davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star., 1917-01-21

hunted and fished and prospected for
gold all along 1t and its tributaries. The
Kobuk Is about the best stream in arc
tic Alaska. 1t is 500 miles long. 1t flows
from east to west, not far north OF the
arctic circle, and empties into the Arc
tic ocean at KotZebue sound. The stream
winds about like the Yukon, and its delta
has as many mouths as the Mississippi.
In normal times it is navigable for 800
miles for steamers Of two and one-half
feN draft 1t Is a better river than the
Tanana, and shallow draft boats can go
further up it.
rs the country well nlineralized?"
Yes. there is more or less gold all
along the kobuk. You can drive your
shovel almost anywhere into the gravel
of the creeks and find color. In 1913. a
nugget as big as my hand was brought
into the store at kotZebue sound and
traded for goods. That nugget weighed
forty-four and one-half ounces, and its
actual value was almost $1,000. The
miner who brought 1T said he had found
it when moving his sluice boxes. He
had IL on his shovel and had thrown 1t
away with the other rocks. when he no
then went over to where he had thrown
the stuff and found the nugget in the
mud. lie washed the mud off and saw
that the lump was pure gold
Then your gold must he coarse"
Yes. it is all free gold, some fine and
and without quicksilver"
rs there much mining being done? %
we have number of prospectors and
miners who are working On the creeks
that flow into the Kobuk. There are
some also on the Squirrel and Shungnak
rivers. L have mining property on
Dahl creek. In 1910 nugget was found
there that was worth 500. AS to the
gold of arctic Alaska. our country is in
the infancy of it's development. Many
of the creeks carry low-grade gravel that
will some day be dredged at profit. We
have also gold quartz in which you can
see the fine grains of gold with the
naked eye"
Are the coal deposits Of any value"
There is one mine on the Kobuk that
has supplied the local demand for the
past ei.;hteen years. and there are other
beds or fairly good coal near the Arctic
ocean. There are some deposits near
Cape Lisburne that have been known
long time. They were mentioned by
Henry D. Woolfe. who had worked in
them prior to the census of 1890. He
describes the coal as mi-bituminous,
and says 1t will make steam quickly
although it has a large percentage Of
ash One of the deposits covers TWEEN
ty-five square miles. 1t is also re-
ported that there is Il lake of oil and
oil springs northwest of Wainwright.
The government has long known of an
oil belt there, but the region has not
been surveyed nor prospected. In fact,
no one knows what we have in these
far northern parts of Alaska It may
be that the next great gold stampede
Will be to this region"
FRANK G.. CARPENTER.
Evening star., 1917-01-21

~ far as possible from competition
with free labor, and this is a most Inn
portant point: No matter what form
unless It be entirely unproductive. 1t Is
true that the interests OF free labor
are affected to greater or less ex-
tent. and this. obviously. is not fair
condition to impose upon the iaw-a6td-
ing citizen body. But road work. being
performed in the interests Of tho pub
lic only. enrtches no private employer
TO the injury OF the free laborer. nor 10
its product placed on sale in competi-
ton with that of free labor. What Is
more, the convict is not depriving tho
free laborer of work. since much OF the
road work performed by convicts could
not be undertaken at all, for financial
reasons. if It were necessary to em-
ploy FREQ labor.
Another very important considera-
tion." Mr.. Pennybacker went on to say.
"is that road work Is extremely py0-
ductive to the public. No greater pub
lie need exists than the improvement
OF our highways. and at this point
may note that although the convict's
labor thus applied may be Of very great
benefit TO the state. it il also of bene-
fit to the convict himself. 1t brings
him to a realization he cannot grasp in
tne prison SHOb tLidl Ac may Uc oi IcdA
Importance in life as a producing
agent, and the promotion OF his self
esteem is the first step in his reforma-
ton.
LAS now practiced in q number Of
states, work with the road camp Is re-
served as a reward for prisoners who
have proved their merit and good in
tention in confinement. By doing away
with all marks of degradation, such as
stripes and chains and shaven heads,
and by granting a degree OF freedom
as the ability to use 1t is manifested.
the publicity of the convicts position
on tho roads is transformed from a
mark of disgrace to an acknowledge
ment OF the confidence OF his keepers.
Such practice in self-restraint and
proper living under the guidance of the
camp fits him to live life of similar
circumspection after his discharge. ALI
prison officials who have followed this
system declare that this is the actual
effect on prisoners who have been road
Evening star., 1917-01-21

