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diff --git a/41061-0.txt b/41061-0.txt index bddde8b..6bf6ee3 100644 --- a/41061-0.txt +++ b/41061-0.txt @@ -1,23 +1,4 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Land of Tomorrow, by William B Stephenson, Jr. - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Land of Tomorrow - -Author: William B Stephenson, Jr. - -Release Date: October 14, 2012 [EBook #41061] - -Language: English - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAND OF TOMORROW *** - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41061 *** Produced by Janet Kegg, Sandra Eder and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net @@ -5078,364 +5059,4 @@ retained as printed. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Land of Tomorrow - -Author: William B Stephenson, Jr. - -Release Date: October 14, 2012 [EBook #41061] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAND OF TOMORROW *** - - - - -Produced by Janet Kegg, Sandra Eder and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - -Transcriber notes: - -Italics is represented with underscore _, bold with the equal sign = -and small caps with ALL CAPS. A list of corrections made can be found -at the end of the book. - - - - -[Illustration: THE BEAUTIFUL ALASKAN SUMMER] - - - - - THE LAND OF - TOMORROW - - BY - - WILLIAM B. STEPHENSON, JR. - FORMERLY UNITED STATES COMMISSIONER IN ALASKA - - ILLUSTRATED - - [Signet] - NEW YORK - GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - - TO MY MOTHER - - ALICE HERSHEY STEPHENSON - - WITH GREATEST DEVOTION - - - - - FOREWORD - - -That the Voice of the North calls insistently to him who once has dwelt -amidst its snows is neither myth nor legend. It is history. Like the -Song of the Lorelei, having heard it once it rings in his ears forever. -True, it is a strenuous game which Man plays against Nature in Alaska. -There, as nowhere else on earth, he pays the price for what he gets. -Yet if you ask one who has loved and left her, one who has lived among -her mountains, experiencing alike the bitter winter and the wondrous -Alaskan summer, every day of which is perfect beyond the power of words -to describe, even though he may deny the call it is not difficult to -detect the hidden longing underlying his reply. For it is a fact not to -be gainsaid that after such an experience, no matter how much a man may -have looked forward to a life of ease after his return, he seldom finds -it satisfying. Usually when he goes back home it is to find his old -friends scattered or dead. The old pleasures turn to gall and wormwood -in his mouth. In time the jar and turbulence of cities get on his -nerves. He begins to hear the Voice! The old residents of Alaska, they -who have lived there so long that they seem a part of the land itself, -always smile grimly when they hear a man begin to curse the land where -he has made his wealth and swear that he never wants to see it again. -To them it is an old story. They have seen many return to the regions -whence they came. And they have seen most of them come back! They alone -know the truth of the line from the old Norse legend: - - "_Dark and true and tender is the North!_" - -Following the opening up of the gold fields much was written of Alaska, -but it was confined largely to the territory of the Yukon and the -unsettled, chaotic conditions of the hour. The fortunate few who, -through the medium of poem, song or story, have revealed the glories -and the tragedies of this part of the country have done their work -well. The record of that now-historic stampede to the Klondike gold -fields has journeyed to the uttermost parts of the earth. But all this -was twenty years ago. The Alaska of to-day is not what it was then, and -there are sections of this marvelous country which no artist has yet -painted and of which no poet has yet sung. Were this not true the -present scribe would have no task,--no reason for adding to the list. - -Sixty miles north of the mouth of the Yukon lies the little island of -St. Michael on which the writer spent five years (first as manager of -the Pacific Cold Storage Plant and afterward as United States -Commissioner), journeying later from this island to almost every spot -in the country which the white man has yet penetrated. Moved by the -astonishing discovery during a recent visit to the States that there is -practically nothing to be had in any library in regard to this island, -so important a connecting link between the Yukon and the outer world, -he is inflicting this little volume upon a patient and long-suffering -public. He has been moved to do this, not from a desire to pose as a -creator of literature, but because of a belief which can not be shaken -that Alaska is _The Land of Tomorrow_! It is the only bit of Uncle -Sam's territory where it is still possible for a man to get in on the -ground floor. Now that the great World War is at an end thousands of -soldiers are coming home again--to begin life over! They will be -seeking a new environment. Travel, especially by water, even though (as -is the case with those lately in the service) it be under difficulties -and not always of one's own choosing, never fails to breed _wanderlust_ -in man. It awakens something within him which urges him to go -adventuring, to seek the far spaces of the world, no matter how much -his heart may cry out to him to stay at home. In Alaska there is room -for all who know how to fight! Untold opportunity for him who is -willing to fight! With a physique made strong by the life in the -trenches, with muscles hardened by military training, the returned -soldier will be fitted as he never has been before and perhaps never -will be again to cope with the somewhat rigorous life demanded of him -who dwells "north of fifty-three." - -Alaska is calling for men,--men to cultivate her farms, to develop her -mines, to build her railroads, to man her fisheries and her lumber -camps. She will soon be asking for business men to manage her stores, -for lawyers, doctors and dentists, for teachers, ministers and priests, -for actors and motion picture operators. In another year Uncle Sam's -great railroad will be running Pullman cars across this -sparsely-settled country. This means progress. Alaska will begin to -live. She will prove a good although at certain seasons of the year a -frigid mother to thousands yet unborn. The homely old proverb in regard -to the early bird is peculiarly applicable to Alaska. The worm is only -waiting to be caught. - -To know Alaska is to love her. As one old North-Pacific sea captain -once put it,--"A man can get along without the woman he loves if he -has to. But he can't get along without Alaska after he has fallen in -love with her!" - -It is Robert Service, however, who in _The Spell of the Yukon_ has -breathed the real spirit of the land: - - "Some say God was tired when He made it; - Some say it's a good land to shun; - May be. But there's some as would trade it - For no land on earth--and I'm one!" - - W. B. S. - -St. Michael, Alaska. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. NORTHWARD HO! 19 - - II. THE LAND OF TOMORROW 30 - - III. ST. MICHAEL 38 - - IV. NORTHERN LIGHTS 46 - - V. GREAT OPPORTUNITIES 52 - - VI. POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT 63 - - VII. THE PARALLEL STEEL BARS 72 - - VIII. FLOWERS AND BIRDS OF THE NORTHLAND 83 - - IX. MT. MCKINLEY NATIONAL PARK 91 - - X. THE ALL-ALASKA SWEEPSTAKES 100 - - XI. BURIED WEALTH 115 - - XII. THE HAUNT OF THE SALMON 126 - - XIII. THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD 137 - - XIV. THE CITIES OF THE FAR NORTH 151 - - XV. THE NATIVE RACES 161 - - XVI. SOCIAL LIFE IN ALASKA 197 - - XVII. THE PRIZE OF THE PACIFIC 210 - - XVIII. ALASKA AND THE WAR 216 - - XIX. ALASKAN WRITERS 222 - - CONCLUSION 236 - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - - THE BEAUTIFUL ALASKAN SUMMER _Frontispiece_ - - PAGE - - THE AUTHOR DRESSED FOR THE TRAILS AT - KOTLICK, MOUTH OF THE YUKON 40 - - AN ISLAND ON WHICH IS LOCATED ONE OF THE - FINEST FOX FARMS IN ALASKA 40 - - NEARLY TWENTY THOUSAND FURS READY FOR - SHIPMENT 40 - - "SIMROCK MARY'S" HERD OF REINDEER COMING - OVER THE HILL 56 - - SLEDDERS OFF FOR PROVISIONS FOR THE REINDEER - HERDERS 56 - - PRIBILOF ISLANDS WHERE UNCLE SAM PROTECTS - THE FUR SEAL 56 - - COUNTLESS THOUSANDS OF "MURRS" HAVE - MADE THIS ISLAND THEIR OWN 56 - - A TYPICAL TOURIANA VALLEY GARDEN 88 - - THE TRAIL NEAR WRANGELL IN SUMMER. NOTE - THE BEAUTY OF THE WOODS 88 - - LOVER'S LANE, NEAR SITKA, GUARDED BY - TOTEM POLES 88 - - SLUICING THE WINTER DUMP AT FAIRBANKS 120 - - THE THIRD BEACH AT NOME FROM WHICH WAS - TAKEN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF GOLD - IN DUST AND NUGGETS 120 - - ONE NIGHT'S CATCH. NEARLY FIVE THOUSAND - SALMON WEIGHING APPROXIMATELY 75,000 - POUNDS 120 - - A FISHWHEEL 120 - - SITKA, THE OLD RUSSIAN CAPITAL OF ALASKA 152 - - JUNEAU, THE CAPITAL 152 - - ESKIMOS OF ST. MICHAEL 152 - - "SCOTTY" ALLEN AND BALDY 200 - - GENE DOYLE, ONE OF THE OLDEST MAIL CARRIERS - ON SEWARD PENINSULA. A HERO OF - THE TRAIL! 200 - - COMING IN TO ST. MICHAEL WITH OUR THIRTY-THREE - DOG TEAM AFTER GOING OUT TO MEET - THE MAIL CARRIER 200 - - DUTCH HARBOR 200 - - REVEREND HUDSON STUCK, ARCHDEACON OF - THE YUKON, PREACHING WITH INDIAN AND - ESKIMO INTERPRETERS 224 - - INTERIOR OF GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ST. - MICHAEL, BUILT IN 1837 224 - - FINE OLD NATIONAL HOUSE WITH TOTEM - POLES NEAR WRANGELL 224 - - - - - THE LAND OF TOMORROW - - - - - THE LAND OF TOMORROW - - - - - CHAPTER I - - NORTHWARD HO! - - -Memory, with unerring exactitude, carries me back to a -never-to-be-forgotten day,--the twenty-ninth of May, 1909,--the day on -which I sailed from Seattle on the S. S. _St. Croix_ to take charge of -the plant of the Pacific Cold Storage Company at St. Michael, Alaska. -In my early manhood I had studied law, but the years immediately -preceding this date I had spent among the great forests of British -Columbia in charge of the interests of the British Columbia Tie and -Timber Company. It was a life which appealed to me,--one which I loved -and had planned to follow during my working years. But man proposes! -And that inexplainable thing for which we have no definite name,--call -it fate, fortune, destiny, or what you will--often disposes! Some -sudden and utterly unforeseen event, almost in the twinkling of an -eye, will change the whole current and meaning of a man's life. Such an -experience was mine. So, like Columbus of old, I set forth once more -upon the uncharted sea of life in search of a new world. - -The last decade has brought about marvelous improvement in travel -northward. Most ocean voyages are eventful and mine was particularly -so. Therefore it may not be amiss to begin with it. At that time -sailing to Alaska was unlike voyaging to any other part of the world. -Man knew not whither he was going or whether he would return. The air -of mystery which broods ever over all the northland seems to cast a -spell upon the traveler from the moment of starting. Once there, the -Land of Silence wraps her arms about him and holds him close, sometimes -absorbing him! - -There are two routes by which one may make his way northward. One is by -what is known as the Inside Channel, by far the more beautiful and -diverting and carrying him into the heart of the Yukon territory. The -other is the Outside Passage and bears him directly across to the -Alaskan Peninsula and thence around the coast to Nome. It was the -latter route which I took on my first voyage to Alaska. - -No man can see the lights of Victoria or Vancouver fade behind him -without a feeling that he is standing in the dawn of a new life. Behind -him lies the known; ahead, the unknown! From Vancouver to Skagway, up -the Inside Channel, is a wonderful journey of a thousand miles, and as -the boats pull away from shore one sees lying to right of him the -mainland of British Columbia and to the left the island which bears the -name of that intrepid explorer who navigated the then unknown waters of -the North Pacific and charted them. Those who now journey northward -will never realize their debt to Captain Vancouver. To the land-lubber -the journey up the Channel seems fraught with a thousand dangers. But -not so. Not a sunken rock but this old sea-dog has charted it, and the -vessels thread their way with the utmost safety through a perfect maze -of islands. To realize the miracle of this thousand miles of tangled -maze one has but to stand in the bow of the boat and attempt to pick -out the channel through which it will pass. He will guess wrong every -time. One can not distinguish the isles from the shore. The mountains -crash skyward, seemingly from the very deck of the vessel itself. But -the inexperienced can not tell whether they crown an island or are on -the mainland. The tourist gazes with admiration, not unmixed with awe, -at the countless little bays and straits through which the boats -twist, turn, creep forward and ofttimes turn backward! And so it is -until the thousand miles of water, with its fairy islands and its -gigantic icebergs lie far behind him,--a part of that past upon which -he has turned his back. - -The journey of the _St. Croix_ (making the _outside_ trip) was -uneventful until we reached Cape Flattery. Here we encountered a -terrific storm from the northwest. For a couple of days we had had a -feeling that the glorious Pacific was in one of her sullen moods. It -began with a gray sea and a few flying clouds. Followed a head wind -which knocked fifty miles off the day's run and then,--a real storm, a -miniature hurricane. It continued with unabated violence until we were -within a day's run of Unimak Pass, at the foot of the Alaskan -Peninsula. For six days we had sailed straight across the ocean to -northwest, seeing nothing but sky and water,--huge, mountain-like waves -which rose and fell with monotonous regularity. When we reached this -point, however, we had a little diversion. Great numbers of walrus were -splashing about in the water and lying on the ice. Here, also, I saw -the first whales I had ever seen. - -One of the sights of this ocean voyage is Mt. Shishaldin, an active -volcano nearly nine thousand feet high and located about thirty miles -east of Unimak Pass. In symmetry and in the beauty of its curves it -rivals Fujiyama, the sacred mountain of Japan. No geographer has ever -visited Mt. Shishaldin. No man has yet ascended it. Unimak, the island -on which it stands, is a continuation of the Alaskan Peninsula, being -separated from it only by a narrow strait. Like the rest of the -Aleutian chain, it lies between Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean. - -It was about three o'clock in the morning of June ninth that we sighted -the volcano. Scarcely any one on board had retired, as none wished to -miss the view of the mountain. It is safe to say that none regretted -the loss of sleep. It was a sight long to be remembered. Directly over -the smoking cone the early-morning sun, dark red of hue, was slowly -rising. The effect was most spectacular and--symbolic! No work of the -Master's hand so symbolizes life as do the mountains. No matter how -dark the vales and cañons, on the heights there is always light! - -It was shortly after we entered the Pass that our journey began to -afford us excitement. Here we encountered the first large ice floes and -caught between them were many vessels,--the _Ohio_, _Senator_, -_Victoria_, _Olympia_ and _Mackinac_ being plainly visible. Each was -trying to find a passage through the ice and it was most amusing to -see the grim smile which came over the face of our own Captain W---- -when he saw their predicament. It is considered quite an honor to bring -the first boat through the ice in the spring. No wonder, then, that the -Captain was pleased. All these boats had sailed from one to three days -ahead of us. Now the _St. Croix_ had an equal chance with the rest. - -At about half speed we started to plow through the ice. We made about -fifty miles. Then the ice became much thicker and more difficult to -penetrate. Many times we came to a standstill. Then we would back up -some eight or nine hundred feet and at full speed would go ahead again, -ramming the ice with all possible force. It was necessary to hold on to -the rail in order to keep one's feet. - -Now, this sort of thing may be interesting for a certain length of -time, but when it becomes continuous one's interest flags! Operations -were suspended for thirty minutes three times a day while meals were -served, but except for these intervals, it went on night and day. I say -night and day, but it was principally day. At this time of year there -was only about one hour of the twenty-four when one could not see to -read in his state-room without the electric light. - -On the morning of June eleventh I was awakened by a terrific crash. I -heard the swift scampering of feet along the deck toward the bow. I -dressed as quickly as possible and hurried forward. We had bumped -squarely into a young iceberg at full speed and had smashed our bow -stem. This meant that we were caught in the ice floe with no means of -getting out! We could no longer ram the ice with the ends of the -planking exposed. It further developed that the owners had neglected to -equip the boat with material necessary for repairs. But the Captain -realized the necessity of doing _something_, so, in his dilemma, he -ordered some of the steerage bunks torn up in order to get two by four -lumber with which to patch the bow. It was wasted effort. The material -was too light to be serviceable. It did not last as long as it took to -put it on. One bump finished it. - -There was among the passengers a ship-builder named Trahey. Being a -practical individual, he suggested chaining the anchor across the bow -and ramming the ice with it. This seemed to be all right, and we were -beginning to think that our troubles were over, but all of a sudden we -struck an ice floe about thirty feet thick. The anchor slid up the side -and tore out the planking. The Captain (and the rest of us as well) saw -that he was up against it. The boat began to take water. We all -realized that the situation had become serious. - -Presently the click-click of the wireless was heard. Calls for help -were sent immediately. The first response was from the S. S. _Thedias_. -She replied that she was stuck in the ice off Nome and could render -assistance to no one. The second response was from the _Corwin_. She -lay off St. Michael. She refused to come to our aid for less than six -thousand dollars, which terms Captain W----, evidently valuing our -lives at nothing, refused to accept. We carried no freight. Already the -meals on the boat were getting poor, but at the moment no one was -troubled with a large appetite! The Captain would give out no -information as to his intentions, but it chanced that one of the -passengers, an old friend of mine, a former Passenger Agent for the -Santa Fe railroad, had been a telegraph operator and he kept me -informed as the wireless messages broke over the antenna. - -In our helpless condition we began to drift toward the Arctic Ocean at -the rate of four miles an hour and we could not keep our minds from -reverting to the tragic experience of the _Portland_ which only a few -years previously had floated about the Polar Sea all summer. It is -needless to say that there was little sleep on the _St. Croix_ that -night. I retired at eleven-thirty but was up again at four and -entertained myself by watching the seals and walruses playing near the -boat. - -We spent the next day, June twelfth, wondering what was to become of -us, but as is usually the case in such crises, after the first shock is -over one becomes philosophical about most things,--even the imminence -of death. No man in his right mind really fears death. But the sudden -realization that all one's plans have come to naught, that one shall -never realize his cherished dreams, the thoughts of loved ones far -away,--it is these and kindred things which make of it the staggering -proposition that it is. So the men on board realized the necessity of -keeping a stiff upper lip. We tried to make the others believe that we -were cheerful, and although none of us could stifle his vague -uneasiness we managed to keep it out of sight. In the afternoon a party -of us got out on the ice, chose sides and had a snow-ball battle. It -helped us to forget the seriousness of our plight and to amuse those -who watched from the boat. By nightfall we had drifted as far north as -latitude sixty-four, a few miles south of Nome. But--we danced on deck -until two in the morning, the thirteenth day of June. - -I have always scouted the prevailing notion that there is any bad luck -connected with the number thirteen! I had no more than fallen asleep -when I was awakened by the jar of the machinery. My first thought was -that the Captain had decided to make a final attempt to buck the ice -and I was confident that this could have but one result,--the wrecking -of the boat. I dressed immediately and went on deck, only to come face -to face with another of those mysterious twists of fortune which -ofttimes in an instant turn danger to safety and just as frequently -make of apparent surety a disaster. Right ahead of us, as far as the -eye could see, was an open channel, straight as a die and just a little -wider than the boat! - -All was activity now. It seemed only a moment until we were under way. -Once started we forged ahead with all possible speed in order that we -might get out of the ice pack before the channel should close again. -Luck favored us. A few hours later we landed at Nome. There was no coal -to be had here and as we had only enough for twelve hours, after -unloading the passengers the _St. Croix_ headed immediately for St. -Michael. At two o'clock in the afternoon, the _thirteenth_ day of -June, I reached my destination. - -No steamers can land at the island. Both passengers and freight have to -be lightered ashore. The inner bay was filled with ice. We anchored -five miles out. I went ashore with a friend in his gasoline launch -which had been sent out for him. We left the _St. Croix_ at two-thirty, -and we had to get out several times and pull the boat along the ice -until we could launch her again in open water. At seven o'clock we -reached the beach. I stepped ashore and took a look at what was to be -my abiding-place for the next five years. Home was never like this! I -was informed that the largest building in sight was the Steamboat -Hotel. I took my way thither and was the sole occupant of this -now-historic hostlery for more than a week. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - THE LAND OF TOMORROW - - -The writer lays no claim to being an historian, but a word in regard to -Alaska's early history and how the country came to be a part of our -national possessions may not be amiss. - -When the Russians first came to the island of Unalaska they learned -from the natives there of a vast country lying to eastward, the name of -which was _Alayeksa_. Their own island, one of the Aleutian group, they -called _Nagun-Alayeksa_, which means "the land next to Alayeksa." As is -usually the case, especially in primitive languages, the word was -gradually modified and in time it assumed three different forms. The -Russians called the country itself _Alashka_. The peninsula became -_Aliaska_, the island _Unalaska_. In English the word changed once more -to the present name, _Alaska_, which means "The Great Country." It is a -fitting name. All honor to those two good Americans, Seward and Sumner, -who in the teeth of the most withering scorn, ridicule, and even -opprobrium, saved for our country her most glorious and valuable -possession,--the land discovered and partly explored by Vitus Bering in -1741. - -The old saying that "Westward the star of empire takes its way" is not -applicable to Alaska. She enjoys a reputation wholly unique in the -history of nations. She is the only country acquired by any European -power in America because of expansion _eastward_. The territory which -lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mississippi River was our -inheritance from the mother country. The two Floridas, Texas, New -Mexico, and California we acquired, either directly or indirectly, from -Spain. From France we purchased Louisiana. But about the middle of the -sixteenth century there began in Russia a movement eastward similar to -that which followed (westward) the American Revolution in our own -country. - -It was shortly after the overthrow of the Tartars and the establishment -of a national monarchy. But there was as much difference between the -motives underlying the westward movement in our country and the -eastward movement in Russia as there was in the character of the -pioneers who made them and the results which followed. The American -pioneer was either a fur trader, a prospector, a hunter, a missionary, -a soldier, or a farmer seeking land on which to settle. The Russian -pioneer was usually either a fugitive from justice or a proved criminal -who had been punished by exile to the vast wilderness which lay beyond -the confines of the empire. - -Commercial and military motives exist in all countries, however, and in -this case both operated. The exigencies of commerce carry men to the -far corners of the earth. The trade in furs had long been a leading -industry in Russia. So as soon as it became known that the countries -east of the Russian empire were rich in fur-bearing animals, -particularly the highly-prized sable, the merchants at once sat up and -took notice! They hastened to extend their trade eastward as rapidly as -the country could be made Russian territory. So the Cossacks, pressing -ever onward, at last reached the Straits. Eastward through Siberia, -into Alaska they came for this purpose. Here they found not only furs -but huge quantities of ivory which was embedded in the drift along the -seacoast and the rivers. - -It was during the reign of Peter the Great,--a reign which was -significant for many reasons. He it was who was responsible for the -promulgation of comprehensive exploring plans which resulted in the -discovery of Alaska. He fitted out an exploring party under command of -Vitus Bering, a Dane, who was accompanied by a Russian navigator named -Chirikof. The story of Bering's exploration is now too well known to -need elaboration here. On the morning of July sixteenth, 1741, Bering -records that he "came in sight of a rugged coast, presenting a vast -chain of mountains and a noble peak wrapped in eternal snows." This was -Mt. St. Elias. - -For some reason which seems unaccountable and has never been explained, -Bering did not stop at this time for further exploration. Instead, he -set sail for home to report his discovery. He never reached Russia, -however. His boat, the _St. Peter_, was wrecked off a small island not -far from Kamchatka, where, on December eighth, 1741, the commander -died. He had discovered, explored, and named many of the small islands, -but his crew had suffered miserably from scurvy. Many had died. The -rest remained for nine months upon the little island which now bears -the commander's name,--Bering Island. The other boat, commanded by -Chirikof, had also a tragic experience. This navigator discovered the -coast of Alaska not far from Sitka. In an attempt to land ten of his -men were lost. A rescuing party sent in search of them met the same -fate. Both were victims of the cannibalistic residents of the coast. -They were sacrificed by the Kolosh Indians. A second rescuing party -went after the others but just as they neared the shore a party of -natives, looking as innocent as the cat who has eaten the canary, -suddenly appeared upon the bank. The little boat load of rescuers stood -not upon the order of their going. Regarding discretion as the better -part of valor, they turned and fled. A few months later, haggard and -famished, the remnant of the crew landed at Kamchatka. - -Followed the long years of controversy in regard to trading privileges, -but in time these were, in a manner, adjusted. A hundred and -sixty-eight years later the United States added one more chapter in the -history and growth of our national interests on the Pacific. She -acquired Alaska. Beginning in Oregon, extending next to California, -where they received their most powerful impetus, these interests have -gradually increased to gigantic proportions. The markets of the Orient -became alluring. The Pacific railways were constructed. Not to have -profited by Russia's willingness to dispose of Alaska would have been -madness. - -Perhaps the story (vouched for by Charles Sumner) of how the purchase -came about may also be of interest. It was during the administration -of President Buchanan, in 1859. An unofficial representative of the -President sounded the Russian minister as to the willingness of his -government to sell Alaska. Being asked quickly what the United States -would pay, the unofficial representative (who had not given the subject -serious consideration and who, if he had done so, would have had no -authority to answer such a question) was a bit nonplussed for the -moment. But he sent out a feeler by saying suggestively, "Oh,--about -five million dollars." - -He saw at once that he had made an impression. He hastened to the -assistant Secretary of State and reported the affair to him. The latter -then approached the Russian minister, with the result that the matter -was brought definitely before the government. But----. The Civil War -broke out. And for the next six years there was no talk of buying -anything! During these years, however, the people of what is now the -State of Washington, along Puget Sound, had become deeply interested in -the fisheries. In 1866, through their legislature, they petitioned the -President of the United States to obtain for them from the Russian -government permission to fish in Alaskan waters, asking also for a more -complete exploration of the Pacific coast fisheries from "Cortez Bank -to Bering Sea." It was this petition which revived the discussion in -regard to the purchase of Alaska. - -Fortune favored the project. As was the case with Napoleon, when he -agreed to the sale of the Louisiana territory, Russia, bled by one war -and already preparing for another, in danger of losing those of her -possessions which had been threatened by the British navy during the -Crimean war, the Russian-American Fur Company not disposed to accept -such modifications of its charter as the government saw fit to grant, -empowered the Archduke Constantine, brother of the Czar, to instruct -the Russian minister at Washington to cede the territory of Alaska to -the United States. Within a month all arrangements were complete. The -treaty was signed March thirtieth, 1867. The price at first agreed upon -was seven million dollars, but William H. Seward, Secretary of State, -offered to increase this amount by two hundred and fifty thousand -dollars on condition that Russia cede the territory "unencumbered by -any reservations, privileges, franchises, grants or possessions by -associated companies ... Russia or any other...." - -It seemed for a while that there would be a hitch in the negotiations -due to the protest made by the Hudson Bay Company against this latter -demand. But Seward stood firm. He insisted, wisely, upon this -condition and secured it. Upon the entrance of the United States into -the game the Hudson Bay Company retired permanently from the scene. