St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1895-10-19
ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR.

our ALASKAN possessions Just such a
| place as is wanted probably more than
| one-and SO exceptionally fortunate is
| America in this respect that it is not
likely that, this side of the frozen and
uninha bitable shores of the Arctic, it
| can be duplicated in the possessions OF
all the nations of the earth combined
which significant circumstance goes to
show how near the world has reached
the extreme limit of its salmon supply.
Ifa locality referred to is an island
| in the North Pacific about 750 miles
| nearly due west of Sitka Its name is
Afognals, and it is the northernmost of
the two largest islands OF the group
called the Kadiak islands 1t lies Just
north Of latitude 58 and between 1872
and 1853 west longitude 1t is a small
island, probably not more than fifty
miles across at its widest part, but
there are several streams flowing from
various points of the island to the sur
rounding ocean that at the proper sea-
son contain salmon innumerable. It Is
no exaggeration to say that salmon
swarm up these streams in countless
nyriads ''In 1889 the salmon were So
thick in the streams that it was abso-
iutely necessary, in fording them, to
kick the salmon out of the way to avoid
stumbling over Them
This story illustrates as well as any,
thing the wonderful abundance OF
salmon in the Afognak streams; and It
can be easily believed when 1t is re-
meInbered that about month earlier
$4,000 salmon were caught In one day
at the mouth of the Karlul, which is
river only sixty feet wide where 1t
empties into the ocean. The salmon
are there in as great numbers as could
be wished. All the varieties also
which inhabit the Pacific ocean come
to AfognaA. The list is royal cata-
logue: The red salmon, the "blue-
back of the Columbia; the hing
salmon, the 'squinnat" or spring
salmon" of the Columbia; the silver
salmon, the ''silversides" of the Colu1n-
bia; the humpback salmon, the dog
salmon, the steelhead, the Square
tailed" trout of the tributaries of the
Columbia, and the 'sdo1ly warden Z
What a paradise for salmon this island
is, and what magnificent place OF
safety it would be if it were set aside
for national park. where the salmon
could always hereafter be unmolestedi
The island is inhabitable all the year
round; with a comparatively even tenn
perature, although so far north. the
winters cold is not excessive, probably
not equaling that Of parts Of New
England. It Is colder than New Eng
land in summer, but there is
much less variation of tempera-
ture between summer and winter
The island will never be wanted for
anything else. and it is inhabited only
BY a few Aleuts. Artificial Matching
can be instituted there at any time and |
on large scale. Thus, all OF the
streams Of the continent can be re-
peopled with these beautiful and de-
sirable inhabitants at small expense to /
the government.
In presenting his argument for the
establishment of a national salmon
park, the fish commissioner makes lib |
eral quotations from the opinions of OK
perts who have studied the question,
and his efforts will undoubtedly have |
an effect upon the minds of our ma
tiona1 legislators Certainly every man
who loves the sport, and everyone who /
realizes the importance of maintaining I
our supply of fish food of the best quail
ity, will concede the forcefulness OF
the plea which has been officially made.
The wonderful abundance of salmon
in the waters of Alaska has been known