The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1892-07-28
rRIEp An AMERIcAN STOVE.
Attempts Of nm Aiaskan Indian ut MOlorn
CULINARY aIethodG

Attempts OF nm Alaskan Indian Mt Molern
Culinary Methods
There vas wild excitement in ISL
washaown," as the strageling row Of In
dian log huts above the seannery was
called, when It wa known that Sam.
ono Of tho Indian fishermen, had bought
the superintendent's old cookstoye.
For Months Annie, Sans vile, had
eraved for tho precious piece Of turni'
ture. Now it was safely set up IN her
log hut, the fire was burning merrtly,
and the Chinese cook, specially retain
ed ut considerable expense TO give PRIV
alto lessons in the art Of cooking, was
instructing Annie in the mysteries OF
making biscuit, says the San Fra1ctaco
Chronicle.
Every "kloochman alaskan for wo-
mani in the settlement crowded. into
Sans house to watch tho proceedings,
and rave vent 70 their admiration in
cultural "wahs.n Only the %suoerin-
tendent Of the cannery and the store
keeper winked and smiiad q. each
other. for had they mott large stock Of
very strong butter and lard on hand,
and was mot the willy Cinnamon stand
ing in with them?
That night lard rose s cents and but
ter Is cents q pound at the store. All
day long smoke poured from Sans
stoyepipe. He no longer worked regu-
lar hours at the cannery. His time
was spent in cutting flrewood and
fetching butter and lard from the store
to his house, for the Chinaman had i'm.
pressed on Annie the fact that no dish!
whatever could BIO properly prepared
without an abundance OF these articles.
Sam soon saw insolvency staring him
in the face. Hc was not earning any
thing and his store bill for butter and
lard amounted in ono week to $40.
"Reminiscences we've useless, as Annie
ruled him with arod Of iron, as every
Alaska kloochman does her husband.
One day tho cannery people were blast
ing out some rocks in the bed OF the
salmon stream. Sam sat in solemn ST.
lence and watched them.
His brain was working all the time,
aud at last a brilliant idea struck him.
Whilst everyone was watching the 81
fects Of q blast ho sneaked upand stole
three sticks of powder. Returning
homo he divided these into small pieces,
which he carefully concealed in his
wife's butter keg. Thcn he got oil
his personal property together, packed
II in his cadoe. and started out on "a
deer hunt, announcing. that he would
be absent for three or four days.
When he returned, Jog hut, stove and
Annia had zone TO n betteFl land. More
Y G another "kloocliman" who had
been admiring Annie's culinary per
formances, had also disappeared, all but
a very little OF her, which ono OF the
neighbor's boys found down on the
beach and brought homo in a basket.
As she had met her fate in Sans
abode, he, according to Alaskan native
laws. was responsible for the accident
and had to settle with the bereavel
husband. The woman was old and
ugly, but she could bead moccasins
~cleverly, 80 they valued her at 500,
payable in skins, guns, and blankets.
When Sam saw that remonstrances
were useless he bowed to the inevitable,
and having induced the creditors to
give him time to meet his liabilities, he
went to work again in the cannery.
Next spring he was lucky at bear
hunting, iiquidated his debts, and after
working all the summer, in the fall
purchased another k%loochman.
The chief article OF diet of the new
menage is plain smoked salmon, and
whenever any cooking has TO be done it
is carried on in an ordinary open Ere
place and not in an American stove.