The Savannah morning news., 1903-11-01

Worlds Fair promises to astonish the
civilized world. So convincing will be
the array of products and the proof of
resources that the men in charge of
it's exhibit hope to dissipate forever
the old idea, still lingering in some
uninformed minds, that the United
States in 1867 made a bad bargain
when Alaska was purchased from
Russia for $72OOOOO. This price was
| less than 2 cents an acre, and the
! transaction has turned out to be the
greatest real estate bargain ever made
in the history of the world, with the
possible exception of the purchase of
the Louisiana territory.
Those who seek the unique or the
extraordinary in human life will dis
cover at the Worlds Fair that it is not
necessary to look beyond the Ameri-
can domain to find it-not even neces-
sary to turn to the faraway Philip
pines for this purpose. The Alaskan
exhibit will prove that long before the
Eastern archipelago was added to
United States territory there were
races in Uncle Sans domain which
furnish the student of ethnology much
| material.
Alaskan mining and agricultural
methods and products will form a con-
siderable part of the exhibit, but per-
haps the general visitor win be more
deeply interested in the groups of ma
tiVes who will be brought to St Louis.
Each of the Indian tribes will be rep
resented by picked specimens of men,
| women and children
TongUe-tWistling names some of these
| people have, and the names of their
towns end rivers present difficulties.
There will be women from Atka and
Attu, enigmas in themselves, but all
will be able to understand and appre-
ciate the fine basketry which they will
show These women will bring the
material and weave baskets at the fair.
From the valleys of the Yukon, the
| Koyukuk, the Tanana, the Kuskoquim
and the Copper rivers will come the
queer natives, showing their various
modes of living. hunting, travelling
| and laboring. Some of the Alaskan
tribes to be represented are the Thin
| gifts, the Hydahs and the Tsimsheans.
The latter people hold slaves and some
of the big chiefs will bring along their
| private Wallets, cooks, chambermaids
| and other servants, all bound to do the
bidding of their master.
Some of these tribes live under a rude
| communal system, in which they are
said to be happy and measurably pros
porous. The great canoes which they
use in fishing in the mighty rivers of
this country will be shown, together
with their primitive fighting gear, rude
| tools and totem poles.
Two types of the Eskimo are to be
| included in the exhibit of natives. One
| tribe is made up of men and women
more than six feet tall. of great
strength and wonderful agility, while
the members of the other are short
and thick. The Eskimo will bring his
dogs and reindeer, his harpoons, spears
lines, traps, house and workshop
Masks and drums also will be included
in his paraphernalia, and with these
he will show the people how he man.
ages to amuse himself during the long
Arctic winters.
The Aleut-a bow and arrow Indian
will show how he used to chase the
sea otter in his queer boat called a
| bidarka, the construction of which still
puzzles the white man who has set
| tied amongst the tribe. The Hon.
| John q. Brady, Governor of Alaska
has written recently that the natives
are eager to learn the ways of the
| white man and that they express great
interest in the Worlds Fair. Every
fellow who can raise the carfare in
tends to 60" says the Governor.
Alaska will make a special exhibit
of her fisheries. The salmon, the cod
the halibut, the herring and the por-
poise are more or less familiar to the
public, but in addition to these fishes
| Alaska will exhibit the colachan, the
| beluga, the shark, the thrasher, the
sea lion, the fur SEAL the walrus and
the whale; while the front of the
native buildings described above will
be embellished with carvings of the
whale-killer, monstrous fish which
is said to destroy the leviathan of the
| deep with ease.
Gold in it's native condition will be
shown. the white quartz containing the
precious ore being part of the exhibit
| Strata of sand bearing gold will also
be seen, and the gold in the flats be-
meath the frozen tundra of the Nome
district will be shown in the shape In
which 1t is found. Lead, copper, tin,
| iron and silver, all of which are found
in that wonderful territory, will have
place in the exhibit.
One frequently wonders what kinds
of vegetables and cereals can be grown
| in Alaska. 1t is commonly supposed
that the country is too rigid in climate
for successful agriculture. To offset
this idea Alaska will bring to the fair
| splendid specimens of native-grown po-
tatoes. cabbages. caulifiower, turnips,
radishes, lettuce, celery, rhubarb,
| horseradish, peas, beets, carrots, pars-
| nips, oats, rye, barley, wheat, flax and