The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-22
AN ALASKA HUNTING TRIP.
UNIQUE SPECIMENS OBTAINED M
PROF.. DYCHE.
The First White Rocky Mountain Sheep
Ever Secured nv u Museum Brought to
Kansas - GrlSziicr, Moose, and Othcr
Dame Also Shot-Th, Route Ia ,bc Pale.

M U htN HkOckN AAOuntRNn SncCn
Ever Secured nv n Museum brought TO
Kansas - GrIzzhies, Moose, and Other
Game Also Shot-Ths Route to the Poic.
LAWRENCE, Kan, Nov. 10.-Lowis Lindsay
Dyche. Professor OF Natural History in Kan
sas University, who was u member of tho
Pcary relief expedition, has just returned
from a trip to Alaska in search of museum ma
terial. Prof. Dychc loft Lawrence about the
1st OF June IL the hope of securing some sprci-
mems OF the white Rocky Mountain sheep, of
which there is none In any museum In tho
world. These sheep have been described by
Government scientists. and named OrUus
DALI, in honor of DR.. William II. Dali or.Si.e
smithsonian Institution, but until Prof.
Dychs drew bead on one OF them last August
not one had ever fallen prey to n white man.
The white Rocky Mountain sheep are similar
to the ordinary Colorado mountain sheep in
every particular save the one of color; the Col
orado sheep are gray, While OrruS DdH' are pure
white. Prof. Dyche was successful beyond
his most s%anguine hopes in his Alaskan trip.
bringing back seventeen whole sheep skins
and n great quantity OF other museum mate
rial. including six young sea offers. $50 birds.
hundreds of small mammals, a group of fur
seals, some bears. tand bushels Of curios.
Leaving Lawrence June 9, he went direct to
Seattle, whence he sailed for Sitka on the
City of Topeka. AT Juneau he stopped Off to
Nlsll- tnc Eolh mines. anu tnere met Princ00S
Tom, the wealthicst Indian in the country.
lle.was introduced by Miss Florence Campbell,
one of the graduates of Haskell Institute, OF
this place, who was sent to Alaska as instruo-
tor In q Baptist mission school. Princess Tom
had Just laid 500 blankets for her fifth hus-
band, and said she would buy Prof. Dyche
when he was in the matrimonial market. OF
his hunt for the much-desired white sheep,
Prof. Dyche says:
1900. E..- At s
there are several rivers that have.not yet been
mapped. One OF these. the kanik River. 1 fol-
lowed. 1t is a rapid stream. My boat was
towed slowly by Indians stripped naked and
p~lunginG through the icy water as II it were q
tepid bath. They towed me twenty miles,
and then / went into camp above timber line,
which is, of course, much lower in that latt>
tude than down tere. From that.point l began
my search for mountain sheep, but when I got
into the mountains I found that my informants
did not know what they were talking about.
They mistook the Alaskan goats for tho sheep
l was after. I Learned the difference soon.
Two climbed and climbed. The formas
ton Of the country is basaltic and the noun.
tain sides are steep, broken up into columnar
rocks which are treacherous under foot The
rock crumbled.at every step. and every for
ward movement had the possibility of O long
fall in it. Rain and snow fell continuously.
" 49, 'Ns' q oithliik pOsIuT0s
with their backs together, all under a blankeu
stretched on three upright sticks. l slept
ply we carried -four already mixed with baR-
Ing. powder. and u little bacon. and made out
with that and the meat of sheep.
The Indians kept telling me that We would
soon ind sheep up.,away up. they said. The
built upon piles sunk IN a swamp. The occu-
pants Of the rude hut we're out on:some kind OF
sheep. Soon after that / reached them. Tie
first band we discovered were in IN inaccesst-
t Sle pla far they be 'R Moald th haRe T ToII.d DE Down to i sss
cliffs thousands of feet. The next we saw
were also in a preEipitous place and DESPITE
nest bend were better located aid No soC five
out of nine. My Indians shot Two ana shot
too, for the sheep did not waste any time in
looking az us; l a marksmant have to be; I
specimen in sight. When i go out usually
devote about twenty shells to practice. Then
l feel sure that when l draw down on Tn ami
NAL he is mine.
We made four trips after sheep. each time
rams. after which we Sc. about our return to
sitka. We found The sheep very abundant.
we had reached their habitat.
During this trip Prof. Dyche shot three mon
more than 1,soo pounds. but he did not bring
away the hides. which are worthless at tho
skull orthe largest. Moose. too. he sbotNdoz,
ems of them. They inhabit, the swamps of
for A%i" hunters 'a t"'f Bnt R0 tneso is sn ii, sEs an ple sssS PREY ~
hunting them, because in the open season tho
swamps they live in are also inhabited by
swarms of ries an6 mosquitoes. These pests
make the hunters life miserable. Tlere is
one little yellow, fly in particular tnat gets
into n mans clothing and causes him agony.
Its bite is fire. Prof. Dyche tied his sleeves at
the elbow and his trousers at the ankle, but the
yellow fly found its way inside nevertheless.
So annoying and worse are these insects that
often miner: arc forced TO quit work and lie
keeps the pests away and makes life toIerable-
Concerning his impressions If Alaska. as
1T is the richest OF our nations possess
sions. but it is only half made: The country
turmoil of being built. There was an earth
quake when | was there. Volcanoes are pour
paths, and there is everywhere the smoke and
steam and heaying OF the great making. The
feet. and great waves come in. rolling ten feet
high. Twenty-Five men were drowned there
This season through the mischance OF letting
ing overwhelmed there by the incoming tide.
The beds OF the rivers, laid bare by the reced-
mud and ,sand. the OUTPUT of glacial action.
and treacherous as ,Guicksand., Only the
tire peninsula is n, gold mine. To indicate
miners brave the rigors II winter and pay Sl7a
cord for wood to melt the Ice in order to reach
and cxcavate the sand and grave, in the river
mcr. because the rivers are overlooking with
the gravel in the winter winter and wash ash the gold
from 1t in the summer. In Cooks Inlet / saw
a miner scoop up n painful of sand and wash
out twenty-five large 'cOlors.'
There are large coal beds in the Yukon, and
the food supply is much larger than that OF
Greenland. The supply of fish is amazing. ! saw
5000 salmon taken out OF one single seine re
Cooks Inlet.
What Alaska needs now is a strong mill
tary government. | should say that OILY .
military government could keen down the law
less element and preserve the order that should
he preserved. Alaska is II valuable possession
and should ne looked after in Congress"
Prof. Dychc's Alaska trip has served TO con-
firm him in the OPT. ion that the North Pole
can be reached. lie says that he believes the
Alaskan route Is entirely feasible, and Il 10
not Improbable that this will be chosen when
he sets out ON his Polar expedition. which he
has been planning ever siLce lie returned
from the trip after the Peary party.
GOOD COPS AS EISY MARKS.