Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-04
ALASKA FISH VALUABLE.
Ihey Are Used for Food, Light and
Heat by the Natives.

.'Ai eiS ->e" ioih I1eIaiu
While there are many who are hanging
bt OK from going to -Klondike on account
of the great hardships that have to be
laced. some are OF y deferring their jour-
ney until the inclament winter season has
passed But. nevertheless, a great number
have already hurried off to the newly dis
covered Ell Dorado, intent on being among
the hrst to reach the scene and stake out
their claims Such, even II they are well
provided with money, will have to undergo
the many hardships and difficulties Incl
dent to an Alaskan winter, while the more
unfortunate ones who, in the first excite
E'ent, rushed off without being properly
conversant with the winters perls, will
nave an extremely tough time Of 1t.
A1aska's Lack of Food.
To men unused to suffering privations
the intense cold viii prove disagreeable
enough, but it is not the only hardship TO
be overcome by the adventurous gold
seeker. Alaska is not fertile enough to
provide for the numbers that will soon in
habit her, and recourse must be had to
olher places to provide means of subsiSt-
ence. Sailed provisions and vegetables are
oeing transported into the country as
quickly as they can, but. as the demand is
great and the supply likely to be small,
prices will surely be high. There is one
thlnG, however, in which Alaska is rich,
Pacific ocean bordering her own coast and
that of British Columbia. If these can be
only got into Dawson City before the river
ukon Is frozen, panic and starvation
taken means to provide in the shape Of
these fish. source of light heat, food
and even medicine.
A Wonderful Fish.
Those men who are engaged in the profit
able business of seal fishing in the Boring
sea and Pacific ocean, along the shores CT
Alaska and British Columbia have found
that a species of fish of the smelt family
inhabit these waters. These fish, in much
the same way as the herring, by the ire
sistible force Of instinct are annually led
10 approach the shores for the purpose of
oeposlting their spawn in the shallow
waters. They arrive in vast shoals, keep
ing closely together and are caught by
the fishermen with nets and lines Each
of these nets is 80 feet long and 20 feet
deep, and along the upper edge is fastened
to series of cork floats. When the net
Is to be shot large buoy is attached to the
end OF the drift rope, the buoy is thrown
overheard and the sails set. AS the boat
dashes away from the spot the nets, which
have already been attached to the drift
rope; are thrown successfully overheard,
until ell are paid out and hang in the
water like a net wall. The strain of the
buoy at one end Of the drift rope and the
boat at the other keeps the rope straight
How Fish Are Caught.
AS the fish come swimming along they
are arrested by the net which they cannot
see on account of the thin Irvine of which
1t is made, and of the large meshes, which
are about two and half inches In diane
ter The head slips through the meshes,
but the middle of the body is large and can
not pass. When the fish attempts to re-
cede er;J b;t
the meshes, and so retain 1t in that I'M
comfortable position till the net is drawn
in. The fish is also a voracious biter and
can be caught almost as soon as the line
can be baited and thrown overheard.
On being examined the fish are found to
be of a rich green on the back yariegated
with a deep blue, while the abdomen is
s.lvery white, with golden reflections. The
fish are so extremely fat that on being held
up to the light they almost transpar-
ent, the backbone of the fish being seen to
stand out perfectly against the light. The
fish live for some considerable time after
being taken out of the water
Provide Fuel and Light.
After the fish are caught they are dried
and stored away until the long winter
months arrive. when it gets dark early and
the Alaskan is showed up. Here comes an
opportunity for using them. Not bit at a
loss for light, the Alaskan takes one of
eASSC NiASu liSiis tiiSCi - us INTO u
crack in his rough wooden table and lights
its nose. The fish burns with bright and
steady fame of about three candle power,
giving a clear, white light and q very con-
siderable amount of heat. A fairly large
fish will burn for a period of three hours.
The scientific explanation Is extremely
simple. The vertebraes which form the
backbone of the fish are found to be largely
formed of phosphorus, which not only
causes 1t to ignite easily, but also accounts
for no. =, Nf fhA Aa,
developed. The substance of the fish, which
consists so largely of fat, acts as retard-
er to the rapid burning Of the vertebrate In
precisely the same way as the tallow acts
is largely composed of stearine, which is
also the chief chemical constituent of the
tallow used for making candles, and which
gives them their firmness and consistency
Serve ns Food and Medicine.
Valuable as is the fish for its light-giving
properties, it also has its value as a food.
If necessary, it can be eaten after having
been used as a candle, it then being SIM
Fly smoked, or 1t can be boiled or cooked in
the ordinary manner. In whichever way 1T
is treated. to a hungry man it serves as a
very welcome and appetizing dish. In
flavor 1t is much like the smelt, having the
same sweet taste, but Is much fatter
Still another use to which it can be put
is as substitute for cod liver OIL which,
If taken in sufficient quantity, by aiding
the natural heat of the body, proves an
excellent protective against the severe cold.
The Oil is obtained from the fish by i'm
mersing them in cold water and squeezing,
the product obtained being almost equal in
quality to the genuine cod liver oil.
A little girl who had told a lie was es-
corted to her bed roomsby her mother and
told to ask God to forgive her for her sin
This is what the listening mother heard:
"Oh, God, I Thought you could take q
jokei"-Iife. Isfo
AUCTION SALES OF REAL ESTATE, SC.
Monday.
c. G. Sloan & Co.. nAucts., 14o7 st. NV
Sale of furniture in the house No. 1923 Mass. ave.
NV, at the residence, on Monday. September g.
1907