
| that the scientific people claim are cx-
/ tinct He told 4" straightforward story,
/ and 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
spring Of water about amilp above where
/ thcy then were lie had discovered the
/ sign Of several OF the big teeth. They
1 had come down - the spriG, t. drink
| from a lofty plateau farther inland. and
( had evidently fed il the vicinity of the
water for some time The chief immc-
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 SIlutcd by ~ chorus
/ of loud, shrill, trumpet like calls. and an
[ enormous creature came crashing toward
1 them through the thiclsct, the ground
( fairly trembling beneath its pondcrous
( footballs With wild cries OF terror and
/ dismay the Indians fed. 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. \ bullet must have pcnc-
/ tratcd the creatures brain, for it stag
/ gered forward and fell dead, and subsc-
quently. ON their way bacl: To their camp
ground. they overhaulcd and killed COW
/ big teeth, which was evidently the mate
/ of the first one killed.
u asked the hunter to des, rihc the
monster. and. taking 4 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 Gle
phant. 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 Z
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 250 pounds each. They gradu-
ally tapered to Il sharp point and curved
inward. The monsters body WAS COW
cred with long, coarse hair of reddish
dun color. | took n 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