Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1897-08-27
AFTER SEA o. TIER.
Fleets Of Canoes Manned by the Alaska
Indiana.

Indiana.
The Hounah Indians arc the best sea
otter hunters of all the Alaskan tribes
They are very skillful at it, and as the
furs are very valuable they make q
good thing out OF 1T. The Hoonahs co
after sea offers in large companies. Ten
or twelve families hunt together. There
are very good grounds about ten mics
out from Lituya bay, and there tho
Hoonahs TO their best work, They use
spruce canoes, which are small com.
pared with most Alaskan canoes. aud
which, being light and easy to handle
In the chase, are swifter than the Or
binary boats, Usually there are four
paddlers, but the number may be greet
er or smaller. The head of the family
sits in the bow with his gun across his
lap in such position that he can drop
the paddle and pick up the gun in p
fraction of second. The mother, as
often as not with q baby in her lap, FITS
in the stern with big, long-handled
paddle and steers. The children do the
effective padding. Every Alaskan ln=
dian child learns TO paddle as soon as II
learns to walk. The Indians there have
been canoe-traveling race SO long that
they inherit abnormally developed
bodies and arms, but their legs are not
strong.
Because of the great bore in Latuya
bay it is only when the weather is very
calm that the Indians can go out to
hunt sea otter. They kill with shot
guns loaded with heavy charges of
buckshot. And they hunt otter in much
the same way that the western boys
hunt hell divers and butter-ball ducks.
When they sight an otter they fire several
blank shots. The otter dives, and all
=, the canoes circle around the place where
| he went down, waiting for him to come
to the surface again. When he does
| they fire more blank shots and scare
him into diving again. They keep that
| PIP until the otter gets tired out and one
OF the canoes can get within ganshot
Of him. Sometimes they have two or
three ottet divlng at once, and it is live
ly, exciting work, as well as great
sport.
Getting back with the days game tc
the camp inside the bay is always
sharp work and sometimes very danger
Gus. The bay runs inland a@out SIX
! miles, and varies from three-quarters
| II mile to one and d half miles in
| width. The entrance is about 800 yards
vide, with from four to six fathoms VI
water at low tide: Rocky spits jut oui
from the mainland at each side. just
\ of hn
several large powders, the largest OF
which Is called Cormorant rock. The
northern spit is rocky glacial morass
Vessels gong In nni out always wait
for slack tide. Except at slack tide the
breakers extend entirely across the en-
france, and when the tide is runLipp
either way the current is extremely
swift and u gutter is formed In midchaa
mel from which the current sets strong
ly toward the shores, 50 that vessel
trying to go through on the tide would
almost certainly be washed against
Eormerapt rock or the northern spit
In perfectly calm weather the tide, ebl
or flood. shows considerable bore. and
II vessel hits 1t just right she would gc
Through as If sailing down hill. The
mouth OF the bay is only about a cables
length, aid after that there is no dan
ger, e
The Indian sea otter hunters never
undertake the passage except ut siacs
water. IT they arrive before the tide
serves they wait until il does. If the,
get in from the grounds only few min
ntes after slack wafer they prefer t.
stand the ocean swell outside than oh
dertake to go through in their ligh,
canoes. AS mater OF fact, they arl
safer outside, for there Is a big eddy be
tween the tideway and Cotmefany rocf
where they are perfectly safe, unless
wind comes up and the sea gets rough
There they wait for the pext turn of tn,
tide, and IL Is not unusual to see half
dozen canoes drifting about in THU
:. eddy with most of the occupants aslcep
" the sea comes up while they are wait
Ing outside the Indians make 4 }andinf
among the rocks on the ocean sid
rather than try to make passat,
through the breakers. This is an ex
Iremeiy hazardous undertaking, bur
the Indians are SO siillful In handIinas
their canoes That accidents seldom hap
pen. They swim like seals from baby
hood, and are usually 80 covered witt
pal and grease that the shock of sudder
Immersion in the cold water does NO
affect them.-N. Y. Sun. ~