Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-12-24

A Trip To Alaska.

Harrisburg Telegraph
From what Gossip has been told ne
would imagine that Governor Sheak!ey,
of Alaska, who, by the way, is from Mer-
Ger county, in this State, is or ought to
be the best satisfied Governor in the
United States. He has no Legislature to
defeat his pet measures or pass bills over
his yetoes, or to trouble him in any OF
the many ways in which a contunacious
Legislature can trouble the Chief Execu-
tive. His orders are to adopt Oregon
laws where they suit the case, and II not,
to make his own, and a recent visitor
who spent some time in the Executive
chamber expresses the opinion that the
Governor gives himself the benefit OF the
doubt. His office is in a iarge log house
which formerly was the headquarters OF
the Russian officials In one corner OF the
lower room is large Russian stove, so
built into one corner of the room as to
rnonopolize large portion Of the room
and consume wood TO a degree which
would make our Forestry Commissioner
shudder. The Executive chamber faces
the fort and parade ground, and on the
arrival of eve steamer the Governor has
a fine view of a game OF base ball between
the Steamer picked nine" and an equal
number of soldiers from the fort. The lat
ter, being trained players always win.
The sale of intoxicants is forbidden by
law, but the native Alaskans have way
of their own of making an intoxicating
drink of fernenting bran. which IS noted
for its ability to make the average Alaskan
crazy drunk and ready for any thing that
turns up, and ready to turn up any thing
that comes in his way. It Is stated that
those from more southern cllmes, who
have tried this drink, that II is simply de-
testable, but then any one wEo has seen
the Alaska Indian knows that his stom-
ach can staud decoction which would
sicken mule, and that drink may be
execrable and vet furnish him with all
the exhiliration that his limited compre-
hension eau appreciate. Notwithstanding
this prohibition it Is evident that no sr1i all
amount of intoxicants eventually reach
Sitka and other Alaskan ports. Recently
one of the coast steamers was damaged
by running on a rock, and in examining
a large number of barrels of flour which
formed a portion of the cargo 1t was
found that nice gallon keg of whiskey
was nicely slowed away IN the centre OF
each barrel and that the consignment
was intended for one of the Juneau drug
gists who also had a grocery store.
The tourist who remains a few days at
Juneau, one of the largest towns in the
territory, which furnishes all of the
granb urors for the Sitka courts, IS sur
prised to note the large number of drug
stores which line both sides of the street
and which indicate that the drug business
must be an excellent one there. TIE
visitor is convinced that it must be very
unhealthy when the town can support so
many stores Of this kind, and his mind
naturally reverts to the piles of fish heads
and other refuse with which the wharf
and shores are lined, and he connects
them with the excellent character of the
business. The character of the dirty In
dians who he meets along the street is
another indication of the cause OF disease,
which may be the cause of the thrifty
business, but when he is told that d
drink of whisky can only be obtained un-
der the shelter of a doctors prescription,
he can readily exp ain the matter and
understand why it pays to be doctor
and keep drug store In Juneau.
With all of these inducements Governor
Sheakley is. however, brought face to
face with some disadvantages. During
the summer months he may sit out on the
porch of his Russian log house and read
ordinary print until II O'Clock and car
take excellent photographs at 10 O'Clock
at night, In fact he may AT any hour oi
| he night, during the summer, see the
point at which the sun disappeared anc
| the one al which the rising sun will re
| appear He may hear the yells OF the
| Alaskans ut the ranch along the shore
| of the bay below the little town, or III
may hear the songs of the young Alas
| kans at DR.. Sheldon's mission back of hi
office either Of which usually received
| the maledictions of the tired tourists wh'
are used to darkness at 9 O'Clock and wh'
are trying to get the requisite sleep l.
their staterooins at the wharf, to enabl
them to climb the glacier the next day
The Sitka post Office is small woodei
building and the post Office boxes ar
built into one of the front windows an
| open from the out side, SO that they cal
be opened without troubling the postrnis
| tress who sits sewing inside, but as tn
mail arrives, as the Governor puts it SEM
occasionally, this after all is more OF
convenience than hardship.
Governor Sheakley may also carry hi
drinking water in a Yackatac baske
| llldNit vi hONCh NN'iAi ACOhoi ~ 49,
ly formed and so closely woven that theI
are water tight and are used by the In
dians to boil IL cir fish and meat in, th'
water being heated by hot stones from ;
fire nearby. These baskets by the way
| are marve of skill and show what may
be accomplished under adverse circum
stances aud surroundings. They art
made of finely split cedar roots wover
during the long winter evenings anc
| dyed with veg g~table dyes prepared by
the natives, and it is interesting to note
the regularity and beauty of many o
| the patterns with each color woven into
| the structure with a nicely and care
which forms a harmonious whole anc
| produces basket which will comp rt
| favorably with any, with the additional
value that it will hold liquids. The
| Alaska doctor has also improved upor
the methods of his more southern breth.
ern, for instead of waiting to be sent foi
| he starts out into the streets with his
! medicine man" hung on his neck and
it tells him when he comes opposite to q
| in which there is anHone sick o. going
| to be sick within the next week or two
| If the sick person is found he is speedily
| cured by methods onty understood and
appreciated by an Alaskan Indian and
his Squaw.
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