The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1938-07-21
Nautical Novelties
AlaSka-NOrthern
Outpost OF Defense

Outpost OF Defense
This weeks flight of "A naval
planes, largest mass flight IN
| history, from California to Al
| aska, draws our attention to the
increasing Importance of this
little-known land of the Far
| North as a vital link in our
chain of national defense. This
chain, theoretically, extends
from the tip of the Aleutian
Islands to the Hawaiian Islands
and thence down to the Panama
Canal in Central America.
Throughout this large area the
Navy must always stand guard
IS a sentinel protecting the
homes, property and liberty OF
the American people.
Most important of the Aleu-
tan Island chain is UnalaSka,
which stretches far out into the
Pacific from the mainland. 1t
has a length of about IS miles
and is about 10 to 25 miles in
breadth, being of volcanic orig
in. The highest point is Mt.
Makuski which rises 5691 feet
above sea level.
The largest settlement of the
island is Dutch Harbor which
has a population of $50. Its
trade is steadily increasing be-
cause of the Alaskan gold fields
and because it is a port of call
for al vessels navigating the
Sering Sea. A few Russians and
americans engaged in seal fish
.ng live there the year around
but a large part of the populace
IS comprised Of AleutS.
Captain Cook landed at Dutch
HaroOr Just two years after we
declared our independence. The
A.leutianS had previously been
discovered b. Vitus Boring in
l74l, but Cook was the first to
do much exploratory work. He
found the natives gentle and
.nOftensive and described them
as being short, plump and we'll
-OrneC. The women wore gar
ments of seal skin and some
had cloaks of bird feathers
worn with the feathers next to
the skin. The men had holes in
their lips in which they wore
buttons of bone. Their houses
YER holes in the earth COW
cred with a framework of drift
wood and whalebone. At Dutch
Harbor and on some OF the 9TH
er islands the people are now
living in frame house erected
by the whites, but on many
islets their homes are still un-
derground, living much the
same as they were wnen Wis
tied by Captain Cook. They are
very poor and gain their livli-
hood from the sea. This later
fact led the government to ex-
empt ESkimoS and Indians from
the provisions of the stringent
game laws which have turned
the island group into a refuge
for wild life save at certain
seasons of the year.
The winter weather of the is
lands is milder than that of
Tennessee, and at UnalaSka the
average January temperature Is
about 80 degrees above zero. All
OF the islands are damp and
foggy, the rainfall averaging
about ten inches per month, and
about $50 days of the year are
rainy.
The U. S. Asiatic Fleet
The U. S. Asiatic Fleet is COM
posed of thirty-fiVe ships, The
Flagship of the fleet is the TO-
900 ton cruiser, U.S.S. Augusta
Thirteen destroyerS together
with a tender and five submar-
mes make up the main body of
the fleet.
The Yangtse Patrol consists of
four river gunboatS which travel
up and down the river protect
ing American interests.
The South China Patrol is
made up of four gunboats
Which patrol the South China
coast. These gunboats are indie
pendent duty and not attached
10 the fleet.
One Oil tanker and three
minesWeepers comprise the aux
iliary fleet.
Duty on board ships of the
Asiatic Fleet is considered very
desirable. The rate OF exchange
is four to one for the good
old American dollar. BY that we
mean, when a sailor takes his
payday ashore, he gets four
Chinese dollars for each AM
erican dollar. However, this rate
of exchange fluctuates, some
times it is more and other times
less.
All ships of. the Asiatic Fleet
have splendid itineraries. The