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - ST. MICHAEL - - -It is only when one ventures forth upon so large a subject that he -realizes how inadequate, how incomplete the result must be even after -he has done his best. He may just as well acknowledge his shortcomings -in the outset and crave his readers' indulgence. It is the truth that -there is no man living who can or has the right to attempt to speak of -Alaska as a whole. A man might travel continuously for a whole year, -using every means of expedition at his command, not wasting a day -anywhere, journeying by land or sea, in winter and summer, taking -advantage of the "last ice" and the "first water," and yet he could not -begin to cover the country. In the far-distant corners, hidden away -from the eyes of man, one will come upon the scattered missions of the -various churches to reach which one must journey thousands of miles! -So, whenever a man from Nome speaks of Alaska he means that part of it -which he himself knows,--the Seward Peninsula. The man from Cordova, -or Valdez, talks of the Prince William Sound country and calls it -Alaska! The man from Juneau speaks of Alaska, but all that he means is -the southeastern coast. This is why so much that is written of the -country is contradictory. In fact, Alaska is not one but many -countries! And the various parts differ radically from each other. -Nature has separated them each from the other by obstacles almost -insuperable. They have different interests, different problems. Their -climate is not the same, nor their resources, nor their population. -Thus what is true of one part of Alaska may be (and often is) absurdly -untrue of another part. - -Because much of my own experience here has centered about St. Michael -and because the little island is so large a part of the country's -fragmentary history I am indulging myself in the pleasure of telling -her story. When the Russian-American company was under the -administration of that able and high-minded official, Baron von -Wrangell, Michael Trebenkoff was sent out to establish a trading-post -on Norton Sound. In 1833 he built Redoubt St. Michael, putting it under -the protection of his patron Archangel. It was the second Russian port -on Bering Sea, Nushayak, in Bristol Bay, having been founded in 1818. - -It is a quaint, historic little island, about twenty-two miles long and -six miles wide. It has one mountain, an extinct volcano, in the center -and is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel. The latter was -utterly useless for shipping, and a few years ago the government spent -quite an amount of money widening and improving it in order that, by -its use, the worst part of the sea voyage from St. Michael to the Yukon -river might be avoided. But it was misdirected effort. The boats do not -use it because of its narrowness. The canal, at the mouth of which is a -beacon, leads by a wandering course into St. Michael's Bay. I one day -asked Captain Polte, an old officer of one of the vessels, why the -canal was not used. "Well," he replied laconically, "we can't use it -when it's windy and when there's no wind we don't need it!" Reason -enough. - -[Illustration: THE AUTHOR DRESSED FOR THE TRAILS AT KOTLICK, MOUTH OF -THE YUKON] - -[Illustration: AN ISLAND ON WHICH IS LOCATED ONE OF THE FINEST FOX -FARMS IN ALASKA] - -[Illustration: NEARLY TWENTY THOUSAND FURS READY FOR SHIPMENT] - -Some of the old log buildings on St. Michael still stand, mute -reminders of the day when the little island belonged to Russia. On a -point of rock one may still see the small octagonal block house inside -of which the diminutive but still-defiant rusty cannon arouse the -interest of all visitors. In the stormy pioneer days, so we are told, -these little six-pounders more than once proved effective when the post -was in danger. They were considered sufficiently historic to be -exhibited at the Seattle Exposition in 1909. - -This is neither the time nor the place to record the story of the -Klondike stampede, but that part of it which affected the island may be -here related. When almost in the twinkling of an eye the desolate coast -of Bering Sea became a veritable highway of nations, when all the -available shipping facilities of the Pacific coast were soon exhausted, -when ships from the Atlantic began coming around the Horn, when every -part of the Pacific began to hum with Alaskan business,--the tide of -traffic found it necessary to separate. One part of it sailed through -the Inside Passage to Skagway. The other took the Outside Passage and -entered through St. Michael. It is not a very convenient port, it is -true, but it is the best there is. To St. Michael came all the heavy -merchandise, the immense stocks of goods for trading and for individual -use. This port thus became the gateway to the fabulously rich gold -fields of the Yukon. St. Michael is, therefore, a large part of the -history of the Klondike stampede. - -The White Pass and Yukon Company is a transportation company which has -operated for several years on the Yukon with headquarters at Dawson, -Yukon Territory. This company believed that the best method of shipping -supplies to Alaska would be to bring them in by way of Skagway, then -over the White Pass and Yukon Railroad to Dawson, transferring them -there to the White Pass boats and barges and floating them thence -_down_ the river to points in the interior. The Northern Navigation -Company brought its freight to St. Michael by way of the Pacific Ocean -and Bering Sea. It was then loaded on boats and barges and pushed _up_ -the river. What was a disadvantage to the White Pass people was a -distinct advantage to the Northern Navigation Company. This was the -fact that the lower part of the Yukon River below Lake Lebarge was free -from ice from a month to six weeks earlier than that part of the river -which lay between Lake Lebarge and Dawson. The method of the White Pass -and Yukon Company held an unquestionable advantage in the saving of -fuel. But as the greater number of the principal mining towns and -supply points for the different mining districts lay _below_ Lake -Lebarge it was but natural that large shipments of freight for early -summer delivery were consigned to the Northern Navigation Company, at -St. Michael. A great rivalry sprang up between these two companies. -Keen competition followed. But it was soon realized that each was -working under difficulties which ought to be and could be remedied. -The White Pass and Yukon Company was dependent upon the river -transportation for existence. So a merger of the two seemed vital to -the interests of both. In June, 1914, the White Pass and Yukon Company -bought out the Northern Navigation Company, thus securing a monopoly of -the Yukon from source to mouth. The result has been that the greater -portion of the freight now shipped into the interior of Alaska is taken -over the White Pass road and then floated down the river. This has -seriously affected St. Michael, of course, as it has deprived this once -busy little city of the greater part of her revenue. - -As is the case in all new countries many of the companies organized -during this busy period in Alaska's history have now passed out of -existence, due, no doubt, to too great haste in the beginning. The -Alaska Commercial Company was not slow in realizing the good fortune -which had come to her. All the business so suddenly born of the lure of -the gold fields was tossed into her lap. She had to build extensive -shipyards, install machine shops and build river craft. Stores, -warehouses, dwellings and an hotel were built at St. Michael. Rival -companies were organized,--the Alaska Exploration Company, the Alaska -Development Company, and many others. Only two of these survived for -any length of time, however. One was a Chicago concern--the North -American Trading and Transportation Company. The other was the Northern -Navigation Company. For a while these flourished. The establishment of -the former was across the Bay of St. Michael and was a little town in -itself. The latter was on the island. To-day, these, too, have passed. -The enterprises were not a success in recent years, and the plants are -deserted. - -St. Michael lies about a hundred and twenty-five miles south of Nome. -It is hugged by the sea and therefore gets a certain amount of "damp" -cold in winter instead of the "strong" or the "still" cold of the -interior. Also, during the winter it is sometimes tragically -stormy--terrific high winds with no forests to break them. In summer, -however, it is delightful and most picturesque. It is covered by the -tundra--Russian moss--always fresh and beautiful, lying over the island -like a robe of soft green velvet. Plank sidewalks line the streets, -extending to the Army Post, and where the sidewalks end the walking -ends also in summer. To step off is to sink ankle deep in the soft -green moss. - -Under the chapter devoted to the native races the subject of the -natives on St. Michael will be more fully dealt with. In other sections -of Alaska the natives are largely Indians. Here only the Eskimo is to -be seen. The visitor will encounter him everywhere in summer--in the -streets, loafing in the stores, beaching or launching his boat on the -water front, clad in the native costume, the _parka_, made of drill in -summer and of fur, beautiful in design, in winter, shod in _mukluks_. -At every turn one will find their handiwork for sale--carved ivories -from walrus tusks, baskets, fur boots. Should one wish an ivory -cribbage board there is no other place, with the possible exception of -Nome, where he will find so large a variety from which to choose. As -for the Eskimo woman,--well, in the far places of the world where there -is little civilization and no pretense whatever on the part of humanity -to be other than wholly natural one soon becomes accustomed to the -unusual! There is no commoner sight in St. Michael than that of the -native mother sitting in the street unconcernedly feeding her baby -(sometimes two of them) after Nature's most primitive and wholesome -method! - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - NORTHERN LIGHTS - - -Alaska is a land of such wild beauty, so full of interest and charm, -that it seems a pity that so mistaken an idea persists in regard to her -climate. Yet that it does persist is scarcely to be wondered at. It is -the knowledge we acquire in childhood which usually abides with us -longest. So the preconceived idea which we absorbed in our youth from -both our histories and our geographies is hard to eradicate. "Our -country purchased this cold and barren land from Russia," we were -taught, and "Alaska is noted for her ice-covered seas and her -glaciers." Furthermore, when that far-sighted statesman, W. H. Seward, -negotiated, in 1867, for the purchase of this great territory from -Russia, the majority of Americans had so visualized Alaska as a country -of perpetual snows and glaciers that even the most important newspapers -and journals facetiously referred to the purchase as _Seward's -ice-box_. - -Severe climatic conditions, while they do exist in the extreme Arctic -regions, are by no means typical of the country as a whole. The greater -part of Alaska lies in the North Temperate Zone. Southeastern Alaska is -comparatively mild. The Alaskan Peninsula, while rather frigid in -winter, is most enjoyable in summer. There is no fact, seemingly, which -is so hard to impress upon those who have never visited Alaska as that -in regard to the "strong" cold of the interior. Yet it _is_ a fact that -if one is prepared for it he does not find it uncomfortable. True, for -six months of the year the average temperature is below zero, and zero -in this country, instead of being at the bottom of the thermometer, is -half way up the scale! Fifty below is often recorded. Eighty below is -not unusual. And occasionally the mercury freezes and the thermometer -refuses to register! But----. It is the absolute and unvarnished truth -that the climate of the interior of Alaska is fully as comfortable in -winter as that of the northern part of the United States,--much more -comfortable than in those states and cities where one is subjected to -fogs and dampness in addition to low temperature. I have been colder -and far more uncomfortable in both Boston and Chicago than I ever was -in Alaska. In the interior there is practically no wind, no dampness. -The still, dry air is wonderfully invigorating, and heavily charged -with electricity. One frequently gets a shock from shaking hands, -while a kiss for one's best girl is a matter for prayerful -consideration! - -One may wear in the Alaskan cities clothing of the same quality and -weight as that worn in the States. The addition of a fur coat will make -him thoroughly comfortable, even in the most extreme weather. This is -not true of the trails, however. One must resort to the _parka_, the -native costume with the long fur boots, if he wishes to be able to -resist the cold. - -Spirit thermometers are expensive and so other means of taking the -temperature have been devised. Pain-killer is known to freeze at -forty-five and alcohol at seventy-five below zero. When the still cold -comes on the pain-killer is put out. When it freezes, the alcohol -replaces it. When the latter freezes we give it up with a feeling that -it really does not matter how much colder than seventy-five below it -is! - -We are familiar with the old legend to the effect that the abode of the -Hyperboreans was in some distant region far beyond the North Wind! That -it was a Paradise, the Elysian Fields, a land of perpetual sunshine and -marvelous fertility, inaccessible by land or by sea! I have often had -occasion to ponder upon this legend during my various journeyings in -Alaska. Did you ever take a _daylight_ photograph by the _Midnight_ -Sun? I have. Did you ever sun yourself, at midnight, at a picnic? Or -try to sleep in a land where there is no such thing as night? Where -there are twenty-four hours of sunshine, necessitating the curtaining -of the windows in order to be able to keep one's eyes closed and to -obtain for both eyes and nerves that real rest which comes only with -the darkness? I have, many times. - -Nowhere else in all the world are there such wondrous tints as in -Alaska. To appreciate the beauty of the land, however, one needs must -be an early riser. To have seen the marvelous change which comes over -the pure whiteness of the snow-crowned crests between the darkness and -the dawn! The tender violet becomes topaz, the topaz deepens into gold. -The gold merges into burnished copper, the copper into rose, the rose -into crimson, and then--the day is born! No man can see the dawn break -over the mountain tops, especially if it be in a lonely, -sparsely-peopled land, without feeling as did the poet when he wrote: - - "For I know of a sun and a wind. - And some plains and a mountain behind, - Where there's neither a road nor a tree-- - Only my Maker and me!" - -In Alaska, as elsewhere, we have a land of contrasts, it is true. In -December there are but two and a half hours of daylight. At noon the -sun throws long horizontal rays and on cloudy days the colors of the -sunrise merge into those of the sunset! And there is ever the long -twilight--no matter what time of the year it may be. On the shortest -day there are slight traces of daylight from about nine until three -o'clock. - -He who has never seen the winter night in Alaska has missed one of the -most beautiful sights in the whole world. In many other corners of this -earth I have watched the coming of the night but nowhere else has it -ever moved me so deeply. Here, as nowhere else, "the heavens declare -the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork!" How many -times have I sat in my door-way and watched the ending of the day. If -there have been a few flying clouds during the afternoon they seldom -fail to clear at evening. One by one the stars come out. From some -remote darkness long meteors slip silently and shoot across the -heavens, leaving phosphorescent trails, their scattered star dust, -behind them. The features of the distant mountains, so lovable by day, -become grim, hard, forbidding, when at nightfall they gather their gray -hoods about their heads and go to sleep, standing! Ah, the wild, weird -beauty of an unpeopled land! - -The old Italian adage "See Naples and die!" never fails to spring to my -mind whenever I look out upon the dark, crisp, bespangled night sky in -Alaska. Over all its other brilliancy the vivid tones of the Aurora, -flashes of green and red, shoot riotously. The Northern Lights! Only in -Alaska does one see them in all their gorgeous glory! If sentiment be a -part of man's make-up (and where is he who can deny it?), the lover of -the _Land of Tomorrow_ will not even attempt to stifle in his heart a -wish that is almost a prayer. It is that when the hour shall come for -him to venture forth into that undiscovered country whence no traveler -returns, the Northern Lights may light him on his way! - - - - - CHAPTER V - - GREAT OPPORTUNITIES - - -If the idea that Alaska is the "land of ice and snow" is gradually -disappearing another idea just as erroneous seems likely to take its -place. This is that Alaska is the "land of gold." While it is true that -along her streams and in the heart of her mountains lie minerals of the -value of which no man can speak truly, the gold mines of Alaska are by -no means her greatest asset. Her farms and fisheries, her enormous coal -fields, the thousand and one opportunities to make money which do not -exist in older localities are here to be had with small effort and -little or no capital. I could cite many instances of those who have -acquired wealth in this country from almost infinitesimal beginnings. - -A wealthy man of my acquaintance who now owns a four story building -covering a whole block in Seattle went to Nome when the great rush was -on. Unlike the others he neither sought for gold nor located mines. All -he possessed was a boat. He established a ferry on Snake River, which -is only about fifty or sixty feet wide. He charged twenty-five cents a -trip. As soon as he got together a little sum he bought a steamboat -which had been wrecked on the river and converted it into a lodging -house. Two years later he was president of a bank! - -This is only one instance of hundreds which are a matter of personal -knowledge. I know of four sisters who came to this country after a hard -struggle in the States. They bought a few wash tubs and opened a -laundry. Two of them mended for the miners. The other two washed and -ironed. They netted a hundred dollars a day! Two of them married. The -other two opened a millinery and dry goods store. They made a fortune. -They live in the west now and could live in affluence if they so -desired. They have invested in government bonds and other safe -securities and are the best exemplification of the possibilities of the -Great North that I know. - -One thing which I should like to make plain and which is an item of -value to the prospective resident is this: Alaska is a country where -unfair dealing or trickery is not tolerated. In the early days when -food was worth its weight in gold, when one was forced to pay fifteen -dollars for an oyster stew and one dollar for a cup of coffee, this -fact was made plain and nobody has tried it since to my knowledge. A -fellow who had set up an eating house was caught one day putting sperm -candles in the soup to give it a rich flavor. The miners made short -work of that man. They put him in a boat, took away the oars and set -him adrift down the Yukon! In my first years in this country the -appearance of the first boat which got through the ice in the spring -was a great event. We knew it would bring us fresh vegetables and eggs. -This was before the days when we raised crops of any kind. Cheerfully -we paid the fabulous prices for tomatoes, grape fruit, eggs and such -things. And not infrequently we ate all that we purchased at one -sitting! - -In listing the business opportunities in Alaska perhaps one may as well -begin with that most important asset of any country,--the land itself. -Any of the valleys on Cook Inlet contain many acres of good -agricultural land, some of which is timbered. The coast line from -Wrangell to the Aleutian Peninsula, split by many streams, has also -many acres. The better place to locate, however, is near the large -towns. The Susitna and Matanuska valleys hold the coal fields and near -them are thousands of acres where the wild hay for cattle grows in -great abundance. There is much less loss of stock in Alaska in winter -than in Montana and the Dakotas. The coldest day on the Alaskan coast -last winter south of the Aleutian Islands was above zero. For fifteen -years (and this is as long as the records have been kept) there has -never been a week when the average temperature has been as cold as that -of New York, Washington or Philadelphia. Alaska's climate gives the lie -to her latitude. - -It is, of course, the Japan current which transforms this part of -Alaska. What magic it works,--this warm, life-giving stream! It clothes -the northern isles in green vegetation, makes the silk-worm flourish -far north of its rightful locality and brings warmth and joy to the -dwellers of the Far North. - -The government has committed itself to a new policy of development in -Alaska. The vast riches of this country are not to be exploited at -haphazard or at the whim or the will of private corporations or -individuals. The national shoulders have been squared to the task of -developing the country and her resources in a manner conservative, -sane, and in keeping with the magnitude of the interests at stake. -Practically all the land and natural resources of the country are still -the property of the United States. - -There is a plan on foot for the creation of a Development Board, to be -appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. It includes -the voting of an appropriation sufficient to obtain men of ability who -will devote themselves to the task and _who will live in Alaska_! This -is as it should be. Alaska's interests, now batted back and forth -between the General Land Office, the Forest Service, the Road -Commission, the Bureau of Mines, the Bureau of Education and the -Secretary of the Interior, would all be handled by one body whose -_raison d'être_ would be the welfare of Alaska. All her activities are -closely related. All are a part of one huge problem and all should be -directed by one governing board. - -[Illustration: "SIMROCK MARY'S" HERD OF REINDEER COMING OVER THE HILL] - -[Illustration: SLEDDERS OFF FOR PROVISIONS FOR THE REINDEER HERDERS] - -[Illustration: PRIBILOF ISLANDS WHERE UNCLE SAM PROTECTS THE FUR SEAL] - -[Illustration: COUNTLESS THOUSANDS OF "MURRS" HAVE MADE THIS ISLAND -THEIR OWN] - -There are sixty-four million acres of agricultural land in Alaska which -can be made valuable for tilling and grazing. Some of this is already -under cultivation but there is not yet an output more than sufficient -to supply the home markets. The farming area, according to the surveys -which have been made, is as large as the combined area of the States of -Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, -Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, and in the opinion of the -Department of Agriculture this area ought to be capable of supporting a -population nearly equal to that supported by the farm products of these -states. - -Almost every kind of a crop can be raised in Alaska, although corn -will not grow at all and the soil is not particularly good for wheat. -But barley, oats, rye, potatoes, cabbages, turnips, tomatoes, and -nearly all the common garden vegetables have been grown successfully. -The potatoes are of the best quality and run several hundred bushels to -the acre. - -Wild fruits grow abundantly. Nearly every kind of berry (except the -cranberry) can be raised here. Only two years after the terrible -eruption of Mt. Katmai, on the Alaskan Peninsula just opposite Kodiak -Island, the ash-laden hillsides were again covered with verdure. The -rich green grass grew as high as a man's head and it really seemed that -the eruption was the best thing that had ever happened for Kodiak. The -grass not only grew high. It grew much earlier than it ever had before -and the berries were much larger and more luscious than they had been -before the ash covered the land. The berry crop was enormous. Kodiak, -like Ireland, is now an "Emerald Isle." The eastern part of it is -covered with a magnificent forest of spruce beyond which lies luxuriant -grass land, the abundance and quality of which for hay and forage is -not approached by any grazing land in the United States. It is equaled -only by the "guinea grass" of the tropics. At present this part of the -country is almost entirely neglected. But one of these days the stock -raisers of the world will wake up. They will find no finer spot on -earth for the promulgation of their industry than the Island of Kodiak. - -Of the berries which grow in Alaska the most important is the "Molina" -berry. In shape and appearance it is much like our blackberry, or a -cross between the blackberry and raspberry. When picked it comes loose -from the receptacle like the raspberry. These berries grew in Kodiak -before the eruption, it is true, but they were much smaller and less -palatable and the vines were much less hardy and vigorous. In one -respect they resemble the persimmon. They have an astringent taste -which disappears only when the berry is dead ripe. But they are -extremely delicate of flavor,--distinctive in that they resemble in -taste nothing else that I know and when served with sugar and cream -they are excellent. - -There are two varieties of blueberries. One is known as the high-bush -blueberry and the other is known as the low-bush berry. I have always -thought it a little strange that the cranberry does not grow here. -Conditions seem good for it. But it does not. - -When the railroad is completed (which will be soon), when the farmer -has an outlet for his produce and can enter the markets of the -"Outside," the future of Alaska will be secured. The government is now -selling the land at most reasonable rates. For four hundred dollars one -can buy a three hundred and twenty acre farm. Pioneers are rapidly -taking advantage of this to become independent land owners. - -Time was in the United States when, beyond the Mississippi, Wilderness -was King! But this did not prevent the settler from breaking his way -through. So it is in Alaska. The trees are being hewn down for -clearings and in those clearings homes are springing up. More men each -year are locating homesteads and bringing their families with them, -secure in the knowledge that their children can be educated in Alaskan -schools, fed with Alaskan meat and vegetables, their bills paid in -Alaskan gold. There is a market for everything that can be grown and -this market will be much enlarged by the increased population which the -railroad will bring. Alaska will soon be a populous and prosperous -country and will one day ask admission to the Union. When she comes in, -bringing her six hundred thousand square miles, she will be the largest -State. Texas, so long the giant, will be a dwarf in comparison. - -To sum up, then, the opportunities which offer themselves in -Alaska,--there are (1) cattle ranges of enormous size; (2) immense -salmon shoals; (3) huge tracts of farming land; (4) large forests (in -certain sections) of fine timber; (5) an almost unlimited supply of -fur. The United States has no tin mines except in Alaska. There is -enough coal buried under the soil to keep the whole world warm for five -thousand years! The coal, tin and gold must be mined. Here is a chance -for large numbers of workmen. The fish must be caught and canned. The -canneries employ large numbers of men. But the crying need of the -country is for homesteaders, because the agricultural development is of -prime importance to Alaska and to the world. The first binder operated -in Fairbanks in 1911 and the first threshing machine in 1912. In time -implement houses will be needed. Manufacturing enterprises offer a rich -field. At present (1918) there is not a single grain mill in the -country. This may be due, however, to the fact that there is not yet a -large enough amount of grain raised to justify the building of mills. -But in time there will be. There is unlimited water power for their -operation. - -Mr. Michael O'Kee, a Yukon Territory gardener, is regarded as the -Luther Burbank of Alaska. He has specialized in berries and has proved -that they may be grown just as well around the Arctic Circle as in -sun-kissed California. Also, he has grown cabbages weighing eighteen -pounds with heads hard and sound. - -Reindeer breeding is fast becoming an important factor, and here again -one must revert to the land. Reindeer need space, for they are the beef -of Alaska and must have pasturage. This pasturage is always to be had. -Reindeer steaks are and have been for a long time regularly quoted on -the Seattle markets. That they will one day figure conspicuously in our -meat supply cannot be questioned. Already the big packing concerns have -sent their representatives to look over the ground. There is one -drawback to this industry, however, which will have to be adjusted and -regulated before it can become profitable. The cost of shipping is now -prohibitive. Alaska has now a hundred thousand reindeer. Within the -next ten years she will have three million. - -A well-known mining engineer of Los Angeles who has recently studied -the resources of Alaska has thus summed up his belief: - - (1) The reindeer ranches of the Far North are destined to solve - the meat question for the United States. - - (2) The fisheries of the north coast waters will be able to - furnish practically all the sea food for the entire country within - the next century. - - (3) The gold, copper and other valuable mines of Alaska have - scarcely been scratched, and the next few years will see an - Alaskan boom not now dreamed of by the most optimistic business - men of the United States. