The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1896-08-07


have In summer, say an hour or SC
after shutdown. Now in the latter
part of July it is quite clear twilight
ct ten o'clock and I am constantly
surprised on looking al my watch to
/ find how late it Is. The consequence
Of all this is that sit up so late that
I &c. very little sleep, for I always
rise early, and so I am sleepy nearly
all the time; and Alaska is fine
country to sleep In, for the nights are
pleasantly cool. Altogether it has
been strange experience to have SO
much daylight in the twenty.four
hours, but am told we shall balance
matters before next January. In De-
cember 1T is dark until nine in the
morning and at four or earlier in the
afternoon.
It has seemed odd to me to read
that you people have been sweltering
in the midsummer heat and counting
in your hammocks, the cool shades
and gentle breezes and doing your ut
most to keep cool generally. We have
had no trouble in that respect at all.
4 We have had a half dozen warm DAYS
with the thermometer running up to
seventy or eighty. 1t has been SIMPLY
delightful weather, aud as. we have
had more than the usua; amount of
sunny days and less rain than usual,
we have enjoyed the summer very
much indeed. I like the summer
weather in Alaska, and it agrees with
me famously.
II you we're writing to me you would
doubtless tell me about the growing
crops. We have no crops to talk
about or worry over. Gold IS our crop
and we cannot get enough of it any
more than you can have yield enough
to satisfy you. We have couple of
market gardeners here, and they grow
the finest radishes and lettuce and
turnips, and I have seen some verv
fine cabbage but of course it is quite
small yet. Potatoes are not success
and of course corn or tomatoes are not
attempted. Grass would do well, and
I have seen to-day, both the small
Dutch clover and the red in blossom,
and am sure it would do we'll, If we
cleared of field for it, but arabic
land is scarce, and the labor Of clear
ing it would be enormous, so no one
tries to grow hay or any farm crops.
I notice a great scarcity of wild
birds in the woods here. I have seen
few gray birds and robins and swal-
lows and I think I saw a blue Jay in
the spring and some red linnets in the
winter, but there are no crickles or
blue birds or canaries SO far as I have
seen. There are plenty Of ravens and
ducks are plentiful, especially in the
fall when they come. down from the
interior, and are tame, and easily got
at. Eagles are quite numerous and
the Indians dress the skins and they
make beautiful robes.
The insect tribe is also feebly rep
resented. We have very few house
flies, and I have seen a few wasps but
no bees The daddy-long-legs is to be
found, and In the town the mosqui-
toes and gnats do not bother. The
latter are quite bother just around
the town though. but the mosquito
does not bother much near the salt
water.
We have no snakes or frogs but
some toads. Fish are very plentiful.
I have caught few founders and cod.
Tommy cod are easily caught at the
wharf, and fine trout in creek a few
miles from town. Halibut and SAL
mon are plentiful. but it takes fisher
men who make it business to get
them; mussels, clans and crabs are to
be had, but not just at Juneau. so
have not had any, except one mess of
mussels. Inever sawa country where
Indians can live as easily as here.
Fish and game are very abundant,
and the natives are, many of them,
quite well of. They dress well and
feel sure they know very little about
hunger Their houses also are very
good for Indians. On the 4th of July
Chief Johnson gave a potlach, and he
is stated to have give $1,000 in pres.
ents to his friends. There were many
hundreds of them from all the neigh.
borhood round, and they made the
welkin ring with their weird singing
and yelling. They were dressed ia
most grotesque costume and wore
masks and horns and feathers and
made themselves look horrible, gener'
ally. They had great fililoo.
The Indian woman, kloockmen, as
they call them. hold a market on one
of the corners Of the town. There