The Alaska daily empire., 1919-09-29
Rev. James B. Condit Re. turns From 5000 Mile Trip Through Alaska
 Some Observations

Dr. James H. Condit. superinten. dent of Presbyterian Missions iii Alaska, has just returned from an ex- tensive itinerary which took him the length of the Yukon river and north to a point one degree south of Poini Barrow. He returned by way of Se attle, where he hadP the privilege ol hearing President Wilson speak at the Arena, and travelled about 9,O0u miles in his summer journey.
 He reports that the interior coun
 try is very quiet, just now, because of conditions imposed by the war Prices on supplies and labor are s high that most of the ground will not bear the cost of production. The owners have therefore suspended operations until conditions are again normal The failure of the railroad appropriation was a severe blow tu Nenana and Anchorage. However those who remain in the country are expecting and planning for the re turn of prosperity when the railroad work is resumed and prices are lower
 At Nome Dr. Condit met Dr. John A. Marquis, secretary of the Board ot Home Missions of the Presbyterian church, who came from New York to make investigations regarding the establishment of hospital at Point Barrow From Nome north the jour ney was made on the T. s. revenue succession the Bear was unable to reach Barrow because of ice condi tions This year the Arctic ice pacf was as far south as the 10th degree on August 15 and on this date, after cruising back and forth for eigh days in vain search for a passage Captain Uberoth reluctantly gave or ders to sail southwark Not since early in the last century has the ice been so far south on this date. Dur ing the entire time that the Bear was in the ice the wind and current were strongly from the north where cs they should be strongly in the other direction at this time of year Thousands of walrus were observed which had foated south with the ice
 The supplies, which the Bear ha( for Barrow and othor northward points, were unloaded at Point Hope IA trxnn nEnv@ O,,f missionaries. is not As assuring as might be- Coal can be had at Vain wright one hundred miles from Bar row The reindeer herd will suppl, meat and there are undoubtedly sup plies, more or loss, at Brewers store at Barrow. There is also a fail chance that either the Herman O tho Bender brothers, both of whicf wore in the ice on their way north when the Bear turned back, vii eventually mako their way through Arrangements were made at Poin Hope to have the medicines sent through. together with few othe urgent necessities, by dog team, leav
 ing about the first of November.
 Many Escuimaux villages were wis tied and much valuable information gathered relative to missionary needs Ono of the results of the trip wa
 he decision to reopen the Presby
 erian Mission at St. Lawrence Isl nd It is likely that other Presby
 erian missions will be established 'mong the Esquimaux as tho result If this visit. There are some 1000 If those people and no native race IS more deserving of kindly consid arat.on. Amid hard conditions of fife they are cheerful. brave. self re liant and self supporting. Intelligent md ambitious they respond most en- nouragingly to educational and reli gious effort. The infueLza- made ter rible inroads upon these people to a roint between Prince of Wales and Point Hope where quarantine was successfully established and main aimed. At Nome 1S2 natives were buried in one grave. At Cape Prince If Wales 122 were interrcd at one inc. Tn Bristol Bay one-half of the edult population dicd. In other smaller communities the proportion hold. The fatalities were almost en- +irely among adults. As result a large number of orphans have been left to the care of the public. vari- Dus institutions have come to the re 'ef of these orphans At Nome the mission has some 75I children The Lutherans. st Teller. ire caring for 30. or moro and theI at a recently purchased