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT - - -Until recent years one administration after another completely ignored -the real worth of Alaska. It was organized as a "non-contiguous -territory" in 1886. Not until seventeen years later was it supplied -with a form of government of any kind, and even then the laws of Oregon -were extended to it. In 1899, however, gold was discovered in the sand -on the beach at Nome! The attention of Congress was promptly directed -to this "non-contiguous territory" and the next year (1900) actual -civil government was granted. In 1906 the first representative was sent -to Congress. In 1912 a territorial assembly, with limited powers, was -authorized. - -To say that Alaska has suffered and been hindered in her development by -this legislative apathy on the part of Congress would be putting it -mildly. First of all, one of the greatest needs of any new country was -wholly lacking. The absence of any kind of a criminal code was a bit -appalling. It is a matter of record that once the settlers, in dire -need, were forced to seek the protection of the English navy! There was -also a lack of proper legal, medical and educational facilities, and as -Alaska's importance increased she became a helpless victim of political -conditions some of the results of which were serious. One of these -results was an unnecessary Forest Service. Another was the belated -opening of the coal fields. A third was a long period of very meagre -transportation facilities. - -The discussion of all these important matters by government officials -was lengthy and profound. But, as usual, wherever and whenever new -policies are projected there is always the pessimist who stubbornly -blockades progress. Alaska was no exception. So advance in her affairs -was negligible. - -One hears much, especially in these restless days, of the red tape -which results from the lack of coördination in our government. But, -with the possible exception of the Secretary of the Interior, only one -who has dwelt in Alaska can appreciate to what lengths it extends. In -an article published not long ago in the _Outlook_, Mr. Franklin K. -Lane, Secretary of the Interior, expressed himself forcibly upon this -subject as it concerned Alaska, making use of the following -illustration: - -"A citizen who wished to lease an Alaskan island for fox farming -carried on a correspondence with three different departments of the -Federal Government for several months in an effort to find out which -had jurisdiction and authority to make the lease. It was finally -decided that none of them did!" - -Further investigation brought forth the following astonishing facts: -The control of Alaskan lands is in one department, the control of -forests in another. The control of roads is in a third, of fisheries in -a fourth, of railroads in a fifth! The black bear is entrusted to one -department and the brown bear to another! Cables and telegraphs comes -under another department, reindeer and the native races under still -another. Entry for homestead or mineral land, if it lie _outside_ the -national forest, is made through one department, if _within_ the -national forest through another. Timber in the national forest is sold -at auction under the _Department of Agriculture_. Timber outside the -national forest is sold (under wholly different rules and regulations) -under the _Department of the Interior_. One may export the pulp made -from timber in the public lands, but the timber itself may not be -exported. - -A child could readily understand how all this, or much of it, might be -avoided by the creation of governmental offices in Alaska with -sufficient officers to get over the large territory which must be -covered. As a further illustration of what all this red tape means to -those desiring to live in the north I cite a case (also referred to by -Secretary Lane) which came to my personal knowledge. On October ninth, -1906, Mrs. Mary A. Dabney, of Seattle, filed a claim, recording the -location on this day. The survey was made September twenty-fourth, -1908. It was approved by the Surveyor General January twenty-first, -1909. Application for patent was made March twenty-fourth, 1909. There -was no protest against the validity of Mrs. Dabney's claim, and no -conflicting claims. But the mineral entry was not patented until -October seventeenth, 1913--_seven years after the claim was filed_! Had -there been an officer on the ground, with power to act, with authority -to investigate and prepare the case for the General Land Office all -this long wait would have been avoided. - -This lack of coördination affects almost every phase of Alaskan life -and industry. Certain islands are set apart as bird reserves under -protection (?) of the Biological Survey which sends a keeper _in -summer_ to guard one or two of the islands! At other times they are -unprotected. Game animals are supposedly under the protection of -wardens hired by and under the direction of the Governor of Alaska. -These wardens enforce the rules of the Department of Agriculture and -are paid out of the appropriation of the Department of the Interior! -Fur-bearing animals are under the protection of wardens appointed by -the Secretary of Commerce and working under the regulations of the -Department of the Interior. The Department of Agriculture has sole -authority over the animals which are shipped as specimens for -scientific and propagating purposes, except reindeer, which are -controlled by the Department of the Interior. - -Not long ago it was discovered by the Bureau of Education that the -walruses were being slaughtered by the wholesale. As this is a menace -to the food supply of both the natives and their dogs the Bureau at -once reported it to Washington. The report was turned over to the -Department of Agriculture and this Department promptly decided that the -killing was illegal. When it came to putting into motion the machinery -to stop it, however, the usual thing occurred. There was no machinery -available to prevent it. - -The prize story along this line, however, is the evidence in the case -of the black bear _versus_ the brown bear. Some years ago a law was -passed making the brown bear a game animal. The law was intended to -protect the Kodiak bear, the "great brown bear" as it is called. So the -brown bear passed under the control of the Department of Agriculture. -The black bear, recognized as a fur-bearing animal, remained under the -jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce. And then the fun began! -Scarcely a litter of black bear cubs but contains one or more brown -ones! To which Department of our National Government shall the little -brown brothers and sisters be awarded? One protests against the -separation of families in this manner! The question we are asking -ourselves and which yet remains to be solved is: Is _a_ brown bear of -Alaska _the_ brown bear? - -The Forest Service as it was inaugurated also proved a detriment. Rules -and regulations which worked well in the States could not be -intelligently applied to Alaska. As an illustration,--there was a -territorial law in force at the time the Service took charge which -forbade the shipment of timber into the United States. Under the new -Service, timber might be exported provided stumpage were paid to cover -the Service's expenses. In case of the reserve forest on the Alexander -Archipelago, however, an exception was made. This forest was withdrawn -(it was said) in order that the timber kings could not rifle it for -export purposes. Yet----. The old territorial law would have furnished -ample protection and would have been a better measure of conservation -than the one introduced by the Forest Service. - -Any system which imposes irritating restrictions (as this one -undoubtedly did) upon the pioneers of a sparsely-peopled country is a -mistake for many reasons. Such a system never fails to operate against -itself. And this system proved a boomerang. Under it the railroads, -wishing to buy Alaskan lumber for construction purposes, had to pay for -it at the stumpage rates of the Forest Reserve! Meanwhile Alaska was -suffering for lack of transportation facilities and it is difficult for -even the most optimistic conservative enthusiast to see _improvement_ -in such measures. - -The belated opening of the coal fields was but one more instance of the -legislative indifference which hindered Alaska's development. Eastern -coal operators were shipping coal in large quantities to the Pacific -coast. In Alaska the belief was general that when the Panama Canal was -once in operation these operators would intrench themselves strongly on -the coast, confident that they would be able to compete with operators -from Alaska as soon as the latter's coal fields were released. -Naturally, the first man on the ground would have the advantage and the -Alaskans grew almost desperate as time went by and the troublesome -situation was not relieved. In 1914, however, a bill was passed in -Congress which authorized the leasing of the coal fields and permitted -the lessee to rent two thousand five hundred and sixty acres at a -yearly rental of one dollar an acre, this to be applicable on the -royalty demanded, which was two cents a ton. - -In the matter of highways Alaska was also handicapped. Wheeled traffic -here was out of the question until roads were built. Railroads which -can not touch the interior are limited as to their usefulness. The -highways are of paramount importance to the development of any country. -But a Board of Commissions for Alaska was organized a few years ago and -since then the building of roads has increased. - -Even in the face of all these handicaps and difficulties, however, we -are not pessimistic. In time they will, they _must_, adjust themselves. -As soon as sufficient roads are built to enable settlement it will be -only a question of time (and a short time at that) until Alaska will -become self-supporting. Her vast resources can not be dealt with -singly. They must be dealt with as a whole. When once the United States -grasps Alaska's needs and conditions, when her receipts and -disbursements pass through a single, responsible Board which shall each -year report to Congress the revenues and expenses, the government will -undoubtedly form an Alaskan budget which will render legislation in her -behalf much simpler and more intelligent. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - THE PARALLEL STEEL BARS - - -As is the case in all new countries the most serious problem that has -yet confronted Alaska has been the lack of railroads. All men recognize -that in the parallel steel bars lie the means of unlocking the -treasures of an empire. In them rest the future successful or -unsuccessful attempts to develop the resources of any new land. - -When the importance of building railroads in Alaska became apparent the -old, old serpent, the cobra of civilization, raised its head and spread -its hood. Should those roads already built in the country be left to -private interests, such as the Morgan-Guggenheim Syndicate, at the risk -of a possibly unfair monopoly in the future? Or should the United -States own and control them? The question was long and strongly argued. -But the matter was definitely decided on March twelfth, 1914, when -Congress voted in favor of government ownership. - -The President was directed to "locate, build, or purchase and operate" -a system of railroads at a cost not to exceed thirty-five million -dollars. William C. Eads was made Chairman of the Railroad Commission. -Construction was commenced in 1915, with Anchorage, on Cook Inlet, for -a base. The Alaska and Northern Railway was purchased and became a part -of the new system. The road, beginning at Seward, was to run along the -southern coast through the Susitna Valley and Broad Pass to the Tanana -River, with a terminal at Fairbanks. Its length, including a short -branch to the Matanuska coal fields, was to be five hundred and four -miles. - -In eight months' time a right of way was cleared for forty miles and -thirteen miles of track laid. Then came a halt. The inevitable labor -troubles broke forth. These were finally adjusted, however, and the -construction resumed, and it was hoped by the fall of 1917 to reach the -Menana coal fields, about a hundred miles south of Fairbanks. - -We are prone to believe that when the money to build a railroad has -been appropriated the most important and difficult part of the job is -accomplished. This is a huge mistake. For the Congress of the United -States to vote thirty-five million dollars to build a railroad in -Alaska was easy. To build that road was an herculean undertaking. - -Fairbanks is the geological center of the country. To reach it from the -coast the engineer must break through a wilderness of forest and -mountains, swamps and glaciers. They must haul a great quantity of -material by sledges in winter so that the construction of many special -roads may not be necessary. The experience gained in Panama, and the -recent opening of the coal mine near the road already completed, helped -considerably, but the perils involved in engineering in Alaska, coupled -with the rigorous winter weather, are those of all similar projects -multiplied by ten! - -To illustrate by but one instance (and it will give some idea of the -labor involved) in the first forty miles of the line there are -sixty-seven bridges! Many of them span deep and almost inaccessible -cañons. During the winter months the snow, sometimes twenty-five to -thirty feet deep, had to be removed before the work could be carried -on, and during the time of building the temperature varied little. It -was twenty to forty below zero all the time! Nevertheless the men -worked courageously on and spring found them far on the way. - -One of the most brilliant feats of engineering that has yet been -achieved was accomplished during the building of the Copper River -railroad in Alaska. To me it seemed little short of phenomenal. It was -necessary to span Miles Glacier. The bridge is fifteen hundred feet -long. There is a double turn in the river here, and it flows between -the two faces of the Miles and Childs glaciers, both "living," a sheer -three hundred feet. The engineers were well aware that when the spring -"break-up" should come, thousands of icebergs would come battering down -the defile. Would it be possible to erect a bridge with four spans, the -abutments of which could be made sufficiently strong to withstand the -onslaught of these icebergs, propelled as they were by the twelve mile -current of the river? Everybody (except the engineers) declared it -impossible. - -When I remember how intensely interested I myself became in watching -the progress of this wonderful building I often wonder what the -feelings must have been of those to whom success or failure meant so -much,--the builders themselves. Never shall I forget the tenseness of -the closing days of that undertaking,--the grim, silent determination -written in the faces of those men! In spite of the Doubting Thomases -(of whom, I confess, I was one) the thing was triumphantly, gloriously -accomplished. - -It was at the cost of two years of the stiffest fighting that Man has -ever put up against Nature. The great concrete piers, begun through the -winter ice, were driven forty to fifty feet through the river bottom -and there anchored. The solid concrete was reinforced with steel. A row -of eighty pound rails, set a foot apart all around, the whole structure -bound together with concrete, were placed next. Then above the piers, -ice-breakers, similarly constructed, were planted. - -It was conceded in the beginning that no false work would stand against -the battering ice. Therefore the work of connecting the piers with the -steel road-way must be done in winter. It was a cruel and trying task. -The weather did its worst. It was bitter cold. Snow storms were -practically continuous. The piercing wind blew sixty to ninety miles an -hour and the fine particles of snow hurled by the gale cut and stung -one's face like shot. - -When the last span was almost in place there came a most appalling -moment. The "false work," as the supports are technically called and -which in this case consisted of two thousand piles driven forty feet -into the bottom of the river, suddenly moved fifteen inches! The ice, a -solid sheet, was borne on a twelve knot current. Into it the piles had -been frozen as solidly as a rock. The spring break-up had begun in the -river. The ice-cap, lifted twenty feet above its winter bed, began to -move! - -The false work with its mass of unfinished steel was fifteen inches out -of plumb. Not to get it back meant that communication with the other -side could not be established that winter. The engineers recognized -that at any moment the whole span, supports and all, might be carried -away. The magnitude of the fight they would have to put up in order to -prevent this was realized by all of them. But they determined not to -lose heart. - -I shall never forget the scene which followed. It was like a huge -motion picture and I have always regretted that a camera man was not at -hand to preserve it. Steam from every available engine was turned into -every available feed pipe. Every man in camp was put to work chopping -the seven-foot ice away from the piles. At last this was done. That -which followed was the climax of the picture. It was a scene which -could never fade from the memory of him who saw it. During that -stinging Arctic day and the night which followed it, _during which the -river rose twenty-one feet_, the piles were kept free from ice while -hundreds of cross-pieces were unbolted! Then the shifting into place -began,--at first but one inch a day, then two, three, then four inches -a day. The melting and the chopping went on unceasingly, no one daring -to relax his vigilance for one moment unless there was a man at his -elbow to take his place. Anchorages were quickly made in the ice above -the bridge. Feverishly every man, from the chief engineer to the last -laborer, worked while that whole four hundred and fifty feet of -intricate bridge work was coaxed, inch by inch, back into its place. -Finally, at midnight, after an eighteen hour day of one shift, the -anxious and weary men had the happiness and the satisfaction of seeing -the great span settle down on its concrete bed. The last bolt was -driven in. One hour later,--the river broke loose! In less time than it -takes to record it the whole four hundred and fifty feet of false work -was a pile of chaotic wreckage. But the river had been vanquished. It -had lost the fight by a single hour! The people of Alaska and the -United States Government can never sufficiently reward such men as -these. Mere money can not pay for such achievement. - -In contrast to the strenuous experience just related the builders of -the White Pass and Yukon road had a most amusing episode to record. The -bears in the vicinity got altogether too friendly. At first the -blasting frightened them. But they soon learned to follow the example -of the men and scuttle to shelter until it was over. They became so -crafty that nothing which could possibly be eaten was safe unless some -one watched it night and day. The bears actually learned to recognize -the warning shouts of the foreman and to secrete themselves so -cunningly that in the temporary absence of the men they could sneak out -of their hiding place and steal the contents of the workmen's dinner -pails! It might have been funny had it not been that the men were often -far from a base of supplies and facing the possibility of starvation. - -Now, in Alaska we have a method of dealing with thieves which is -usually effective, but in this case it did not work. The bears could -not read! Every dweller in Alaska has heard the story of William -Yanert. He came into the country from God-knows-where and built himself -a cabin in the Yukon Flats. He calls his abode "Purgatory." Nobody -knows why he lives there or what particular sin he is accepting -punishment for, as the name of his cabin would indicate. We do not -often ask questions on such subjects in Alaska. And Yanert seems -absolutely contented with his lot! When the Mounted Police began -driving undesirable characters out of Dawson, however, Yanert returned -several times from hunting trips to find that his cabin had been robbed -of supplies which he had laid in for the winter. He resolved that the -next time he left home he would leave warning, and while he was -pondering upon the most effective method of doing so he heard a noise -at the back of his house and went to investigate. He peeped out and saw -a Canada jay (known commonly in Alaska as a "whisky-jack" or a -"camp-robber") picking away at his bacon. He shot the bird. Then with -the grimmest sort of humor he buried it in a full-sized grave, shaping -it just as though a man were lying there. He fashioned a headboard on -which he painted in letters so heavy that none could fail to read: - - HE - ROBBED MY CAMP AND I - SHOT HIM. - -Yanert had no further trouble with looters. - -The importance and the significance of the construction of the -government railroad are things which can be rightly appreciated only by -those who live, or have lived, in Alaska. In another year (1919) unless -delayed by the war, Pullman cars for the comfort and convenience of -passengers will be running from Fairbanks to the sea. Freight cars will -carry the great resources of the country from "Interior" to "Outside." -But while these things mean much to Alaska there is one thing which -means much more. This is the construction of a _government railroad -leading into the United States_! This is a thing I have not even heard -discussed and the possibility of such an enterprise, so far as I know, -has not yet been sounded. Only two-fifths of Alaska is mapped! But one -has but to stop and think a moment in order to realize that such a road -would be of untold value. And this value is not alone commercial, by -any means. Is not Alaska a country worth having? I think so. America -thinks so. _Japan thinks so!_ It is by no means outside the possibility -of conception that, coveting her, she may one day attempt to possess -her. In the event of such a contingency, unless conditions are altered -(and that without delay), Alaska may one day be lost to us. She is now -reached only by the sea. Soldiers and sailors must enter the country by -that route. How about a transport or a battleship? In time of war would -they be able to reach Alaskan ports? - -These are questions on which the thoughtful will not fail to ponder. -Alaska's one defense in time of need would be the army, and that army, -in order to reach her, would have to run the gauntlet of a naval -enemy's fleet. The gravity of such a situation would be much lessened -by the ability to transport military forces (whether the times be those -of peace or war) to Alaska via a Canadian-American railroad! - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - FLOWERS AND BIRDS OF THE NORTHLAND - - -Whenever I look back over the pleasurable experiences which belong to -the years I have spent in the Northland I find my thoughts dwelling -upon my first summer in St. Michael. Here the summer comes almost in a -day, and following upon the heels of a rigorous winter so closely, the -contrast is little short of startling. Knowing naught of this sudden -transformation, I was not prepared for it. But I well recall a day in -June when I looked out from my door-way and wondered whether there -could be another spot on earth so beautiful. Gone instantly was every -memory of the dark, bleak months that had just passed. The snow still -lingered on the distant mountain tops, it is true. Great masses of pure -white clouds rolled upon the intensely blue sky. The vegetation was in -all its vivid freshness, the tundra carpeted with flowers. Even the -reeking Arctic moss itself had burst into myriad brilliant flowers. It -was the season of perpetual day,--twenty-four long hours of continuous -sunshine. Nature seemed to be rejoicing in her own beauty and all the -green things of the earth praised God! - -I can not resist the temptation to devote a small space to the flowers -and birds of Alaska. Even I who lived a good many years in our own -golden west, where flowers are by no means a scarcity, or a rarity, -always feel a tendency to enthuse and become expansive when I think of -the beauteous wild flowers of the Northland. They lift their dainty -heads out of the tundra and seem to smile radiantly at you as you pass. - -I confess that when I saw the tundra first it did not make any -particular hit with me! And this feeling is shared by many when first -they come. I recall one of our Alaskan poets who must have shared it, -for I find among his effusions a couplet to this effect: - - "Sometimes it's as soggy as sawdust! - Sometimes it's as soft as a sponge!" - -Like many others I had gone to Alaska with a mental picture of a great, -snow-covered expanse which stretched away for illimitable miles in -loneliness and silence. But one day as I walked along I suddenly saw--a -little yellow flower. I began to wonder whether wild flowers grew here. -A little investigation brought astonishing results. - -I found yellow poppies as much at home as in my own California! -Daisies, both white and yellow! There is a little blossom resembling in -form and grace the sweet pea, but it is a rich, deep indigo blue. I do -not know its name, or whether it has a name. The tiny blue -forget-me-nots, the beautiful gold-and-purple iris, dainty anemones, -and many others which I know not how to name. There is a starry white -flower like a cherry blossom, a yellow bloom resembling a cowslip. -There is the blue corn-flower, the wild heliotrope, immortelles, purple -asters, violets and, most interesting of all, a purple bleeding-heart! -Why purple, I wonder? In addition to these there are beautiful wild -grasses, exquisite mosses with wondrous weeping tendrils and star-like -blossoms. And there is a little crimson vine which grows like patches -of red velvet and clings very close to the green moss. - -I grew to love the tundra, whatever the time or the season. From the -first warm days of the spring until the snow came swishing down and -wrapped it in its soft white blanket, I enjoyed its every mood. In -summer it is as beautiful as the seemingly more favored spots of the -earth. In winter----. There is always the great, white, silent expanse -which one grows to love also. For I find the feeling to be general -among those who live in the Northland that it is not in her milder -moods that Alaska calls to us loudest. One is most deeply conscious of -hidden and gigantic forces,--untrodden heights, to which one can never -attain, even in spirit! There may be those who hold that the tundra is -desolate, dreary. Not I! - -The most striking of all the wild flowers that I have ever seen in -Alaska is a species of white _claytonia_. It grows in rings as large as -a dinner plate. These floral rings are dropped here and there upon the -green moss and in the center of the ring is a rosette of pointed green -leaves pressed close to the ground. Around this rosette grows the ring -of flowers made up of forty or fifty individual blossoms, all springing -from the same root, their faces turned _outward_ from the green -rosette. In certain places these circles grow so close together that -one can scarcely walk without stepping upon them. - -In addition to the wild flowers there are many cultivated ones. In -Skagway, Fairbanks, and the other large towns, the garden flowers grow -profusely. Their only enemy is the southerly trade winds which, on -summer afternoons, frequently rise suddenly and keep everybody busy -devising some means of protection for the tall growing plants. For the -plants grow very tall. Think of sweet peas nine feet high which have -had no special cultivation! Pansies three inches across! Asters seven -and dahlias ten inches in diameter! I have in mind one garden I saw -which contained nineteen different kinds of flowers blooming at once, -among them some gorgeous roses, and they were in bloom from June first -to October first. No. We are not shut away from the beautiful because -we live within sight of the Arctic Circle! Garden parties here rival -those I have attended in the States, and I find that human nature is -the same the world over! There is no nook or corner of God's earth -where one, if he seeks, will not find exquisite beauty lavished -impartially and unstintedly by Mother Nature, and warm and kindly -hearts as well! - -The birds of Alaska are many and beautiful. In fact, in one section or -another of the country most of the birds common to the north temperate -zone are to be found. Of the larger ones the ptarmigan, grouse, gulls -and carrier pigeons are most common. A few years ago the owners of -carriers discovered to their astonishment and dismay that the latter -were mating with the gulls to the ruination of both birds and it became -necessary to separate them. Alaska is also the home of the raven and -the crow. And the former is quite the most talkative creature in the -country! When he has no other birds to chatter with he talks to -himself, and like the buzzard of the southern countries, he acts as -scavenger. The ravens are much more numerous than the crows. - -There is a long, low, wooded stretch of land twenty miles below Muir -Glacier in which ornithologists have observed and collected specimens -of more than forty species of birds. Of song birds, we have the -golden-crowned sparrow, the Alaska hermit and russet-back thrush. The -plaintive song of the hermit thrush is so appealing. It consists of but -three notes. But its song is full of beauty, of mystery, of pathos. -There are also the grossbeak, the gray-cheeked thrush, the Oregon -robin, the western robin, kinglet, warbler, redstart, Oregon junco, and -a species of sparrow not to be found elsewhere. - -[Illustration: A TYPICAL TANNANA VALLEY GARDEN] - -[Illustration: THE TRAIL NEAR WRANGELL IN SUMMER. NOTE THE BEAUTY OF -THE WOODS] - -[Illustration: LOVER'S LANE, NEAR SITKA, GUARDED BY TOTEM POLES] - -In speaking of the birds of the Northland one must not omit to mention -the albatross. I shall always remember one that I observed following -the boat on which I was crossing Prince William Sound. I could well -imagine the feelings of the Ancient Mariner as I watched it,--first on -one side of the boat and then on the other, dipping, curving, slanting, -but always on straight, unbending wing! Like an experienced swimmer its -motion was in long, graceful strokes. It flew apparently without -effort, as though it gave no thought to where its next flight would -take it. I could quite understand how the superstitious might look upon -it as some spirit from the deep which sought to cast a spell over him -and lure him on to shipwreck and to death. The gulls fly gracefully, as -do also the Arctic terns. But the flight of the albatross is unlike -that of any other bird I have ever seen. - -Of water fowl there are also the _pomarine_ and the long-tailed jaeger -and the king eider duck. The pomarine jaeger is most peculiar of shape, -especially while flying, and has a cruel-looking beak. The plumage of -the male king eider is very brilliant and beautiful during the breeding -season. - -The finest singing bird in the country is the Lapland longspur. In -color, flight, and its bubbling, liquid music, it suggests the -bobolink. In fact, it is often referred to as "the bobolink of the -North," and what bird lover does not know the lines of our beloved John -Burroughs who after lying on his back under a tree for two hours -patiently waiting until it should please his majesty, the northern -bobolink, to sing for him, wrote: - - "On Unalaska's emerald lea, - On lonely isles in Bering Sea, - On far Siberia's barren shore, - On north Alaska's tundra floor, - At morn, at noon, in pallid night, - We heard thy song and saw thy flight, - While I, sighing, could but think - Of my boyhood's bobolink!" - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - MT. MCKINLEY NATIONAL PARK - - -In 1916 a bill was presented in Congress to establish in Alaska the Mt. -McKinley National Park. All lovers of the country hoped that the -legislation necessary to create this park would not be long in coming. -The Alaskan Range (sometimes called the Alaskan Alps), of which Mt. -McKinley is the culminating peak, has no rival in scenic grandeur. The -snow line is about seven thousand feet. But Mt. McKinley rises twenty -thousand three hundred feet, and for the upper thirteen thousand the -mountain is clad in glaciers and perpetual snows. - -The region of the proposed park offered a last chance for the United -States Government to preserve untouched by civilization a great -primeval section in its natural beauty. Many parts of Alaska are famous -for big game. But for mountain sheep, caribou and moose ranging over -wide areas this section is unsurpassed. I have often seen three hundred -sheep in a ten mile journey! And more caribou than I ever dreamed of -existing! At one time a party of us estimated with the naked eye more -than a thousand within half a mile of us and many more straggling off -in the distance. - -I have made no mention of the mosquitos which abound in Alaska, but so -many writers have that perhaps it is not necessary to elaborate upon -the subject. It is sufficient to say that here one gives them -respectful attention! Many a wanderer has met his death in the early -days because he was unprepared to fight them off as he plunged through -the swamps and the wilderness. This "respectful attention" is shared by -the animals, especially the caribou, which migrate from place to place, -avoiding the plains where the mosquitos abound. Sometimes they remain -high up in the rugged mountain ridges. Sometimes they even climb the -glaciers. One often sees them in huge droves. They do not stay long in -any one locality except in the Taklat basin and in the vicinity of -Muldrow Glacier. Here they remain during the summer and rear their -young. - -On February twenty-sixth, 1917, the bill became a law and the Mt. -McKinley National Park was created. The long dimension of the park -follows the general course of the Alaskan Range from Mt. Russell to -Muldrow Glacier, the Park including all the main range from its -northwest face to and beyond the summit. East of the glacier the range -widens to the north and consists of a number of parallel mountain -ridges separated by broad, open basins. - -Moose are plentiful in certain parts of the new park but are not so -commonly seen as sheep and caribou. They cling to the timbered areas -for two reasons. First, because they feed upon the willow and birch -twigs and leaves and the roots of water plants. Second, by nature the -moose is a cautious, wary animal. He is less likely to permit -familiarity than the caribou and remains where he is inconspicuous. The -best hunting grounds for moose are not _within_ the park but in the -lowlands just north of the Alaskan Range. - -Bears,--black, brown and grizzly--are here, as they are in many other -parts of Alaska also. Foxes are plentiful. Lynx abound, as do the mink, -marten and ermine, to a limited extent. The marshy lowlands, in -addition to being the abode of the moose, are likewise the paradise of -the beaver. Many a night have I lain in my tent and heard the -whack-whack of their tails on the surface of the water and the splash -when they went in to swim. - -There is no point on which Alaska is more in need of wise and careful -legislation than in regard to the game. Game will not last long unless -protected. Already the market hunter is in the field. True, there _are_ -game laws in Alaska, but I have been reminded more than once of the -mother who said of her naughty little daughter, "She _has_ manners--but -they're bad!" - -The game laws are not strictly enforced and many a sled load of wild -meat finds its way into the towns in winter. Fairbanks is the -destination of most of it. It is a matter of personal knowledge that -from fifteen hundred to two thousand sheep have been taken into this -town each winter for the last three years. And if this is being done -now, what will be the result when the new government railroad is -completed to within fifteen miles of the park? There is but one answer. -The game will disappear rapidly. Forebodings on this point have been -quieted to a certain extent, however, so far as the game in the park -itself is concerned. The law, while it grants miners and prospectors -permission to kill what they need for food, stipulates expressly that -"in no case shall animals or birds be killed in said park for sale, or -removal, or wantonly." - -It is the easiest thing in the world to reach Mt. McKinley Park. One -may leave Seattle and within a week be in Anchorage, or Seward. From -here it is but a day's ride to the Park Station. A couple of days in -the saddle and one will find himself in the midst of the herds. -Furthermore, this time will be shortened. It is inevitable that a road -will be built. Then, half a day in a motor and the horseback journey -will be eliminated. - -Regarded as a purely business proposition, the creation of this Park -was quite worth while. Other and much less attractive lands advertise -their natural beauties so alluringly that tourists flock to them, -spending millions of dollars for diversion far less pleasurable than -that which may be had right here in our own country. A good road, a -good hotel or two, and this National Park in Alaska will call to her a -much larger percentage of tourists than our government now imagines. - -Almost every animal in Alaska has its own particular locality. The -small black bear is the exception. It may be found everywhere. In -southeastern Alaska the shy, black-tail deer is to be seen. It is a -pretty, graceful creature, with a glossy coat, an impudent little black -tail and slender, curving horns. If it were tame one could easily carry -it in his arms. It seldom weighs more than a hundred pounds. Hunters -have made it afraid, however, and unless forced out by starvation, it -seldoms ventures near a human habitation. - -At Mt. St. Elias the foxes abound,--blue and silver and sometimes a -black one, rarest and most valuable of all. Four hundred dollars is not -an unusual price for a black fox skin. Sea otters are getting scarce. -The skins of these are valued at seven hundred dollars. - -To find the really "Big Game,"--the largest the country affords, the -moose, the huge and dangerous Kodiak bear, the caribou and the mountain -sheep, one should go to the rugged, mountainous peninsula between -Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet. The moose shed their antlers -periodically and I quite agree with a fellow hunter who one day -remarked that he knew of nothing quite so pathetic-looking, so subdued -and sympathy-seeking, so meek and lowly of spirit as a bull moose -without its horns! Neither do I. - -The Kodiak bear is dark brown of color. And an exceedingly ugly and -vicious brute as to temper! He is a born fighter. If he suspects that -it is your purpose to interfere with him he will attack you -ferociously. If, however, he does not happen to be hungry and you fail -to bother him his lack of interest in you is often humiliating! He is, -seemingly, impervious to the cold and sleeps in his cave all winter. - -The Alaskan miners are great on story-telling and one of them one day -related in my presence an amusing episode which he claimed was a -personal experience. He said that he found himself suddenly in the -immediate presence of a Kodiak bear. It was a position wholly unsought -on his part and, as he remarked, unduly familiar! But he added that it -was a moment when familiarity bred, not contempt, but fear. He had -always heard that a sudden and unusual noise would frighten a bear away -provided he hadn't seen you first! So he began hammering his gold pan -with his pick, making all the din possible with the means at his -command. It failed to work. He spent the night in a tall tree, meekly -descending from the same when the bear, tired of waiting, went next -morning to seek a breakfast elsewhere. Nor was that all. His gold pan -was full of holes from being hammered with his pick! - -A cunning and most amusing pet is a black bear cub, and as pets these -are quite common in St. Michael and other parts of Alaska. They dance -and gambol on hind feet, wrestle like human beings, and not -infrequently drink from a bottle as do babies--and men! - -The caribou is unquestionably the prettiest animal in Alaska. Its body -is sleek and graceful as that of the antelope. Its back is brown, its -flanks and legs pure white. It has enormous, out-spreading, re-curving -and sharp-pronged antlers, a distinguishing feature of which is that -the first branch of one of them curves directly in front of the -forehead and then spreads straight out to the front into a broad -edge-wise fan which is called a "plow." The caribou roam (in herds) and -feed almost entirely on grass. It is most interesting to watch them -feed in winter. With the "plow" they break through the crust of the -snow. Then they use the horn as a rake, scraping away the snow so that -they may get at the grass underneath. - -The seal, the walrus, the reindeer and the polar bear,--all are here. -They are the oldest residents of the north country. But there is one -thing which does _not_ abide with us. This is the serpent. Evidently -Ireland is not the only country from which the good St. Patrick -banished the snakes. The Eskimos and Indians of Alaska probably never -saw one. In fact, it is claimed that no poisonous thing exists here. -But to this I make one exception. The mosquito is still with us in -certain sections of the country. There are none in St. Michael, -however. And no snakes! As a corroboration of this statement I submit -the information that the serpent has no place in either the heraldry or -the basketry of the natives of Alaska. The absence of the snake in the -Northland, however, may be due, not to the influence of St. Patrick, -but to the frigidity of the climate. Anyway, we rejoice that it is so. -The most timid of women may wade barefooted in the marshes without a -shiver! Besides, Alaskans are proverbially kind-hearted and what one of -us would willingly put himself in the position of "Old Man Snyder" of -whom the mid-western poet who wrote under the name of _Ironquill_ once -said: - - "Old man Snyder found a snake - Frozen stiffer than a stake - And he tucked it in his vest. - When the saurian became thawed - Mr. Snyder became chawed! - And in one unbroken stream - He proceeded to blaspheme - And eradicate the plug - From a little old brown jug! - - Year by year, both day and night, - Snyder tried to cure that bite, - But he didn't have the heft! - So one day he while tug- - Ging at the plug - Caught the jim-jams and got left! - - =Moral.= - - Frozen saurians are safer! - And it's bitterer than borax - To be gnawed about the thorax - One's humanity to pay for!" - - - - - CHAPTER X - - THE ALL-ALASKA SWEEPSTAKES - - -No story of Alaska would be complete unless it included reference to -that most vital element of all the Northland, the Alaskan dog. I once -heard a story of an old Southern planter who said: - -"Whenevah Ah meet up with a man who says he don' like a niggah, Ah -always set it down that he nevah _owned_ one!" - -I can truthfully say the same about a dog. Ever since the days when -Ulysses roamed the seas man has loved his dog. Dearest (and most -valuable) to the heart of an Alaskan is his "Malamut" or "Husky," as -the Alaskan dog is usually designated. So intelligent that he is almost -human, strong as a young ox, oblivious (apparently) to the cold,--he is -a part of the land itself! His importance to the life of the North can -not be over-estimated. He carries the mail into far regions which but -for him would be closed to the outside world for many months of the -year. - -"An I should live a thousand years," as Shakespeare puts it, I could -never forget a leader I once had. I called him "Paddie." During one -long, cold winter we went to Andreafsky, distant a hundred and twenty -miles from St. Michael, to take the mail. I can see him yet, at the -head of the thirty-three dog team, pulling us swiftly over the hard, -white snow. At night when I would wrap myself in my sleeping-bag and -lie down to sleep, Paddie never failed to come and lie beside me, -snuggling as closely as possible to keep me warm. I _could_ not forget, -if I tried, his faithfulness and affection, and I do not wish to. I -think of him many times, often have dreamed of him and sometimes have -talked to him in my sleep. - -But laying aside all sentiment in regard to his dogs, a man would -indeed be helpless in the north country without them. Into far and -almost inaccessible regions which no other beast could penetrate and -where neither man nor vehicle could enter unaided, the dogs run nimbly, -pulling a sled behind them. Many and dramatic (and true!) are the -stories of the arrival of a dog team in the nick of time with food and -supplies for a distant, snowed-in camp the members of which would have -starved but for their coming. - -Reference will be made in another chapter to the wonderful part our -dogs are now playing in the great World War. Alaskans have never -failed to appreciate what they owe them, but it is only within -comparatively recent years that they have realized their real value. -Nothing in the history of the country has been of more value to Alaska -than the Dog Derby, the "All-Alaska Sweepstakes," as the dog races are -called. - -Albert Fink, an attorney at Nome, one day overheard a bet between two -men as to the speed of their respective dog teams. As he owned some -fine dogs himself, he conceived the idea of having a real Derby, -matching the teams for the love of the sport itself. Calling together -all the dog lovers and dog owners of the community, he put the -suggestion before them. The result was the organization of the Nome -Kennel Club, a society the purpose of which was to foster the races. -The latter were to be known as the "All-Alaska Sweepstakes," and as -such the races have been known ever since. The club was organized and -conducted just as jockey clubs are. Rules and regulations were drawn -up, officers elected, and a purse of fifteen thousand dollars collected -for the first race. - -Some one has ventured the opinion that nothing on earth could ever have -made the city of Nome except the very thing that did make it,--the -discovery of gold in the sand on the beach! Be that as it may, it is -safe to say that since that discovery nothing has ever equaled the -interest it created until the first dog race was held in 1908. - -Men talked of nothing else. On the day of the race the stores, banks -and offices were deserted and it is a fact that the District Court was -forced to adjourn. Witnesses, jurors and attorneys failed to appear. -All went to the races. Thousands of dollars were wagered on the dogs, -thousands more on the men who drove them. It was a day of great -excitement and enthusiasm. - -The course was from Nome, on Bering Sea, across Seward Peninsula to -Candle and back,--a distance of four hundred and ten miles. The first -race was a great event. One of the conditions was that the whole team -must return to the starting-point. The weather was most severe and some -of the dogs froze to death. It is no uncommon sight in Alaska to see an -intrepid driver, in harness himself, helping to bring back in the sled -the disabled dogs which have become incapacitated by accident or -sickness. The man who loses a dog is out of the race, no matter what -the cause of the loss may be. The rules provide, however, that after -being certified at Candle, the turning-point, the dog does not -necessarily have to be _driven_ back. But the whole team must return. - -The winning team of the first race were Malamuts owned by Albert Fink, -driven by John Hegness. They made the distance in a hundred and -nineteen hours, fifteen minutes and twenty-two seconds. The winning -team was closely followed by one driven by the now-famous "Scotty" -Allen and which made the course in a hundred and twenty hours, seven -minutes and fifty-two seconds. Three hours elapsed before the third -team came in. - -The small margin of time between the first and second teams made the -race, which took days to finish, of unusual interest. There was great -uncertainty almost up to the last moment. But the race was regarded as -a success and the event became a fixture. Heretofore, while there had -been much discussion as to the breeding of racing dogs, it had been -largely theoretical. Now men who owned dogs began to put their minds on -it seriously. - -The purse of fifteen thousand dollars collected for the first race was -awarded in three prizes. Ten thousand went to the winner, three -thousand to the second and two thousand to the third team. It was -supposed when the amount was collected that it would be amply -sufficient to tempt dog owners to become fanciers and to induce the -importation and breeding of faster and better dogs. But the sum was -found to be inadequate. The total purse fell far short of the amount -necessary to assemble, feed, train and condition a team. - -The following year there were numerous entries for the second race. And -they were not confined to wealthy dog owners, by any means. Miners, fur -traders, mail carriers, to say nothing of the first delegate to -Congress, entered the contest. This time "Scotty" Allen came in for his -own. He drove his team himself and lowered the time to eighty-two -hours, two minutes and forty-two seconds,--thirty-seven hours less than -the time the first race had consumed. - -Perhaps the most interesting personage in connection with the early dog -racing in Alaska is Fox Ramsey. He is an Englishman, the brother of -Lord Dalhousie. He was what is commonly known as a Cheechaco,--in other -words, a tenderfoot. He was unused to the ways of the trail, and what -he did _not_ know about handling dogs would fill a book. But he was a -good sport. So he entered his team of Malamuts in the second race and -drove them himself. He took any amount of chaff from the local drivers -and the amusement of the latter was certainly justified. _Several -weeks_ after the race was over Ramsey drove up to the finishing post -and with the utmost good humor notified the judges that his team had -arrived! - -The old saying, however, that "he who laughs last laughs best" is -peculiarly applicable to Fox Ramsey. He chartered a schooner bound for -Siberia. When he returned, as some one has already recorded, "Siberian -huskies howled from every port hole." The crowd which had found so much -merriment in his racing team of the previous year laughed louder than -ever. They took not the slightest interest in the training of his dogs. -Ramsey kept his own counsel. When the time came he entered the race. -Then came Ramsey's turn to laugh. He took both first and second money! -Not only that, he broke the record. The new one was astonishing. He -covered the course in seventy-four hours, fourteen minutes and -twenty-two seconds. - -The good Alaskans, as always, showed the right spirit. Their amusement -changed to admiration. All existing theories as to the best breeds for -racing had been completely upset. Ramsey is now at the front "somewhere -in France" fighting for his country--and ours! Here's to him! - -It is the hope, of course, of every fancier to perfect a breed which -will lower the record still more, and many hope to prove that the -descendants of the wolf are best adapted to the needs of the country. -There is a new breed which is now being watched with interest,--the -stag-and fox-hound. It has proved excellent for speed in short races -but has not yet been able to hold out over the long course -of the Sweepstakes. Another experiment is with the Russian -wolf-hound,--beautiful dogs these are, but with courage as yet -untested. - -There is great difference of opinion as to the relative merits of the -various breeds, and since the third race the Derby has settled down to -a contest between those who believe in the superiority of the -fox-hound, bird dog and Malamut cross as pitted against the -pure-blooded Siberians. - -Those who have never trained or watched over the training and -conditioning of a team of racing dogs would find it a most interesting -experience. The food of the dogs, like that of a child, is carefully -watched over. It consists at first of dog-salmon, corn and cornmeal -mush, rice and bacon. Later this is changed to a more strengthening -diet. They are fed chopped beef, mutton and eggs. Also, one who has -never visited Alaska would open his eyes wide if he could see the -kennels where the dogs are kept. In fact, one sometimes wonders whether -the human inhabitants are as comfortable. To get a team in condition -requires the combined efforts of a large retinue of trainers, drivers -and helpers. The driver who is to pilot the first team of a kennel -devotes his time and attention to the choice few of some twenty or -thirty dogs. The helpers and second string drivers keep the remainder -in fit condition so as to develop and gait those which must be ready to -substitute in case any one of the first lot proves unequal to the -qualifications for entry,--speed, soundness, courage. - -It has often happened that dogs the fame of which has spread not only -over Alaska but over all the world have developed from the second -string. One such was Baldy of Nome, the hero of a book written by his -owner, Mrs. C. E. Darling, commonly known as "The Darling of the Dogs." -Baldy is old now,--a pensioner. He lives in ease and luxury at the -California estate of his mistress. His story is interesting. He was -rejected at first as being not of sufficient caliber for the first -team. Whether the rejection spurred him to renewed effort I do not -know. But he proceeded to prove his worth. He won his way from wheel of -the second team to leader of the first team. Baldy occupies a warm spot -in every Alaskan heart. He worked up from the ranks,--a "self-made" -dog, so to speak, and proved his courage, his sagacity, his strength, -and his endurance. One of the most interesting things about him is that -he now possesses the largest service flag of any one of my -acquaintance. Twenty-eight of his sons and grandsons went to the Vosges -to "do their bit," and Baldy now wears the _Croix de Guerre_ bestowed -upon them by the French government! - -Of the now-famous dogs of the Derby mention must be made of Dubby. He -was the first "loose" leader ever developed in Alaska and the best. He -was almost human in intelligence. He ran free from the tow line. He -would take his place proudly at the head of his team, with no restraint -of tow or leash, observing the spoken commands with instant obedience. -From his position of authority at the head of the team, by incessant -yelping and playful antics, he would encourage the others, and woe to -any one of them that proved the laggard! Dubby promptly punished him. -He would run back, bark and then nip him until the offender was only -too glad to return to duty and resume gait. Other dogs which have won -fame in the Derby are (1) Jack McMillan, a leader belonging to Albert -Fink; (2) Rex, a pacer; (3) The Blatchford Blues, two thoroughbred -Llewellyn setters, wonderful both as to speed and intelligence; (4) -Kalma, a beautiful, white-eyed, black-coated Siberian who has proved -the most lasting campaigner of them all. - -Not to the dogs alone, however, much as we love them, is due the credit -for the success of the Alaskan Derby. Too much can not be said for the -trainers and drivers. All of them were men deeply versed in dog lore. -They had made a study of many years' duration and were imbued with -theories as to the training and conditioning of dogs,--theories as -varied as were the breeds of the dogs themselves. These men were -knights of the trail, inured to hardship, fleet and sure of foot, -gifted both with physical endurance and courage to which no words can -do justice. Mention has already been made of "Scotty" Allen. He is -known to every man, woman and child on Seward Peninsula. He has been in -every race except the last one, either with a team of his own or one -owned jointly by himself and Mrs. Darling. He developed and owns the -two famous leaders, Dubby and Buddy, and their reputation is -world-wide. - -To "Scotty" Allen the French Government entrusted the responsibility of -choosing and transporting to France more than a hundred of the -Sweepstake dogs. Further reference will be made to their noble work on -the war-swept fields of Europe where, with a courage and daring -equaled only by their human brothers, they carry ammunition and -supplies far into the mountains,--often to remote and seemingly -inaccessible spots where the soldiery could not penetrate without them. -It was because of this mission that Allen was unable to enter the last -race and as he has recently been elected to the Alaskan Legislature he -will also be deprived of the privilege of entering this year. The -session is held at the same time as the Derby. In any other country the -latter might be postponed. Here it is not possible. It is a matter of -much regret that the Derby can not be made a territorial affair. This -was the original intention, as the name, All-Alaska Sweepstakes, -indicates. But it proved impossible. The race could not be held after -the spring break-up. It must have the hard spring trail and the cold -weather, and the trainers must have the whole of the winter for the -training and conditioning of the dogs. Therefore, April must be the -month and, regrettable as the fact is, this prevents teams from -Fairbanks, Iditarod and other Alaskan towns from entering. The men from -these sections could not well take chances on the disappearance of the -trail by an early thaw before they could return home again for the -spring clean-ups. But almost every Alaskan town now has its own Kennel -Club, small or large as the case may be, and all are actively alive to -the sport. Moreover, the "Outside" is by no means indifferent. Many -contributions to the purse come each year to the Nome Kennel Club. - -Trophies for the different races, usually cups, are, almost without -exception, the gifts of men in the United States who are devotees of -the sport. Unable to participate themselves, they like to aid and -encourage the event. The latest trophy, and the one which -unquestionably will be most sought after this year, is the cup -presented by John Borden, Chicago sportsman and millionaire, who joined -the Club last summer while in Nome. This cup is for a new -contest,--extreme speed being the object. The course is to cover -twenty-six miles, three hundred yards. It must be run under perfect -conditions, it being the object and the desire of both donor and Club -to learn how fast a dog team can actually travel without obstacles. The -winner each year will be given a small cup, and the big trophy must be -won three times in succession before it becomes the property of the -winner. - -In addition to Allen and Ramsey, other drivers have made substantial -but less spectacular winnings. Two of these are the Johnson brothers -and another is Leonard Sepalla. Their dogs were Siberians, driven in a -long string, fifteen to twenty-six to a team. These men have marvelous -records for endurance, as has also Peter Berg, a mail carrier. The -latter did a hundred and thirty miles without a stop for food or rest. -The last thirty miles was made in harness, and in snow shoes, with what -was left of his badly used-up team. Then, after hauling a large part of -his frost-bitten and exhausted dogs to the finishing post he found that -he had been beaten to second money by a man who had ridden four hundred -miles behind his untiring and seemingly inexhaustible Siberians. - -If the Alaskan Derby had had but one result,--that of developing a -superior race of dogs--it would have been invaluable to Alaska. But it -has done one other thing in which every dog lover rejoices. It has not -only benefited the racing dog. It has materially benefited the -condition of the working dog. The old rule of feeding an exhausted and -over-worked team "buckskin soup" no longer goes in Alaska. Very few -drivers now have the temerity to abuse a dog. It has been proved beyond -doubt that better results come from kindness and care than can possibly -be obtained by neglect or brutal treatment. - -So, after many years' sojourn in the country, I paraphrase the saying -of the old Southern planter. I affirm that he who does not love a dog -never owned one! Here's to them,--dumb heroes of the trackless -wilderness and the gigantic snow fields! Over the frozen wastes they -cheerfully pull both driver and load for thousands of miles and come up -smiling when the end of the long journey is reached. Into their -masters' deepest affections they unconsciously walk and "stay put." -They become his most sympathetic companions, comrades and friends. And -the news which from time to time reaches us from "over there" where our -canine heroes are doing their "bit" in a manner little short of -miraculous goes straight to our hearts. Yes. The dog has come into his -own. And all Alaska rejoices that it is so. Over a kingdom of devoted -subjects he reigns supreme! - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - BURIED WEALTH - - -It is not the purpose of such a book as this to go into detail in -regard to the gold and the other minerals which lie hidden in the heart -of Alaska. There are many volumes dealing with the gold fields and with -mines and mining which contain such definite information along those -lines as the student may seek. But to those who knew Alaska both before -and after the great stampede of 1898 the change of scene in the -locality offers food for thought. In the great Interior, where once man -alone, with only his pick and shovel, coaxed from Mother Earth in small -quantities the precious yellow metal, huge monsters with an endless -chain of buckets now swoop down, dig up sand and gravel by the ton and -search every ounce of it for gold. One may now take a motor car and -ride out to the spots where in the early days bewildering fortunes were -made in a short space of time,--fortunes which in many cases were spent -as fast as they were made. A well-known missionary of the Episcopal -Church relates that one day during his travels he met a man freighting -with dogs along the Koyakuk River. He learned while stopping at the -camp that night that in the palmy days of the gold rush this man had -offered a dance-hall girl her weight in gold dust if she would marry -him. She refused. But she told him she would get his dust anyway. And -she did! - -Twenty years have gone by since the madness at Dawson, Nome, and the -other gold centers was at its height. The true story of the stampede to -Klondike has never been written. Perhaps it never will be. It was -unique,--not so much in the number who flocked to the gold fields. Of -those who went between 1897 and 1900 thirty thousand is an elastic -estimate. Far greater was the multitude which flooded California during -the wild rush of '49. Eighty thousand in one year! Five thousand ships, -deserted by both owners and crews, tossed idly in San Francisco Bay. -Three years later there was a much larger migration to Australia. A -hundred thousand gold seekers entered the port of Melbourne in 1852! -But the Klondike stampede is without a parallel in history because of -the conditions to be confronted. Never before had a gold region been so -inaccessible, so remote. Never before had such masses of men flung -themselves against an Arctic wilderness, determined to do or die! The -result was only what was to be expected. The physically unfit perished. -Only the hardy survived. Hundreds of men, fresh from offices and shops, -came, bringing their city-bred habits and customs. They found them of -no value in this land where Nature, in her fiercest and most savage -mood, awaited them. They died,--died in almost every conceivable -manner. They perished of exhaustion, of starvation, of disease. They -were the victims of their own ignorance and lack of experience. They -were drowned. They were smothered in snow-slides. Only the fittest held -out. These, making long journeys up and down the frozen rivers, through -dense forests and over rough mountains, ofttimes pulling their own -sleds,--these have left no record of those tragic days for the world to -read! - -The Matanuska coal fields are the richest in the world, not excepting -the rich mines of Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. They lie in -ninety square miles of territory. The vein is fourteen feet and bears -the highest grade of coking coal,--the only coal except that to be -found in Virginia which is fit for the use of the Navy. It is estimated -that this coal can be mined and shipped to San Francisco at a cost of -four dollars a ton, that if it should be sold at retail at six dollars -a ton, the price would be nine dollars cheaper than the present price -of coal in Los Angeles! In my judgment this solves the coal question, -both as to its use for domestic purposes and in time of war as well. -The new government railroad leads directly into the Matanuska coal -fields. - -As far as the mineral deposits,--the gold, copper, tin, etc.,--are -concerned one may truthfully say that they have not yet been touched, -although the yearly output is more than thirty-two million dollars. The -richest mines are not the gold mines. They are the copper mines. Last -year (1917) the Kennicott copper mines produced the largest per cent of -the thirty-two million. And the copper production doubles in value the -entire production of gold. Since the purchase of Alaska the country has -produced in excess of five hundred million dollars,--a country which -was bought for seven million two hundred and fifty thousand! Alaska was -Uncle Sam's best bargain. - -Harry Olsen, a member of Stefanson's latest expedition, asserts that -fabulous deposits of native copper were seen by them on Bank's Island, -about six hundred miles north of Great Bear Lake. The Eskimos use -copper for everything for which any kind of metal is used and because -it is so plentiful and so easy to obtain they think it of no value. - -In 1913 I was going from Nome to Siberia on the S. S. _Victoria_. Among -the passengers were Dr. and Mrs. Anderson and several members of -Stefanson's party. We put them off into their own boats in the -Roadstead, outside of Nome. The expedition was wrecked just after -leaving Diomede Islands and the party lost for a year. Amundsen, when -he returned through the Northwest Passage, reported having seen a tribe -of blond Eskimos. Stefanson was on his way to verify that report. Later -a second expedition was fitted out and the report substantiated. - -There are many famous placer gold mines,--at Nome, at Dawson, and at -the other localities in the Yukon. Two of the largest quartz mines in -the world are at Juneau,--the Alaska Juneau and the Alaska Gastineau. -Each plant handles from eight to ten thousand tons of ore a day. The -Juneau mines had produced sixty-two millions of dollars' worth of ore -when the ocean broke through and flooded the works. Two-thirds of the -property was ruined. But the remaining third, now enclosed by a huge -concrete dam, is still producing. The famous Treadwell mines are on -Douglas Island and have recently had a similar experience. About a -year ago they also were flooded and sustained a serious loss. - -[Illustration: SLUICING THE WINTER DUMP AT FAIRBANKS] - -[Illustration: THE THIRD BEACH AT NOME FROM WHICH WAS TAKEN MILLIONS OF -DOLLARS WORTH OF GOLD IN DUST AND NUGGETS] - -[Illustration: ONE NIGHT'S CATCH. NEARLY FIVE THOUSAND SALMON WEIGHING -APPROXIMATELY 75,000 POUNDS] - -[Illustration: A FISHWHEEL] - -I have already said that it is not my purpose to go into detail in -regard to the mines and the other industries of the North. I wish only -to reveal the opportunities which lie waiting for him who is alert for -business chances. When the new railroad is completed any able-bodied -man who has energy, initiative and ambition can get into the interior -of this rich country at little expense. And if it were generally known -how many hundred prospectors are laying their plans to be there during -this present year (1918) the laggard would bestir himself! It can not -be long until _all_ the industries of Alaska will be opened up upon a -large scale. The climate, while severe at times, need not deter any -well man or woman from going. People here dress for the weather. Real -suffering from cold is seldom known. Nobody has "bad colds" in Alaska. -The cold is dry and invigorating. Nowhere on earth will one find men -and women of such perfect health. Nowhere will one see sturdier, -healthier, more rosy-cheeked children. Moreover, novelists and -playwrights to the contrary, the living and working conditions here are -governed by the very same principles and laws as those of other lands. -Any man or woman can get on in Alaska just as long as he or she is "on -the square." Otherwise either of them, in my judgment, will, in time, -come to grief anywhere. - -As was the case with the railroads, the government was up against the -proposition of government ownership or private monopoly in regard to -the rich coal fields of Alaska. When their value was discovered, -capitalists and entry men with speculative tendencies swooped down upon -the coal treasures of the country, horse, foot and dragoon. For a time -it seemed that the entire potential wealth of the land was to have the -usual fate,--that of being brought under monopolistic