Evening star., 1898-10-29

"Z'$ u S lish eXper mental
farms in the territory
to teach the population how to cultivate
their own food ard better their condition
through their digestive systems. DR.. Evans
has. part Of his time. been prospecting for
these farms, and has had many novel ex-
periences-
1he summer was spent in a tent along
Cooks Inlet, where was found more land
capable of cultivation than elsewhere in
the coast regiCn. A great part of the time
ms sole comI&Lion was Special Agent Bail
sent TINS yea to establish weather bureau
stations IN the territory. In the future
these new stations will make uniform
measurements of rainfall, temperature and
barometer and report them to Sitka. now
the headquarters of the weather bureaus
rev arctic system. Hitherto no Official
data as to the climate of Alaska have been
collected.
The greater part of the doctors camping
was done at kuSSilOf. con siderablv north on
LOOK met Here is LOCATED a salmon can
ftFy, where 2"t men, mostly Oh -utse > We Gies
NoFwtS SianS and Americans cong.ega.e dur
ing the hshIug season and comprise The en-
ire population There was formerly an In
"lah settlement here, but two years ago it
was entirely wiped out by an epidemic
Across the inlet and IN sight of Dr. Evans
tent were three volcanoes Illiamna
fedouot and Chinabora. the last named on
an island to the south. Illiamna was smok-
ing during the whole of the summer G1Ir-
ing which time the doctor experienced sev-
eral very violent earthquakes one causing
u NIal wave on the inlet lie learned that
earthquakes are prevalent in the region
every summer, the three volcanoes visible
being only a part OF a chain reachine, to
the end OF the Aleutian archipelago and
licIuulhs d dozen or more smoking craters.
RIoedthirsty Mosauitoe..
III Evans TOOK some elaborate notes as
10 the insect population of the regions Wis
lied A complete collection representing
these has been brought home and submfr
ted 70 an expert entomologist Insect life
was found to be extremely numerous in
specimens. but not in species Mosauitoes
abound everywhere and have clsracter-
lSucs winch may well imbue the hearts of
tneir Jersey relatives with envy The in
hab!tants report that ii is common in win
yer 10 see them emerge from the bark of
hrewood after the snow from upon it has
been thawed out indoors They are aIso
seen IN great swarms gliding about as if
skating, on the ice of the glaciers PM
the mosquito story following ecIfpses anI-
thihs h1tnerto hurled against our common
acquaintance by tongue or pen The Alas
k'.h mosquito must be awarded the laureIs
LOT perslstency as we'll as for hard;hn,d
1Ae doctor reports that part of the rfme
he shared his tent with one Studlev n
Ih.shtS EnS4lshmtp. and daring hunter cf
IdiEt arctic game. One day they wer+ re-
cnhlIg on their cots the hunter waited uu-
III a WelI-fattened mosquito had Fastened
ms Dill deep INTO his hand and then baIved
ms D9dy with pair of small scissors
BUT all of the insects attention vas con-
centrated upon his fore end s, pre.dv
was ne that he did not become aware of
any absence of his hlndmost ,.xIr-r,+;...
Until al ter he had pumped away a good
PIoPCrNo OF the hunters blood and left il
dripping from his hand onto tha nncr
Ihen. finding himself fairly wadiug in gore
ne looked around, topped over and gave
up the mesquite ghost. According u the
d"'tpT Ht and his adventurous friend often
repeated the experiment but not wit1ou,
considerably taxing their systems and h..
: waiting to perform similarly updn deuf-
z'Hs Of the mosquito haunls Of this zone
DF- Evans also encountered blowf.es in
great prpiuSiun, ana says that were. il rtt
i"E these ami certain beetle II would ha
lnipHsSi hle 10 live in the ne!ghborhnnd of
JhS AldSkan salmon canHer.es. These in
SeSts perform an important office in clear
Ing away the salmon refuse
4 Native Ceremony
The doctor further described Il grotesque
ceremony which he observed While passing
through Sitka. on his return. The occasion
was a jubilee in honor of the triumD1aI
homecoming Of some hair-seal hunters VII,
N enjoyed extraordinary luck After the
natives. painted and csrated with rugs
ana masks. had INDUCED in a fa1tasti.
usti'e III from of me ranch or Indian
quarter. ttl"y IAN about wildly. exchanging
SITS on all SIDES, regardless Of the utility
u lhe thing given or their oyinions of
those upon whom bestowed. One fellow
NrHJ about with an armfuI of stockings
handing them indIscrim!nately To men ana
women. etcH Of whom received only ,na
AH"jh"f who had paid $12 for a dozen
hl.nkrts. made them worthless hy tearing
tt-Hl mo narrow strips and distributed
ti.'~t. 'ii" ~ time, over hundred bolts
81 cane" were bought and disposed OF sim
Harry. and the increase of business AT rhe
stores on account Of the pers ,-,ranra
amounted IN that day to over g. 900 This
Is th- AlaSkaus idea Of having a vrno.,inf,
good time pms
W!tchcraft IS stuI believed in by these
people. according TO further facts confid@6
10 the writer. The report came To SIX
thdt the Indians up at Yakutat were grow
ing uneasy over certain superstitions and
Were preparing Tor witch hunt The gov
"rnor. Judee ana marshal. who evidently
appreciated the seriousness ,,f IN. reu,rf
boarded the guabodt stationed al Sitkd and
hurried up the coast They discovered thai
thr natives had caught the object Of their
suspicious and had arrangements made to
peat her 10 death. The sight of the gun
p'at. however. put an end to the festivities
since the natives are in uncommon dread
81 vessel Of war Witch-beatfng DR. Ev-
'HS says. i2 performed in Alaska with what
are known as devils cubs"-slendcr
tough stems, which grow To be eight feet
long and covered with long and sharp
Spint3- The natives also beat themselves
rAc cumatism-
Experimental Farms
iEe experimental farms which the gov
err ment Will establish are to he located al
Sltka kadiak and Kenai, the place last
ramed being near where the doctor camped
tfis summer and to the north of Cooks
rlet. More may be opened in the in
terror ext year. These reservations have
been already surveyed aud rnada exennt
froin the homestead regulations. Here oh
ject lessons will be given the whites as
We'll as the natives DIR, Evans says the
former are as ignorant Of TIE possible agri-
cultural resC urces Of the territory as the
latter. During the summer up along the
inlet the range OF the Thermometer was
from - 10 IS degrees. When the weather
observation stations are we'll under way
Publ .ation Of their discoveries as to the
tnlIdness Of the climate will attract to these
regions many people who think they are
tFiSid all the year round. The present large
Influx OF whites TO Alaska, a result of
the newly discovered mines, is expected,
10 in he