The Nome nugget., 1902-01-11

some extent mitigated the i'll effect made on the public at large by the disastrous dying away of the deer brought over at such an enornous ex pense from Lapland The deer for the Point Barrow relief expedition were all originally bought from the Chow 800 miles in midwinter, they arrived in good condition at Point Barrow, hardly any getting lost. a fact.which not alone speakswell of Captain Jarvis circumspection, bntalso goes to show that there is the best of stamina in the reindeer raised by the Chowchuan.
 The practice, continued for years. of using the revenue cutters plying in these northern waters for the purpose of trading for and transporting deer from the Siberian natives was an obnoxious one and very detrimental to success. Their man-of-war-like ab- pearance gave the impression of toSA ttoh Oo li'C hDlbCIllu HutltcN, dIlu there is nothing the proud Chowchu will pesent more. Then. too. the Ecutter officer. as a rule, has not the element in himself which makes the successful trader. He lacks the suavity necessary to deal with people who have neither money nor know anything of
 lrnp ion ,,f Inc ,l standards. To establish successful trading relations with any people, the conditions Of their life and land, their habits and wants. their modes and methods must be studied and taken ad
 vantage of. That this is absolutely so with the self-sullicient and independent Chowchuan l was vividly brought home to me during my stay among them. l shall have occasion to dilate on this later: let.it suffice to say here that, with patience and right handling, the Chow chuan can be easily enough induced to sell their deer to us right along in sufficient numbers.
 The expedition to Vladivostock in Southeast Siberia last summer hus been another mistake. Out of about 600 deer purchased there from the Tun- guses only about 2SO survived to be landed in Port Clarence; the balance died aboard of the transport. This excessive death rate, together .wlth the cost Of tran,pOrtlng the deer rom that distance, maue every deer landed safely in Alaska cost close on to SI5O. This Is more than the reindeer Industry can afford. The money eX- pended in this expedition With such small result.cUuld have been invesLedin the buy Ing or building or a small aux lllary Vessel ol llgnt dtausnt anu ample deck 10. III to a large advautage. Sucn a Vessel would require but d small crew anu 1t would laKe but HJJle money to lit her anu keep her Ill cOmmIs,iUn. tllteu with barter gOOus she could devote the whole summer If necessary tU the buy m. and transporting ut reln- deer. Sne cOuld penelraJe Into all the numerOus.Iays aud -iulels on the Sl- berlau coast, getting as close to the deer herds as possible Some Aears She could winter on the Siberian Coast, for instance in the kolluchin bay, ana deer could be bought and gathered all winter ready to be ierrled across with the opening of navigation in the sprlng. Other years she could winter i'll Port Clarence to advantage. Snch vessel quicken the introduction of domesti- cated reindeer into Alaska, anl sne would as well facilitate the distribution of the deer to the different sections of Alaska. The General Agent of Edu- cation for Alaska should Lave d vessel at his disposal every summer in these northern waters as it is. To depend on the revenue cutters or on private transportaLlon in order to visit all the different government schools in this section must have been exceedingly unsatisfactory to Dr. Jackson. TLe inconveniences and delays he has had to put up with time and time again seem to me outrageous, and these northern schools are. getting more i'm portant every year. Thus education and the reindeer industry would ad- vance together in Alaska hand in hand. CONRAD SEEM. Gro be continued.)