control. - -The United States Government has ill repaid Theodore Roosevelt for much -that he has done. But Alaskans will not forget and the United States -will one day realize what he did for them in this particular instance. -When he saw what was about to happen, with his characteristic method of -doing things first and asking permission afterward, he withdrew every -acre of coal-bearing land in Alaska from entry! This was nearly fifteen -years ago. Alaska sat helpless and gnashed her teeth while legislation -fought with politics and speculation wrestled with finance. - -Being able to see the absurdity which never fails to appear in such -crises and to laugh at it has saved many a man from losing his chances -of going to Heaven! One day in 1913 I chanced to be at Dutch Harbor -where the battleship _Maryland_ was coaling. Had the _Maryland_ carried -a gun such as the German one which fired on Paris on Good Friday of the -present year she might have fired a volley which could have landed -squarely in the Matanuska coal fields! There was nothing funny in the -situation to an Alaskan, of course, but I was moved to unseemly mirth -when I saw that _Pocahontas_ coal _from Virginia_ going into her -bunkers! We in Alaska (_miserere_!) were importing coal for our own use -from Washington, California and--Australia! - -Now, however, Alaska has her reward. The Secretary of the Interior has -re-opened the coal fields for entry. But permission is given only to -_lease_ the coal tracts. Before this book appears the first Alaskan -coal will be helping to fill the bunkers, not only of Alaska herself -but of the Pacific coast as well. - -There is one noticeable thing about the conditions imposed upon the -lessees of the coal fields by Secretary Lane and it is a point upon -which both the prospective lessee and employee should be informed. -These conditions provide for the safeguarding of the lives and welfare -of the miners. No operator may mine coal at minimum cost without -regard for the safety of his men. The rules are explicit. The lease -requires him to "leave ample support for the roof of the drifts and -stopes, to provide adequate ventilation, special exits, to guard -against explosion, flooding, 'squeezes' and fire." The protection of -the workman goes even further than this. No firm, or individual, -operating in government land, may work the miners longer than eight -hours a day. They must agree to pay them twice a month in cash. The -forced buying at stores owned by the company is strictly prohibited. -The operators, at the request of a majority of the miners, must grant -one of their number, chosen by vote, permission to check and weigh the -coal in cases where the miners' pay is based upon their output. - -Wise provisions these! The stormy and bloody history of the Colorado -fields is to have no repetition here if the foresight and the good -judgment of the Department of the Interior can prevent it. All these -things lend to the desirability of employment in Alaska. There are only -two spots in the country where the coal lands are in possession of -individuals or of private companies. Every other inch of it belongs to -the government. And it will keep on belonging to it! The Secretary of -the Interior, Mr. Franklin K. Lane, is the largest operating landlord -in the world. While you may not buy coal land in Alaska you may lease -it--for not more than fifty years. For each ton mined you pay a royalty -to the government. You may then ship your coal in a government -coal-car! One can see how easy it will be for a lessee to make money in -coal in Alaska. All he has to do is to dig! No speculating in coal -lands! No shifting and juggling of stocks and bonds of coal-carrying -railroads! So far as the coal fields and mining in Alaska are concerned -neither money, politics nor influence will avail to change the -situation one jot or one tittle! Amen! Hallelujah!! Waltz me around -again, Willie!!! - -With farm and mineral lands, however, it is different. These may pass -into the hands of private companies or individuals just as soon as the -latter can qualify to meet the conditions. We who know the country can -realize as outsiders can not what the railroad will mean to Alaska. One -may take a boat at the mouth of the Yukon, traveling westward to -southward, thence up the Tanana until he reaches Fairbanks which is -within a hundred miles of the Arctic Circle. Here the new railroad will -have its northern terminus. One may then take the train back to Seward, -riding through the great gold country--a section the wealth of which is -uncomputed--then on through the enormous coal fields, past farms laden -with crops, finding himself, when the end of the journey is reached, at -Seward, the terminus on the Peninsula, after a journey (not including -the water voyage) of four hundred and fifty miles. - -In proportion as commerce and industry grow opportunities for labor -will increase. The omnipresent automobile will bring with it the -necessity for the garage, the repair shop, the chauffeur, the -mechanician. The railroad terminals mean new towns and new towns mean -business houses. Wherever there is a road in process of construction -there is always a chance for women. The workmen must be fed and -provided with sleeping quarters. Boarding houses, laundries, etc., are -indispensable. But----. I should not be honest either with myself or -with my readers if I did not here utter one word of warning. No woman -need be afraid to go to Alaska, but both men and women should go wisely -and in full understanding of conditions there. Both _must_ be equipped -to meet those conditions. The first is the promise, oral or written, of -a job before going! The other is the means to return home at any time. -No one should go to Alaska without having first provided for one or -both of these conditions. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - THE HAUNT OF THE SALMON - - -The greatest industry in Alaska is unquestionably the salmon fishing. -More than two hundred and fifty kinds of edible fish abound in Alaskan -waters and this does not include trout and grayling in the streams -where only the latter are to be found. Most of the halibut eaten in the -United States comes from Alaska. These fish often weigh as high as two -hundred pounds. Large numbers of whales are caught and prepared for -market annually. The fish products of the country have already netted -more than two hundred million dollars. - -Nothing in the history of all Nature is more wonderful (or more tragic) -than the story of the salmon. So wonderful is it that it is almost -beyond the power of the human brain to comprehend it. Until the advent -of the motion picture--one of the greatest educators of our day and -generation--few knew that the salmon returns to the very spot where it -was spawned to die. After thirty months at sea, during which time -nothing is known of them, they are drawn by some mysterious instinct -back to the very spot of their birth. Sometimes the return necessitates -a journey of fifteen hundred miles and during that journey nothing is -eaten. Fishermen, both white and native, have told me repeatedly that -they have never yet found anything in the stomach of a salmon. They -leave the ocean and enter the rivers early in the spring. As soon as -they enter fresh water they cease eating. Their stomachs shrink as -their appetites fail and they have therefore no desire to return to the -salt-water feeding-grounds. When they reach their destination they -reproduce, which is the object of the long journey. Shortly afterward -they die. Life, seemingly, is complete for them when they have reached -the waters which gave them birth and have transmitted life to others. -This done, they drop down the river with the current and are seen no -more. From three to four hundred eggs to each pound of the parent fish -is the average spawn. And yet----. The artificial propagation of the -salmon goes on ceaselessly. It is compared to the sowing of seed by the -farmer. The culture of the eggs in a hatchery and the distribution of -fingerlings lay the foundation for an increased harvest year by year. - -To me the return of the salmon to the spawning grounds is the most -marvelous thing in the world. From its source in the snow-capped -mountains of the interior to the spot where it flows, bell-toned and -majestic, into the sea, the Yukon with its various tributaries is more -than twenty-five hundred miles long! And the water is muddy. The fish -wheels, useless in clear water, are in constant motion. How, then, does -the salmon determine the exact spot at which to leave the river and -enter the particular tributary from which, originally, it came? Only -once has it been in it before,--the time when as a fingerling of two or -three inches it made its first swift journey out to sea! What man, even -if he had all manner of landmarks to guide him, would undertake to -return to the spot he left in childhood if in order to do so he had to -leave the broad ocean and follow twenty-five hundred miles of water -which is first river, then tributary, then creek, then brook and -finally a lake? It is not worth while to try to reduce the thing to -intelligible terms. It is incomprehensible. No human intelligence can -explain the spawning migration of the salmon. Yet long-continued and -careful investigation and observation in every stream of the Pacific -coast have established these facts beyond question. - -He who has never seen a "run" of salmon has something yet to live for! -I know of no other event which equals it. The heaviest runs are in May, -June, and July, the catch being largest in the latter month. The -largest fish are caught in May. The "royal family" of salmon is the -King. These are best in June. Often they weigh from fifty to eighty -pounds. The king salmon never rises to the fly. The canneries take them -by the wheel. - -I shall never forget my first view of a fish wheel and a cannery. I -thought the wheel the nearest approach to an infernal machine that I -had ever seen--until I got into the cannery! The wheels are fashioned -of wire-gauze compartments and are built in places near high-water mark -where salmon are known to run in greatest numbers, usually at the head -of natural or artificial channels in the river bed. "Like a cradle -endless rocking" the wheel revolves, scooping up the unsuspecting and -beautiful creatures literally by thousands. It is the blackest and -bloodiest of murder. Nothing else! But----. In the "Outside" they -insist on eating salmon and the canneries can not supply the demand -without the wheel. - -Kipling, in his _American Notes_, says that he saw a ton of salmon -taken on the Columbia River as one night's catch from the revolving -cups of a giant wheel. My own first sight of a fish wheel in operation -beats the story of this renowned writer all to pieces. The proprietor -announced that the catch of this night was _five tons_, an amount which -taxes the credulity of any man in his right mind. With a fascination -which no words can describe I watched those fish being unloaded. Huge -fifty-pounders, hardly dead, scores weighing from twenty to thirty -pounds and myriads of smaller ones! The warehouse, built on piles in -the bend of the river, was not far away, and as I was there for the -purpose of seeing the process from first to last, I went aboard the -barge onto which the salmon had been tossed. Presently we drew up -alongside the warehouse and unloaded the fish. Like a man hypnotized I -followed my guide up the scale-strewn, fishy incline which led into the -cannery. - -None but natives worked in this particular cannery. The building shook -and shivered with every chug of the machinery. I watched them cross and -re-cross the slippery floor and I could think of nothing but the Devil -and a blood-bespattered Devil at that! - -My experience up to this moment, however, was not a circumstance to -what happened next! When the boxes containing the fish were thrown down -under a jet of water they broke of their own accord and the salmon -burst into a stream of silver. A native jerked one up, a -twenty-pounder, deftly beheaded and detailed it in two swift strokes of -a knife. With equal deftness he relieved it of its internal -arrangements by a third stroke. Then he tossed it into a bloody-dyed -tank. The headless, tailless, _inside_less fish fairly leaped from his -hands--just as though it were once more taking the rapids. But not so. -The next man caught him up short. What the first man had left undone -the second one polished off to a fine degree. He proceeded to commit -additional murder of the most damnable sort. He thrust the fish under a -machine resembling a chaff-cutter which hewed and hacked it into -unseemly red pieces ready for the can and the poor mutilated remains -were ready for the third man. - -With long, bony, crooked fingers he jammed the pieces into cans which, -sliding down a marvelous machine, forthwith proceeded to solder their -own tops as they passed! The fourth man tested the can for flaws and -then it was sunk (with hundreds of others) into a vat of boiling water -to be cooked for a few minutes. The cans bulged slightly after this -operation and were slidden along on trolleys to the fifth man who with -a needle and soldering iron vented them and then soldered the little -aperture. The process was finished--all except the label. This -attached, the "finest salmon on the market" was ready for shipment. - -In Alaska we get used to almost everything in time, but I confess that -it took me some time to pull myself together after this experience. -Never had I been so conscious of the grim contrasts of life as when I -stepped outside that cannery! In that rude factory, the floor of which -was but forty by ninety feet, I had seen the most civilized and the -most murderous machinery! Outside, only a few feet away, before my eyes -lay the most beautiful of God's country,--the immense solitude of the -hills! I fairly fled down to the launch by which I was to journey back -down the river, trying to get as far away as possible from the -slippery, scale-spangled, oily floors and the blood-bespattered -Eskimos. But it was like a doctor's first surgical operation. I got -over it, and after several years' residence in the country became so -accustomed to the sights of a cannery that they now make little or no -impression. The canneries are Alaska's greatest asset. - -To state how many cans of salmon go out yearly would be an impossible -task. All we know is that the value of the Alaskan salmon fisheries -can not be computed. It is true that Alaska derives much of her wealth -from the copper, gold and silver mines and her practically untouched -coal deposits. But her fisheries are the most important of her -industries. Mines have a way of giving out suddenly, for no apparent -reason. But the fish reproduce themselves each year. The fisheries of -Alaska can not fail. - -Next to the fisheries the fur business is perhaps the most important -industry. Here again is a business opening for him who seeks it. As -very warm clothing is necessary, tanners ought to find the land full of -opportunities. The fur business is perhaps the _easiest_ way to -affluence which presents itself in Alaska. Native hunters and trappers -follow the old rule and hunt their prey from Nature's supply. But many -have already gone into the raising of fur-bearing animals as a -business, just as the farmer raises sheep for the wool. - -Fox farming is the most popular and a great industry is being -developed. Many who began this business in Alaska have since -transported it to the States. In the west are some twelve or fifteen -such institutions and the eastern States also contain a few. The value -of the fox fur is known to all and, as has been said, from four to -seven hundred dollars is not an unusual price for the black and silver -fox skins. - -Judge Martin F. Moran, of the Kobuk district, is experimenting in -angora goat-raising in which he thinks there is a great future. Judge -Moran lives twenty miles north of the Arctic Circle. Since the breaking -out of the war angora ranchers in the west have netted large fortunes -by supplying mohair, and conditions for raising the goats are less -favorable there than in Alaska. Judge Moran is planning (and has -perhaps already carried out his plan) to import a herd of angoras which -shall graze upon the rich reindeer moss which grows so abundantly in -the tundra of western and northern Alaska. - -The sea-otter, the most valuable fur-bearing animal, may not now be -hunted, according to a law enacted by Congress, until November first, -1920. These were formerly numerous, but they are now threatened with -extinction and are to be found only on some of the Aleutian Islands. It -has been estimated that during the Russian occupation two hundred and -sixty thousand sea-otter skins were taken, valued at twenty-six million -dollars. Since the United States took over the country in 1867 about -ninety thousand have been marketed. Now, however, the output is only -about twenty skins a year. A good otter skin is very valuable, ranging -in price from eight hundred to eighteen hundred dollars. - -The seal-fur industry, although developed by the Russians, reached its -height after the territory was acquired by the United States. From 1867 -to 1902 seal skins to the value of thirty-five million dollars were -exported. The fur seal, although widely distributed throughout the -country, has but one breeding place,--the Pribilof Islands. Here most -of the skins are taken. The seals were slaughtered in the most ruthless -fashion and the government at last awoke to the knowledge that the seal -was in a fair way to follow the sea-otter unless protected. In 1870 the -capture of seals on these islands was prohibited by law. The United -States took charge of the islands and the fisheries. Natives may kill -annually only enough seals to provide themselves with food and -clothing. The destruction of the herds was thus halted by the -government and in 1912 the census revealed two hundred and fifteen -thousand, nine hundred and forty seals. - -From the sale of fox furs and seal skins the government has derived -during the last twenty-five years a direct revenue almost covering the -total purchase price of Alaska. There are approximately twenty thousand -white people in the territory. In China there are four hundred -million. Yet in 1915 the United States trade with Alaska was five -million dollars in excess of the total United States trade with China! - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD - - -Alaska is a land of scenic splendor. She has scenery as beautiful as -that of Switzerland or New Zealand. From my own cottage doorway I have -seen sunsets which equaled those of Mont Blanc, famed in song and -story, and I have traveled through valleys which in summer rivaled the -celebrated Vale of Chamounix. Whoever it was who selected the Seven -Wonders of the World of which we learned in our school days would have -had to add to the list if he had ever dwelt for any length of time -"north of fifty-three." - -The country boasts some of the greatest wonders of Nature. The Calico -Bluffs on the Yukon are as high as the Washington monument and their -strata look much like agate formations. She has five thousand glaciers -which are giants in comparison with those of the Alps. The Childs -Glacier is as tall as the dome of the capital at Washington. Of the -hundreds of others there are many that are known as "first class" -glaciers. By this is meant that they discharge their contents into the -sea direct. Among them are the LeConte, Dawes, Brown, Sawyer and Taku. -It is the latter which furnishes the bergs that surround the ships -which carry travelers northward through the "Inside" route. From the -deck of the vessel, near Taku Inlet, forty-five glaciers may be -counted. Of these, as you face Taku, Norris glacier stands to the left. -It is unique in that it sends out two seemingly full-grown rivers, one -flowing to north and one to south. Flowers may be seen growing in the -forest glades nearby, and remnants of tree stumps two feet in diameter -reveal that the glacier must once have withdrawn long enough at least -to permit them to grow. Then a change of climate or other natural -action must have pushed the ice forward again to cut them off and grind -them into fragments,--making them a part of the glacial débris. - -Mendenhall Glacier is near Juneau. It is easily reached by automobile -and a delightful experience it is to ride along the highway leading to -it. The road is fringed with masses of wild flowers. Imagine, if you -can, sitting in the shade of a gigantic cottonwood, or spruce, and -eating ice cream made from the milk of cows which now pasture upon the -grass where once the ice stood a thousand feet deep! Mendenhall, -according to the best authorities, is at least twenty-five miles -long,--almost twice the length of the largest glacier the Alps affords. - -The highest mountain peak in Alaska was known to the Russians as -_Bulshaia_ and to the natives of Cook Inlet as _Traleyka_. Both words -signify the "great" or the "high" mountain. The natives of the interior -called it _Denali_, but in 1895 it was named Mt. McKinley. It is twenty -thousand three hundred feet high, exceeded in height only by Aconcogua -of South America and Mt. Everest in Indo-China. It was named by W. A. -Dickey, who saw it from the Susitna River. Later its position and -altitude were determined. Many have attempted to ascend it. In 1912 -Prof. Herschel Parker of Columbia University and Mr. Belmore Browne of -Tacoma, Washington, got within three hundred feet of the summit, and in -1913, Rev. Hudson Stuck, Archdeacon of the Yukon and author of _Ten -Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled_ and _Voyages on the Yukon_, together -with three companions, reached the top. - -Above the recently-created National Park Mt. McKinley towers in -majestic sublimity, the everlasting sentinel, the guardian, as it were, -of the last and loveliest spot on earth which remains as Nature -fashioned it, still untouched by human hands. - -Mt. St. Elias is better known and has been much written about. Its -height is eighteen thousand and twenty-four feet. Mt. Logan is nineteen -thousand five hundred and forty feet. Of the two now-celebrated passes -in the mountains of the Yukon, the Chilkoot and White Pass, the former -is at a height of three thousand one hundred feet and the latter at a -height of twenty-eight hundred feet. It was over these passes that the -gold-seekers of 1898 stampeded into Klondike. - -But the mountains of Alaska, glorious, majestic and awe-inspiring as -they are, are the losers when compared with the greatest of Alaskan -wonders, the volcanoes. Of these, Mt. Katmai, opposite the Island of -Kodiak, the terrific eruption of which in June, 1912, is well -remembered, is most celebrated. At that time a mass of ash and pummice, -the volume of which is estimated at _five cubic miles_, was thrown into -the air. It buried an area about the size of the State of Connecticut -to a depth varying from ten inches to ten feet and smaller amounts of -the ash fell as far as nine hundred miles away. Unquestionably, the -notoriously cold, wet summer which followed the eruption was due to the -fine dust which was thrown into the higher regions of the atmosphere -to such an extent as to have a profound effect upon the weather. At the -time of the eruption I was at sea, on my way from St. Michael to the -States. It was not long until the ash began falling over us, filling -the air and seemingly trying to cover the face of the waters. It got -into our lungs and made them ache. It was not until some time later -that I heard that it was Mt. Katmai which had exploded and that the -eruption was one which would go down in history. There was not, of -course, the enormous loss of life which followed the eruptions of -Vesuvius, Stromboli and Mt. Pélee. But in other respects the explosion -of Mt. Katmai was unique. Kodiak, the town which was buried, was a -hundred miles away. Ash fell as far away as Juneau, Ketchikan and the -Yukon valley, distant respectively six hundred, seven hundred and fifty -and nine hundred miles. - -In the report of the leader of the National Geographic Society's Mt. -Katmai Expedition of 1915-'16, Robert F. Griggs, of the Ohio State -University, is the following paragraph which gives concisely a good -idea of the magnitude of the explosion: - -"Such an eruption of Vesuvius would bury Naples under fifteen feet of -ash. Rome would be covered a foot deep. The sound would be heard at -Paris. Dust from the crater would fall in Brussels and Berlin and the -fumes would be noticeable far beyond Christiana, Norway." - -Yet it was only a little over a year after this eruption that I myself -saw those ash-laden hills covered again with green verdure! The native -blue-top hay was growing right through the ash which had been washed -off the hills and was then covering the land a foot and a half deep. I -was deeply interested in the native method of harvesting this hay. In -the pursuit of agriculture as I understood it I had never encountered -this practice elsewhere. The hay was cut high up on the mountain. It -was done into bundles in fish nets and was then sent tumbling down the -mountain-side to the bottom. There it was picked up and carried off -homeward or else loaded on boats to be shipped elsewhere. - -At the time of the eruption the natives, fortunately for them, were all -away fishing. They were never permitted to return to their mountain. -The government built them a new town and conveyed them thither in a -body, thus establishing them in it. The village was not near the -crater. It was about twenty-five miles away. This is five times as far -distant from the volcano as Pompeii was from Vesuvius or St. Pièrre -from Mt. Pélee. - -As has been said, the verdure has returned. Around Kodiak it is -vividly, beautifully green. But the Katmai Valley, once fertile and now -a barren waste, contains what the writer firmly believes to be the most -wonderful and awe-inspiring sight in the whole world. On the second -visit of the Expedition of the National Geographic Society, the -following year, Prof. Griggs explored and named it. He called it "The -Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes"--than which there could be no better -name! - -There are no words in the language capable of giving any definite -impression of the scene. Stretching away as far as the eye can see, -until the valley is lost in the far-distant mountains, lie literally -thousands of small volcanos, replicas in miniature of Katmai, the -Great! From almost every one of them shoots a slender column of steam -which rises steadily and gracefully, sometimes to a height of a -thousand feet before it breaks or even wavers! Words become futile. One -could not exaggerate it if he tried. There would not be an adjective -left in the language when he finished! - -My own view of the valley was hasty, superficial and from a respectful -distance! I can well appreciate, however, what the Expedition endured -in order to give to the world knowledge of this wondrous spot. I -heartily commend to the readers of this volume the report of Prof. -Griggs in the National Geographic Magazine for May, 1917, in which he -relates the experience of himself and his party as they made their way -back and forth, plunging through suffocating vapors, trapping gases for -chemical analysis, making soundings, mapping the course of the valley -and studying the geology of what he calls "the most amazing example of -her processes which Nature has yet revealed to twentieth century -man,--one of Vulcan's melting pots from which the earth was created." -In a tent less than two miles from one of the huge clouds of steam he -slept at night and on one of the large flat stones outside, so hot that -it was a natural stove, the members of the Expedition cooked their -food. - -One gets the best idea of the magnitude of the valley by comparing it -with our Yellowstone Park. The Katmai valley is thirty-two miles long, -about two miles wide and seventy square miles in area. In the -Yellowstone are four thousand hot springs and a hundred geysers -scattered over three thousand square miles. The geysers occur in -isolated basins the total area of which is hardly twenty miles. The -largest one, and it plays but seldom, shoots up a column about three -hundred feet high. Old Faithful, which is the only one the tourist can -ever be sure of seeing in action, is only a hundred feet high. In the -Alaskan valley, however, observe the contrast. _There are thousands of -vents in constant action._ Some of these ascend more than five thousand -feet into the air when conditions are good and when the valley is -wind-swept they creep along the ground for two or three miles! These -vents are not geysers. They are hot springs. Geysers can exist only -when the rock through which they break is sufficiently cool to permit -water to form. It is unlikely therefore that there will ever be geysers -here,--at least not for many centuries. The valley may gradually cool -so as to permit their formation. But it will be ages hence. - -Prof. Griggs is emphatic in his belief that there is nothing known to -mankind with which "The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes" can be compared. -I agree with him. Would that it were more accessible to the traveler -and that no tourist would return from a sojourn in Alaska without -seeing it! I shall never cease to be grateful that a fortunate -circumstance permitted me to obtain even so small a peep at it. Surely -nothing approaching it has been seen by man upon this earth. The -Expedition report states, among other interesting things, that the -water is so hot that the thermometer would not register it and that the -heat from the stones would char a piece of wood instantly! - -Kilauea, in Hawaii, has always borne the reputation of being king of -volcanoes. It is now dethroned. Mention has already been made of Mt. -Shishaldin, on Unimak Island. As no geographer has ever visited it, -little is known about it. Katmai, however, is unquestionably the -monarch. Not so much in diameter, circumference or area does it exceed -Kilauea. It is in depth. Kilauea's greatest depth is five hundred feet. -Katmai's is thirty-seven hundred feet! - -In an attempt to give some idea of the magnitude of Katmai, I quote -once more from Prof. Griggs' report: - -"If every single structure in New York, Brooklyn, the Bronx and the -other boroughs of Greater New York were gathered together and deposited -in the crater of Mt. Katmai," he says, "the hole that remained would -still be _more than twice as large as that of Kilauea_." The king is -dead. Long live the king--of volcanoes! - -From the glaciers and the mountains of Alaska to the rivers is but a -natural turn. One of the most important factors in the life and -commercial development of a country is, of course, her river -navigation. Alaska has two great gateways to Bering Strait,--the Yukon -and Kuskokwim rivers. Until recently only the Yukon was available for -commercial purposes, but the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey -has announced that at last a channel has been charted through the delta -of the Kuskokwim. This means much. It means that a River of Doubt has -become a River of Promise! - -Because of the latitude at which they enter Bering Sea the Yukon is -navigable for three and a half and the Kuskokwim for four months only. -The entrance of the Yukon is shallow, that of the Kuskokwim tortuous -and not well known. But once inside, an ordinary river boat can -navigate the Yukon to White Horse, in Canada, a distance of twenty-two -hundred miles. In spite of the short seasons the possibilities of using -the river in the development of the valley are apparent and will -suffice for some time to come. Navigation is also fairly good on the -lower Copper River, the Kobuk, and smaller streams. When it comes to -the most winding and tortuous watercourse I have ever encountered, -however,--respectfully I salute the Iditarod! One's supply of -adjectives, however ample under ordinary circumstances, fails him -completely when he attempts to do justice to the crookedness of this -river. It writhes and twists and turns like some huge serpent, and -when it can think of nothing else to do it doubles back on its own -track! To try to follow it would give a man delirium tremens, and like -Tennyson's brook it "goes on forever!" - -The Pacific coast line, including the Aleutian Islands, has many -excellent harbors. With the exception of Cook Inlet, these are open to -navigation from November until June, but the ice pack does not extend -far south of St. Lawrence Island. This part of the coast is almost -without harbors. The Arctic Ocean is open from July to September, -permitting navigation to Alaskan ports. - -There is cable communication between Seattle and certain parts of -southeastern Alaska,--Cordova, Valdez and Seward. Telegraph lines run -from Valdez to Fairbanks and down the Yukon to St. Michael from which -point there is wireless communication with Nome. These are all military -lines. The Navy Department maintains wireless stations at Kodiak and -Unalaska. The War Department has wireless stations at Sitka, Cordova, -Fairbanks, Circle, Eagle and Nulato. There are also private wireless -stations at Iditarod and on Bristol Bay and many of the mining -districts are now provided with telephone lines. - -The United States Government is thoroughly awake to the necessity of -making safe the now-dangerous waters of southern Alaska. They are now -being charted and soon the old title "The Graveyard of the Pacific" -will no longer apply to them. Within the past sixty years three hundred -ships have gone down upon the rocks. Valuable cargoes amounting to -eight million dollars and lives to the number of five hundred have here -been lost. Both to southeast and southwest of Alaska lie many -mountainous islands, and ofttimes the lower half of the mountain will -be lost in the water. Like the submerged lower half of the iceberg -which wrecked the _Titanic_, they lie in wait, seemingly, for the -ignorant or the unwary and rip open the hulls of the ships that venture -too near. - -The light-house service of Alaska leaves much to be desired. The first -buoy was floated in 1884. The first light was put up ten years later. -There are three hundred and twenty-nine aids to navigation now on the -whole Alaskan coast line. These include a hundred and forty lights of -which twenty-eight were placed in 1915. On the much-traveled route from -Icy Strait to Nome, a distance equal to that between New York and -London, there are but three lighthouses! - -There are indications of improvement along this line, however. A first -class light is to be placed on Cape St. Elias. New vessels are being -built for light-house work and for the Coast Survey, but like all great -enterprises, things progress slowly. About one-half of the main -channels of southeastern Alaska have been explored by a wire drag and -as rapidly as the appropriations by Congress will permit the work will -be pushed forward. