The Somerset reporter., 1896-04-16
A Description of Alaska.

Paper read before SkOwheRan brafge,
March 18th. by Miss Nellie Holway.l
On June l4th. Ill, Yeit & ring. Il
Russian, sailed east from kamehatka to
find tie reported Anne lean continent.
\ few days later Il storm arose aud
while cropping about IA fog aud tempest
they drifted apoa The Alaskan mainland.
From the first they we're most cruel to
the simple people whom they found in
possession of the new land.
In 1799 the Russian American company
was granted a charter. but after the
fist governors departure it was 30
poorly managed thai AT the close Of the
third term in 1851, thy wished 10 trans
fer the cost OF mantiug is authority 10
the home government. tut Russia Wis Ia
no mood to do this. II Was hen that
Secretary Seward became Interested in
the subject and in the face of keen
riicuIe aud opposition proposed buying
it IN behalf of the nited states and the
purchase was maize in May 1867, and
formally transferred To our flag on the
18Th OF HE following October at II cost
Of 81. 200, 900 in gold
The name Alaska is taken from an
Aleutian word meaning The Continent
or LArge Country. The popular name
for the District is Uncle Sans Ice Box
and it has also been called "Ihe Land of
the Midnight Sun. The maps of
Alaska of today, although very good. are
usually drawn on Il very much reduced
scale 20 that they fail to give good idea
OF lis real proportion. The distance
from AtlOo Island at the western cX-
tremitY 10 TT. simpson at the other IS
over 1000 miles, while from FIT. Simpson
10 Point Barrow in the Arctic is ! POO
miles. The area Of Alaska Is 81 800
square miles, which is one-sixth of the
entire extent Of the United States and
Territories. Ii is AS large as all the
New England states with New York,
New Jersey. Pennsy lvania, Delaware,
Maryland, Ohio, Illinois, Tennessee and
Texas. Ii has IA coast line of :, $50 miles.
Since the addition of Alaska to the
United States they extend over 1876
degrees or more than halfway round the
earth, so the sun in summer Is always
shining on the United States somewhere.
When the June twilight settles down
over the Aleutian Islands, the morning
light is already shining over Maine,
The lower part Dixon's Entrance to
Mt. ST. Elias consists of Il strip of main
land about thirty miles wide and five
hundred long, made up of "A rough and
broken country, composed of numerous
irregular ranges OF steep, lofty and
often snowy mountains. The Alexander
Archipelago follows this shore line for
300 miles, with the Prince of Wales,
Admiralty, Barauon and other islands
large enough for states and thousands
of smaller ones.
The best brief description Of the
climate of these islands that found was
that the weather WAS such that you
very seldom tind a clean cake OF ice
frozen in "A fresh water pond six inches
thick and you never will find summer
warm enough to ripen a head of oats
The average rainfall is between 81 and
Sc inches annually. a pleasant season
will give you about 100 fair days, the
rest of the year will be given over to
rain, snow and fog which vets like raia
itself. The mean temperature at Sitka
is about 81 degrees in summer and 81
degrees in winter. II is too hurried TO
allow of curing hay or many other
agricultural industries, but turnips,
cabbages, potatoes and other vegetables
are grown and few cattle are kept.
The trees grow very large here. The
principal kinds are the spruce, hemlock
and yellow cedar, the last is the most
valuable. Among the inhabitants of
these woods are black, brown and CHINA
mon bears, deer, lynxs, minks, martins,
white and silver grey foxes and millions
Of birds.
The wretched debauchery which the
of rum into the homes of
these natives has caused, cannot be Just
" laid at the Indians door. The in
tense, morbid craving for liquor among
the natives of this region is due to the
climate. There is something in the
atmosphere which enables IA white man
to drink n great deal more here than he
can in any other location in the United
States. The quantities of strong drink
which he can swallow with perfect in
difference at Sitka would drive him to
delirium in II very short time at San
Francisco. Although Congress has
legislated and our officials have en-
to carry out the prohibition
statutes, yet the matter thus far is
wholly beyond control. The savage can,
not only smuggle successfully, but he
now thoroughly understands the making
of rum itself from sugar and molasses.
The great northward and westward
curve of the coast from DiXon's Entrance
covers a length of 500 miles to Prince
Sound, whence the shore line
extends south and east 725 miles to the
tip of Alaska and from these zigzags
north and east to Behring'S Strait and the
Arctic Ocean. The kadiak group 600
miles west of the Alexander Archipelago
covers nearly 5000 square miles. 200
miles farther westward are the Shuma-
gan Islands and the Aleutian Islands run
from near here for 1850 miles in the
direction of Asia, and are series of
treeless, grassy and generally mountain
Gus islands with numerous volcanic
peaks. This region is the home of
gales and almost perpetual
sea mists. The summers are mild and
foggy with an average temperature of
about so. The winters are also mild
with slightly colder average of about