The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-07-01

the eFsr-CuaDBlnEs pare
faro formulation Of Sitka when are you
going TO the WESTWARD Is less SELDOM
heard, the more's the pity.
sitka Is the regulation turntabie OF the
Alaskan tourist route and aside from
the comparatively small body OF men WITH
large mining interests, government
agents, employees Of the Alaska CONNER
esu Co and lesser cannery and hshery
organizations, who make regular trips 10
the westward" the vast area is an un-
known region.
To sail out OF Sitka hay on sunlit
morning aboard the steamer Dora, with
Capt. Johannsen on the bridge, Is most
propitious beginning for a momentous
voyage. The giant, snow wrapped mount
ain peaks and glistening glaciers, the ex-
quisite green islands with their borders
Of gray rocks and bright-hued sea-mosses
reflected In the stlll waters the striking
and unfamiliar aspects Of Mt. Edgecomb,
the site of old Sitka with its bloody MEM
ories-ar conspire TO make the trip down
the narrow channel one Of varied charm
and absorbing interest.
Now comes the awakening. For almost
with the whsk OF lambs tall the har-
dy little steamer plunges Into the open
sea, and its passengers seek the usual
foregone seclusion. Even the Colonel,
that most inveterate OF sea-goers, was
forced to admit that something he had
eaten for dinner had disagreed with him.
But all discomfort Is forgotten by the
following morning when we turn into
Latuya bay. gold sand proposition and.
strangely enough In this Northland. ia
nous for fits abundance OF wild straw
berries. We lie here Just long enough 10
land a miner and take on n black bear
and then sail away for Yakutat.
In order to approach Yakutat with
fun measure OF impressionabie anticipa-
To-. -tz.a s4.I.
sufficiently long TO have acquired the bas-
ket habit. No sooner does the stranger
begin to lay in a supply OF the Sttka In
dams handiwork than he is told that he
should have waited until he could get hold
of some OF tho Yakutat baskets which
are represented as of much finer quality.
more artistically decorated. etc. In fact,
Yakutat fs dinned into ones ears so con-
stantly that the Colonel did not hest
tate TO express his disgust upon his first
view ~ the tiny Indian village, declaring
that from what he had heard hs expected
TO see town Of 4o.ooo Inhabitants
fakutat proved to be collection Of UNI
painted shacks. some fifty In number,
scattered along tho stretch Of sandy beach
IN absurd irreGularity as though they had
attempted TO escape ono night In a body
and had been suddenly apprehended. The
adjacent hilltops were crowned with
stumps and underbrush except at one end
where forest OF Russian crosses at dif-
ferent variations OF perpendicular showed
black against the sky. A chain OF deep
blue mountains rose above the hills, while
far to skyward broad shafts of sunlight
struggling through tho rifted clouds re-
veaied the rugged peaks OF Mount ST
Eiias. The mountain is sixty miles from
ihkutat, and yet as 1t towers for nearly
m,"" feet above the ICY plateau OF enor-
NOUS glaciers which stretches out for
miles In every direction, tho effect OF
hcisht ana grandeur Is so startling as to
20 missionary one must struggle hard
10 convince himself that he Is neither
dreaming nor contemplating a mirage
The Dora's whistle preclpItated tha
sleepy town into state of wild ex-
oitement Groups OF children rose I'M
seemingly out of the earth and. giving
vent to chorus OF yelis, ran I'm and
aown tho beach with scores OF dogs
earking at their heels. Men and women
issued from their houses and with wild
shouts and gesticulatious could be seen
araSslnS their canoes into the water
ana frantically pulling toward the boat.
IN Few moments the entire population
or fnkutat was aboard the steamer,
Each visitor was loaded down with furs.
carved implements OF wood and hone, and
baskets galore. until the Dora looked
like floating Midway"
A dozen stalwart young bucks with
their canoes and hunting traps remained
on board tho steamer, and were nut or
IN" following morning at Icy BAY. a
haunt of the sea otter
kyack ana Little Kyack islands and
Nuchek next came In for n share OF our
consideration aud we then entered Prince
william sound, one OF ths most heautt-
ful sheets OF water in all Alaska
The coast line, as We slowly approached
II, assumed with It's blue whlte-crowned
maintains the almost perfect curve ~
an immense horseshoe. The tumult and
turmoil " the riotous sea were gradu-
ally lctt behind US until the ship sped
along with scarcely a trcmor.
We soon entered long arm OF the
sounl leading toward orca The town.
which consisted % dozen buildings and
mn Immense chunery plant lies at the
foot ot steep. trec-coVered hun sew
erai hundred fcot In height Paths Of
enormous iandSlidos ara conspicuous on
either side, ana it would seem but the
question u any moment when the en-
tire hamlet would bo wiped out Of cx.
istcncc. suggestion ~ this Kind TO a
tow nsman. however. is promptly met with
certain typographical arguments against
tho possibility 81 such "a disaster, and 10
the people WHO live there are satisfied
1t shaald NOT really matter 90 the rest
Of AS,
In tho canpery "A halt-huudrcd China
men were manufacturing cans To the
neophytc 81 g. little short 81 The mtracu-
lows to SEQ "a square ~ tia dDttlv passed
trnm hand e. Aaud urtH it uuaiy mersvs
iuto a mli-tlown can ready for bust
nes~
Thc beach At OrcA WINS sJrwn with all
sorts - queer craft. iu 1911 stages of dis
SOLUTION. These jvrcUcts wcrc abandoned
after uneurccestul efforts ty ere ho-les
e