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - THE CITIES OF THE FAR NORTH - - -Of the cities of Alaska the most interesting historically is Sitka. No -one will regret the time spent in visiting this, the former seat of the -Russian territorial government and the stronghold of the Greek Catholic -Church. After the passing of the Russians it became the first capital -of Alaska. It is situate on Baranof Island, facing Sitka Sound. The -climate is mild and out-door life delightful. - -Sitka is beautifully picturesque. The island-laden ocean sweeps to west -of it while on the east the frothing Indian River surges down from its -birthplace in the group of snow-capped mountains known as the Seven -Sisters. In 1799 the Russians established a trading post here and -occupied it until 1804. The old Greek church dating from 1816 still -stands, alongside of a new one called St. Peter's-by-the-Sea, erected -in 1899. The city contains much that is of interest,--a Museum named in -honor of Sheldon Jackson of the Presbyterian Mission. To the influence -of this man Alaska is indebted for her now-thriving reindeer industry. -During the rush to the gold fields in 1898 word was borne to Washington -that the gold-seekers were dying by thousands for lack of food and -proper clothing to protect them from the bitter climate into which, in -their inexperience, they had entered inadequately equipped. In the -effort to aid them the government attempted to send supplies to the -starving camps by reindeer. The plan was not a success and the -government was left with the reindeer on its hands. Dr. Jackson used -his influence with the result that the reindeer were secured for the -Eskimos. - -Sitka has United States Public Schools. It has also a Presbyterian -Industrial Training School for natives. It is the headquarters of the -Agricultural Experiment stations, the Coast Survey Magnetic Base -Station, and is the residence of both the Russian and Episcopal Bishops -of Alaska. - -[Illustration: SITKA, THE OLD RUSSIAN CAPITAL OF ALASKA] - -[Illustration: JUNEAU, THE CAPITAL] - -[Illustration: ESKIMOS OF ST. MICHAEL] - -Juneau, the present capital, is also most picturesquely located. From -the water it seems to be lying on a shelf,--the cliffs of Mt. Juneau to -the rear and the sea in front of it. It is about a hundred miles north -by east of Sitka, on Gastineau Channel, opposite Douglas Island on -which are situate the celebrated Treadwell mines. Juneau is thoroughly -modern as to churches, schools, newspapers, hospitals. It has drainage, -police and fire protection, telephone and telegraph service and -electric light. A small town of sixteen hundred inhabitants in 1910, it -has increased to a thriving city. The ever-increasing population is -fast dotting the lower heights with beautiful and comfortable homes and -down below them the ever-advancing tunnels of the gold-seekers keep -honey-combing the rock-ribbed earth. As one journeys northward he can -see the stamp house of the Treadwell mines, built right into the side -of the precipitous face of the mountain down which a railroad track has -been laid to carry the ore from the tunnels that bore into the heart of -the cliff. - -Ketchikan is a city of commercial importance because of the fishing -industry. It is typical of the settlements along the coast and of the -fishing settlements in particular. It also is located on an island -which gives it many advantages. On one side it has deep water. On the -other side it has mountain, river and lake. Ketchikan is one of the -best places for the visitor to see a "run" during which the salmon -crowd up the river in a struggle so fierce that many of them are killed -in the effort to reach the spawning-grounds. - -The most attractive city of this part of the country is Wrangell, -named for the Russian explorer and naval officer, Baron Ferdinand -Wrangell, wise administrator of affairs connected with the Alaskan -colonies of Russia between 1831 and 1836. During his administration an -observatory was established at Sitka. He it was who exposed the -shameful abuses of the Russian-American Company and prevented the -extension of their charter in 1862. He was an astute and far-sighted -statesman, and realizing the value of Alaska, he bitterly opposed the -sale of the territory to the United States. - -Wrangell, the city named after him, lies on an island of the same name -a hundred and fifty miles southeast of Juneau. The seeker after the -unusual in his travels will find here much to interest and divert him. -To Wrangell the traders still bring the trophies of the chase, making -their journey down the rapidly-flowing Stikine river from the wonderful -Cassiar hunting grounds, famed for their big game. To these grounds -every year flock hunters from all parts of the world to shoot the -mountain sheep, the moose, the bear and the caribou. In Wrangell, also, -one may see the best of what remains of the magnificent totem poles of -Alaska. - -No lover of history, and particularly the history of the native peoples -of the world, can help cherishing a feeling of deep regret when he -sees the approaching decay of these expressions of their inner lives. -As is the case in our own great west, the steam roller of civilization -is passing over what is left of the primitive people, crushing out the -spirit of all that once was and in some cases still is revered by them, -flattening out that which is picturesque and distinctive in them. Who -can look upon the massive-timbered communal houses of the natives of -Alaska, before which were placed the totem poles, bold with their -blazonry of animals, grotesquely carved and gaudily painted,--eagle and -whale, bear, wolf and beaver--without a sigh that soon they, too, will -sail into the past with the caravels of Columbus or ride out of the -plains with the buffalo to return no more? - -Through the long ages the American Indian has worshiped--not the sun, -but the great, _creative spirit_ behind the sun! And he has expressed -that worship in the celebrated Sun Dance, a truly _religious_ ceremony -in which he is now forbidden to indulge by the United States -government! In like manner the natives of the Far North expressed -themselves in totems. To a certain extent they are ancestor worshipers, -as are the Chinese. The totem poles are their expression of their -primitive heraldry. They erected them in front of their rude -dwellings, with a pageantry uncouth, it is true, but in a spirit of -sincerity. - -I am not one of those who would decry the influence and the splendid -service of the missionary. But it is an influence which often works -both ways. Many of the latter can see in these expressions of pride of -ancestry nothing but the most arrant heathenism, so the totem poles of -Alaska are rotting away. And no more are being built. The young natives -are being "educated" out of any respect which hitherto they may justly -have entertained for their forefathers. There is no scorn known to the -human race which is quite so withering as that which the man who does -not know who his grandfather was entertains for the man who does! - -It can not be long until the totem pole will be a thing of the past. -Therefore he who would see them in all their glory must not linger. All -will soon be gone. Here at Wrangell are still some splendid specimens, -perhaps the best the north country now has to offer. - -Skagway may be called the city of romance. Time was when it held the -key which unlocked the gateway of the Promised Land,--that golden -kingdom of the North. It is now a thriving commercial center. The White -Pass railroad begins here, forming a sort of portage by means of which -the two extremes of the country may shake hands with each other. The -railroad itself is short. But it touches the headwaters of the Yukon -with its twenty-five hundred miles of navigation, bearing on its broad -bosom the commerce and the traffic of Klondike, Dawson, and Fairbanks, -to the outlet in Bering Sea. - -But this is not the reason the history of Skagway is romantic. When the -gold rush began in 1896 the landing had to be made at Dyea at the other -end of the Lynn Canal. From here it was necessary to cross the -dangerous Chilkoot Pass, a most hazardous undertaking. One day the word -was passed along that another pass (now known as White Pass) had been -discovered. With a rush like a flock of frightened sheep the gold -seekers turned and went the other way. _In one day_ fifteen thousand -people left Dyea for Dawson and Skagway and in that same length of time -what had formerly been a swamp became a city! - -Abler pens than mine have recorded in novel, poem and play the story of -those eventful days. All know now of the famous (or infamous) gambling -hells with which these places were infested. The spot in Skagway to-day -which most attracts the tourist is the cemetery where lies the body of -"Soapy" Smith. "Soapy" was half-outlaw, half-politician, the "Boss" of -the town, in fact. Skagway was without doubt the wildest and wickedest -place in the world during the reign of "Soapy" Smith. The decent and -sober citizens stood it as long as they could. When they felt, however, -that Skagway had suffered from her evil reputation long enough they -held a meeting and came to a decision! The Sylvester Wharf, now a -half-ruin, has been left standing to mark the spot where the fathers of -the town ran "Soapy" to cover and shot him. - -Dawson, in the Canadian Yukon, had a somewhat similar experience. But -the Northwest Mounted Police came to her assistance and brought order -out of chaos. The fame of Dawson during the gold rush is world-wide. -Her affairs are now in the charge of the Canadian government. There is -also a United States Consulate there. - -The most important and the largest city in Alaska is Fairbanks. It lies -on the Tanana River, practically at the head of navigation. It is the -site of the Fourth Judicial District and of government activities in -the interior of Alaska. Fairbanks is a city of which any country might -be proud, heated by a central steam plant, with schools, churches, -hospitals, newspapers, long-distance telephone and wireless stations. -The electric plant which lights the city also serves the adjacent -mining camps. Fairbanks may be reached all during the year by a stage -service three hundred and fifty-four miles from Valdez and during five -months in summer steamboat service westward to St. Michael, eastward to -Dawson and White Horse, Yukon Territory, is maintained. Reference has -already been made to the progress of this delightful city, its social -life and the kindly spirit of the people. - -As one nears the western coast the cities become few and far between. -Anchorage, on Cook Inlet, Iditarod and Nome are the most important. The -interesting story of Nome is well known. Prospectors were working the -streams for gold when suddenly the yellow dust was found in huge -quantities in the sand along the beach! The first settlement was called -Anvil City and was the usual mushroom affair. Nowhere else in Alaska -was the struggle of the gold-seekers to be compared with those of Nome. -Its exposed position on Norton Sound made it subject to the violent -coast storms. The conditions were unsanitary, the food and fuel supply -a subject of great anxiety, the water supply scanty and the climate -cruel. In the face of all these discouragements, however, the hardy -pioneers fought and conquered. Nome is now a city of some three -thousand, the commercial, judicial and educational center of Seward -Peninsula. It is a fine, courageous little city, compactly built, with -modern improvements and prosperous business houses. A railroad -eighty-five miles long runs to Shelton, but Nome and the adjacent -regions are reached direct only between June and October, the open -season of Bering Sea. - -I always learn with regret of any tourist who takes a trip up the -"Inside" passage and returns by the same route. What can he possibly -know of Alaska? The broad expanse of country which sweeps away to the -north and the west, guarded by the mountains, watered by one of the -mightiest rivers in the world,--of this he knows nothing, for it is a -country which can not be described. It must be seen to be appreciated. -It is this part of Alaska that is Nature's gigantic workshop with a job -in it for any man who asks! Here new cities are yet to be born, new -business enterprises to be established, new farms to be tilled. Here -any man who chooses may have that most prized of all possessions,--a -home of his own! There is room for all! - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - THE NATIVE RACES - - -In speaking of the native races of Alaska it is not my purpose to enter -into the subject except in so far as it belongs to a book of this -character. As was said of the mines, the real student of such subjects -will find (in the journals devoted to ethnology) what definite -information he seeks. Strangely enough, however, a diligent search has -revealed that there is not to be found in any library a book or in any -magazine an article dealing with that most unusual custom which -prevails among the Eskimos,--the trial marriage. Whether this custom -exists among any other natives of the world I do not know. But I think -not. - -The natives of Alaska are of four groups. First, the _Eskimos_, who -dwell in the northern part of the territory in the area near the Arctic -Ocean and Bering Sea. Second, the _Aleut_, a people closely related to -the Eskimos, who are to be found only in the Aleutian Islands and the -mainland adjacent thereto. Third, the _Thlinkits_, who are Indians and -confined to the southeastern section of the country known as the -Panhandle. Fourth, the _Athabaskans_, of the same stock as the American -Indian, who occupy the interior and touch the coast only at Cook Inlet. - -The Thlinkits were once the most civilized and at the same time the -most warlike of the native tribes. When the Russians came they found -them living in well-built log houses and with an organized tribal -system. They are to-day of greater intelligence than any of the other -native tribes and are skilled craftsmen. The Athabaskans, on the other -hand, with the exception of some of the most isolated Eskimo tribes, -are the least civilized. Only those on the coast have any kind of -tribal organization and this is not countenanced by the United States -Government. Like the clansmen of Scotland, they seem to group -themselves in families. The Aleuts were once quite prosperous, expert -in the taking of the sea-otter, a very difficult animal to catch. The -ravages of the Russian fur-traders almost annihilated the native -population. They enslaved them and compelled them to capture the -sea-otters for them. But the latter are now almost extinct and the -Aleuts eke out a precarious existence by fishing and trapping foxes. -They call their habitations _barábaras_ and they resemble the igloos -of the Eskimos. - -It is the latter people that I know best and of whom I would speak -most. There are no Indians in St. Michael. The native people here are -wholly Eskimos, and one has to live among them to realize the moral -descent of a once-fine native race. One must know them in order to -comprehend the height from which they have fallen! In winter they live -in their igloos. And an igloo is a place so unspeakably filthy that one -can scarcely entertain a thought (much less a sight) of it. In summer -they live in tents. Yet----. In spite of their uncleanliness, in spite -of every other argument which may be urged against them, one always -finds himself at the end of his ruminations admitting to himself that, -after all, they are a fine native race! It is a conclusion at which he -never fails to arrive even in the face of appalling evidence. The -conviction will not be downed. - -I have often walked about their summer camps at St. Michael, Nome and -other localities. Always I have found the scene practically the same. -One cannot help being struck with the industry which the Eskimos -display. Every inmate of the tent will be at work! And each is at work -upon something _useful_! Not one of them will be caught idle. The -father usually will be seen carving a piece of ivory, or wood. The -Eskimos are skilled carvers. While President Taft was in office a -magnificent piece was sent him for his desk. It was carved from the -tusk of a walrus by a native. In the tent the mother will be making -_mukluks_, or fur boots, while the older daughter beats out and twists -the caribou sinew into that strong thread with which the furs and boots -are sewed. Let me add that they never come unsewed! The smaller -children will each be engaged in some light task, such as making -curios, or smoothing the first roughness off of the ivory from which -the father, later, will carve something. Every member of the family -will be engaged in producing _something of value_. Wherever one goes -among the Eskimos he will be struck by this admirable trait. - -They are a light-hearted, good-natured people, easily amused. They have -a ready smile for you as you pass them by. Compared with the white man -they are undersized. From my own six-feet-two they seem rather -diminutive to me when I look down upon them, but they are by no means -the dwarfs that people imagine them. The average height of the man is -five-feet-four. Tall Eskimos are not unusual. They are well-built, -graceful in movement and possessed of small hands and feet. The nose -(in some of the tribes) is flat, but in others it is quite the -opposite, and the mouth, although somewhat large, is always filled with -beautiful teeth. Their smile is most attractive. I have seen many -handsome Eskimos,--that is, they would be handsome if they were clean! - -The centaur of old was no more a part of his horse than the Eskimo is a -part of his boat. He is a born navigator,--as aquatic as a duck. He -fashions for himself a small boat of skin in which he practically -encloses himself. These boats are of two kinds and in their -construction the Eskimo reveals his ingenuity. They are cunningly -contrived and cleverly managed. With this primitive craft he performs -all sorts of unbelievable stunts. An expert and daring fisherman is he. -The smaller boat (called a _kayak_) is a sealskin canoe and is a rather -tiny affair. It has circular hatches for one man. The _bidarka_ (or -_bidocky_) will hold two men. But the _baidará_ is made of walrus hide -and will hold from twenty to thirty persons. It will live in a heavy -sea and is taken on long sea voyages. The stranger who travels even a -short distance in one, however, usually does so with his heart in his -mouth most of the time. The fabric belies its looks. It appears so -flimsy as to be dangerous and the water is plainly visible underneath. -But the natives walk boldly about in them. Every step depresses the -skin for two or three inches, but long experience has taught them that -the spot on which they stand will sustain the weight of a ton! I have -actually seen them turn a summersault in the water with one of these -home-made craft and come up smiling! Yet, strange to say, while they -are, apparently, more at home on the water than on the land, few of -them swim. Perhaps it is that the water is too cold. - -Who that has seen these diminutive people venture forth into a -treacherous and perilous sea with naught between them and death but -this tiny home-made boat to do battle with the huge monsters of the -ice-encumbered deep--the whale, the walrus and the seal--can question -their courage? Not I! The Eskimo has made no effort to conquer his -environment. More wisely he has adapted himself to it and constrained -it to his needs. The land of his birth is inhospitable. His environment -is savage. He wrings his sustenance from the land only by powerful -effort, and human nature takes on a new dignity in the life of such -people. Only the sturdiest of creatures, set naked in an Arctic world, -could rise superior to such an environment. - -As for the Eskimo woman,--in youth she is not unattractive, often -quite good-looking, in fact. But I hereby testify that of all the -hideously unattractive and ugly creatures known to the human race the -full-blooded, middle-aged Eskimo woman carries off the palm. As it was -in the beginning, before God said "Let there be light"--she is without -form and void! She ages rapidly. She dresses as do the men, in the -_parka_, a long, loose garment reaching to the knee, made of muskrat -and reindeer skin in winter and of drill in summer, fur-seal boots and -breeches. As the men are nearly always smooth-faced it is often -difficult to tell them apart. They both use tobacco. And they are -nothing if not economical! They chew it until every particle of flavor -has vanished. Then they dry and smoke it! - -A friend of mine, a well-known woman writer who once served the -American Minister to China as personal secretary, one day confided to -me that since the day she left the celestial empire (some fifteen years -ago) she had never seen any dirt worth mentioning! Obviously, she has -never glimpsed the interior of an igloo! With an American Army Officer -of the Medical Corps I once visited one. We were told that it was one -of the cleanest Eskimo villages in Alaska. The saints preserve me from -a visit to the dirtiest one! An igloo is a windowless hut, shut tight -against the air. It is usually crowded with a large family, grossly -clad in skins which are poorly tanned, partly decayed. They are -unspeakably fed, greasy of skin. Refuse of every kind was piled about -the igloo and a recent thaw made the place a mass of liquid filth. - -Of course, the reason for all this is apparent, and in a way -unavoidable. Fuel is scarce and hard to obtain. Therefore, ventilation, -with its waste of heat, would be fatally extravagant. Food is gathered -in summer and stored for winter. When it comes out of storage much of -it is decayed. Crowding is unavoidable and this means filth and -infection. Water is scanty, cleanliness impossible. All this leads to -the prevalence of disease and the disease most prevalent is -tuberculosis. Moreover, this village which we visited has no doctor. -The nearest one is seven miles away. - -Conditions in Alaska, so far as medical relief for the natives is -concerned, are distressing and inexcusable. Year after year, with -persistent regularity, the Sundry Civil Appropriation Committee of the -House strikes out the modest sum of seventy-five thousand dollars -petitioned for by the Board of Education for medical relief work among -the natives of Alaska. In all southeastern Alaska there is but one -hospital for natives,--a Presbyterian institution at Haines. Dr. -Romig, a former Moravian Medical Missionary in the Bristol Bay district -in Bering Sea, gave as an estimate that forty per cent of the Eskimo -population of this district, numbering some seventeen hundred people, -were afflicted with transmissible diseases--chiefly tuberculosis, -syphilis and trachoma. The physical condition of these people is -pitiable in the extreme. Yet the government provides _one_ physician -and a small inadequate infirmary without proper equipment and -maintained in an abandoned schoolhouse! - -Contrast this with what is being done for the Indians of the United -States. For the three hundred thousand there are now employed two -hundred doctors, eighty nurses, seven dentists, seventy field matrons, -and seventy-seven miscellaneous hospital attendants. Also, the -government maintains for the Indians forty-nine hospitals, four -tuberculosis sanitaria with a capacity for caring for a thousand four -hundred and ninety-nine patients! The reason for the striking contrast -between this and the shameful neglect of the Alaskan natives ought to -be found and removed. The present condition is a reproach to us as a -nation. Not only this, it is a menace to the health and safety of the -white people already there and an argument against the coming of -others. - -Much has been said and written of the origin of the Eskimos. There is a -difference of opinion as to whence, originally, they came. My own -belief is that they are of Mongolian origin. A similarity of language -would tend to strengthen this belief. When it comes to a native tongue -I confess that the Eskimo has a peculiarity which is unique and -baffling, more so than I have ever encountered in any other language. I -once got up against this in a manner which took some time to untangle. -As United States Commissioner at St. Michael it was part of my duty to -try offenders against the law. The first time the offender chanced to -be an Eskimo I suddenly discovered that I had troubles of my own. -Apparently his _no_ meant _yes_, and vice versa. I could not understand -it at first, but at last it dawned upon me that although he spoke -brokenly in English he was _thinking_ in his own tongue. For instance, -I would say to him: - -"You did so-and-so, didn't you?" - -"Yes!" he would reply, when I knew very well that he meant to deny it. - -I called in a priest, a man who spoke the native language, from whom I -learned that my surmise was correct. The Eskimo, when he says yes means -"Yes, I did _not_!" When he says no he means "No, I _did_!" There you -are! One has to be mentally cross-eyed in order to get him! - -The Eskimos are very peaceable people except when (in violation of the -law) the white man sells them whisky. It must be acknowledged that the -latter has done little to encourage their uplift. In fact, he is -largely to blame for the demoralized condition of the Eskimo to-day. -One may no longer sell liquor in Alaska, but the mischief, so far as -the natives is concerned, is already done. For a long time there seemed -no way to prevent the furnishing of whisky to the Eskimos. A law might -cover it, it is true. But experience has taught me that if a man is -clever enough and unscrupulous enough he can drive a horse and wagon -through the best law that was ever made! Where there was no saloon the -liquor was furnished the natives in the guise of pay or bribe, and -every man who has lived in Alaska knows how little regard the white man -has had for the sanctity of the native home. Wives and daughters were -constantly dishonored. If the husband or father protested or put up a -fight he was overcome by threats or bribes and given liquor to drink -until what natural good qualities he once possessed disappeared -forever. - -If one would see the native races at their best he must see them as far -as possible from the haunts of the white men. There he will find them -by no means an inferior people. I know of one cannery where every -employee except the superintendent and the bookkeeper is a native, and -one has but to observe their work to be convinced of their capability. -But it seems impossible for them to live near the white people without -both whites and natives starting down hill. From the acquaintance to -the debauchery of the native woman by a certain type of white man is -but a step. It has not been a great many years since the whalers used -to come up from San Francisco to winter in the Arctic and catch whales. -Their first act on arriving was to carry off the native women, take -them aboard the vessels and keep them all winter. In the spring when -they got ready to return they would throw them ashore unceremoniously. -This went on many years but has now been stopped by the government. -Sometimes the white men marry the native women and when they do they -quickly sink to their level. The native man, always imitative of the -white man, in time forsakes the hunting and fishing which once -furnished him an honest living and sooner or later he is to be seen -hanging around the villages, picking up odd jobs. - -Some of the customs of the natives of Alaska (and elsewhere) are both -quaint and startling. When a native guest enters a house neither host -nor guest take notice of each other. The host goes on with his work and -the visitor either assists him or produces some of his own. When he -departs, however, the host says to him: - -"Inûvdluaritse!" (Live well!) - -But they greet the white visitor in smiling friendliness and when he -leaves the host usually says to him: - -"Aporniakinatit!" (Do not hurt thy head!) Presumably this is a warning -against the upper part of the low doorway. - -The Eskimo's idea of hospitality sometimes extends to lengths which are -somewhat appalling and occasionally it requires not a little diplomacy -to refuse them without giving offense. When one gets caught in an -Eskimo village and has to spend the night there it is the commonest of -occurrences for the man of the house to offer him not only the freedom -of his home but his wife as well! Among the natives the interchange of -wives is common. - -And this brings us to that most discussed of all questions,--the -morality (or the lack of it) of the native peoples of the earth. No -matter to what far corner of the world one may journey he will find -this problem the same in all of them. The Eskimo is no exception. -Before the coming of the white man he was utterly godless. He had no -religion, no form of worship, no imagery, no idea of any "happy hunting -ground" hereafter. In many sections this is still true, although they -have been brought under the influence of the church in some localities. - -In St. Michael the natives are not permitted to live in the village, -but their tents dot the hillsides around and during the summer months -the streets are alive with them. Often they come from great distances -with their furs, carved ivory, etc., which they have for sale. Their -winter dwelling, the igloo, is a pit in the ground, roofed over with -logs and sometimes, not always, a window made of fish skin or the -entrail of a walrus. The hut is entered by a kind of ante-chamber in -the top of which is a hole large enough to admit a man. If he chances -to be a large man he sometimes has difficulty in getting through! He -must descend a ladder to a narrow passage or tunnel which leads to the -principal room, often fifteen or twenty feet from the entrance. The -sole furniture of a native residence is a seal-oil lamp which is used -for both heating and cooking. It is lighted in the autumn and burns -incessantly until spring. - -The igloo is usually from six to eight feet high and about thirty feet -in circumference. Often it houses from ten to twenty persons. During -the cold and stormy weather every aperture is closed. How they endure -the odor and the vitiated air is something no white man can understand. -The summer dwellings were formerly constructed above ground and -consisted of light poles roofed over with skins. Now, however, these -have given way