The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-04-02
THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 1896.
IN ALASKA.
How Seals are Captured--A Walrus
Killing Scene.

A fifteen-year-old boy, Roy SUIT
cliffe, who recently left here for Alas
ka, gives the following description Of
his trip to party in this city:
S1rKA, ALASKA, MARCH 2, 1896.
I started from Redwood Falls on
February 18th and am now in Alaska
| started over the Minneapolis & ST.
Louis and from there l took the
Northern Pacific. l passed through
Yellowstone Park on the way, and
saw the hot springs, geysers and big
trees. Some of the trees are bigger
than our house. The geysers spout
way up into the air. The hot springs
were hot enough to boil an egg. l
saw a buffalo there for the first time
in my life.
From Portland, Oregon, took the
steamer for Alaska. The voyage was
uneventful, except that there was one
pretty big storm. l was very sea sick
The men were afraid that we would
sink and kept far away from the
shore. But the storm passed over
and we had pretty good weather for
the rest of the voyage. 1 also got ov-
err being sea sick. The steamers name
was the Greyhound. She had two
great tall chimneys. used to go up
on the masts with a telescope for fun
and to watch other vessels. | saw
two. l thought that I would see
sharks, but [ guess it is too cold here
for them.
Well, we got to Alaska the second
of March. The capitol of Alaska is a
great red building. The population
is mixed, but mostly natives. There
are more white people coming now
since gold has been discovered. The
seal fisheries are worth almost two
million dollars year. 1 saw fishers
catching them. Some times they
harpooned them, but most of them,
went to where the seals were sleeping,
one of the men playing on something
and while the seals we're listening to
him another would go behind them
with bludgeon and kill them. About
twelve men went out in boat to get
walruses. They harpooned one. The
other walruses came to the rescue Of
the stricken animal and attacked the
men. Had it not been for the fact
that the men had guns along with
them the affair might have resulted
fatally to the men. Part of the men
loaded the guns while the others were
shooting, and the animals were soon
beaten off. The men we're afraid that
the walruses would rise beneath the
boat and stick their long tusks through
it in such a manner as to sink it.
When the walruses were driven away
the men found that they had ten wal
ruses as the result of their battle.
They kept the tusks to sell but gave
the meat to the natives. Some of the
tusks we're nearly ten feet long.
After we had seen the sights in the
city we went up north to hunt. 1t
was fine, We had a guide along with
us and he knew the best places to
hunt. We shot about a hundred
ducks in a day. Also a number Of
geese. Afterwards we went further
north to hunt white bears. We shot
one but it took lot of shots to finish
him, shooting at him eleven times
We also shot two beautiful white owls
and one of our party shot a white fox
the skin of which has a good value.
Itook ride in an Eskimo sledge
and visited in an Esquimaux house
Some of the Esquimaux have reir
deers instead of dogs. The sledges
are made of whalebone and tied to
gether with pieces of rawhide. Ir
good weather, with plenty of snow
they can travel all day at the rate O
five and six miles an hour. In thu
summer the mosquitoes are prett,
thick and the rein deer cannot stant
them. The Esquimaux house is bull
of snow and ice. When the snow O
ice melts the owner only has to tax
some more snow or ice and patch j
up again. Inside there is benc
made of snow which goes all aroun'
the house and is covered with fur
and skins. In the day time it serve
as a chair and at night as bed. Thei
stove is dish full of oil, placed in tn
middle of the room. They have