The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-15
STARVING ON A ROCK.
Misery Of the Aleuts of the
Island of Attu.
WITHOUT FOOD OR CLOTHING.
Captain Cullies of the Schooner May
flower. Perishes on an Alaska Trail
An American Marine Drowned.

| FORT TOWNSEND, Nov. A.-tSpeciaL 1.-The
mail steamer City of Topeka arrived this even
| lug bringing important adyices from Alaska.
Phillip Kashevaroff, who LETT sitka in the
| spring on the sealing schooner Allie l. Alger,
| as navigator of the vessel, and returned TO
| sitka on the Topeka, tells pitiful story of
restitution among the natives on Attu island,
the most western OF the Aleutian chain. which
was visited by the schooner on the way
down Srom Boring sea- The Alaska Commercial
Company, having absorbed all the profit in the
iur business, closed up their store and left
the unfortunate natives TO their fate-starvation
anu oeath. There are three native villages on
the island of Attu. Kashevarof was at Chichag-
on, the largest of the three, which contains
ABOUT 100 Inhabitants, all Aieuts. Some years
ago the island was great place for offers,
ana the Alaska Commercial Company
established trading posts there and
large number of natives were
attracted there by the hunting and trading ad-
vantages of the island. But when the offers
were killed of the company moved the store
away, ana the natives were left there to make
living as best they could or starve. The island
is absolutely barren, and the only thing there
10 sustain the people are fish and sea lions.
lney drink the oil from the sea lions, but are at
aoisadvantage IN hunting them, from the fact
that they have neither hunting outfits nor boats.
Neither are there any fur animals from which
10 secure skins for clothing, with the exception
oil the blue fox They make clothes from any
thing they can get hold Of Sometimes they
getgunny sacks from vessels landing there, and
these make the best clothes they have The
degree of wretchedness among them il beyond
comprehension. Kashevaroff saw a woman
VINO had been lying in bed for three years as
the result OF a broken leg. There one
to set the broken bone, and a large ulcer had
formed and presented u sickening sight The
indians cannot get away and must ultimately
rIGh I'll.
looks after them. 1t 10 seldom that vessels
stop there, and those that do SO are small.
The Allie l. Ayers crew contributed to
purse with which they bought some OF the
boats supplies from the captain to give to
them
On November the steamer Karluk arrived
at Sitka from Karluk, bringing news that Cap
tain Guile, of the Mary Anderson, had been
found dead on the trail from Uyak to
karluk. The schooner Mary Anderson, of
which Guile was master, put into Uyak bay on
account OF bad weather Guile, accompanied
by John Armsworthy. passenger, started to
walk overland to Karuk. They either did not
know how far 1t was or else they were very for
getfu, for they only took with them provisions
for one day; so that on the second day they had
nothing to eat, and the trail leading over spur
OF the mountains they both became exhausted,
and Guile had 1t from which
he did not recover, and Armsworthy
AT last ielt nllu III search OF ntlp.
That night Armsworthy reached Karluk, but
was too faint to go back. A search party was
sent out, which returned in the morning with
out finding Guile Armsworthy, by this time
having recovered, headed another party, and sue
ceeded in finding Cullie's dead body in the
same place and attitude in which he had left
him. The body was taken to Karluk, and the
coroner gave a verdict of "death from fain,ness
and exposure"
correspondent the revenue cutter Bear
writes as follows from Unalaska:
The revenue steamer Bear returned to Una
laska on September 10 from Arctic cruise.
| The success OF the whaling fleet was only mod
crate. The natives of Kings island were found
in q starving condition, and a purse of $3.50 was
at St. MichaePs The ice was so heavy that the
Bear did not reach Point Barrow.
DIR. Jackson has made commencement In
the introduction OF the domestcated reindeer
OF Siberia into Alaska, small bands of reindeer
being left as an experiment upon the islands of
Unalaska and Unimak In procuring the deer
Captain Heay rendered hearty cooperation
and most valuable assistance. Dr. Jackson also
procured a number of curios for the museum OF
natural history at Sitka.
On October 16 Alexander Smith, a private in
the United states marine corps, was found to
be absent from his post of duty as guard on the
government wharf. Investigation disclosed the
body OF Smith in some shallow water. The re-
mains were subsequently taken to the naval
hospital, where an inquest was held. The
jury's verdict was that deceased came to his
death by accidental drowning.