The Seward gateway., 1922-09-02
ChMERAMAN's LENGTHY
 TRIP AFT TER PICTURES

Of interest is the recounting of the trip taken by Harold McCracken in his perturbation of wild game life to the westward Leaving Seward in January on the Steamer Starr he proceeded to Togiak and the Bristol Bay district, going in via Kanatak and using dog to the mild spring weather he was compelled to abandon this stage of his program and returned to Kanatak. The next place to be visited was Her endeen Bay, going across country with a dog team. On his arrival there he induced the natives to perform one of their eskimo dances, taking many feet of film Considerable time was spent in this district taking pictures of trapping and other life on the Boring Coast
 Leaving Herendeen bay an attempt was made to reach Togiak with gas boat A violent storm arose which swamped the boat and his entire out fit was lost Making shore with con- siderable difficulty MT. McCracken set about to arrange for another trip, this time to Unimak Island. Embarking for the island a few days later visits wer2 made at all of the intermediate points to secure pictures of bear, caribou and other game animals. A great scarcity of caribou was noted, a scant hundred being seen where formerly thousands would have been the rule
 From the first of May until about the last of July was spent in the vic inity of Unimak Island and the Pavlot volcano, in attempts to secure pictures of the famous Alaska brown bear
 At False Pass he was joined by An ,lv Simons, the Seward guide who left for the westward on the Starr in June remaining until the cameraman re- turned on the last Starr.
 During their stay in the district they counted nearly two hundred bear, 2S in one day. They made liberal allow ance for a possible recount and it is more than likely that the number of bear seen would bring the total to higher figure. That bear were plenti- full was evidenced in the fact that round dozen were counted in an area less than three-quarters. of mile square. About three thousand feet ot film were used in taking pictures o1 the bear in his native habitat, twenty three in all being recorded on the film That it required considerable courage to shoot" brlin is apparent when it is known that some of the | pictures were taken at the close range of seventy feet and in many instances the cameraman and his guide were compelled to abandon the machine owing to the curiosity of bruin, later recovering the camera and completing the picture. The extreme range at which any picture was taken was 15O l feet.
 From the False Pass region they worked toward Pavlok, proceeding by various ways, gas boat, canvas canoe, bidarka and most any old thing that would take them to a bear country Securing many pictures of value dur ing the trip, they gradually worked toward Belkofsky, at which place they awaited the arrival of the Starr, com ing on to Seward
 | MT. McCracken will within short 1 time leave for Kenai and Skilak lakes to secure big game pictures of that sec tion, particularly of moose. These talk I en he will leave for the states, New York being his destination and after a winters visit there he will return to the north for the purpose of finishing what it probably the best set of film on wild game life in Alaska, that has ! otf TNtn nd