The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-11-27
A VISIT TO THE
ALASKAN WILDS.
The Rush Trip Of a Chicago Man to
the Region of the KIOndike.
THE COUNTRY AND ITS PEOPLE.
odd Traits of Indian Trappcrs-Pa-
thetic Meeting With Two Starving
Miners-Gold Finds Arc Scarce.
\ Place of Ice and Snow.

with a fund Of interesting stories OF his
adventures and Of the Wild country which
has been the centre Of attraction for the
past year. KlondIke gold, he says is like
the Jewel called a d0ublet-real on the
surface. but with sham foundation,
and. more often. without any.
Mr.. Periolat left Chicago on the 2d day
Of August. when old King Sol beamed
upon the city with such benevOlence that
the thermometer registered 90 degrees,
and every one wished Mr.. sun would turn
his face the other way. ln six days he
had reached a country where mild spring
weather reiened. and by the FIRST Of Sep
tonbar hc had d0uncd "a suit of fur in
order 10 keep Jack Frost 90 bay. The
four seasons I'm one month with an kinds
OF weather thrown in. is one ~ the novel
attractions an Alaskan trip offers.
81 sailed from Portland three days ar
ter leaving Chicago said Mr. Periolat
when telling the story Of his trip 10
reporter for The sunday Inter ocean.
: 'The first stop made wIs at Port Thomas
SON Washington. which can truly be
called "a desert village 100 1859 the town
which was then a mere hamlet. through
the supposed discovery of rOld became
the center of interest and Z100 people
nocked there. Tho government spent
5000 in erecting "a p0stofiice and other
buildings. and the people erected hotel
| and university that each cost $4,000 and
also put up several buildings from six o.
seven stories in height. Zee iact. almost
Lr1Oo WIS spent in improvements. Now
there are not loo people in the place.
The postOiiice was never used. and the
buildings stand empty That IS the
story Of "a western town that had "a boom
/ and it IS only one of several others.
after leaving Seattle we next stopped
at Victoria. y. O.. and then won't %
Sitka. by the inland route touching the
coast towns cf Metiihkafa. Wraneel. AND
juneau. J visited all the Indian tribes
along the coast and after staying a few
days Boo Sitkl. ! started toward Cook
inlet. taking in the towns of Dyca and
Nakutat Dr. towns they can Doe called. FOR
in Alaska city consists of one or two
trading posts ana few Indian huts
Finally reached Toyonak. from which
place we QUILTED for q trip in the Klon-
dixie region. While going up cooks I'M
iet ON september 3d. we We're caught n
"a storm which thought would sink the
snip but we managed 10 get shelter i'm
snug bay. and there j had the most
pathetic experience OF my trip.
WHITE MEN STARVING is ALASKA.
~ mad amply supplied myself with pro-
visions and han ON board "a good stock
OF fruits. The steamer had mo- sooner
anchored than two men. who looked like
savases. came on board They were
white men. and their clothes were I'm
rags and hanging from their bodies They
talked and acted like crazy men. jump
| ing and bowling i'm the manner OF the In
dams. and watching us as 81 we were
strangers from an unknown LAM. !
offered them food and when / showed
! them the fruit ] thought they would go
insane. They yelled and danced and
talked IN some strange dialect continu-
ously. After they had satisfied their
! hunger they toll a queer story. They
We're brothers. Ransom by name. and
| belonged to the old Kentucky family
| OF RansOms They had come 20 Alaska
tho year before I'm search OF gold. ana
| their path had been one Of continued
| hardship. They had lived I'm The in
| terror among the Indians. and four
/ months from the day we founl them
| they had started for the coast. Their
food consisted entirely OF beans. and
/ their supply was almost az am end for
| they had been waiting n month for q
steamer TO pass We were the first
white people they had seen for five
months and they had lived among me
| Indians until they became like them
| and adopted their mode nj hfe ond
| smoke their langu9ge-a mixture of ln-
/ dian and Russian. These boys who
/ were not more than twenty-three years
| % age. looked 10 be fifty Their story
was that Of many other men we met.
"I let the steamer at North FOreland
| and started inland. M companions were
| Indian guides who carried the tents and
| provisions. We travelled ON snow-sh0es,
| i'm order 10 keep from sinking into the
| moss. which is from six 10 seven feet
| deep and followed the Indian trail. which
| Winds IN and out among the snowdrifts.
| / experienced one snOw-stOrm, which
| thought would prove go be my FIRST and
| last one i'm Alaska. My guide pitched a
| tent and we went I'm 10 for shelter. In a
| few hours the snow had banked around
| It. but the guide kept shoveling IL away
! from the entrance with patie1ce that
made me impatient. We stayed in one
| te-t almost half a day. and when We
started on our way there was a layer
| ~ new snow several feet deep.
ODDITIES OF INDIAN FUR TRADERS.
81 went 3T5 miles inland from kadiah
ana was then on the outskirts OF the
Kl1-di@e region. bus Dawson city was
sriu TWO hundred miles farther in the
this trim. but. Of course, ] visited the
Indians and the various hamlets. found
the Alaskan Indians 10 be ignorant and
superstitious. but at the same time honest
and willing TO work They live In nuts
about ten feet square. sometimes seven
ana eight people dwelling IN the one
room. They will have nothing 10 do with
any white man. except the traders. When
/ was at Orca party ol Indians came
from the interior 20 sell furs. J was
standir- on the beach while they were
landing. and / offered one OF them y
apiece for some very fine silver-ioX skins.
His reply was grunt ana negative snake
~ the head. indicating that he would not
trade \ few minutes later l saw the
same man accept SO for his entire load
OF furs from the traders when he would
have made about $50 If he had dealt with
me After that ! did not try 10 buy
things direct from them. but made all
my dealings at the stations, and thus
saved myself several dollars each time.
.The Indian will take nothing but sil-
YER money. and when he gets II, ne stays
i'm the town until 10 is all gone. except a
dollar or two: then he VIII start back 10
his nome and give that money 10 the
mission. They buy tobacco, hour, tea,
and sugar They never make OF eat pIeau'
but with the sugar ana nonF 'ney MAKE
whisky called touch" which IS very in
toxicating. This beverage and steam
beer made at the brewery in sitka and
sold for q cents quart are the only
liquors found in Alaska. The country Is
prohibition by law. and the government
furnishes any one caught selling intoxi-
cants by Imprisonment for six months
and innicting a fine Of so nut liquor Is
sold just the same. Inc ihulah main
food h snlnnn and eamc. Ihcy use