Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-01-09
VERY LIKE A PARK.
Explorer 0lave Corrects Popular Impressions
About Alaska.

About Alaska.
E. J. Glave, one of Henry NJ Stanley's assist
ants in establishing the Congo Free State, who
| started about nine months ago on an exploring
| expedition to Alaska, has returned. He had,
he said, demonstrated the fact that the whole
country east Of Schwatka's Field is available
for pack horses and is suitable for traffic
Starting at the mouth Of the Chilkat river,
Mr.. Glave went with the first horses which had
ever been taken to that portion Of Alaska,
about ITO miles to the northeast of the Mount
st. Elias range Of mountains. He found q
country far different from what has generally
been supposed to exist there. 1t is fertile,
Astounding in grasses and other vegetation, fat
in large sections, like the western prairies, and
watered by rivers, some Of which are halt
mile wide. Berries grow there There arc
| groves of fir and spruce and tamarank, and in
| the streams arc salmon in great abundance.
! Al times in the summer the thermometer rises
to the nineties and the region is according to
Mr. Glave, more like q park than the wild,
barren country which all Alaska is sometimes
| supposed to be.
| Mr.. Glave was with Stanley in Africa for
some years and any hardships which he had
| experienced in Alaska. he said were insignifi-
cant The trip had really been pleasant one.
| I'VE took four horses from Seattle" said Mr..
| Glave, land believe they were the first ones
ever seen in the portion of the country We Wis.,
| tied. They were heavy fellows, possibly Of a
| part Norman blood, and cOmpactly built. They
were easily capable of carrying pack of 800 or
| 400 pounds constantly. The Indians called
! thom big dogs Starting at the mouth Of the
Cnllkat, we went zigzag course OF perhaps
| 400 miles, We went over small mountain
| ranges, swan wide rivers and penetrated an
airline distance of something over 100 miles
| from the coast. We spent time enough to ex-
| anime the resources OF the country. and re-
| turned only because the natives warned US that
winter was coming and there might be snow
and ice. which would prevent our horses from
| getting back.
Il am convinced that the use Of pack horses
and, eventually, railroad, through the coun-
try we visited is feasible and will be profitable
instead of the iceborgs and snow fields which
nave been pictured in that portion of Alaska
| thore is abundance of grass for horses, and the
weather in the summer, at any rate. liz mild.
IT is SO near to the land of the midnight sun
that during July the nights are very short, and
on some occasions it was 80 light that one could
see to read all night. In the winter it is, doubt
less, very cold aud we heard reports that the
thermometer drops to ffty-fiye degrees below
zero sometimes
PRECIOUS METALS.
There ia no question of the existence of
some OF Tho precious metals IN this part Of
Alaska, and there is timber enough for use in
mining 1t # it should ever be shown that the
metals are there in paying quantities. There
is no lack Of timber for building purposes.
"Ihe natives are not numerous. They are
the Stick Indians, 50 called because they live
III The forests and are fond of living in the
woods rather than the prairies. They re-
semble more the North American Indian than
they do the Esquimau, having prominent noses
and high cheek bones. They are g mean craf.v
dirty race. They are full OF deceit but lack
the courage which would make them danger
Gus. They are harmless. They are not SO lazy
as government Indians for they must work
to live. 1hey trade in furs. Miuks, caTibous.
bears. mooses and wolves abound in that part
or Alaska, ana the Indians make their living
chiefly by trapping them and trading with fur
companies on the coast. All Indian S wealth is
measured by the number OF blankets he has.
Furs are traded for blankets and the wealthy
men are those who can point to the largest pile
OF them. Some of the chiefs have large bales
OF blankets boarded up. They are not used
now and perhaps never will be- but they are
the bank account of the Alaska Indian.
INDIANS HABITS
"These Indians wear clothing made of hides.
They live on meat and fish rather than vegeta-
blcs, and have an inordinate thirst for Florida
water, which contains alcohol enough to In
toxicate them. They have no whisky, for it is
not taken there by the white men, although
along the coast a few distilleries are in opera
ton which make an alcoholic drink from po-
tato peelings or moasses Some of those In
dams will trade valuable bale of furs for a
quart ofe Florida water. No law prohibits
the sale Of this and it is the Indians chief in
toXicant.
The Indians have no religion, except that
they believe the raven to be a sacred bird.
They have medicine men, whom they believe
to be possessed Of supernatural powers, and
when some one of the tribe ID sick they assist
the medicine man in driving out the disease by
having dance. They burn their dead. They
have many superstitiOns. When the physician
has driven disease from one Of their number
they sometimes are told by the healer that the
disease has gone to one OF the dogs or to a wolf
or some other animal. Then this animal must
be killed and when that is done there is no
further possible danger from this particular
disease.
The man is the lord of creation, as was the
American Indian. When Journeys are UNDER
taken tine women and children are loaded with the
family baggage and the men walk ahead of the
procession with their guns. These they have
acquired from the traders. and they are we'll
equipped with ammunition. The number Of
these Stick Indians is not large, and the coun-
try is sparsely settled.
THE FISHING.
''In the streams there are many salmon. They
may be easily caught, and the natives have q
way that is simple and effective. The water in
the streams is often SO brackish that the fish
cannot be seen. The natives fasten large gatf
hook to long slender pole. and. holding it
under water, pass it slowly down the stream.
The current is swift and the fish move up at "a
comparatively slow rate of speed The native
pushes his pole down the stream until he feels
It touch the body of q fish and then, with q
quick turn and jerk on his pole. he hooks the
fish in the side or the belly and lands him with
out a struggle. In some streams they are SO
numerous that they may be caught in this way
at the rate OF from five to eight in fifteen
minutes.
Blue grasses and other varieties, which the
horses ate readily, grow luxuriantly in the
level places. There are berries of several va
rieties, among othersa kind of raspberry, which
is to be found in considerable quantities. No
large fruits were to be found. Wild onions
grow in great quantities. and potatoes are grown
to some extent. The natives however, make
no effort to raise vegetables"
One thing that had prevented full examina-
ton of the southeastern portion of Alaska by
miners, Mr.. Glave said, was the fact that the
boundary between Alaska ard the British pos
| sessions had not been surveyed. For a thou
sand miles there was nothing to show whether
the property belonged to the United States or
to Great Britain, and as the mining laws in the
two countries were different there was hesta-
ton on the part OF overy one to put any money
into an enterprise to ascertain if there were
minerals there in paying quantities.
HE LIKED SOUP.
But His Failing Spoiled an Appstizing
Dinner.
A party Of Chicago, Burlington and Quincy