ships. except when the south wind
blows"
What sort Of settlement have you
at Kotzebue?"
TT is little more than a trading sta
tion. 1t has a store and 4 fish cannery.
The chief industry is the fisheries. the
Esl>iInos coming from long distances
to catch and dry their supply of fish
for the winter.
"Afe the fish of that region valuable?'
"Yes. They are caught in the ice
bergs, and are fine and fat. Owing to
the intense cold, they have a coat Of
blubber between the skin and the flesh.
We have a great many salmon. and
also epeckled trout and Dolly Warden
trout. Our cannery has a capacity of
5000 cans per annuln, and 1t has been
shipping salmon and salmon trout for
four or five years. The salmon is of
a light color and it does not bring so
Evening star., 1917-01-21
Convict Labor Problem May Be Solved by R0

lection can be minimized. A proper Sc
lection OF convicts to be detailed for
road work should overcome most of the
trouble of this sort.
'"The Office has assembled a mass OF
information relating to the compare
tive efficiency and economy of convict
and free labor which is more or less
technical and hardly vital to this cur
sorry discussion OF the subject. We
have. however. worked out a number
OF problems for the benefit OF state
officials desiring to adopt the system of
road work for their convicts that ought
to prove interesting"
Here Mr.. Pennybacker discussed the
comparative merits OF the so-termed
guard" and honor systems of dis
cipline for convicts. Ii seems that u
number of state wardens who have
successfully tnaugurated work under
the honor system" are enthusia site
for its adoption, while the more con-
servative ranks Of officials hesitate to
attach much value to a system which
depends on what they believe to be
the questionable honor of a convict.
4 =
The honor system is recent de-
velopment in convict discipline. 1t orig
mated in the west "A little over
general notice until ten years later
" HCn lES western STATES, lea Dy 1oI
orado. adopted it one after the other
In the prison camps of these states
there is no whipping. claiming or en-
ploying of bloodhounds: the order is
dependent on the granting and with
drawing of privileges The induce
ments held out for good behavior and
faithful work are more liberal reduc-
tion in sentence than that granted to
other prisoners, the freedom of the vi
cinity of the camp after working hours
permission to indulge in base ball
games, cuoits and other outdoor sports
in the evening. occasional visits to a
nearby town to attend a theater or en-
tertainment, liberal mail privileges
better food than the guarded convicts
receive. and in a few states a daily
cash payment for their labor.
No hard and fast rules can be given
for the selection of honor men, for it
is a task that requires the greatest
Evening star., 1917-01-21

cate pink, buttercups as yellow as gold
and sheets of fireweed that wave under
the wind like masses Of f1ames. We
have altogether forty different varie-
ties of wild flowers. We have also
many wild berries. Our cranberries
are only half as large as those of the
states, but they are redder and their
flavor is better We have wild raspber-
ries, gooseberries and currants, and
salrno berries OF pale lemon color.
We have all kinds of moss, and espe-
ciaIly that upon which the reindeer
feeds There are now several thousand
reindeer in the district They are
owned by the Eskimos.
I'VE are now raising vegetables. We
used to bring our turnips. potatoes.
carrots and cabbaees from Seattle. not
realizing that we could grow them our
selves We now raise all We want out
in the open. and also lettuce. peas and
Evening star., 1917-01-21

at Shungnak and am breeding whites.
reds and crosses. ] have had as many
as seventy-two foxes at one time, and
am now rapidly increasing my supply
by buying breeding stock of the natives.
l pay them one and a half times the
value of the skin. Until lately, ] have
lost a number of foxes because | did not
know how strong to make the pens or
Enclosures in which they We're kept.
began with high fences of chicken wire,
but that wire was too weak and the
mesh was not right. The animals walked
right through it. Now have a fourteen
gauge steel wire, with II two-inch mesh.
1t is made for fox fencing. and it seems
to he excellent"
What do you know about the kobuk
river
Il ought TO know something, said
Judge Moran. "I have lived on the
kobuk for mere than a decade and have
Evening star., 1917-01-21

