The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1896-05-26
LAND OF MIDGEae,
PEST AND TERROR
ALASKA GOLD HU' NNf~,
Clouds OF Insects Nal '1',A. ~! a,nnost
Cnbearabie-Nativc Alaskaus
and Their Houses
The Casinos.

|
leans Plcnyurc, that it is the TOUCHES.
land to live III on the face OF the earth.
and the unanimous opinion of those
who know what they are talking nbont
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 wonderful
tales OF gold, havo 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 n
climatic standpoint Alaska is easily
entitled to the blue ribbon for havinl,
tho meanest in creation. In winter
time the average temperature is 60 de-
grees below zero, while in summer il
Jumps ms high ms 100 degrees above.
This Is almost Glenn leap from the
north pole to the equator.
The rich placer mines on the Yukon
River, which have given rise to all the
| glltteriDg stories, are not easily
reached. The forty miners" who
crossed the continent in prairie
schooners in the early California DAYS
had pleasant sauuter compared with
the hardshlps of the journey to the
Yukon. This latter trip is only trine
more than 100 miles, but it means
moro concentrated misery than the
imagination OF most people can pic.
ture.
From Sitta the gold diggcrs must
travel 10y wagon or on foot IA 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 10 tho west of the
boundary line between British America
and the United States. Here are the
small creeks and streams where the
gold is found.
10 make the trip in winter is next
to Impossible for any one not accus
toned to living III the most intense
cold, and 10 make it in summer time
Is torture because OF the swarms of
every variety of insect which infest
the river countries. Volumes could
be written about these insects. IL 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 nm
expert seat out by tho Washington
authorities reported: "When the
waters OF the river come down in the
spring the mosquitoes, by far the most
annoying of the insects, cine alory in
swarms. Gloves were worn ut nil
times, and the faces of the miners were
covered, but even then the mosouitoes
would get to their flesh, crawling nm
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"
From one end Of the warm season
to another there is no let up by the
insects. Indoors and outdoors. i'm
daytime and night, it is the same.
Clouds OF midges penetrate every.
where, and ordinary netting is per
fectly useless rs n safeguard. for those
Insects pass through the meshcs with.
out difficulty. Out of doors one is
completely at their mercy. They hy
into the eyes and 10 lge under the ids:
they cluster in the cars, crawl M the
arms and down the neck in fact, omit
no chance of causing intense annoy.
ance.
But for these insects f. in AIasl,o
In summer tine would be bearaLle.
In winter time, of course, the intense
and lasting cold IS the great drawback.
Even the natives can scarcely stand it.
They are probably the dirtiest race of
beings on earth. In their dress, habi.
tation and diet they arc utterly filthy
There is nothing too foul for them TO
eat. They are always covered with
dirt and vermiD, and their houses are
truly like pig sites. None of them
can approach you unawares, as Won
are sure to smell them from afar.
An Alaskan costume consists OF n fnr
park and n pair OF long boots. Tho
park IS n long, loose garment, made
OF skins. 1t is provided with cana.
cious hood, which is bound along the
edge with strip Of tho longest
FUR which they can obtain, that of the
wolf being the most desirable. When
the hood is drawn over tho head the
long hairs of this band project ont.
ward, and thus it shields the face from
the torture caused by the flying snow
OF the winter storms.
In very cold weather tho natives
wear second or over park made oil
fish skin. Although this is stifTarti.
Gle OF dresn, yet it possesses one great
advantage, that in n case Of necessity
the wearer can eat it. This proves the
superiority of Arctic attire. for no
1rcadcloth overcoat would ever serve
as "A lunch.
There is n universal taste for ieweIrv
among the natives; all are very fond
OF adjoining themselves with earrings.
The nose ring is confined to the gen
tier sex. They pierce a hole through
the nasal septum large enough in some
cases TO admit an ordinary lead pencil.
aud through this they pass ivory orna.
ments. A few large blne beads strung
on n wire form the common every dav
nosegsy.
Both sexes wear labrets, ard there
is great variety in the style OF iDsert-
ing them, The women pierce two
holes in the lower lip near tho Lqse Il
the eye teeth, while the men iugort
sheE labrets close to the corners al