The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-02
WOMEN IN ALASKA.
Mrs. GambeII the Only White Woman
on the st. Lawrence Island.
From the New York Tribune

on the st. Lawrence Island.
From the New York Tribune.
Alaska does not seem so far away since
the papers contain daily accounts of the
gold that CLEANS in it's soil like fiecks of
crystalized sunshine. Hundreds of people
are hurrying to these gold beds, and the
east will no doubt send thousands of min
ers and investors to the snowwrapped
fields, where it is winter nine months of
the year and where the golden treasure is
jealousy locked under many feet of froz-
en- ground.
According to Mrs Gambell, a devoted
missionary who for two years has been
living on st. Lawrence Island, in the far
northern waters of Boring Sea, the win
ter begins the last of September and stays
until the middle of June The mission sta
ton on the island is about thirty-tive
miles from Siberia, and Mr.. and Mrs. Gam
bell are the only white people on the
place.
I'VE are almost completely isolated from
the outside world writes Mrs. GambeL
to a home missionary; I'VE cannot really
depend upon getting mail from home more
than once a year. The lowest point reached
by the mercury is 20 degrees below Zero
and when the wind is from the southeast
the snow drifts on the west side of our
the snow being three feet deep on the
roof When the storm is over the natives
come with their shovels, made of the shoul>
der blades of the walrus or the baby
whale and dig us out. Sometimes the air
is so full of snow that we cannot see the
storehouse, only twenty feet away. Our
school is flourishing and the pupils are
learning rapidly. We have nearly sixty
pupils on the roll, and the Sunday school
is crowded. Few of the natives will now
work on Sunday In December the sun
rises little after 10 o'clock and sets at 2
D. m. On May 81 there was hard snow
storm, the flakes being as large as fifty
cent pieces. on June ~ the ice on the lake
was still solid.
Mrs. Jones, writing from the native viii
lage of Juneau, says 1T is difficult to
improve the condition of the natives here
Few take any interest in the ciVllizing
or Outstanding of the people in Juneau
save the missionaries, and the tide of i'm
morality is something dreadful"
Mrs. Carter of the Sitka mission says
Some idea of the duties of the sewing
teacher can be gained when it is known
that in the last quarter we have mended
455S pieces and made 25S. From Dec. 1, 1885,
to Dec. l, 1896, there have been mended
16 S2S pieces and S4S have been made"
Miss Sheets, whose health began to fail
on account of the severe cold, is resting
ka has been sent to Chilkat in her place.
Mrs Warnes little child, who was so ILL.,
is now convalescing, and Mrs. Warne is
back in Chilkat, after being at Juneau
with the little one.
Mrs ]. w. Mcfarland, having taught
for seventeen years in Alaska, is ENJOY
ing a years vacation. Mrs. Howell has
been commissioned a government teacher
There are now in the mission school at
Juneau tWenty-siX children-siXteen girls
and ten boys-from to 10 years of age
The school could accommodate forty more
but the board is hampered from lack of
funds and applicants have to be turned
away nearly every week. The mission
home at Hydah has had to be closed for
lack of money. During the summer va
cation the boys of the mission school at
Sitka were taken several miles up the
coast to cut trees for the winter supply
of wood. The trees were large, some OF
them seven feet in diameter, and it took
all day to roll one of these large ones
down to the water, everybody helping.
Finally, all the trees were rolled into the
water and made into a raft 375 feet long,
and containing about 500 cords of wood.
Wooing and wedding in Alaska among
the natives are interesting and peculiar
rites When a young man is of suit
able age to marry, his mother his aunt, or
his sister looks up a wife for him. He
seldom marries d woman younger than
himself; she is much older, and some
times is double his age, and even more.
She is selected from family whose posi-
ton equals his, or is even higher. When
a suitable woman is found the young man
is asked how many blankets and animal
skins he is willing to pay for her. When
that important question is settled feast
is arranged in the home Of the bride and
the friends of both families are invited
When the company is assembled the wo-
mans people extol the greatness of their
family. The young mans marriage gifts
are spread out where they will make a
fine show. and then his family sound
their praises. The ceremony lasts from
one to two days, and finally the young
man takes his wife to his own abode.
Mrs. Jones is now in Iowa, at her old
home, having been compelled to leave
Juneau on account Of the cold. damp eli
mate. She is improving and will return
to Alaska as soon as she is restored.
William Allen Butler, the chief pro-