judgment and care Many prisoner.
serving terms for murder. assault ard
grand larceny are found to be absolute
ly trUstw orthy when placed on honor.
while there is considerable hesitancy
about trusting a sneak thief, pick
pocket or 4 burglar. or any other pris-
oner convicted of a crime against prop
erty. II is said that the character OF
the warden or superintendent who
makes the selection of tho convtcts.
and the deputy warden who Is placed
in charge of the camp. has the most in
fluence on the success OF the ventura
Unless these officials can win tho re-
spect OF the men and cultivate seuti-
ments of loyalty and pride. tho system
is toredoomed 10 failure.
Evidently. the honor system can be
applied to only part OF any penitentiary
force. but this tendency to recognize
shades of character among convicts 10
one of the foremost aspects OF modern
penology. and in the advent OF q wide
spread adoption of road work for con
victs an efficient system OF discipline
is a factor which demands serious oon-
sideratiou.
We can give a mass of information
resumed Mr.. Pennybacker, ''on the sub
Ject or the camp site ana the nature OF
the buildings in which convicts may be
most satisfa ct orily housed. The living
conditions which surround convicts out
on a road job are important as those
at the penitentiary. and we have taken
particular pains to inquire into the diff
ferent schemes that have been in vogue
throughout the country for promoting
health and sanitation.
ut is rather interesting. in view OF
the fact that the average person Is In
clined TO think that prisoners subsist
on a diet of bread and water, that the
menus at convict camps are given the
most important consideration. Deli
cacies are added which the laboring
man is hardly able to provide for him
self and family. for the reason that tho
convict Will he made contented AMI
forget his desire to escape. Cake and
fruit-indeed, many articles which do
not represent food values alone-hsv"
their place in the diet Of the road
worker"
Evening star., 1917-01-21

alIeled for length and wild magnif-
icence of country. The islands are
warmed by the Asiatic current and
moistened by a phenomenal rainfall.
They are thickly wooded with lux
urious growth of pine, spruce and hem
lock. and the vegetation spreads from
the waters edge to the snowline on the
loftfest mountains.
Queen Charlotte and Prince OF Wales
Islands are the winter villages Of the
coast Indians of this section, the
Haidas, who stand pre-eminent as house
somewhat of the route of the steamer
line and away from the other villages
is Old kasaan, which means, In the
Haida language, a pretty place 1t
was one of the principal settlements
and. as the missionaries never went
there, it has preserved its native char
more markedly than any
other Indian village in Alaska.
Indented by an arm OF the sea, 1t
is beautiful spot. The atmosphere is
clear and the scenery fair
ly sparkIes. The temperature is mild,
for the northland. its lowest winter fig
ures being about four below zero, and
its mean temperature about the same
as that of Washington.
II d:
There. where all travel is by water.
the Indian canoe reached its highest
Eight miles out to sea
in a canoe was a commonplace ac-
for q Haida, and whale
hunt in a canoe was a common oc-
currence The sea was the Haida's best
friend. He built his villages on the
shore, where his canoes could be haul
ed UP easily, and the salmon from the
sea, fresh or dried, provided his year
round fare.
But the sea did not receive his ea-
elusive attention. The great hemlock
forests lent an artistic inspiration.
reached its zenith in
their giant totem poles and housebuild-
Ing became a perfected art. Robust
from continuous outdoor life and bat
thing with the elements, the Haida
Evening star., 1917-01-21

and while the Bucharest treaty en-
larged her national boundaries. it has
been said that the beginning of the new
Serbia was in 1908, when King Alex
ander and his consort were assassi-
mated by the army officers. The royal
pair were the instruments, 1t was
claimed. of Austrian overlordship, and
their assassination was justified a
patriotic act, although the rest of the
world might not view it in that light.
In whatever way the crime may be
viewed, the consequence undoubtedly
was to give Serbia a national spirit
which previously had been latent
smothered. She was able to treat with
Austria. if not on footing of equality,
at least Il plane OF nationality in
asserting her commercial rights
against Austria's policy of throttling
her trade by shutting off the market
for her pork and other agricultural
products. This question of Serbia's
economic position is one of the ques-
tions that will have to be solved in the
final settlement of the war. She can
not have a real Independence unless
Evening star., 1917-01-21

