The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1907-01-11

Copyright, 1906. by Joseph b. Bowles)
(Mrs. Henrietta n Greedy. wife Of Gen.
a w. Greedy. the distinguished arctic cx-
plorcr. has Travelled widely and rs II re-
suit OF her observations has written for
publication with considerable suCCcss.)
From the nations capital to Alaska
Is far reach. Crossing the Alleghe.
MES through the mining regions Of
Pennsylvania. so picturesque except
where defaced by mans gr!my pur-
suits: through busy Chicago; rushing
over the western plains; across the
Rockies and we find ourselves on the
evening OF the fifth day at Seattle,
embarking on the steamship Humboldt
for the famous inland passage.
Here on the ship am surprised
TO see how many women are travel.
ing 10 Alaska. or course the inland
passage has been a favorite trip for
Is years or more, but the large pro-
sionists. many OF them in parties Of
two or three without escorts indi
Gates that conditions have materially
improved In this part OF the world.
In fact. the ease and comfort with
which we travel greatly astonIsh me.
We were fortunate in having per.
feet weather through the three days
and four nights Of the voyage from
Seattle TO Skagway, Alaska. ! dcplOre
the limited space which forbids my
dwelling upon the surprisingly I'm
pressiyc scenery With the exception
Of occasional passing steamers and
still rarCr collections Of rough build
ing8 on the shores, usually salmon
CauDcriea, wc saw little OF human life
until the thiri day. when we passed
several boats loaded with Indians.
In one Instance they had rugged an
impTomrlu and very primitive sail to
their rDwbuat. which contained some
u persons. men, women and children.
These Indians, the larger proportion
women, were going TO work In the
canncrles The only occupation for
the natives Is the catching, drying and
canning Of the salmon and n new in.
dustry SIS greatly needed.
Late on the third day we reach
Juneau, opposite which Is Douglas Is.
land and the great Treadwell gold
mine 1t Is remarkable that the larg-
est stamp mill in the world should be
found In this wild An act OF con
gress made juneau the capital Of
Alaska. The town Is built on the side
of a hill so steep that the houses seem
to be hanging from 1t. Back OF this
rises sharp range Of higher hills
that form n barrier protecting the
town from the frequent snow ava
lanches Of the great mountains, which,
in turn, rise perpendicularly behind
this natural wall.
As illustrating the weather OF Ju.
neau, II is said that an old Indian
woman, on being asked II 1t always
rained in Juneau. after q moments
hesitation, replied: Sometimes It
SHOWS" 1t was raining as we entered
the harbor. but we were not deferred
from a stroll through the town. We
found good plank walks and saw some
quaint, artistic little houses and sew.
eral churches with an effort at archi-
lecture. ! was struck by the frequent
evidence of wOmans hand In the pot.
ted plants In many windows, while
the women and children whom we
saw surprised ME by being quite like
those one would meet in any small
western town. A few Indian women
were selling curlos. among which bas-
isets were the exception. The native
women are retrograding in basket.
They have largely discarded
the vegetable dyes, which produce the
tender. mellow tints for which Alas
kan baskets were formerly noted, for
the aniline dyes with their crude, |
bright colors. The supply of local has.
kets does not equal the demand and |
many are imported from the United |
States, to be brought back by trav.
slers.
In most readable article on bas-
setry of the northwest, Mrs. L. l.. Nc.
Arthur, OF Portland. tells us that lin
he little sea girt island Of Attoo, the
most westerly OF the Aleutlan islands
md the most remote and isolated OF