The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-04-12

ASS uidiiiy III DuiltiiiS On dCCOull y
small space 1t has population o
about six thousand. We spent on,
day in Sitka, the capital town O
Alaska. We find Indians in grea
numbers here 1t is amusing to SET
them coming in their silent way
singlefile, loaded with their wares te
sell to the people on the boats. The,
seat themselves on the ground with
their curios spread out before them
begging us to buy. We find many
points of interest at this place, oi
which l must spe~,s briefly. An ole
log structure built by the Russians
and used as a government building
remains the same. An old church
house stands intact Out of the city
we take stroll through the forest
into what is called Lovers Lane
and veritable one it is, winding in
its course, with the Bay in view un-
til we reach the end. We are here
confronted with a number of totem
poles indicating the resting places OF
the dead. We were told that some
of the Alaskan tribes used to place
their dead in trees. There seems to be
some difference of opinion as regards
the real significance of the totem
poles. They appear to be designed in
part to commemorate certain deeds
i'll the lives of the departed, as we'll
as to indicate the family arms Thus
on seeing one totem post surmounted
by wolf carved, beneath which a
useless gun was lashed. We were told
that the deceased by whose grave it
stood had been killed while hunting
wolves in the forest.
Some tribes adopt the crow, hawk,
bear or the whale as their distinctive
tribe emblem. The poles are carved
from bottom to top averaging thirty
or forty feet in height. think the
highest one at Sitka was nearly one
hundred. Wrangel a town through
which we passed has some of the
largest and probably the greatest va
riety OF these demon looking objects.
1t should be understood that these
queerly carved posts are emblems of
the past, and that few fresh ones are
raised now
We leave Sitka passing fisheries
and many other places of interest.
One more place must speak of that
of Takou Inlet and glaciers, and ice
bergs into which our boat backed
that we might see, and to take up ice
for use on the boat. The bay was
well filled with these, some of which
were larger than our steamer, and
all were of intense blue, mingled with
dazzling white. This berg producing
glacier was corrugated upon its sur
face in remarkable manner, being
utterly impossible to human feet. 1t
was nearly mile in width and its
length indefinite. We doubt if it has
ever been explored. A thousand ice
and snow fed streams poured into the
bay from the surrounding mountains.
which completely walled in the broad
sheet of water, so sprinkled with ice
sculpture in all manner of shape. The
ceaseless music of the falling water
was the only noise which broke the
silence of the scene.
The steamers abrupt whistle was
echoed with mocking hoarseness by
the surrounding cliffs, causing myr-
lads of sea gulls to rise from the ice
bergs until the air was filled with
them. A broad clear food of sun
shine enveloped the whole, everything
seemed so serene, so grand, the sky
so blue, and the angels SO near. II
was all as magnificent as a gorgeous
dream, to the thoughtful observer a
living poem. Close into the precip-
itous cliffs of the myrtle-green hills
were inky shadows, which formed the
requisite contrast to the crystal clear
ness of the surroundings. For thous-
ands of years this glacial action has
been going on The story of the earth
is so old; but its beauty is ever young,
its lovliness eternal.
R. Savina Houghton.