Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1897-07-29
STEAMER

SURVEY. 7
STEAMER PATTERSON.
SITKA, ALASKA, July3 3, 1897
Alaska, the latest acquisition OF
territory by the United States,
was purchased from Russia in
1867, and was first settled by the
people of the last named country
in 1899 at the town known as old
Sitka. Previous to this settle
ment by the whites, in ages past,
it is supposed that Japanese have
landed on these shores, but be-
yond the strong resemblance in
features and many customs of the
Indians now living in Alaska, no
traces of the japanese remain.
The Russian colonists were re-
ceived Hospitality by the Indians,
and for awhile matters went we'll
with thenew settlement, but owing
partly to i'll treatment received,
and principally to the introduction
of firearms and whiskey, the feel
ings of the Indians underwent a
change, and in 1902 a combined
attack by various tribes was made
upon the town, and all the colo
nists murdered. Two years later
the Russian government sent a
squadron of warships to Alaska,
and after severely Furnishing the
Indians, another colony was land
ed and the town of Sitka, the pres
emit capital of the territory was
founded.
Since that time the growth of
Alaska has been gradual and slow,
but during the past five years,
owing to the discovery Of the rich
gold deposits, which seem to exist
everywhere. the development has
become marked.
The ''northwest coast" as it Is
commonly known among residents
of the Pacific States, extends from
Puget Sound, in the State of
Washington, beyond Mount Saint
Elias in Alaska, in a continuous
archipelago covering a sea coast
line of more than 1,100 miles and
breaking, through numerous in.
lets, into the interior for more
than 100 miles, forming N of
the most wildly beautiful scenic
regions to be found in any part of
the world. Through the narrow
and deep channel of this archipel-
ago, never in the thousand miles
of its length touching the ocean,
winds the steamer route to Sitka,
a route unparalleled for its interest
and the natural picturesqueness of
its surroundings. High, snow
capped mountains rise almost alb
ruptly from the water line to the
height of several thousand feet,
densely covered with forests, with
magnificent waterfalls to be seen
everywhere, leaping in their IT.
regular courses from the lakes
among the melting snow and ice,
at times hundreds of feet at a sin
gle fall, and shining brighter than
silver as the sunshine is reflected
from their sparkling surfaces.
Deer, with occasionally a brown
or black bear, and innumerable
ducks, geese and waterfowl haunt
the beach and shores.
AS the steamer winds its way
among the islands, steering hun
dre6s of courses as she gradually
approaches her destination, always
some new natural attraction comes
in sight-an odd looking peak,
some gootesqueness in shape
amongst the snow and ice banks,
a waterfall, a lake, an odd shaped
island, or barrow channel but little
wider than the ship, a huge precis
pice rising hundreds of feet almost
perpendicularly, and as the ship
passes within a few feet of it, look
ing up at this immense mass of
rock gives a feeling of 1--WE per-
haps seldom before experienced
but most wonderful Of all are the
enormous glaciers OF rivers Of
solid ice, two or three miles in
width, with a length of many hun
dreds of miles bringing, at a rate
Of only about seventy-feet a year,
their incalculable quantities of ice
to be broken off by the washing
of the waves, and then foated
away as icebergs. The cracking,
crashing, crunching and rumbling
noises made by these glaciers is at
times awful; the noise being caused
by the weight of snow and ice
among the mountain tops many
miles distant pressing downward
and by the force of gravitation;
causing the hundreds of miles of
solid ice below to journey slowly
towards the sea.
The climate of Alaska notwith-
standing its high northern latitude,
is not near so rigorous as might
be supposed. The Kuro Siwo, or
worm-stream of Japan, coming
from the tropic region south of
the Japanese Islands, flows along
the archipelago. This ocean stream
coming in contact with the colder