St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1893-03-30
THE GAME or THE ARCTIC
REGIONS.

DepriYing the ESquiinauN Oh wall US
is like blghting the potato crop OF
the Irish nation or introducing
murrain to the reindeer herds OF
Siberia. ltleaves population with
out means of support, and IN a
country that is snow.covered and
ice-bound during most months OF
every year.
The government revenue cutter
Bear, which returned from summer
of cruising about in Alaskan waters,
brings many stories OF adventure
and sport, but none more interest
ing than such as related to the game
and flesh supplies Of the Aleuts.
The Bear doing a round OF
inspection which included the seal
islands, steamed 200 miles north
ward from ST Paul's Island to ST..
Matthew s, where it was said polar
bears were very numerous. ST.
Matthew's was found to be
uninhabited, except that one lone
hunter was found who had been
there in the preceding summer with
two companions to shoot bears, but
as a showing for years labor had
but one NANCY bear-skin and had
lost his fellow hunters, who sailed
away one day and never returned.
The polar bears are brought to
St. Matthews on the ice foes which
cover the sea each winter. When
the ice breaks up in the spring the
bears are left to swim back to the
North Pole or else 90 ashore and
spend the summer The island is
small and in the eyes OF passing
sailors the two or three white bears
that may have been seen have been
magnifed into dozens, and every ship
which goes into the northern sea
endeavors to so time its voyages as
to permit hunt on St. Matthew's.
Part Of the mission OF the cutter
Bear during thcsummer was to trans
port reindeer from Siberia to Alaska.
The whale and Walrus have grown
so few and SO shy since the use of
improved machinery for capturing
them that the Alcuts ofAlaSka who de
pend upon those marine mammals for
nearly everything in the way offood,
clothing, fuel and general support
have many times been starved be-
cause they couIduot killeither whales
or wairus
Some philanthropist suggested that
the American Esquimaux might take
kindly o reindeer if introduced, and
eventually own them in such numbers
as to insure supply of food. The
department OF the interior became
interested, and congress appropri-
ated $4,000 for the experiment.
The Bear made five trips between
Port Clarence on the American side
and the Siberian ports from which
the reindeer were drawn. The tradi.
ton that Siberian hcrdsmen would
not part with live reindeer, although
willing to kill and sell them, was
proved untrue. There was no diff
Guilty in buying all the deer that
could be spared, and during the
summer $50 OF the animals were
carried by the Bear to Port Clarence,
a fine harbor fifty miles south from
Cape Prince of Wales, where a
house was built for the keepers, two
white men employed by the govern
ment, and a hut for four Siberian
herders engaged to stay with the
deer Tor year.
In Siberia reindeer were seen in
herds numbering as many as 5000
and some owners are reputed to
possess 10000 deer. The strange
beasts furnish everything needed in a
Siberlania family, and as the conditions
are suitable, 1t is believed that the
Aleuts can be taught to properly
care for reindeer, The deer secured
for Alaska were caught by rounding
the herd and compelling the beasts
to pass between lines Of natives, a
dozen or more ON each side, each of
whom had a lasSo. AS the deer
passed the selected ones were roped
and driven to the beach, from where
they were carried hobbled in boats
alongside the cutter and hoisted to
the deck by singing them in
hammocks.
The officers of the Bear had the
rarest of sport with their guns at
many points touched. In St. Law
renee Bay days shooting of cider
ducks brought to bag 104 of those
splendid birds In the middle of
June last the Bear was jammed in
heavy ice near st. Lawrence Island,
and was surrounded by walrus,
which were sleeping, summing and
enjoying themselves by hundreds on
the ice. The ungainly brutes were
occasionally hunted and six in all
were killed. 1t was found that they
must be shot through the head to
insure getting them. When hit any
where else they always managed to
tiounder to open water and then i'm
mediately sank. By getting to
windward of drove Of walrus and
creeping over the ice they were readi-
ly approached Then each hunter
selected his mark and all fired at
once. The native hunters sometimes
kill a whole herd. A rifle shot does