The herald., 1897-12-12

herds increase there will be constant supply the
establishment of herds owned by the natives who
have taken Of the mission herd learned the busi-
ness and received reindeer in compensation for their
vices For the Of miners plan will be arranged
by which parties desiring to establish transportation
routes procure trained deer for the purpose
The first thought of the miner in Central Alaska is
to secure good claim, and his thought is the
question Of food supply-whether he enough
from the warehouses where they brought
by boats and in other ways, to enable him to work
mine continuously With the exception fish lin
tied quantity Of wild game and limited quantity of
garden vegetables there Is food the country all
bread stus and the larger portion Of meat supply
and fruits must be brought into 1t the outside
Now it should be remembered that there are no
roads in A1aska they exist in other sections Of the
United States, and that with the almost ilmitabe area
Of bog and swamp and tundra and frozen subsoi will
be impossible to make and maintain roads except
cost that is practically prohbitive In the
plies loaded into small pulled up the creeks or
packed mems shoulders In winter they hauled
dog sleds. This heavily In addition to the
expense the carrying capacity is lmted-a load
hundred to hundred and twenty-five pounds per
sled per dog portion Of which food dogs
If the route Is long without intervening
supply dog team scarcely carry than
hcent for themselves So far they have failed in
plying the miners with sufficient stock provisions
The only possible solution of the question reason
able land transportation and rapid communication
Arctic Alaska is the introduction and utilizing of do
mestic reindeer The deer is to the far north the
camel Is to desert regions; the animal which God has
provided and adapted for the special conditions which
s The greater the degree Of cold the
Last winter party Of reindeer hauling sleds made
days journey with the temperature 73 degrees below
deer with 400 pounds the sled can travel up
and down the tans and the plains end
Of Alaska to the other, living Off the country where he
travels Last expedition Of nine deer drawing
nine seds made through Alaska lasting during the
four winter months and making total distance Of 1000
miles, during which the deer turned night
after days work to find their provision which is
the native (Cadonia rangferina) covering all that
region.
The great mining interest Of Central Alaska cannot
realize its fullest development until the reindeer
trodus sufficient numbers to do the work Of supply
ing the mines with provisions and freight giving the
miner speedy communication with the outside world It
takes from fifty to sixty days carry the mali be-
tween Juneau and Circle City With the establishment
Of relay stations suitable distances reindeer will
the mail in four Ave days. The reindeer Is equal
ly to the prospector Prospecting distance
from the base Of supplies is impossible The PROS
pector go only far his supply Of provisions
blankets and TOOLS which he carries his shoulders
will last him. then he must return for fresh supply
With ten head Of reindeer packing hundred pounds
each (nakng half ton Of suppes) he can be gone for
months penetrating regions hundreds Of miles distant
his deer meanwhile grazing wherever night finds him
and them.
With Alaska fully stocked with this valuable ami
NAL, the hardy Eskimo and the enterprsing American
will develop grazing and mining industries that win
amount to Afty millions Of dollars annually and all this
in regions where such industries only developed
sufficiently to show their great possibilities.
SHELDON JACKSON, NJ D.,
United States General Agent Of Education in Alaska