ting, because Austria had appropriated
that country to herself when the Young
Turk movement showed that Turkey
could not resist. and when the condi-
ton of European politics was such that
it was not practicable for the great
powers to go to war with Austria to
prevent her from merging the pro-
tectorate of Bosnia, provided by the
Berlin treaty, into actual annexation
as Austrian territory.
i K
1t was this annexation Of Bosnia
with large Serbian population which
started the conflagration that now
RACES over Europe. The Serbian aspira
ton for the unification of the Serbian
race, and the consolidation of the
Slavs in the south, could not be real
lied with the Serbians of Bosnia per-
manently incorporated in the Austro-
Hungarian empire.
While Serbia was given a place on
the map by the Berlin treaty of 1877
Evening star., 1917-01-21

on pubIic works is to be found in an
enactment of the Virginia Colonial As
sernbly of 1868. / might trace the his
tory of convict labor throughout the
ensuing years to the present and the
facts would prove that outdoor labor
of many forms has been widely
agitated for convicts at all times in
the life of this country.
80 you see we are not setting forth
an original idea. Yet, when we recon-
mend the utilization of prison labor
TO maintain and improve the road sys-
TENS of the country, we do say that
il road work by convict labor is un
derta ken with proper attention to all
Evening star., 1917-01-21

in close touch with fresh air ana sun
shine, is universally recognized as
most beneficial, while continuous dwell
ling within doors is n most unnatural
life and can exert no marked good
effect upon any of the states prisoners.
Prison statistics show that 4 majority
of prison inmates are of the laboring
class and their habits of life kept them
out of doors. This being the case,
outdoor work would materially fit them
to take their place in the world at
their release and resume their former
occupation.
prison officials favor road work for
the reason that it removes the convict
Evening star., 1917-01-21

braves were able to hew the lofty trees
and convert them into planks. These
were fitted into corner posts, usually
totemic columns, and rooted over much
after the fashion of log cabin.
1t is as wood-carvers, however, that
the Hafdas are essentially famed and
IN their totem poles are bound up the
whole of their heraIdic history. The
.Natlonal Museum is fortunate enough
TO nave in its Indian collection several
of these totem poles of the Haidas
which not only reveal the tribes aptf-
tude as wood-carvers, but also serve
TO Illustrate their conception of the
supernatural. From the simplest NOR
tuary column to the tallcst house pole.
the totems Were ornamented with pic
tographs relating to the totem or
family of the artist.
Old kasaan as 1t stands today still
possesses about fifty of these totems
and eight large buildings constructed
in the characteristic Haida fashion.
They hug the waters edge and the
poles. decorated in colors. stand out in
bizarre effect. contrasted with the
green background of the wooded noun
tainside. Many of the Kasaan totems
have been cut down. but 1t is expected
that the Presidents proclamation will
establish the remaining ones perma.
nently.
AS near as can be figured from In
dian accounts, the village must have
been settled about IT'S years ago, and
1t is supposed that the settlers lof
Kasaan. for some cause. split from
their brethren of the Queen Charlotte
Islands. This supplies the reason for
its remote situation.
larr amount of literature exists
in rega to- these Indians of the
northwt and great deal of their
own nature stories and tribal tales
has been collected and preserved. The
action Of the President in setting this
spot aside not only provides another
pleasure park. for 1t forms q part OF
the Tongass national forest and also
establishes a perfect museum of dis
tinct types Of aboriginal civilization
that are fast disappearing.
Evening star., 1917-01-21

much for that reason. But to Offset
this we have the Dolly Warden trout.
which reaches q weight OF ten or NJ
teen pounds and length of three feet.
The trout are especially fine. They are
caught in abundance when running and
the output of the cannery might De
greatly increased.
One of the best authorities on kotZe-
bue sound and the kobuk river Is
Judge NJ F.. Moran. who lives on the
Kobuk two or three hundred miles
from the sound Said he:
1T is three thousand miles from Seat
tie to Kotzebue. and the steamers make
<egular sailings there every July and
August There are small steamers on
the Kobuk. and goods are carried up
that stream into the heart of the ter
ritory. / live in the kobuk valley and
have been there for twelve years. win
ter and summer. / have taken up a
homestead of $50 acres about two hum
dred miles east of the sound. 1t is the
farthest north of any homestead in
Uncle Sans territory
What kind of climate have you?
] asked.
II consider the kobuk valley one of
the most delightful parts of Alaska"
replied Judge Moran. we have four
months of summer and six or seven
months Of very cold weather All the
streams are frozen solid by the lst of
October and We have a steady cold
from then until about the middle of
May. shortly after tnat the Ice goes
out with rush and summer begina.
How cold does il get during the win
ter
THE thermometer sometimes goes
down to 30 or so degrees below zero,
but as rule II is much above that,
and we have weeks when IL is only "A
few degrees above or below. The air
Is dry and there is but little wind. and
we have no trouble to keep ourselves
warm. There are. perhaps, seventy
five white people who live on the ko-
buk and its tributaries. Many of the
men have brought their wives with
them. and children have been born in
the country. Among our people are
emigrants from North Dakota and Min
nesota: they say that the climate of
the kobuk Is quite as good as the
country from which they came"
"Give me an idea of your summers"
They are delightful. We have many
days when the Thermometer goes up to
so. and / have seen 1t at 81 degrees
above zero. 1t Is light all the time dur
ing the summer. We put away our
lamps in March and do not bring them
out until late I'm September. You can
read i newspaper at any hour of the
night without artificial light. There il
so lauch sunshine that everything
grows twice as fast as in the states.
The grass along the river is as high as
your head. and the land everywhere is
green and spotted with wild flowers.
We have great fields of blue forget-me-
Hots. thousands Of wild roses Of deli
Evening star., 1917-01-21

