Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1897-10-07
ALetter From Alaska.

Kenneth McAlpin now located on
-ssA.- of the islands off ,l4- the COAST
follows.
IT have not made many
aconaintances among the Indians. 1t
would hardly do to venture fartner
than a speaking acquaintance II
doesn't do to be familiar, but pleasant
ness goes a good ways with them;
They are yery quiet in this town and
know how to keep their distance as well
as a white man. There are great
many bright. smart people among them
and generally all of them are quick TO
learn. and most of them are good me-
chanics. have seen some fine nome
made boats and the church was built oy
the natives The town is the strangest
nIace / ever visited. Mr.. Duncan, the
fonnder came to British Columbia, via
the Pacific Ocean, in SO, as a MISSIONARY
from England. He was in business
house in England and threw over large
salary for one of his age, % years, 10
come ont here. He found the Indians
as savage and low down in every partlc-
ulaa as they could be. He remained
with them nearly so years, and brought
them mn to civilized state. Had town
built. with church, store, etc. Inc
Indians were industrious and quite
civilized. and he had everything even
more modern than he has here.
"Weu. he was an Episcopalian, and
when the big guns in the church heard
of the great work he had done here,
they sent bishop who seems to have
been a big head He insisted on
observing the Lords supper and other
ordinances of the church. Wine was
used at the sacrament. Mr.. Duncan
demonstrated in vain. Liquor always
upsets an Indian, and it did Duncan s.
They couldn't understand the ceremo-
nies. and the bishop refused to modify
the customs of the church. Finally
Duncan left the town, and came over
on this island, accompanied by a num-
Der of Indians, and started all over
anew. He went east in 1887, lectured
and solicited, and had bill passed In
congress making the island an Indian
reservation. All there is here has been
built in 10 years. They have here a
church. a town hall, big school houses,
a girls home. seven or eight stores, and
enough houses to accommodate the oOO
or /. 900 people who live here.
.sThe salmon cannery is quite large
affair and employs a large number OF
Indians. There has been some talk OF
putting in an electric light plant II
could be operated, / think, by water
power. MT. Duncan has piped water
l6 A i lalke n |bS B"VnattteAff.1 "Vnatef II mas asa q
wonderful fall. you can imagine how
it comes down to reach pressure OF 315
pounds. At the saw mill the shaft
from the saw is fitted directly into the
water wheel, so that there is no gearing.
Things would fly to pieces if there
were. Duncan has the cleanest can
merry in the country; pretty clean lot of
people, too. They live in nice houses,
some of them quite aristocratic for
these parts. They are not vicious as
the ordinary run of Indians. Duncan
brought them up strictly for himself.
As an example Of the manner of teach
ing they have received and their appre-
citation of right and wrong, Duncan
was selling tobacco in his store and the
townspeople demonstrated and told
him he must stopit, that it wasn't right.
So at the present time no tobacco is
sold in the town. and liquor has never
been sold here. Duncan will not permit
dancing. So you can get a pretty good
idea of the peacefullness of the place.
Every day is as quiet as Sunday, except
for some building and the cannery,
when it's running.
@The inhabitants fish and hunt in
season. so that the whole population is
not in town except at Christmas, and
then guess they have sort of reunion
They can afford to jollify, although
they take things easily most of the time
Money is to be made all the time hunt
ing or fishing, and their pockets are
generally pretty we'll lined The peo-
pie here dress better than the white men
in the country round about, and they
are better fixed than the majority of
the white settlers.
In travelling carry my own blank
cts wherever l go, and have become so
accustomed to sleeping on the floor that
/ couldn't enjoy soft bed. When the
Mexico passengers and crew were here
l slept on the floor, but before that /
had a lounge Bunked on the pilot
house floor Of the fish tug, but later had
q bunk in the hold At Kitchikan l
slept on the carpet. with blanket
under and over me, my over coat under
my head. 1t is no trouble to sleep that
way now as sweetly as l ever did on
feathers am so angular only touch
at three points. / have found rowing
pretty hard Every body here owns a
boat, and rowing is something they
don't get tired of here.
In regard to Klondike: l would dis
courage anyone going there. People
are crazy to leave the east as they do
and go to that 'pestiferous' country
with no knowledge of the country be-
yond that reported in the papers and
gotten from maps. The excitement is
so recent that nothing has been learned
of the country by the majority of the
people 1t has not been reported in the
eastern papers in a true light The rich
finds are exaggerated very much, al
though there have been a good many
fortunate ones. But the losers and dis
appointed people are not advertised.