Douglas Island news., 1919-05-16
LARGEST BEAR
 KILLED IN ALASKA
Cordova Nimrod Claims to Have Killed Biggest One Yet
 in Territory

in Territory
 The following story Of thc killing of what is claimed Co be the largest bear ever killed in Alaska is taken from the Cordova Times of May 10:
 "Tho biggcat brown bear shot iu ! Alaska" is the unanimous verdict of an who have seen the hide Of the monster animal on display in Dr. ! w. II. Chasc's office. In fact, Joe ] bach swcurs that his first impression of lt was that it was not bear at .au. but some mammoth strayed down from prehistoric ages. And Dr. Chase | is the lucky and courageous man to conquer this latest woIhlor. For four years the doctor has dreamed of and hunted for the biz bear of Hnchmbrook, and now he can calmly point to his trophy and say, Here he is"
 Dr. Chase and Joe lbach left Cor doya Tuesday for Hinchinbrook island. and at o'clock Wednesday afternoon they got on the trail Of seven bears. For four hours and a half they followed this trail, and finally came upon group of four bears in some deep, heavy under brush. The doctor and Mir. lbach were below the bears, having fol- lowed up creek which drowned , The noise of their approach. SO the bears were totally unaware of any human presence.
 At distance of about sixty feet. and half hidden i'm the brush as they were. the position was a diff Gcult one to shoot from. But the first shot from the doctors rifle en- tered the bears breast smashed sou- ribs and tore open one lung. Nr. Bear fell down and then got right up again and there was mur- lcr iu his eye as he looked about for his assailants.
 Not seeing them Immediately, he made a rush for % nearby tree, and sanding up on his launches, dug his claws into Che tree, tearing down branches and digging out big splin-
 CTS. an the while giving vent to Inc rage within him, not by the -ogular high, squcally call Of most bears. but by deep, lion-likc roars which would have curdlcd the blood 1f any but the braycst.
 Over the top of the tree he caught sight of the hunters and made straight for thcm. Dr. Chase stepped 1ut i'm the open and waited for the uuriatcd animal. Closer and closer be came. until at a distance of hf- teen or twenty feet the doctor fired
 hc second shot. which struck the mc Ger squarcly between the eyes. Nmg him instantly.
 As the huge beast rolled over he
 vas caught between a tree and a boulder. and now the most difficult part of Che task began, that of eN- ricauur the beast He could not .ery we'll be moved. as his weight was estimated at from l.6OO to 1,SO0 pounds. With am axe they had 10 ,hop out pieces of the bear in order ,o remove the skin, which process occupied two days. And then the skin. weighing l5O pounds, and the head. weighing forty pounds, had O be packed Co Charley Ross ranch.
 The bear was killed with a .4Ol Winchester The skin, unstretched. | fs more than thirteen feet fin length, and the animal stood about four and ] 2 half feet high. The face measures twenty-six inches from the tip of Inc ears to the nose. and from ear to 1 ear is eighteen inches across, which Is really some face to have glaring
 down at one. The carcass was in splendid condition, being simply rolled in fat.
 A frame twelve by fourteen feet win be made on which the skin will be stretched.