~ oNvIcr labor has worried and
III fretted penologists since PEN
IL itentiaries came into existence
~ A mighty problem lies in keep-
Ing the criminal busy 80 that his work
will profit the state and not be a means
of unfair competition will, free labor.
Solutions of all varieties have been
vouchsafed by criminologists and pris-
on officials: many undertakings have
been carried out to bitter, unsatis-
factory end; always the proper key to
unlock the situation seemed missing.
Now. along come ]. E. Pennybacker
md H. S. Fairbank of the office of pub
lie roads OF the Department of ASri-
culture and DR.. W. r. Draper of the
public health service, who. in {: De-
ps,rtment of Agriculture bulletin, offer
a key that bids fair to throw aside a
barrier and flood or light on this
,nooted subject of how to keep the con-
vict busy and at the same time useful.
Lot him work, they say. on tine public
roads and highways. keeping the old
roads in good condition and building
new ones.
This may sound like an old story
said Mr.. Pennybacker, chief Of the
division of road economics. in discussing
this latest interest of his office, and 1T
IS Fundamentally, but until recently its
most important and promising angles
have been lost to sight.
=
Employing convicts on open air work
10 by no means radical departure from
established methods-from long estab-
lished methods. 7 may say. There are
numerous references in history TO the
employment of prisoners ON the public
works of the ancient kingdoms and al
most invariably these works Were per
formed in the open air. In fact, the
practice OF indoor labor is of compare
lively modern origin. and dates back no
further than the development OF the
>vorkhouse in the sixteenth century.
while the penitentiary, as it is now
known is a product of the nineteenth
century.
In America perhaps the earliest
record OF the employment OF prisoners
Evening star., 1917-01-21

~ LID Kasaan has been established
II II as a national monument by Pres
ident Wilson in a recent procla-
nation. Far off from the beaten track
of tourists. unknown to few save per-
haps the seasoned traveller in the vast
northwest. this old Indian settlement Is
neverthelessf worthy of consideration
AS with the haunts Of the old world,
a mysterious and romantic atmosphere
hangs over it: 1t stimulates the imag-
ination and calls forth pictures Of by
gone days and bygone men. Old
Kasaan. as we'll as ancient karnak,
has story to tell. AS peg in the
wheel of civilization, it stands today to
and yet in its new dignity of national
monument 1t will be a deserted village
with a purpose; its mission Will be to
resurrect the spirit of the past and
arouse in its visitors a new realization
of the conquest of aboriginal man over
nature and himself.
The Presidents proclamation was is
sued upon the recommendations OF the
departments of Agriculture and lnte-
rior and the Smithsonian Institution.
The members of a yacht club Of Seattle
saw the possibilities of Old kasaan as
a pleasure haunt. Due to their tnflu-
ence. the officials here were brought to
see the advantages Of protecting and
preserving the site.
OLD Kasaan is situated on the north
shore of Skowl arm. about four miles
from the entrance of Kasaan bay. in
the southern part of Prince of Wales
Island. Alaska. The islands of the Ca
madam coast at this point form con-
tinuous archipelago and through the
narrow channels Of the sea that sepa-
rates them winds the steamer route to
Sitka.
This trip is one of the scenic Won
ders Of the world. :, Its route is unpar-