Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1895-07-11

Alaska says: 1.-THE Alaskan brown beaI
is q huge. SSaggy animal, varying in
length from 6 to 10 feet and weighing
from 800 to 1900 pounds. / found him
to be an expert fisher, and during the
salmon season he frequents all the rivers
emptying into the Bering sea and the
north Pacific and their tributaries as far
as the fish 60 After the salmon run is
over the animal retreats into the recesses
of the hills, where berries and small
game are plentiful Among other things
he does besides fishing and occasionally
chewing up hunter, he is a great road
maker for this part of Alaska. Nor only
are the banks of the streams trodden into
good trails by these huge numbering
beasts, but the swampy plains are cross
ed in every direction by paths leading to
the hills. The traveller will do well to
follow them in journeying across tho
country, as they invariably lead to the
best feeding places along the stream and
form the best routes to the hills.
A hunter who has spent some time
there recently chasing brown bears
writes several Of his experiences to the
Seattle Telegraph.
"My first encounter" he says, with
one of these brown bears was startling
experience for me, AM l have always
thought equally SO for the bear. We had
been working up against strong cur
rent of the Koowak river all day, and
toward nightfall pitched our tent at the
base Of high bluff forming the right
bank of the stream. While supper was
being prepared I climbed the bluff to
get lock at the country and was walk
ing along with my gun carelessly held
in my left hand. The top of the bluff
was densely covered almost to the edge
with spruce and elders, and the under
growth was SO thick that it was impos-
sible to see more than few feet through
it. Ahead Of me cluster of rocks offer
ed a temporary place to sit down and
enjoy the view, and I made for it. Just
as reached the nearest rock q tremen-
dous shaggy animal arose apparently
from under my feet, and I Immediately
recognized in him the brown bear of
whose fierceness the natives had been
telling me for weeks. My first instinct
was to shoot, and 1 probably would have
done so had my gUn been in my right
hand, but the first motion made the
bear reared OIL his launches and was so
formidable LOOKING that I concluded to
wait and see what he intended doing.
After q moments hesitation, during
which he turned his head from side to
side and licked his chops in most sug-
gestive fashion, he dropped Oh all fours,
and with wonderful quickness turned
and sprang out of sight in the dense
underground. When l returned to camp
and related my experience, tah-rok,
my native guide, assured me that the
bear must recently have concluded q
heavy meal, or otherwise he would have
attacked Lie.
"Some officers from some Of the YES
sells of the Bering sea feet went ashore
at Herendeen bay during the summer of
1891 on a deer hunt, and one of the
party saw bear about 100 yards distant
eating berries. Without thought of the
consequences, he raised his gun and fired
at the animal
"The shot went wide Of tho mark, but
at the report of the gun the bear started
for the hunter Oh dead run. His charge
was met with shower of bullets from
the officers repeater; but, although bad
ly wounded, the infuriated animal did
not hesitate an instant and rushed
straight at his enemy. When within
about 10 feet of the hunter, the bear
rose ON his launches and prepared to
close. Blood was pouring in streams
down his body. One bullet had shattered
his upper jaw, but he was SO full of fight
that the final outcome of the struggle
would have been extremely doubtful had
not another Of the party arrived and
ended the fight by shooting the brute
through the brain. An examination of
the bear 8 body showed that he had been
struck six times. Three of the shots
were in parts of the body ordinarily con-
sidered vital and would doubtless have
caused death, but the vitality Of these
animals is almost incredible. Instances
are cited Of their running over 100 yards
after being shot through the heart
"Last summer, while I was at Sand
Point, two hunters came in, after an alb
sence Of over month in the vicinity Of
Portage bay, and reported having killed
83 bears. One day they killed seven. In
order to show that they were not spin
ming hunters yarns they brought the
skins with them, and sold them at
trading post at Sand Point. During the
summer of 1891 two prospectors were
looking for coal lands near Port Moller,
and about a mile from the shore they
came upon an immense brown bear en-
gagged in catching salmon in small
stream. One Of the prospectors immedi-
ately opened fire, and evidently wound
ed the brute badly, but he got out Of
sight in the thick brush. Being anxious
to secure the skin the two men started
to follow the wounded animal. They
had not gone dozen steps before the
enraged and wounded brute turned on
them, and before either one could fire a
shot he seized one man by the leg and
bit it nearly off, and then sprang upon
his coMpanion and knocked him sense
less with the blow of his terrible paw.
Having, as he thought, finished his enc
mics, the bear quietly ambled off, and
was subsequently found dead few hun
dred yards from the scene Of battle.