The record-union., 1898-06-04
LOST AT SEA.
The Alaska Missionaries Who Were
on the Jane Gray.

| A0e ALASKA M1SS1On0r1eS VINO were
on the Jane Gray.
The Record Union on Thursday
morning contained full telegraphic
account of the loss at sea of the schoo-
| ner Jane Gray, which sailed from Sc
attic for Kotzebue Sound on the 18th
OF May, and fOundered on the Odd off
cape Flattery. Among those who per-
ished We're Rev. V. c. Gambell, wife
and child, the former a missionary on
st. Lawrence Island, in the Behring
Sea- The following from the Home
Missionary Monthly of New York will
be read with interest:
A great deal Of interest has been felt
in Mr. and Mrs. Gambell, who were sta
toned on st. Lawrence Island, Behring
Sea. and whose only contact with the
outside world is once a year during the
short season when the revenue cutter
or the whaling fleet go northward. AZ
ter having been on the island three
years, it was necessary that Mrs. Gam
bell should come home for medical
| treatment. The distress Of the natives
In learning this was great. AS soon as
they found that Mr.. GambelI would
likely be obliged to accompany his wife,
there was still deeper CONSERVATION and
the natives came daily to inquire
whether 1t were really true that they
| We're going to lose their good friends
the missionaries, who, by the way, We're
the only white people among them. Day
after day the same questions were put,
will Mrs. Gambell have to go home %
Are you going, too?" and then, as if
they were afraid to ask, they would
finally say: IF you both go will you
come back again?" Upon being assured
by Mr.. Gambell that they would come
back, If possible, a great burden would
seemingly be lifted from their hearts
Yet 1t was only for few days, for, like
children, they would come back in d
week and ask it all over again. I'm
September, when a ship loomed up
close to shore out of fog bank, we fell
to packing as fast as we could" writes
Mr.. Gambell, knowing they would send
some one for us, and that it would be
necessary to make all possible haste
Nearly the whole Of the village gather
ed around the schoolhouse instead of
coming to the shore, as they always do
when ship appears. One of the men
wanted Mrs. Gambell to make him
promise, when she went away, that he
would not drink any whisky, so when
he came on board the ship she called
him to her and he made the promise
AS soon as the ship moved off they be-
gan calling good-by over and over
again. and watching and waving as
long as faces could be distinguished
We really felt a great deal worse in
leaving them than we did when first
| leaving home to go to them.
1t is one Of the customs on ST. Law
renee Island that when one of the ma
| q " lc
vivor shaves off his eye brows, stays
closely in the house for several DAYS.
and when he does make his appearance
has quantity Of walrus bones, fasten-
ed to a long rope which is tied about
him, which he drags around after him
| for several weeks. He also carries a
rattle in his hands which he rattles ev-
cry few minutes.
It is not an infreQuent occurrence in
the more remote sections Of Alaska to
| Kill the old people when they become
too infirm or too aged to longer care for
themselves. Mrs. Gambell cites a re-
cent incident which occurred at St
Lawrence Island: Missing one old
woman whom I had seen a number of
times, / asked her friends where she
was, and they told me they had hung
her that morning and taken her body
to the mountain" 1t is their custom If
the deceased person has held any posi-
ton OF Importance to take the body to
the top-if not. only about half way up
where the clothing is taken off, cut
up and scattered about and tobacco
and hard bread placed at the head, and
sometimes soap and other articles
Mr.. GambeH says that the reason ma
tives destroy the older people should be
explained. 1t is not because they do
not have family affection; on the con-
| trary, they are very fond of each
other, and think it would be a direful
calamity should one have to leave his
friends ON the island and live in some
| other place. The mothers show as
much love for their babies as any moth
ers do, but the children are trained to
the strictest obedience; they never, old
or young, think of disobeying their par
ents, and yet Mr.. Gambell has never
known any parent to punish. his child.
When one becomes old, sick and help
less. he says to his family. Il am too
old to live any longer; / have no teeth
to eat the seal meat, and so you would
better kill me-; whereupon the COM
mand is quickly carried out; such a
| thing as disobeying is never thought Of
Where our mission work has been in
| existence for. some time and the ma
| tives have learned to better understand
filial love. the conditions are different.
Our missionary, Rev. Mr.. Jones of Ju-
neau, says that the aged and infirm ma
tives are treated with kind considera-
ton and respect. TT was only yester-
day that was in the home Of a native
where there was a consumptive who
had been helpless invalid for two
| years. All Of this time he has been
cared for with patience and kindly
| ministrations. / was also in another
home where there was an aged blind
man. SO old that his hair was silvered
He Is treated with kindness and all due
consideration. In short. I find Alask-
ans remarkably good in this respect"