Douglas Island news., 1919-01-31
ALASKAN GETS
 FROSTBITTEN EAR
Camp Paper Tells About Boys From Alaska Who Are Now at
 Camp Grant, III.

the Island uliur udNluE secured llt discharge from tho army we have been favored with a copy of "Trcueh land Camp" a paper published in ! Chicago for Che boys at Camp Grant. The paper contains many interest ing features and shows that thc boys are well taken care Of in tAc !. line Of entertainment
 The following article win Doc of interest Co local folks as it speaks of the boys from Alaska The D. E Allen mentioned is from Che Island and worked at Trcadwcl for a num- bcr of years. The article follows.
 Private D. B. Smith of company A., llth infantry frozc his ear while walking across Che camp tbc other day It was not am uncommon oc- currcncc. for a number of boys from southern camps who came here without ear protectors or mittcns have suffered from frost bites. But Private Smith enlisted at Fort Wil- liam II. Seward ou Lynn Canal Gf- teen miles below skarway Alaska. He likes Camp Grant bat thinks we have cold climate Iu spots
 There is now In camp about 900 men of Che Ist battalion of Che llth infantry who enlisted iu Alaska. They include men from Che fairly warm southeastern coast to others from Fort Gibbon on che Yukon, thc "farthcst north" Of American mIIi- tary posts. way up within shooting range Of thc arctic circle
 Private E. K. Allen, of company B. who has travelled over % rooIly portion Of Alaska by dog sIclec says that C2 below zero was tho coIdeO he ever saw a thermometer register. but the government records in parts of Che mountain country of Che iu- tcrior have shown temperatures Of so below
 These extreme temperatures gr- company dry atmosphere and thc cold it not SO penetrating ae that of Che dampcr coast country with iH ocean brcclcs. where 27 below is re- gardcd as fright smart winter weather" Old-umcrs who hay, come down from thc mountains to spend Che winter on thc coast have declared that they nearly frozc to death and beat it back Go their snug mountain huts Co got warm Where thc thcrmomctcr hangs around l0. 60 or SO below. Che people wear skins and rrs Co protect every part of their bodies The feet wo iuoasod i'm "muNuks" OF moosoh'Hc and reindeer moccasus suGoI with straw. The greatest dangor Is lrcol- ing Che lungs. which causes quick or death than German gas. Snow blindness is another menace.
 A nucleus of Che 1st battalion was doing guard duty m Alaska when America entered the war and was recruited from men engaged u yarI- ous kinds of work up there Minors led in numbers. with fishermen ext There are somc mechanics. ns farmers and a liberal sprual.ug of college men who were mining on- giucers or engaged in business.
 Copper and gold mining are the leading industries there. the boys say. but fish. hides and rurs also form great part of the exports Fox farms are not uncommon. Some wheat is raised there and great deal of hay. uruips and potatoes. Cattle growing is in Che experiment taI stage. but strawberry culture is a demonstrated success The boys say "honcst Co goodness when they tell of three strawberries filling a quart measure.
 Asa matter of fact different parts of Alaska have almost every climate that can be found in the rest of the world ot varying seasons of thc year. In the sheltered valley ol- most tropical temperatures have been recorded on summer days. while up at Fort Gibbon they read by tho light of the midnight sun in the summer and find their way by the aurora borcalis in winter
 Private Smith brought down a collection of a hundred kodak pic- mres showing a wonderful variety of Alaskan life. One shows 9 roc tary snow plow going through Q df- tocn-foot drift on the skagwoy- | Whitchorsc railroad, a circumstance thot makes the men wonder why our |Htuo powder of snow could cause serious inconvenience to traffic in this country. On the other hand
 there are photographs of the beoutI. ml govcr's lane" through a dense grove near Sitlla, tho picturesque old
 Russian capital. Totem poles line the path at places and Priyat,
 Smith says he asked the natives in one house what Che peculiar pole iu
 front of their home sIgni0ed. m,
 woman of tho house said she put ur
 the totem pole to indicate thot sh,
 was dissatisfied with her husband
 and the pole would stand thcre un
 tn the husbands parents made hin
 treat her better or got her better