The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-22

within the harbors during summer and the RI
pellent features OF the landscape seem 20 van
soft yet vivid green and brilliant with man.
ilowers. The perfume " the spring blossom
shoulder hGgh with heritage, and the total ab
sence Of trees gives to the landscape nm indi
prospect do / know than a view " the harboi
OF unalashka from a hilltop ON n, sunny day
set in a sea OF celestial blue, the shore linc'
marked by creamy surf, the raylties bl
sluns by smnii lakes shining in the sun.
II has been noted that comparatively llttlC
was said about the value OF, the seal ilshcrlr.
when Alaska WIS acquired In 1867, hut Mr.
Dali observes thut they we're not then especial.
" Luz rnttvg, and TINT their present value could
not have been predicted. Now that the fur
sruls are approaching extinction, commercially
considered, hc believes that the natives should
have the deer as n substitute support. Ho
SAYS that 'the Aleut and his family now dress
In clothing of wool or cotton, burn Kerosene IN
iron stove. The barnbora. or native hut, built
of sod and stones, has been generally replaced
hy n frnmc hut, They now have II claim on
Although the cable project through Russian
America was ended by the success Of the AZ.
In time for the discussion of the question Of
purchasing the territory, and, threw II Hood OF
scientific and field work IN that region closed
IN 1880, but last May. after fifteen years. he re.
turned and could make comparisons.
Tho fur scnlinR fishery, since 1865. has
risen. produced its millions. and swiftly gono
down; cod fishing. first begun in That yclr, has
great Industry; the placer miner has exhaust
ed the gold Of the ,%Stikine River, and has
pressed on Ia the Yukon, where the cllnk Of
the drill and the beat " the stamp mill are
familiar sounds on the quartz lodges, which in
1868 lay peacefully under their blankets of
moss" The innovatlng steam whaler IL finding
its occupation passing away, and the Imperial
and the Aleuts, his prosecutors, nre not unlike
A. for tgc people. the few thousand white
AglprtpnYa htHt.Tg and niDnrg- = T. nm thp
whole. n hard working, orderly set, with here
and there a rnscnlly whiskey smuRg!er OF. II
Is really IA. colony rather than 4 Territory, and
ought to have letter care. The state OF the
scurc. divided iIlcgitimHtciy between naval ofl-
GERS, the revenue cutter service. and n power.
less Governor. who. whatever his wishes and
troll anything. If It were not for the orderly
character and good sense Of the white popula-
tlon. the Territory might easily become n pan
Among the natives Of southwestern Alaska.
and to II certain extent all over the Territory,
tho changes Of thirty years are extraordinary:
The turf.covercd hut has given way TO frame shan.
,lSsi log houses are rarely ~ The Ist,ys mr@Is
clothing; native manufactures, utensils, weapons,
s sim + for Si s aES 70 sN tSairi St % the native %hsy buys n go tio%r and and
tea, cooks his salmon In a frying pan. and catches
Glou"estcr line. In the whole OF southern Alaska,
thanks to the schools, the children and many young
peopl" speak fairly good English. II the. present
influences continue, another generation Will see the
us" OF English universal aud the native, languages
lcrtor il past. southeastern Alaska is swept clean
OF relics; hardly u shaman's grave remains inviolatc.
Again, It Is found that there are some mar
riages between settlers and the often attractive
creole, women. but the pure hlooded natives
seem to be diminishing The Alsats are certainly
in u few generations. The same is probably
truo Of the Tlinkit people" In, the Arctic re-
the destruction of the food supply of the ma
ttves presents "A serious problem. Even the
ton. and Mr.. Dali has himself seen -. 800. 600
pounds of canned salmon taken in one season
from ore small stream, representing Mt least
fore, fears that the Alaska salmon fisheries
will go the way of the California and Column
bih fisheries:
Ing fleet itself IS nearly So. Tho walrus preceded
t t1sr, Tn% os,n a9a Tho ,n H ,Tis r seal has SsI nG = sG,a eT rs!,s sqni.
The chief salmon streams are or soon will he monop-
Of the upper Yukon viii go hungry. The present
law allows unrestricted fishing to the natives and
latter hire tho natives to ash during the Prohibited
day, and SO the salmon have no close time.
Cod fishing has developed more slowly. and
II IL in his opinion the most important. OF
Alaska's resources. As for the seal fishery.
pay expenses after this season, and two
or three years are likely to see the end Of the
business; 1t is costing us much more than
bile way of ending the matter is generally felt
to he the destruction at one fell swoop of all
the seals remaining on the islands and the
of the business"
To sum up, It may be said that tho whaling and
sealing industries of Alaska are practically eS-
the fur trade Is In its decadence, the sal
mon canning In the full tide OF prosperity, but con-
Quoted in ~ wastcful and destructive manner which
cannot long he continued with impunity. The cod
and herring fisheries are imperfectly developed. but
have IA substantial future with psoper treatment.
Mineral resources and timber have hardly been
touched. No business!ike experiment with sheep or
cattle on the islands has bcon tried by competeut
hands, while the Introduction OF reindeer, though
promising well, Il stlIl In the experimental state.
Socially the Territory Is in q transition stage, the
industries of the une Xploitcd wilderness are pass
Ing away. while the time OF steady, business like
icye opment OF the more latent resources has not
yet arrived. |
In closing his interesting md valuable paper, |
which forms the annual Presidents address
Of the Philosophical Society. Mr.. Dali eX-
presses the belief that Alaska will be a. Nor
the goal III tourists, hunters, and fisher
men, with its agri 'ulturc limited to gardening
and the culture Of hardy and quick growing
vegetables for local use. and able to support
in reasonable comfort II fair number of hardy
and indus trious inhabitants.