The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-09-01
Darker View of Alaska.

j. &. Widstead, who since 1891 has
been superintendent of the United
States reindeer farm in Alaska, is OF
the opinion that the stories OF gold dis.
coveries are exaggerated aud that with
the rush Of people TO the field this sum-
mer there will be great suffering among
u large number of them before they re-
turn to their homes.
"Many of the fortune hunters, said
Mr.. Widstead, 'will return with far
more of experience than Of the gold.
The resources of the country are great
and much gold undoubtedly has been
brought back, but only the successful
miners have given their story to the
public and the many hardships, COM
bined with failure, have been only half
told. 1t is no place for an old miner,
but the young man, tempted by fortune
has prospect to nerve him up to the
point of enduring the hardships incl
dent to the trip. Most people have no
idea of the endurance required for a
trip into the gold country, and it seems
that they fail To realize that they will
be thousands of miles from civilization
and entirely upon their own resources.
"Many OF them are densely ignorant
of what sort of country they are going
into. This is illustrated by the case Of
a man who recently took his bicycle
with him. You can depend upon it
that he will be overcome the first
week after landing. honestly believe
that a person with a good position
should stay where he is"
In the opinion Of Mr.. Widstead the
fortunes made in the early fur trade of
the Northwest Territories will be m1re
than duplicated by the Alaskan trad
ing companies. Just before he leii Last
spring two small vessels remained less
than two weeks at Sandspit and did
business amounting to nearly slO,OJJ
with the whalers coming farther north.
The Sandspit is a natural harbor, a
short distance below the station where
Mr.. Widstead was located, and the
whalers who have been operating in
the water to the north go there for
supplies and to transfer their return
cargo. These two boats took back
cargo which included SIS, 900 worth Of
whalebone, ii bags of all kinds of furs,
8 hogsheads Of ivory and IS bearskins,
valued at so TO $50 each. Each bag Of
fur contained about 500 skins, and one
especially rare specimen Of fox fur sold
in London for 500. The ivory was
walrus tusks of the finest quality.
In some ways the position Of Mr.. Wild
stead is not one to be envied, as there
were only three white men on the rein
deer farm The farm is a barren tract
of land only one degree south of the
arctic circle, and it is here that the
reindeer are cared for aud with the pro-
lection given them they rapidly in
crease. The farm was originally start
ed to give the Eskimos some profitable
occupation, but from the start was so
successful that its practical side was de-
veloped. The reindeer are now dis
tributed from the farm TO the mission
station, and there is no danger Of their
becoming extinct.
When the farm was started in 1891,
the government secured Il RENDERS,
and these by purchase and breeding
increased until last fall there We're ] >
l7j. By this time there are probably
2,000 of the animals. \ herd has been
given to one of the EskimOs, and he
has been very successful in his care Of
it. Under the government direction il
is expected that this highly useful ami
NAL will increase until all demands in
that country can be supplied.-ChicagO
Record.