The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-07-30
Diet of Soap in Alaska.

oiSo1U TIC Oeceptlon OF frieno anu the
faisity OF a sweetheart
Diet Of Soap in Alaska.
OF all the stories told or written of Alas
ka since the Klondyke gold fever set in.
says the Washington Post, there is none
more interesting than that OF Mr.. Joseph
/. Keefer, resident Of this city, who had
the honor Of assisting in the planting Of the
first American flag on Alaskan soil.
keefer accompanied the Seward State
Department expedition 20 Alaska in 1861
aide-de-camp TO Captain 7. E. ketchum.
The flag that was unfurled as Alaska was
officially and formally taken possession Of
was the first ever hoisted over Russ.on-
America. As far as can be learned Mr..
keefer s the only surviving member OF the
famous expedition, having been al the time
the trip was made into the far north a mere
lad of II years, while the other members OF
the party were well advanced in years.
According 10 the best records obtainable
the last member Of the party 20 perish was
Joseph Rothroch, a young photograp her,
who died about ten years ago in Philadei-
r,hia insane asylum. The poor fellow could
never get warm after making second trip
to Alaska, and while dying he was wrapped
in blankets and placed by the furnace, al
though the heat of summer was almost I'M
hearable to the ordinary person. No ex-
PLANTATION was ever offered for his strange
condition.
During his two years stay in Alaska Mr..
Keefer washed gold in the vicinity of Sitka
and Fort Cosmos, finding the per cen, Of
metal three times as great as in California.
Mr. Keefer also declares that he found
many beautiful crystals on the surface OF
mountains which resembled diamonds. Ac-
cording TO his belief, should the depths OF
the mountains be gone into there is no tell
ing what amount of precious stones might
be found
II went up the famous Yukon river said
Mr.. Keefer, but at this time all that re-
eion of the territory was vast wilderness,
and there were no names attached to the
sparsely settled Indian villages encounter
ed here and there. The Klondyke was I'M
known. We found fertile lands on which
corn and vegetables might be raised dur
irg one season of the years. Sitka was the
only city known, and it was populated most
~ by Russians, who have now nearly al
gone home.
"At the time I was in Alaska I suppose
there were 10000 native Indians IN the coun
try, but now this number must have dwin-
died down TO something like 10000 There
are three classes of natives; the Tinklet,
half-civiliZed race, the highest class. Mex,
comes the Eskimo, who live on blubber and
fat The lowest race found is known as
the Jueaman tribe. These people crawl
around on hands and knees greater part
of the time, and act greatly ike monkeys.
The natives who can be understood claim
that their ancestors came from the North
Pole; or, as they call II. the edge of the
earth They declare their race dates back
before the Jesuits. It IS fact that pieces
of stone and pottery have been found with
something like Greek has reliefs on them.
I brought back piece of tusk containing
many OF the queer heroglphics. which was
deciphered by an eminent New York scien-
fist and found TO be form Of prayer.
There is one peculiar thing about Alaska
and that is that the cold takes the taste
away from one. We could eat soap, cam
dies and chew leather with the same
amount of satisfaction as the best prepared
game The appetite is enormous but the
taste is gone. The thermometers in those
days broke when 10 degrees below zero was
registered. and We had no means of deter
mining just how cold it really was. The
danger of the cold Is that ii makes one
sleepy, and once this drowsiness gets the
better of you is will surely result fatally.
We had to beat one another with sticks and
other weapons in order TO fight the sleepi-
ness off. When you first have this cold,
sleepy sensation something blue seems to
be revolving in the eye. After this attack.
however one becomes acclimated and never
again feels the cold TO any extent. We
could throw off our furs and run about the
same as schoolboys at play. The glare of
the ice is terrible and after few years IN
Alaska ones eyes are never strong again.
LAS far north as you go you find ducks
flying One day we shot one of the birds
while he was flying In a southerly direction.
Upon opening its craw We found it con-
tanned a peculiar kind OF grain 1t was
neither corn nor oats, but must surely have
come from some warm climate. We puzzl-
ed over the matter for quite while and
many Of the party were led TO believe that
there was a warm spot somewhere in the
far north.
THE natives have most peculiar customs
Their mode of salution is to Jump at one
another with both feet, and in this manner
attempt to throw their friend. II they sue
coed there is much merr;ment among the
onookers. They are all happy and oily.
The Tinklets have a religon and marriage
ceremony. These latter functions are most
t'he women buy the men and
virtually run the race. At the wedding
feast there is beverage served something
on the order of liquor which lie made from
roots and herbs. II has a bad effect on
the guests. and there Is scarcely wedding
but that several people are killed. But
then this custom was in vogue years ago.
and may have been wiped out by now.
There is one custom OF the native which
I forgot to mention, and that is the idea
they have that property is common posses
SIGN. They would steal almost everything
we had in camp. The only means by which
our valuable papers were preserved was by
placing them in a coffin-shaped box The |
natives know a coffin and are very super I
abou; molesting the dead This |
old box coffin was brought back to Wash |
.ngton. but has long been destroyed.
Medical Reform In China.