Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1916-09-04
Eugene Boy Tells
OF Trip to Alaska

opdnBlef, returned yesterday 10 Eu-
gene, with the story of how eight
University students and two Eugene
high school boys devoted the greater
part of the summer to helping the
Alaska salmon packers handle the
1916 catch.
Spangler left Seattle June 26, af-
ter having attended the Seabeck Y.
NJ. c. A. conference. and proceeded
directly on the Admiral Farragut to
Ketchikan, where there were seven
other University of Oregon men en-
ployed or hoping to be employed at
the Ketchikan cannery. Kenneth
Moores of Salem, Laird Larwood and
Berrin Dunn of Eugene high school,
Sam Bullock and Turner Neil of
Portland, Bryan Turner of Salem,
Charles Mcdonald of Portland, Car
rol Weldin and Paul Spangler of Eu-
gene, nineteen students from Pacific
University and eleven from the Uni
versity of Washington were at
Ketchikan during the first ten days
of the season, but the collection of
students was broken up at the end
of that time because of the poor
catch that was being taken there.
Kenneth Moores, Laird Larwood,
Estley Farley and Paul Spangler
then went farther north to Peters
burg, where the fish were running
better, and remained there for three
weeks, when Spangler started for
home last Friday.
On the way back to Seattle Span
gler was forced to travel in the
steerage because of the great amount
of traffic that is being carried by
the boats running in Alaskan waters.
He is the first of the Oregon men to
return.
The boat was almost a week be-
hind her schedule on account of the
unusually large freight cargo that
was picked up at the ports of call,
and because of delays necessitated
by fog, which occasionally forces
steamers to tie up until the atmos-
phere becomes clear enough to allow
landmarks to be discerned.
Spangler states that the discom-
forts of the steerage were offset by
the experience of associationg with
the "sourdoughs," many of whom
we're coming out from the mines foI
the first time in years, with theil
''pokes of gold. Gambling game:
we're the principal forms of amuse
ment with these gold hunters, says
Spangler, and each has a story thai
would be material for novel. Rel
Beach and Jack London would have
nothing on these miners, says Span
gler, If the latter had the ability tC
write what they have seen and done
Kenneth Moores remained at Pc
tersburg to work at cleaning up the
late pack, while Larwood and Farley
proceeded to Juneau ito see thu
town." The two latter are probably
on their way home now, says Span
gler.
The best thing about Alaska Il
the scenery, according to Spangler
While at Petersburg, he states, he
could see clear into the interior re.
gion through the opening afforded
by Wrangel Narrows-an arm of the
sea extending far into the inland
The mountains are at the very edge
of the ocean, and snow-capped peaks
loom up everywhere along the coast
The cold storage plants in Alaska
as far north as Petersburg do moi
need ammonia tanks to manufacture
ice for their fish pack, says Span
gler. All they do when they are
short of ice is to send power boat
a few miles out into the inland sea
to load up from icebergs that con
stantly loaf by. A glacier nine miles
northeast of Petersburg furnishes
the principal supply of icebergs.
Alaska is a sportsman's paradise
says Spangler. When the inhabitants
want meat all they have to do is tC
follow the shore line for few miles
in a boat when the tide is low ant
shoot al the deer they wish in q
very short time as the animals come
down to the beach to eat kelp, fol
the salt contained. Hunting in the
mountains is ideal, and all kinds Of
game may be secured within shprt
distance of the coast.
The innumerable streams that flow
down the mountain sides into the in.
let's and bays are teeming with trout
Spangler states, and in the cold wa
ter fresh from the snow the fish are
gamey and of the finest quality
The natives use salmon eggs in fish.
ing for trout almost exclusively, ant
are of the opinion that the fish will
not rise to fly. However, Spanglel
says he caught thirteen big rainbow
trout in a few hours one afternoon