The Van Buren press., 1897-11-13
ODD KGONOIkE LAKE.
Lake >zlauiS. Near Dawson. ls Al
WAYS Narm and Full Of Fish.

la Ike szla1ik. Near Dawson. it Afs
ways Warm and Full Of Fish.
Dawson City. wonderful as Il Is IN
many things. has still another wonder
about which very little has been heard.
1t IS an immense lake, located back II
the mountains not very far away from
the greatest town on earth. the waters
o. which are always warm. Fish in
countless thousands can be caught n
the coolest weather without trouble
fer the waters Of the lake are never 50
cold but one could bathe in them. The
third claim this wonderful body OF
water has for distinction is that, while
il Is hundreds of miles from the oeeaE.
ard there IS no apparent connection be-
tween the two. the lake is affected by
the tide. Lake Selawfk IS the name
given to the discovery by Father Tosi.
a Jesuit missionary who for years has
been working among the Alaska In
dians ia the interior.
1t was a letter frofn him that brought
the news TO Seattle-uews which will
ease many a fear when the quantities
Of fish are considered. which practically
does away with the starvation idea.
This point IS made in Father Tosi's let
ter. that should famine threaten Daw-
son the miners could easily make their
way to this lake and bring back all the
fish necessary. They come down intothe
warm waters during the winter from
the icy streams which flew into the
lake They remain near the surface,
and can be scooped in with nets or
killed with boathools.
Father Tosi noticed thai At times
during the midst Of the long arctic
winter the Indians had fresh salmon.
He could not explain it, for all the
known streams and lakes were frozen
solid Finally the Indians took him
back into the hills TO q lake which was
60 miles long and Is in width. He called
4 Selawts They have kept the secret
well. and only few white men know of
the lake.
There seems 70 be some sympathy
between Lake Selawik and the ocean
which IS very difficult to explain. There
seems TO be no connection. neverthe-
less the lake is several feet higher when
the ocean is at its height. and at low
tide it is eorrespondingly lower. The
hours Of high tide are the same as on
the ocean at the same distance north.
Yet this lake Is hundreds Of miles from
salt water. and there is no evidence of
any connection with the sea. Besides,
the water IS fresh at al times. He ae-
counts for the warmth of the water by
powerful hot springs flowing into the
lake far below the surface. but the mat
ter Of tides IS a puzzler. The water is
very deep, and in many places no bot
tom can be found. The fish appear TO
stay near the surface.
The Indians have legends of terrible
monsters which used TO appear on the
surface of the lake. One story has come
down from generations, and tells OF
the mysterious disappearance of two
Indian men and three women while
fishing from a raft in the southern end
of the lake. They went out for a days
fishing in the morning from an Indian
camp along the shore of the lake. They
failed to return that evening, and the
next day the Indians went down to look
for them. They found the raft without
difficulty, but not trace of either the
men or women. The legend accounts
for their disappearance in this way:
For years an awful white thing with
numbers of long white arms had been
swimming in that part of the lake. The
Indians never fished there for fear Of
the monster. but. as il had not been
seen for a long time, the unfortunate
fishermen thought il was safe 10 try
that part of the lake. OF course, the
monster was displeased at this invasion
Of its domains. and as punishment
pulled them off the raft and carried
them down thousands Of feet into the
bottomless part of the lake. At any
rate the five people were never seen
again, nor did their bodies ever come
TO the surface. The legend is believed
in implicitly by the Indians, who would
almost as soon be killed as venture on
the tabooed part of the lake. Nothing
has been seen of the mysterious mon
ster in later years.
In reference to keeping up the food
supply at Dawson Father Tosi says that
a man with a bOathook could kill more
salmon in an hour than he could eat in
a fortnight, and suggests salmon
catching in midwinter as an oecupa-
tion for those who cannot get other
work. With two good dogs and sled
the lake iswithin easy reach of Dawson.
There would be no trouble about keep
ing the fish caught on account OF the
high temperature. The Indians are
counting on selling the Lake Selawik
fish this winter should food bring high
prices at Dawson. They are still try
ing to guard their secret. but there are
men at Dawson who know of the lake
and its wonderful peculiarities.-
Seattle (Wash.) Times.
Her New business
Judge lngersoll has just returned
from trip up the lakes, and tells this