St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-06

progress up the hill of geography. How
we tripped and stumbled over this little
proposition: "What two seas connect
with the Pacific ocean on the iiorth?''
In those by-gone days of ours the answer
was: "Okhotsk sea and the Sea of
amtschatka." The delicate Russian
flavor permeating these two names was
the source of our trials, and no wonder.
But the Whirllgig of time brings
changes here below, and one VituS
Boring, Russian navigator of early
days. or possibly some one of his admir-
! ers, has managed to rub out the name
'Kamtschatka" from one of those icy
seas, and substituted "Bering" there
for, and thus stumbling block in geog-
raphy has disappeared.
But cuckoo craWled into Vitus Ber-
ilng'S nest, and as time rolled on a hor-
rid h Matched therein. Some good peO-
pie recently crystalliZed by President
Harrison into high sounding board on
geographical names discovered the in
truder. and have issued solemn edict
that they be elected. But, alas. things
| in this world are not so much what they
should be as what they are, and pos
sibly the Supertuous III" may remain a
while longer to excite the cupidity of
England'S great diplomats.
The shores OF Asia trend to the north
east. and those of Northwest America to
the northwest. making their closest APP
proach at Behring's straits in &C deg
north latitude. But in latitude 60 deg
Alaska sends off great peninsula to
the southwest, terminating in the long
slender line of the Aleutian islands.
These sweep on great arc across the
angular opening between the two coast
lines, cutting off from the open ocean
the body of water commonly known to-
day as Behring sea.
Alaska. Its peninsula, the Aleutian
Islands, and the south entrance to Behr-
ing sea form the north boundary of the
Blaine'S to Lord Salisbury completely
established this proposition. Southwark
lies the great water today univers ally
called the Pacific ocean, but which dur
ing the early portion of this century
was known as the Pacific or Southern
ocean.
The orientate limits of Behring sea
are, latitude, &c deg on the north and 80
deg on the south; longitude, 15S west on
the east and $50 west on the west.
A Vast Fur Field.
1t is mighty fishing bank. where, in
depths Of twenty to fifty fathoms, swarm
immense numbers of valuable food
fishes. Here is the only great fur seal
rookery in all the waters of the earth.
Here is found the sea otter, affordiug
the most valuable of all furs: also the
whale and the walrus, while in its pro-
foundest depths lives the noble salmon,
fattening for fresh water immolation
upon the altar of reproduction.
There are two seal rookerles in Behr-
ing sea, one in the United States marine
territory, and the other in that of Rus
STA. The former is on the Pribylov
islands of st. Paul and st. George, and
is very extensive. The latter is upon
! the Komandorskije Islands of Behring
and Mjednoi. Of the many islands in
and around the sea only these four have
seal rookeries upon them. The Priby-
low islands are located near the center
of the United States marine territory.
st. Paul has an area of thirty three and
st. George twenty-seven square miles.
Their rocky shores bluff boldly upon the
waters, with only occasional strips of
sandy beach and bouldered slopes. No
indentations occur in the shore lines of
sufficient size to form safe harbors.
Landings can only be made with small
boats during favorable winds. The in
terror is broke u, billy and utterly bar
rem. save thick blanket of moss over
| the surface, through which few wild
| flowers struggle for existence.
During the summer season these ISL
ands are wrapped in dense fogs, deyel-
Oped by contact of the warm ocean cur
rent from the coasts of Japan with cold
currents of air from the polar ocean.
Or, possibly, they may proceed from
warm, moisture laden air currents from
the equator dropping upon the icy lands
! and waters of the Arctic.
Through these great clouds of mist the
sunshine rarely finds its way, and dark
ness hangs like pail to simulate the
sunless days of winter.
! The ice foes close in upon the islands,
ordinarily, in December and break up