The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-03-15

warm weather sets in. The fact that
it is the new land of gold will attract
hundreds and thousands of adventur
Gus spirits, and every one of them will
expect to become bonanza king.
All the experts who have visited
Alaska say that there are tons of gold
there Some say that it is the richest
gold country the world has ever known,
but all agree that 1t is the toughest
land to live in on the face of the earth,
and the unanimous opinion of those
who know what they are talking about
is that the man who goes there with
out an abundant supply of health and
cash will probably stay there for all
eternity.
Many men, lured by the syonderful
tales of gold, have doubtless decided
to join the miners of Alaska. For
their benefit few facts concerning
the country will be given, so that they
will know what to expect. From a ell
matte standpoint Alaska is easily en-
titled to the blue ribbon for having
the meanesr in creation. In winter
time the average temperature is 60
degrees below zero, while in summer
it jumps as high as 100 degrees above.
This is almost a clean leap from the
The rich placer mines on the Yukon
river, which have given rise to all the
glittering stories, are not easily reach
ed. The Forty miners" who crossed
the continent in prairie SchoonerS in
the early California days had a pleas
ant saunter compared with the hard
ships of the journey to the Yukon. This
latter trip is only a trifie more than 100
miles, but it means more concentrated
~ -. 0f ooe.t
people can picture.
From Sitka the gold diggers must
travel by wagon or on foot hundred
miles or so over the divide, where they
must hew trees and build RATS on
which to descend until they are about
twenty-five miles to the west of the
boundary line between British Ameri-
ca and the United States. Here are
the small creeks and streams where
the gold is found.
SWARMS OF INSECTS
To make the trip in winter is next
to impossible for any one not accus-
toned to living in the most intense
cold, and to make it in the summer
time is torture because of the swarns
of every variety of insect which infest
the river country. Volumes could be
written about these insects. 1t may
seem trivial to attach any Importance
to them, but when it is said that more
than one miner has lost his mind on
account of the pest, some idea of their
torturing power can be gained.
On the subject of these insects an
expert sent out by the Washington au-
thorities reported: When the waters
of the river come down in the spring
the mosquitoes, by far the most annoy
ing of the insects, come along in
swarms. Gloves are worn at all times,
and the faces of the miners were COW
cred, but even then the mosquitoes
would get to the flesh, crawling up the
wristbands of their gauntlets and
down their legs into their boots, until
the miners almost lost their senses
from the continued battle with their
small poisonous foes"
A NIGHT AND DAY WARS
From one end of the warm season to
another there is no let up by the in
scots. Indoors and outdoors, in daytime
and night. it is the same. Clouds of
midges penetrate everywhere, and Or
binary netting is perfectly useless as a
safeguard for these insects pass
through the meshes without difficulty
Out of doors one is completely at their
mercy. They fly into bhe eyes and
lodge under the lids; they cluster in
the ears, crawl up the arms and down
the neck; in fact, omit no chance of
causing intense annoyance. Jersey
mosquitoes, Adirondack gnats and
South Atlantic coast sandfiies must
yield the palm to Yukon midgas and
mosquitoes.
But for these insects life in Alaska
in summer time would be bearable. In
winter time. of course, the intense and
lasting cold is the great drawback.
Even the native can scarcely stand
it. They are probably the dirtiest race
of beings on earth. In their dress, hab-
ltation and diet they are utterly filthy
There is nothing too foul for them to
eat They are always covered with
dirt and vermin, and their houses are
truly like pig styes. None Of them can
approach you unaWares, as you are
sure to smell them from afar.
HOW THEY DRESS.
An Alaskan costume consists of a
fur park and pair of long boots
The park is a long, loose garment
made of skins. 1t is provided with a,
capaoious hood, which is sound along
the edge with a strip of the longest
fur which they can obtain, that of the
wolf being the most desirable. When
the hood is drawn over the head the
long hair of this band projects out
ward and thus it shields the face from
the torture caused by the flying snow
of The winter storms.
A person dressed in a new goose
park appears as If he had Just been
tarrad and feathered. These goose
hide garments are not very dura BILE;
they are easily torn, and besides, the
feathers are continually dropping off.
In very cold weather the natives
wear a second or over-parki made of
fish skin. Although this is a stiff and
noisy article of dress, yet it possesses
one great advantage, that in a case
This proves the superiority If Arctic
attire. for no broadcloth overcoat
would ever serve as a lunch.
There is universal taste for lew
elry among the natives; all are very
fond Of adjoining themselves with ear
rings. The nose ring is confined to
the gentler sex. They pierce a hole
through the nasal septum large
enough in some cases to admit an
ordinary lead pencil. and through this
they pass ivory ornaments A few
large blue beads strung on a wire form
the common every day nosegay.
Both sexes wear labrets. and there
is great variety in the style of insert
ing them. The women pierce two holes
in the lower lip near the base of the
eye teeth. while the men insert ttsair
lalbrets close to the corners of the
mouth. Often these labreta are very
heavy and the weight distorts the fea-
lures and impedes the articulation.
THE CITY HALL.
In each native village Is large