to the ordinary tent which is not only cheaper but -preferable for many reasons. - -In almost every village, or native settlement, the visitor will find -the council-house, a much larger hut than the others. It is called a -_kashga_, and is used also as a sort of club where the youths and the -unmarried men of the village congregate. Here matters of importance are -discussed and guests from a distance lodged. The hut is usually about -twenty feet square and ten feet high. - -It was in one of these _kashgas_ that I had what was perhaps the most -interesting experience in connection with the native races that I have -had during the years that I have lived in Alaska. I have come in touch -with the ceremonies of the natives of many corners of the earth, but -this one was unique,--even more so than the celebrated Snake Dance of -the Hopi, of Arizona. I had once been able to befriend a young Eskimo. -In gratitude for the favor he invited me to attend a native festival to -which (he gave me to understand) no white man had ever been admitted. -Whether this meant that no white man had _ever_ been admitted or that -none had seen the ceremony as indulged in by this particular tribe I am -unable to say. Nevertheless I understood that he was attempting to -honor me. I confess that it was with some misgivings that I went, but I -have never been sorry. - -This particular ceremony was known as The Ten Year Festival. Some tribe -from another locality is asked to visit the home tribe and the ceremony -is held during the visit. The visitors this year came from Unalakleet, -bringing large quantities of gifts and many of them going back -empty-handed at the end of the festival. "Potlatching," or trading, is -the favorite occupation of the Eskimos and many a time have I been a -victim. But I usually hastened to "potlatch" whatever I happened to -draw off onto some one else at the earliest possible opportunity! - -In some respects the Ten Year Festival is not unlike the ceremonies of -the American Indians. In the _kashga_, heated to suffocation, the -natives and their visitors foregather. A square hole is cut in the -floor and a sort of shelf, or bench, runs around the sides of the room. -On this bench sit the principal personages of the tribe, their feet -dangling and not infrequently kicking those below them in the face. The -"orchestra" with their tom-toms begin their monotonous drumming. The -medicine man is heard below chanting a weird tribal song and presently -his head appears through the hole in the floor. He comes up, dancing -and singing, both song and chant increasing in intensity as he appears. -The other members of the tribe join the dance and the song. Their -motions become more and more violent. A perspiration which is largely -grease, due to the oil which exudes from their skin, rolls from their -naked bodies as they writhe and lash themselves into a perfect frenzy. -The women join the dance, cavorting about unclothed, just as the men -do. - -The final episode of the ceremony occurs when the medicine man breaks -from the _kashga_ and runs outside in the bitter cold. Of course, -everything is frozen tight, but a hole is cut in the Bay and into the -ice-cold water he plunges, returning to the _kashga_ dripping wet. He -then tells them that he has been in consultation with the Great Spirit, -or whatever it is that they call their ruling power, and that he has -been instructed to tell them that the crops will be good, the furs -plentiful, that they will be successful in catching the walrus and the -seal. - -I have already spoken of the unusual custom of the trial marriage which -exists among the natives of the Far North. So far as I know, it exists -nowhere else,--at least under supervision of the church. But when the -United States purchased Alaska there was a paragraph in the treaty -which read as follows: - -"The inhabitants of the ceded territory, according to their choice, -reserving their natural allegiance, may return to Russia within three -years, but if they should prefer to remain in the ceded territory they, -with the exception of the uncivilized tribes, shall be admitted to the -enjoyments and all the rights, advantages and immunities of citizens of -the United States, and shall be maintained and protected in the full -enjoyment of their liberty, property and religion. The uncivilized -tribes will be subject to such laws and regulations as the United -States may from time to time adopt in regard to aboriginal tribes of -that country." - -The supposition is that the "laws and regulations" were not immediately -forthcoming and that gradually the natives came under the influence of -the Greek Catholic Church. The trial marriage is a blending of the -customs of both of these. - -I presume that there is no other place in the world where the natives -approach more nearly to living in a state of nature than here. This -applies as much to their family life as to their out-door existence. In -former times when the Eskimo man and woman decided that they would like -to wage the war of life together, to combine against their implacable -foes, the cold, the storm and the darkness, they just went ahead and -did it. This was and in many cases still is the beginning and the end -of the subject of marriage with them. The native custom in the olden -days was a somewhat strenuous experience for the bride. It is still -followed, but it has now become a mere ceremony, quaint and -picturesque. The young Eskimo seldom "falls in love." He selects a -wife, usually choosing her for her health and strength. In the olden -days, having picked her out, he would lie in wait for her, seize her by -the hair of her head and drag her off to his igloo, the whole family -following and (apparently) attempting to rescue her. Strangely enough, -his choice was not always the young girl. There was a lively -competition for widows, especially if they were the mothers of sons who -would be able to help bring in the whale and keep the wolf from the -door. - -Of Eskimo morality and civilization there are many degrees. Some of the -tribes as yet untouched by the influence of the missionaries have -moral laws of extreme refinement. And they live up to them! Do you know -of another spot on earth where _both man and woman_ who have proved -guilty of unfaithfulness are meted out the same punishment? I do not. -But the reindeer Koriaks, one of the tribes not far from Nome, place -the greatest stress upon loyalty and chastity of both man and woman, -and the punishment for both, when they transgress the law, is instant -death! - -As to many of the tribes, however, little can be said and that little -is not to their credit. They have no higher conception of life than -that which is wholly animalistic. Through all the long ages, with them -a physical act has been merely a physical act. It has had no moral -significance. And can the idea of untold ages be easily eradicated? -And, after all, are they worse than other people? Comparisons are -odious. But it must be remembered that these natives live out their -lives thus _thinking no evil_! What, then, of the white man, born with -the knowledge of the moral significance which is attached to the -personal relationship and who has permitted himself to become degraded -by the vices of civilization? The native man is _un_moral. The white -man is _im_moral. There is a difference! Moreover, the Scarlet Letter -is not alone for the Hester Prynnes of Old Plymouth. From time -immemorial among some of the tribes of the North the unchaste Eskimo -woman has been forced to wear a sign of her degradation,--a green band -in her hair. However, unlike Hester Prynne, she is given another -chance, albeit an unfair one. If she gives birth to an able-bodied boy -she becomes an object of unusual and sincere respect and her green band -becomes, as it were, a crown. - -Humanity itself, in the Far North, sometimes becomes quite as cold and -frozen as the land itself. But there is one thing which never fails to -thaw it,--children. And any one who lives long in the north country can -not but realize that children are of vital necessity in any -sparsely-settled land. The Reverend Hudson Stuck, to whose admirable -volume, _Voyages on the Yukon_, reference has already been made, -relates a good story bearing on this point. Long residence in Alaska -has taught him much that has never yet been writ in books and has made -of him, although a man of the strictest religious convictions, kindly -tolerant of the frailties of humankind. Above all else, he is -impatient, as we all are, of the non-essentials in education which are -being crammed down the throats of the natives by teachers, often due to -youth and inexperience, while the essentials, the things of real value -to them as individuals and to the country as a whole, are neglected. -The Archdeacon relates that once he visited a Mission where the man in -charge, a youth, with misguided enthusiasm, boasted that there was -neither a half-breed nor an illegitimate child in the village! The -Archdeacon received the information in silence, but after a tour of -inspection he returned to the subject. - -"I see no children at all," he remarked. "Aren't there any?" - -The young man proudly admitted that there were none,--whereupon the -Archdeacon proceeded to shock him. - -"I much prefer half-breed children or even illegitimate children to no -children at all!" he said. "By the grace of God, much may be done with -the half-breed or even the illegitimate child. But in the name of all -that is hopeless and preposterous," he finished, "what can ever be -accomplished in a country where there are _no children at all_?" - -It has always been a matter of real regret to me that the Archdeacon -did not record the answer to his question! - -Just when the custom of the trial marriage in its present form -originated I do not know. That it must have entered with or at least -followed closely in the wake of the Greek Catholic Church is -undeniable. As was the case with the native ceremonies of the American -Indians,--the Sun Dance, the Ghost Dance, the Flute Dance and the Snake -Dance--_religious_ ceremonies, every one of them, exaggerated and -highly-colored reports of which were carried to the government by -over-enthusiastic and sometimes fanatical missionaries and agents with -the result that the government took steps to suppress them, the trial -marriage of the natives of Alaska, while not yet suppressed, now rests -under official displeasure. A part of my duty was to investigate this -subject. I did so--with a result more astonishing to myself than it -could possibly have been to any one else. Like the man of old who went -to the temple to scoff and remained to pray, I issued forth from this -investigation with most of my preconceived theories on the subject -knocked galley-west. Some of my hitherto staunchest principles, if not -quite broken, were so badly bent that I have never yet been able to -hammer them out quite straight again! - -I had it out one day with Father B----, a priest of the Greek Church, a -benevolent and kindly old man who in the early days of his mission -among the Eskimos had cherished a dream of them as a separate -people,--a race apart, who should work out their own salvation with the -_assistance_ (not the _insistence_) of a wisely directed form of -religion. That dream for a while promised to be realized, at least to a -certain extent. But with the coming of the first white men, most of -whom were utterly lawless, he saw his vision fade and finally vanish. -Nevertheless he worked on and the trial marriage is his solution of the -problem. It is a sort of welding of the customs of both the native and -the church. - -There is one point in regard to the custom on which I wish to be -plainly understood. In Alaska it is against the law for an unmarried -man and woman to live together. To say that the custom exists with the -_consent_ of the Church is wholly unfair. Every one who has lived in -such a country as this knows very well that many of the customs as well -as the laws are born of necessity, and the custom of the trial marriage -is unquestionably one of these. It certainly exists with the -_knowledge_ of the Church and its origin undoubtedly lies in this fact: -The parishes over which one priest has jurisdiction lie far apart. A -visit to each of them is possible only about once a year. Without the -Church there would be _no_ marriage, even a belated one. Not -infrequently it happens that a young Eskimo who wishes a wife goes to -the priest and asks his assistance in finding one. The girl may (and -often does) live in one parish and the young man in another. He will -either go to her home or she will go to his. But they can not be -married until the next visit of the priest which is sometimes a whole -year later. - -Before the priest will consent to assist the youth in finding a -suitable companion, however, he makes certain requirements which the -young man must meet. He must build an igloo, furnish it and stock it -with supplies. He must then construct his boat in order that he may -fish and thus make a living for them both. This done he may have his -girl. _Score one in favor of the trial marriage!_ He may _not_ have her -unless he is prepared to house and support her. When his igloo and boat -are complete the young people go to the new home and live together for -one year. At the end of the year, however, they must be married by the -ceremony of the Church. If they do not come to him to be married the -priest seeks them out and forbids them to live together any longer. - -While the idea itself rather sticks in one's throat, the thoughtful man -can not deny that the trial marriage has much to recommend it. They who -have come most closely in touch with it, the missionaries and priests, -say that it is indeed seldom that the couple fail to return at the end -of the year to be married. When they do, it is asserted, there is -usually a reason, and when this reason exists, they claim, it is far -better for them to separate. The year of trial has proved that they are -not suited to each other. If a child has come to them, the mother takes -it and goes back to her people, and both the man and woman may select -another mate and enter into another compact if they desire. But this -seldom happens. - -I argued the question to a finish with Father B----. He could not be -moved from his position and in the end I could but acquiesce in much -that he said. How much better this system is than that which prevails -under the stress of our present day civilization! In the rapid and -feverish life of the cities of the world to-day,--what happens? The -lover and his lass during the period of courtship put forth their whole -stock of attractiveness. Seeing each other periodically it is quite -simple to keep out of sight one's faults and weaknesses. No sooner are -they married than the hitherto concealed frailties begin to appear. -Then----. They realize that there exists a _bond_ between them and more -often than not, like a dog straining at his leash, they endeavor to -find out just how elastic the tie is,--just how far they can strain or -stretch it. First arguments, then differences, then quarrels. Before -they know it the cord snaps. Life is never the same again. Lovers' -quarrels may be made up. Family quarrels never! What then? Nine times -out of ten, for social or economic reasons, they go on living together, -ekeing out an unhappy and often tortured existence. What could be -worse? That which (for lack of a better term to apply to it) we call -the social evil is not confined to the scarlet woman of the streets. It -often exists in the best families of the land! - -Among these people of the Northland, however, it is different. Both the -youth and the maiden know very well that at the end of the year there -is a possibility of either leaving the other. The result of this -knowledge is that from the very first they fall into the habit of -trying to please each other! And it is a habit they seldom outgrow. If -they find that they can _not_ please each other they are privileged to -separate,--in fact, are required to do so. They are not permitted to -remain together quarreling all their lives and ruining the family life -of the children who come to them. This, in my judgment, explains the -light-heartedness of the Eskimos. They are a happy people and the -parents never punish the children. Domesticity counts for much among -them. Home is sanctuary from the elements. They have little else,--but -they have each other! The manner in which they are forced to live for -so many months of the year, so closely confined, draws them very -closely together. I question whether what they lack, or what we imagine -they lack, does not matter less than we think. To me it seems that they -miss little of life's essential meaning. They do not have much, it is -true. They are often ill-fed. They are not intellectual. They are not -sentimental. They are just human! And although they may be for months -shut in by the icy blasts of winter they do not complain. Why? Because -no cold can penetrate the inner glow and warmth which is born of an -adequate comradeship! - -The trial marriage permits the indulgence in one of their quaintest of -customs. No Eskimo maiden ever accepts a proposal of marriage. -Indifference to the attention of her admirer is the acme of good form! -I find that "keeping up appearances" is characteristic of humanity -whether the latter dwell on Greenland's icy mountain or India's coral -strand! And propinquity is and ever has been the most prolific parent -of love--at either the North Pole or the Equator. The "force" with -which the Eskimo youth of to-day seizes his bride by the hair to -"drag" her off to his igloo is altogether counterfeit, as is also the -attempt on the part of her family to "rescue" her. It is merely the -indulgence in one of their most ancient customs. - -I have been much among the natives,--especially those who abide on my -island, and because of what I have seen of their family life I am -almost a convert to the system. As a rule the Eskimo makes a good -husband, willing to perform any labor, endure any hardship or suffer -any deprivation in order to procure food for his wife and children. -Many an Arctic man of my acquaintance has died for his family, and I am -often reminded when I think of them of the familiar lines: - - "All love that hath not friendship for its base - Is like a mansion built upon the sand! - Love, to endure life's sorrow and earth's woe, - _Needs friendship's solid masonry below_!" - -It is said that some one once asked Diogynes this question: - -"At what age is it best for a man to marry?" - -With the classical brevity of the Greeks he replied: - -"In youth it is too soon,--in age too late!" - -I disclaim any intention of offering a treatise on the subject of -marriage, but the investigation of this custom of the natives -unquestionably gave me a huge jolt! It turned my thoughts into a -channel which otherwise I might never have had occasion to explore. -Would that I could chart it! If only we could bring ourselves to regard -marriage as a profession and would set ourselves in a business-like way -to excelling in it! Could it in any way detract from its dignity? Or -its sacredness? Surely not. Medicine and surgery are professions. The -Law is a profession, and the Church. Diplomacy, legislation and arms -are professions. Marriage is the greatest of all professions,--and the -most difficult of any to master! One may master to a degree which -may be regarded as little short of perfection the other -professions,--music, art, oratory, etc. What man of to-day has the -conceit to regard himself as a well-nigh perfect husband? - -That the rewards of marriage are incomparable is undeniable. Life's -journey, at best, is lonely. No man can deny that even though his daily -task may take him amidst the crowd he lives the greater part of his -life alone! A dear and close companionship is all that makes life -tolerable. Nothing else ever has, will or can. Fame is a delusion and a -snare. Ambition is a disease. Affectionate companionship and a home are -the only things worth having. Why not build a _home_ instead of a -house? Why not go about the process in a business-like way? Why not -make honor and loyalty fashionable and permit faithlessness to go out -of style? - -One of America's foremost writers declares repeatedly throughout his -excellent novels that judgment has never yet entered into the selection -of a mate,--that sentiment and emotion alone decide the after life of -every couple who are wed. This is, unfortunately, true except in rare -cases. None would care to abolish wholly the electrical current which -flashes between the sexes. And yet----. Marriage entered into from a -sense of duty on both sides is not without its strong argument. He who -undertakes marriage because he regards it as both a duty and a -privilege, or solely from a sense of duty, who either actively or -passively selects a mate for no other reason, is very likely because of -that same sense of duty to fulfill his obligations faithfully and to -behave well. Nothing in all the earth is quite so fine as an active -conscience! For such a man life reserves some of her grandest hours. -The Golden Apples do not grow so far above the heads of any of us that -we can not reach out and gather them if we try! And he who follows the -path of duty will find his own apple quite as luscious and sweet at -the core as that of him who trod the flowery road of personal pleasure! - -I am one of those who hope that with the end of the great World War a -new spirit of tolerance may spread its white wings over all the world -and that sooner or later some of the time-worn social rules and -regulations, archaic because designed for a civilization two thousand -years ago, may be abrogated or at least amended and modified. May the -day come when life shall be individual, when creed and dogma shall be -buried in a grave so deep that there shall be no possibility of a -Resurrection! When that nameless and indefinite thing known as Public -Opinion shall be forced to lower its threatening finger and lose its -power! When all men and all women shall enjoy the privilege of working -out, each for himself and herself, that most potent factor in the human -experience, namely, the personal relationship, and when we shall all -live saner, cleaner, healthier, happier and _more moral_ lives in -consequence! - -Dr. William H. Dall, Paleontologist of the United States Geological -Survey and Honorary Curator of Mollusks at the National Museum at -Washington, D. C., has written the following charming verses about the -natives of Alaska. "Innuit" is the name by which the Eskimo calls -himself and his people from Greenland to Mt. St. Elias. The _topek_ is -the winter house of turf and walrus hide. In the igloo, or snow house, -there is no wood. All Innuit believe in evil spirits which are supposed -to dwell far inland, away from the shores. In times of starvation -Innuit ethics permit a mother to put her baby, when she can no longer -feed it, out in the snow to die. The child's mouth must be stuffed with -mud or grass. Otherwise its spirit will return and be heard crying -about the house at night. - -THE SONG OF THE INNUIT - - O, we are the Innuit people, - Who scatter about the floe - And watch for the puff of the breathing seal - While the whistling breezes blow. - By a silent stroke the ice is broke - And the struggling prey below - With the crimson flood of its spouting blood - Reddens the level snow. - - O, we are the Innuit people, - Who flock to the broken rim - Of the Arctic pack where the walrus lie - In the polar twilight dim. - Far from the shore their surly roar - Rises above the whirl - Of the eager wave, as the Innuit brave - Their flying lances hurl. - - O, we are the Innuit people - Who lie in the topek warm; - While the northern blast flies strong and fast - And fiercely roars the storm; - Recounting the ancient legends - Of fighting, hunting and play, - When our ancestors came from the southland tame - To the glorious Arctic day. - - There is one sits by in silence - With terror in her eyes, - For she hears in dreams the piteous screams - Of a cast-out babe that dies-- - Dies in the snow as the keen winds blow - And the shrieking northers come,-- - On that dreadful day when the starving lay - Alone in her empty home. - - O, we are the Innuit people, - And we lie secure and warm - Where the ghostly folk of the Nunatak - Can never do us harm. - Under the stretching walrus hide - Where at the evening meal - The well-filled bowl cheers every soul - Heaped high with steaming seal. - - The Awful Folk of the Nunatak - Come down in the hail and the snow, - And slash the skin of the kayak thin - To work the hunter woe. - They steal the fish from the next day's dish - And rot the walrus lines-- - But they fade away with the dawning day - As the light of summer shines. - - O, we are the Innuit people - Of the long, bright Arctic day, - When the whalers come and the poppies bloom - And the ice-floe shrinks away; - Afar in the buoyant umiak - We feather our paddle blades - And laugh in the light of the sunshine bright, - Where the white man's schooner trades. - - O, we are the Innuit people - Rosy and brown and gay; - And we shout as we sing of the wrestling ring - Or toss the ball at play. - In frolic chase we oft embrace - The waist of a giggling maid - As she runs on the sand of the Arctic strand - Where the ice-bears bones are laid. - - O, we are the Innuit people, - Content in our northern home; - Where the kayak's prow cuts the curling brow - Of the breakers snowy foam. - The merry Innuit people, - Of the cold, gray Arctic sea, - Where the breathing whale, the Aurora pale - And the snow-white foxes be. - -There is a diversity of opinion as to the ultimate fate of the native -races of the earth. To my mind there is but one answer. Search the wide -world over to-day and where will you find a wilderness? There are none -which the aggressive white man has not penetrated. And wherever the -white man enters the native man begins to disappear. It has always -been so, and it always will be so. - -If only the white man would let them alone! Is it not better to have -the vast Arctic spaces people by a native race than to have it -unpeopled by anybody? The Eskimos live where no one else on earth can -or will live. They are a picturesque and harmless people. In their -struggle for existence they have fought valiantly. Surely they have -earned the right to exist unmolested, earned it bravely. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - SOCIAL LIFE IN ALASKA - - -I have more than once been forced to endure the suppressed sympathy of -friends who live in the Interior because of my enforced residence on -St. Michael. It is a sympathy wholly wasted. St. Michael is a bright, -clean little place. There are few mosquitoes,--a fact which in itself -is a recommendation. Although the temperature is sometimes very low, -and although the Arctic winter sends down some terrific blizzards at -times, as a rule the short winter days are bright, still and pleasant. -If one wishes sport it is right at hand on the mainland,--wild geese, -duck, ptarmigan and caribou. There is also salmon fishing. - -As a brilliantly-colored thread is sometimes woven into a piece of -embroidery I find one vivid memory running through the years I have -lived on St. Michael. To me the most wonderful thing in connection with -those years is the transformation which takes place each year on the -day that the first ship anchors in the Bay. Like the Sleeping Beauty of -the fairy tale St. Michael suddenly wakens from her long winter's -sleep. No words can describe that awakening. It must be seen to be -appreciated. - -When the last boat leaves the island in October almost every one who -has been employed there during the summer season returns to the States -as there is nothing for them to do here during the long, dark months. -When the first boat comes in June, however, laden with tourists, -prospectors and business men, they all come back, and the scene which -follows their arrival is one that I have never seen equalled elsewhere. -I have in mind at this writing two good friends, the men who during the -years that I served as United States Commissioner at St. Michael, were -responsible for this transformation. When one remembers that fifty -thousand people passed through the port of St. Michael during the rush -to Nome, it is apparent that theirs was no small task. One of these men -was Mr. A. F. Zipf, Traffic Manager of the Northern Navigation Company. -The other was S. J. Sanguineti, a splendid son of sunny California. -Everything connected with transportation in and out of Alaska was in -the hands of Mr. Zipf, while Mr. Sanguineti had charge of the -provisioning of hotels and boats, the providing of eating and sleeping -accommodations for the many who flocked each summer to the country. - -The efficiency displayed by these two men was a thing to create -admiration and enthusiasm. Because of Mr. Zipf's capability in managing -details, within thirty minutes after the landing every one employed in -St. Michael was in his place. The clerk was behind his counter, or back -of his desk in an office. The cook was in the kitchen and the -laundryman in the laundry. They did not even go first to the rooms -which had been engaged for them. Their baggage was placed therein for -them and within the hour St. Michael fairly teemed with activity. The -men who had just gone to work looked as though they had been there -always. In the same deft manner did Mr. Zipf handle the transfer of -passengers, baggage and freight (enormous in volume) which passed -through the port of St. Michael and went on up the Yukon. Every detail -had been carefully worked out before the landing. - -In these stirring days of our national life I have thought many times -of these two men and wondered that the United States Government has not -sought them out for positions of responsibility. Both would be master -hands in helping to untangle the complicated mass of detail which now -taxes the strength and the ability of our country. Uncle Sam never had -greater need for her men of proved efficiency. - -Social life is not wanting in St. Michael, or in any other community in -Alaska. We have reached a period in our career where we thoroughly -resent being pictured as a collection of wild and lawless mining camps -where faro banks, drinking joints and vigilance committees abound. The -resident of the Outside, unless forewarned, would open his eyes wide if -asked to attend a garden party, or a four o'clock tea, in one of the -larger Alaskan towns. Evening dress after six o'clock is not at all -unusual for both men and women. The women's clubs are very much alive -and engaged in the same activities as those of the States. In fact, one -finds in the various sections of Alaska most of the normal -manifestations of cultured civilization,--the elements which contribute -to the upbuilding of an intelligent, law-abiding commonwealth. - -[Illustration: "SCOTTY" ALLEN AND BALDY] - -[Illustration: GENE DOYLE, ONE OF THE OLDEST MAIL CARRIERS ON SEWARD -PENINSULA. A HERO OF THE TRAIL!] - -[Illustration: COMING IN TO ST. MICHAEL WITH OUR THIRTY-THREE-DOG TEAM -AFTER GOING OUT TO MEET THE MAIL CARRIER] - -[Illustration: DUTCH HARBOR] - -The subject of intemperance in Alaska has been much dwelt upon, and -rightly, for it became such a menace to the future development of the -country that the Alaskans themselves voluntarily did away with it. It -was not forced upon them by any legislation. Formerly liquor played a -great part in the life of the country and in this connection, no matter -what one's convictions may be, it must be acknowledged that there were -extenuating circumstances. The same is true of the men now in the -service in the European War. The soldier who, wounded, has lain on the -battlefield eight or ten hours in a driving rain, or all during a -chill, frosty night, often has to have a stinging hot stimulant if his -life is to be saved. It is not a matter of principle. It is a thing of -necessity. What man is courageous enough to take upon himself the -responsibility of saying that it shall not be given him? He may never -have tasted it before in his life. It was just so with these Alaskan -pioneers,--were they not soldiers, too, the advance guard, as it were, -of a new civilization? They entered into a bleak and practically -unknown land where Nature frowned savagely upon them on every hand. The -half-starved, half-frozen, not-sufficiently-clad follower of the trail -had to keep life in him some way while he made those first long, hard -journeys through a practically unpeopled land. It was not always -possible to have fire. So his flask was often his salvation. But liquor -came to be the curse of Alaska and now the country, of its own -volition, has gone "bone-dry." The only business which has now no -chance of succeeding in Alaska is the saloon. - -Not a great while ago an Alaskan Carrie Nation broke forth from the -ranks of patient and long-suffering women and did some effective work. -She lived at _Mile Twenty-three and a Half_, the other name of which -village is _Roosevelt_. It is a station between Seward and Anchorage on -the new government railroad. Her real name is Mrs. Dabney and she does -not in the least enjoy being regarded as the prototype of her -belligerent sister from Kansas, U. S. A. In fact, her method is -different from the original Carrie. She does not harangue on the -subject, neither does she go forth with an ax and smash saloons. Her -way is just to remark quietly that "she won't stand for it!" - -Anchorage was a tiny village until they began building the railroad. -Then before anyone knew it it became a bustling town of eight thousand. -The government made it a prohibition town, announcing that drinking -among the employees would not be tolerated and that liquor should not -be sold at the road houses. Now, having had some experience in this -line, I am convinced that nowhere else in the world (with the possible -exception of the Foreign Legion) can so many different types of men be -found as in a railroad construction gang or a lumber camp! And there -were all kinds at _Mile Twenty-three and a Half_! - -Mrs. Dabney was a fine housekeeper and cook. She saw no reason why she -should not make the best of her ability in this line so she established -herself in a square log house and often fed from seventy-five to a -hundred men a day and gave sleeping quarters to as many as the house -would accommodate. As has been said, she let it be known that there -would be no drinking because "she just wouldn't stand for it!" - -The Fourth of July came along, however, and about twenty-five of the -men decided that they would celebrate the event. They proceeded to -collect the ingredients for said celebration, a part of which consisted -of a demijohn and several bottles of whisky. While they were in the -midst of their hilarity,--enter Mrs. Dabney! She ordered the "boss" -(who, by the way, was her employer!) to his room. In fact she escorted -him thither and locked him in after telling him to go to bed. Then she -went back down stairs, gathered up the bottles and the demijohn and -threw them into Lake Kenai. When she returned she said quietly that she -had no intention of cleaning up after a lot of drunken men, that the -government had forbidden drinking and that not one of them could ever -come to her table again. The men departed without argument. The next -day, however, headed by the "boss," they returned. They stated in the -outset that they had not come to ask her to take them back but merely -to express their regret,--that she was quite right in refusing to be -bothered with a crowd of men who would not obey the law. - -This act is characteristic of Alaskan men. I know no corner of the -earth where a good woman is held in higher esteem. The men themselves -are often unconscious of this characteristic, but it crops out in their -little mannerisms. For instance, there are two ways of addressing a -woman in Alaska. As one writer has already expressed it, "We call one -kind of woman by her first name and don't know that she has any other. -But the other kind of woman,--we call her _Mrs._! And we don't know -whether she has a first name or not!" - -It was so with this woman. Neither miner, traveler, trader, workman nor -wayfarer ever thinks of calling her other than Mrs. Dabney. But my -experience is that there is no straighter way to a woman's heart than a -manly and sincere apology! So, in this case, when she said quietly to -the men that she had tried to give them good, clean food to eat and a -comfortable place to sleep, that all she asked of them was that they -obey the rules and not make her work more difficult or more -disagreeable than was necessary, she made friends of those men forever. -They respected her because they realized that she herself respected -the law and stood for its enforcement. Finally she permitted them to -return, but she ended the interview by saying: - -"You needn't think you can fool me, either. Any time one of you brings -whisky into this house I can find it. More than that," she finished, -"B---- says to-morrow is his birthday and he's going to celebrate. But -he ain't,--even if he _is_ the Mayor of Roosevelt!" - -The men of Alaska, while they admit that the free use of liquor was -once almost a necessity in the country, see no reason why it should be -so now. Civilization has brought with it other and better means of -keeping warm and in good spirits. Like many another thing of this -twentieth century it has outlived its usefulness. There are comfortable -homes in all the populated sections of Alaska now,--homes where one -sees just what he would find anywhere else in the world. Social -intercourse and family life are the same here as elsewhere. There is -tennis. There is golf. There are music and dancing, and a "chummy" -feeling seems to possess all the occupants of the land. There is a -general impression that life in a thinly-populated country is not -conducive to sociability. I have never found it so. There is a _bon -camaraderie_ in Alaska that I have found nowhere else in the world. -Perhaps it is of a brand not to be found except in the far spaces of -the universe! - -There is one Great Day in Alaska,--the day when the ice goes out of the -Bay in the spring! There is something about the sight and sound of -_flowing_ water which moves one strangely after nine long months of the -"still" cold. One relaxes unconsciously from a tenseness which until -that moment he has not realized has possessed him and in this -connection I would relate a bit of personal experience. - -Life here, as elsewhere, seems to take on new meaning in the -springtime. Merry boating or sailing parties are one of the favorite -amusements of the Alaskan summer. One evening,--it was the day that the -ice went out of the Bay,--I made one of a jolly party which went -sailing. The presence of an Army Post always adds to the social life of -any community, large or small, and stationed at St. Michael at this -time was an officer whose heroism and self-control saved the lives of -all but two of our party of eight. Captain Peter Lind was in charge of -the boat. We had known him long as an able seaman and therefore put -ourselves and our ladies into his keeping without the least thought of -possible disaster. From the Fort were two officers, Lieutenants Wood -and Pickering. The other members of the party were Dr. and Mrs. -McMillan, Mr. and Mrs. Bromfield and myself. When we were well out from -shore the boat suddenly capsized. Before we realized that anything was -happening we were in the water. The water was very cold, but the men -were good swimmers, and we managed to get a hold on the capsized boat. -We were all clinging to it when without the slightest warning over it -went again. The hour that followed was one which no member of that -little party will ever forget. Captain Lind disappeared. But the -magnificent cool-headedness of Lieutenant Wood caused the rest of us to -put up a stiff fight and resolve to die game if we had to. Finally -after a battle which reduced the strongest of us to utter exhaustion we -had the satisfaction of seeing six of our little party safely ashore. -Mrs. Bromfield and Captain Lind were lost. And the getting to land was -by no means the least thrilling part of the experience. The Eskimos on -the shore heard our calls, and although their little boats had not been -used all winter and were in need of repairs, they launched them quickly -and came to our aid. The boat in which I came in took water badly. But -one sturdy little Eskimo baled industriously while the other rowed. - -I once heard an old Frenchman singing a song about the wind in the -springtime. It ran like this: - - "Le vent que traverse la montagne - M'a rendu fou!" - - (The wind which crosses the mountain - Has driven me mad!) - -Each member of our little party realized that Captain Lind could not -have been himself at the moment of our disaster. The winter had been -very severe and I have frequently wondered whether the sight of the Bay -which for so long had been solid ice and had then so quickly melted -into beautiful, sparkling, _moving_ water,--just as a lovely woman -sometimes gives way suddenly to tears,--had not been the strongest -element in his sudden mental undoing. - -Civilization follows the flag wherever it goes. Army men are splendid -the world over, a fact formerly realized by the few but which is now -being driven home to the many by the great war. And the Army women----. -They are such "good fellows!" They, too, go with the flag to make a -home for their soldier husbands. And they care not a whit whether they -follow them into the sands of the desert or over the Arctic snows! - -I can not leave the story of St. Michael without reference to Gene -Doyle, the oldest mail carrier in our part of the country. Have you -ever thought what it means to be a mail carrier in Alaska? These men -are the real heroes of the trails. Over in the Canadian Yukon they -tolerate no such inhumane treatment of men. There no man may take out a -horse or a dog if the mercury registers lower than forty-five below -zero unless it is a case of life or death and even then one must get -permission from the Northwest Mounted Police. But the American mail man -_must_ go,--or lose his job! Many a time has Doyle set forth with the -temperature at sixty below, and you may rest assured that if he did not -show up on schedule time we made ready our sleds and went out to meet -him! There is no resident of Alaska who is not in sympathy with the -Rev. Hudson Stuck who has more than once expressed an ardent longing to -serve as Postmaster General for just one week! - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - THE PRIZE OF THE PACIFIC - - -Aside from our interests which are now bound up in the great war there -is no problem confronting the United States which is so vital as that -of Alaska and the Pacific Coast. Separated as she is from the -motherland by a foreign country, the shipping to and from Alaska is the -most important thing to be considered. True, two of her river systems -furnish five thousand miles of navigable water, but in winter they are -choked with ice and the country is as yet painfully short on railroads! -The Pacific Ocean is the great problem of the American people to-day -and Alaska is the prize beyond compute of the Pacific Coast. - -It is high time that the American people and the United States -Government as well rubbed their eyes and awakened to a fact long known -to the few of us who have been on guard. The cards were shuffled some -time ago and are just lying, waiting to be dealt in the greatest game -that has ever been played! Before the war we used to hear much talk -about the "control of the seas." How many of us realized what that -expression meant? The war has opened our eyes. Who is it that has the -shuffled cards lying ready? Who is it that _wants_ the Pacific? The -answer is ready and instant. _Japan!_ - -Every school boy knows that the United States owns the Aleutian -Islands. He knows also that they stretch all the way across to Asia and -separate Bering Sea from the Pacific. In this group of Islands is one -which has an ice-free front. It is called Dutch Harbor. It would prove -an excellent base, if properly fortified, in the control of the Pacific -Ocean. Out of our hands Dutch Harbor would be just as effective a -barrier _against_ us as Gibraltar now is against Spain! In time of war -a naval enemy would have a good chance of beating us to Dutch Harbor -and accomplishing what we, with a lack of foresight have failed to -do,--bar the way to Alaska to us forever after. - -Why the seriousness of this has not been realized by the government is -inexplainable. Alaska is our most valuable possession. It is not mere -womanish fear which forces us to recognize that we are in danger of -losing her. There can be no question that in the event of a struggle -for the possession of the Pacific the fate of Alaska will be exactly -that which befell Korea in the Manchurian war of a decade or two ago. -Nor is this all. Who can sit still at this very moment and see the Japs -pushing eastward through Siberia without apprehension? - -A hostile fleet in Dutch Harbor and Alaska will fall of her own weight! -The distance to Dutch Harbor is just the same from Yokohama as it is -from San Francisco! Dutch Harbor is to us what Gibraltar was to Spain -in the days of the Armada. Shall we, like Spain, fail to realize her -value until too late? If so, our experience can not be other than that -which befell her. The tremendous significance of our failure to make -Dutch Harbor impregnable and impassable will one day stun us. But the -great war has forced us into doing what long ago we should have done -without being forced. We are feverishly building ships. If we get our -great fleet in order, and if we do it _first_, then it may be that the -shuffled cards may never be dealt. There may be no game. There are -those who never play unless they see the way open to win! - -We have another strategic point also. This is Rugged Island, lying in -Resurrection Bay. This Bay was so named by the Russians who discovered -it on the anniversary of Our Lord's Resurrection. Rugged Island is an -easy point of attack and the government has recently appropriated -seven hundred thousand dollars to fortify it. - -No comedy of Æschylus ever equaled a proposition put forth in Congress -not long ago by the Hon. Frank O. Smith of Maryland. Under the -astounding and absurd title of _Eugenic Peace_ he proposed that in the -interest of world peace the United States should cede to Canada the -southern part of Alaska, known as the Panhandle! This section shuts off -a large region of Canada from the sea. - -Strangely enough, the proposition secured the support of a number of -eminent men (not one of whom, however, had ever been to Alaska) but to -one who lives here it is the limit and pinnacle of absurdity. First of -all, the business affairs of the people living here are conducted -almost wholly with Seattle and San Francisco. Would they consent to -such a change? Never! Their business would be paralyzed if turned over -to Canada, thereby necessitating the payment of a tariff on their -exports. Just think what such a proposition would entail. Fully -one-third of the salmon fisheries of the world are in the Panhandle! -One of the largest gold mines in the world (the Treadwell, on Douglas -Island) is located here. Great forests of timber (to cut which has -been forbidden by the government) cover a large part of the area in -question. Here, also, are Juneau, the capital of Alaska; Sitka, the -ancient Russian capital; Ketchikan, Wrangell, and many other fishing -and trading towns containing more than half the permanent population of -the whole of Alaska! Why not present Canada with the northern peninsula -of Michigan, or the tip of the State of Washington? - -There is no doubt that Canada would be glad to arrange things so that -her traffic with the Yukon might be carried on without the payment of -tariff duties. Well, there is a remedy, but it does not lie in the -transfer of territory. It lies in reciprocity of trade,--if not -reciprocity, then _free_ trade to and from the Yukon and Skagway, its -natural seaport. But the idea of ceding the whole country in order to -accommodate the residents in the much less important part of the Yukon -is a proposition about which it is difficult to be serious! What a joke -the United States would be playing upon herself! - -For a long time after the historic days of "Fifty-four forty or fight" -there was much argument over the boundary of Alaska. It culminated in -1898, however, in the decision of the Lord Chief Justice of England, -Lord Alverstane, that the contention of the American members of the -Commission (Elihu Root, Henry Cabot Lodge and Ex-Senator Turner) was -correct and should be sustained. This decision gave to the United -States complete control of the seacoast and all the bays and channels -opening into it. And it is a control it behooves us to keep! But the -greatest need of Alaska to-day is a railroad running _into_ the country -by means of which troops could be sent from the United States. This -road would have to run through Canada, and here again is a problem for -the statesmen of our country to ponder over _and solve_! - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - ALASKA AND THE WAR - - -A wireless message flashed the news to Alaska that our country had -entered the war. The effect was the usual one,--the one to which we in -Alaska have become accustomed. It aroused a patriotism which was both -ideal and practical. It is said that the man who went farthest to serve -his colors was a man from Iditarod. A man with his dog team drove by -his dwelling and told him the news. Like Israel Putnam of Revolutionary -fame who left his team standing in the field where he was ploughing and -went to join the Minute Men, so this man laid aside his work and -journeyed a thousand miles on a dog sled to enlist! - -Every line of industrial, engineering, mining, agricultural and fishing -activity immediately was speeded to the top notch of energy and -production. The coal output increased from fifty thousand to a hundred -thousand tons. Fish food products jumped from twenty to forty-two -million dollars. There was an increase of twenty-two million pounds of -canned salmon shipped to the United States over the output of 1917. - -The people of Alaska are hardy. They are patriotic. They are energetic -and practical. They understand fully what war means. They know that -although far removed from the scene of activity they are called upon to -help win the war just as much as if they were fighting in the trenches. -They know that the greatest good they can do their country is to feed -her fighting men. So they went about it in a business-like manner. The -result is that theirs is a practical, _organized_ patriotic -coöperation. Many of the pioneer gold seekers are now transformed into -farmers. The potato crop for this year is two thousand tons,--only one -item, but a significant one. - -The Alaskan women, as always, came straight to the front. With that -practical knowledge born of residence in such a country as Alaska they -eliminated the sentimental and went to work at those things which -America asks and expects of her women. Mrs. Thomas J. Donahoe, of -Valdez, who is also President of the Federation of Women's Clubs, was -appointed Chairman of the Woman's Committee of the Council of National -Defense, and the Red Cross is represented and practically managed in -almost every locality in the territory. When the first Liberty Loan -was floated the response of Alaska was instant and generous and the -same is true of the succeeding loans. - -In connection with the part Alaska is playing in the great struggle I -revert once more to the subject of the dogs. Our hearts were touched -when we learned that they, too, had been awarded the _Croix de Guerre_ -by the French Government, the Cross having been sent to Mrs. Esther -Birdsall Darling who owned and sold many of them to France. "Scotty" -Allen took them over and left them there to do their "bit." - -It was a French Reserve Officer, a mining engineer, Lieutenant René -Haas, who first called the attention of the French Government to the -services which could be rendered by the dogs. Mrs. Darling, good -patriot that she is and ever ready to promote the cause of the Allies, -promptly offered the best that the Darling-Allen kennels afforded. -Lieutenant Haas was commissioned to select them. He chose twenty-five -of the youngest, swiftest and best bred of these kennels. Then, -supported enthusiastically by Captain Moufflet, who also knew the -possibilities of the Alaskan dog service, the interest of their -superior officers was aroused and Lieutenant Haas was ordered to go to -Nome, there to select and purchase a hundred or more suitable for duty -in the Vosges. "Scotty" Allen was persuaded to go to France with the -dog contingent and the number was augmented by others from Canada and -Labrador. When he and Lieutenant Haas sailed they had four hundred and -fifty splendid dogs with them,--half a regiment! All were successfully -delivered at the front where they have rendered distinguished and -valuable service. - -He would indeed be dead to emotion who could read the report which came -with the _Croix de Guerre_ and which was sent from headquarters on the -French frontier to far-away Alaska. We all knew that the dogs would -meet emergencies boldly, no matter what the circumstances, the -conditions or the weather. One specific incident which will be a part -of Alaska's written history when the war is over serves to emphasize -and justify our faith in them. - -From a lonely post out on the frontier in the French Alps came to -headquarters a most urgent call for help. They were out of ammunition -and the situation was most critical. True to their reputation for valor -the French were holding the post, fighting against heavy odds, each man -saying in his heart the little sentence which has become the slogan of -the French army and the prayer of every man, woman and child in -France,--"_They shall not pass!_" To hold the post longer, however, -meant that ammunition _must_ be forthcoming at once. A terrific -blizzard was in progress. The trails were dangerous, almost obliterated -in places. Trucks and horses were of no avail. But there were the -dogs,--Alaska's heroes. To them France turned in her emergency. The -sleds were quickly loaded. The Malamuts fell to harness instantly on -command. Lieutenant Haas was ready for his perilous journey. A crack of -the whip, an encouraging shout to the dogs and they were off. For four -days and four nights they kept their steady gait. Up and down -precipitous mountain-sides, over treacherous trails and across the -snow-buried expanse, most of the time under shell fire from the enemy, -they went quietly, steadily on. Lieutenant Haas acknowledged that the -dogs seemed to realize quite as clearly as he did himself the necessity -of haste and a cool head, that they had in their eyes the "do-or-die" -look which he had so often seen in the eyes of his men. And every one -who knows anything about them knows how much victory means to a -Malamut. - -On the morning of the fifth day, just at dawn, they reached the -post,--one more instance of a dramatic arrival in the nick of time. The -ammunition was now completely exhausted. One needs not a vivid -imagination to hear in fancy the ringing cheers which greeted them. A -pronounced trait of the Alaskan dog is glory in victory, mourning in -defeat. This has been observed many times in the races,--the downcast, -dejected air of the dogs that fail, the brisk and happy attitude of -those that win. So in this instance, the cheers and the Cross were but -episodes. The victory was the thing! - -The French Government acknowledges that the dogs are quite as valuable -as any other branch of the service and those that made this hard and -perilous trip are to be painted and hung in the War Museum in Paris. - -Mrs. Darling and "Scotty" are and have every reason to be proud of -their dogs. In the din of battle and the precariousness of life on the -frontier they doubtless miss their owners' kindness and attention. But -the sympathies of the latter go with them wherever they go. Lieutenant -Haas declares that these dogs have a "college education" and can be -trusted to do their work intelligently and fearlessly. When the time -comes for the history of the Great World War to be written, may the -deeds of the dogs of Nome who played no less courageous and conspicuous -a part than did her men be fittingly inscribed therein! - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - ALASKAN WRITERS - - -In addition to her gold and copper, her furs and her fish, Alaska has -produced a crop of writers of more or less importance. By far the -truest exponent of the life of the country is Robert Service whose _The -Spell of the Yukon_ surely breathes the spirit of the land. Service is -now an army surgeon in the European war and his latest volume _Rhymes -of a Red Cross Man_ has added to the reputation he justly enjoys -because of the verse which went before it. This little volume is -dedicated to the memory of his brother, Lieutenant Albert Service, -killed in action, and the _Foreword_ with which the collection opens is -well worth quoting: - - "I've tinkered at my bits of rhymes - In weary, woeful, waiting times; - In doleful hours of battle din - Ere yet they brought the wounded in! - Through vigils by the fateful night, - In lousy barns by candle light; - In dug-outs, sagging and aflood, - On stretchers stiff and bleared with blood; - By ragged grove, by ruined road, - By hearths accurst where Love abode; - By broken altars, blackened shrines-- - I've tinkered at my bits of rhymes! - - "I've solaced me with scraps of song - The desolated ways along; - Through sickly fields all shrapnel-sown - And meadows reaped by death alone; - By blazing cross and splintered spire, - By headless Virgin in the mire; - By gardens gashed amid their bloom, - By gutted grave, by shattered tomb; - Beside the dying and the dead, - Where rockets green and rockets red - In trembling pools of poising light, - With flowers of flame festoon the night. - Ah me! By what dark ways of wrong - I've cheered my heart with scraps of song! - - "So here's my sheaf of war-won verse, - And some is bad, and some is worse. - And if at times I curse a bit, - You needn't read that part of it! - For through it all, like horror, runs - The red resentment of the guns! - And you yourself would mutter when - You took the things that once were men - And sped them through that zone of hate - To where the dripping surgeons wait! - You'd wonder, too, if, in God's sight, - War ever, _ever_ can be right!" - -Service is essentially a poet. His novel, _The Trail of Ninety-eight_, -well,--we have forgiven him! It is lurid melodrama and certainly adds -nothing to his literary reputation. But none can read _The Spell of the -Yukon_ without breathing deeply! - - "There's a land where the mountains are nameless - And the rivers all run God knows where! - There are lives that are erring and aimless - And deaths that just hang by a hair! - There are hardships that nobody reckons, - There are valleys unpeopled and still! - There's a land--oh, it beckons and beckons! - I want to go back--and I will!" - -[Illustration: REV. HUDSON STUCK, ARCHDEACON OF THE YUKON, PREACHING -WITH INDIAN AND ESKIMO INTERPRETERS] - -[Illustration: INTERIOR OF GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ST. MICHAEL BUILT -IN 1837] - -[Illustration: FINE OLD NATIONAL HOUSE WITH TOTEM POLES NEAR WRANGELL] - -I have already said that the true story of the Klondike stampede has -never been written and perhaps never will be. A great deal was put out -under the guise of literature, but it was mere journalistic stuff. It -will not endure and should not. Jack London was in Klondike. And he was -a born story-teller. He should have written something quite worth while -of those stirring days with all the wealth of material which lay about -him. But the best he did was _The Call of the Wild_ and in it he -indulged his love for the romantic to such an extent that you find -yourself wondering whether dogs are real dogs and his men real men -until in the end you conclude that they are not! His white men are like -characters on the stage. And if there are any Indians in Alaska such -as he portrayed I have never encountered them. They are absurdly untrue -to life. Furthermore, the brutal side of life seems to have had undue -attraction for London. It is true that it did exist. But it was not the -whole of life in Alaska, by any means, and one sickens of it after -continuous reading about it. Rex Beach's stories, _The Spoilers_ and -_The Silver Horde_ (by far his best, in my judgment), are good and -typical of the life of the period. Yet one can not read them without a -feeling that they, too, leave much to be desired. - -The wit, the pathos, the comedies, the tragedies, the sordidness, the -heroism of those days! Whose pen could delineate the characters of -those who wrought them or adequately describe the country as it -was,--and is! It would take the combined genius of a Poe, a Kipling and -a Bret Harte to do justice to the subject. Richard Harding Davis was -preparing to go to Klondike. Had he carried out his intention it might -have been different. But one morning he picked up the morning paper and -read therein that the _Maine_ had been blown up in Havana harbor. He -changed his mind! - -I am convinced that the best tales of the land have never been put on -paper. These are the stories related at the road-houses, or in the -rooms of the Arctic Brotherhood or some similar gathering-place by -those who took part in them. And they usually come out quite by -accident. The participant thinks there is nothing wonderful about them. -Some grizzled miner,--Service calls them "the silent men who _do_ -things,"--will suddenly begin talking, and sometimes the story he tells -will beat any that has ever yet found its way into print. Why has no -one ever written a steamboat story? Or a tale of the Arctic -Brotherhood? There are material and local color galore for such. - -Nearly all Alaskans are familiar with the writings of Samuel Clarke -Dunham. He has occasionally burst into verse, and he has a dry humor -which is exhilarating. I have already quoted from one of his best known -effusions concerning the tundra. Tracking about in the wet Russian moss -is often calculated to extract (not painlessly) about ninety per cent -of one's enthusiasm! So one day Dunham broke forth in a poem which -began thus: - - "I've traversed the toe-twisting tundra - Where reindeer root round for their feed!" etc. - -Would that there were some way of gathering together the fugitive -stories and poems, replete with wit and humor, with pathos and tragedy, -which are a part of Alaska's unwritten history! Many a time have I -been guilty of hanging around a road-house, saloon or "joint" of some -kind for no reason on earth except that I knew I should hear a good -story or two from some wandering wayfarer who had just come in off the -trail. And at such times I have often recalled the familiar song -(peculiarly true to life in Alaska) the chorus of which runs: - - "Sometimes you're glad, - Sometimes you're sad, - When you play in the game of life!" - -I have heard in these miners' gatherings tales of tragedies almost -unbelievable, comedies which would furnish excellent vehicles for the -talents of Charlie Chaplin and not a few love stories worthy of a -Dickens, a Hugo or a Tolstoi. But they were no sooner told than -forgotten as no one was at hand to record them. - -I well recall an evening when I joined a group who sat smoking beside a -stove in one of the road-houses. There was conversation, but one -usually loquacious individual sat silently and smoked his pipe. -Whenever he had appeared there before he had always been accompanied by -an older man. They seemed inseparable companions. I had a feeling that -something tragic had happened and that he would relate it before the -evening was over. So I decided to "stick around." Presently some one -asked him where his partner was. He did not reply immediately, but -presently took his pipe from between his teeth and speaking in the -vernacular of the country said: - -"He won't be here no more." - -"You mean----?" - -"Yep." - -We were all interested immediately but forebore to ask questions. -Presently he went on. - -"We were just comin' along the trail. His foot slipped an' down he went -into the crevasse. I hollered down, an' I heerd him answer. So I -climbed down as far as I could, an' I could see him, an' talk to him. -His face was jammed right in the ice an' was already freezin'. We -couldn't do nothin' but just look at each other. Then he says, 'You -might as well go on!' An' I says, 'I'm damned ef I do!' I untied the -packs an' got all the rope we had, but it wouldn't reach him. 'I'll go -git some more rope,' I says to him, but I knowed it'd be too late. 'Go -on!' he says. 'Don't let the dark git you out here. You can't do -nothin' fer me!' I knowed he was right. But I hated like hell to leave -him. I'd 'a stayed ef it'd done any good. But it wouldn't. To-day I got -some more rope an' went back. But----. The ice down where he was had -opened again an' I could see straight down fer two hundred feet. He -wuzn't there!" - -Nobody said anything. He took a few more puffs from his pipe. Then he -got up and went out. - -I have more than once mentioned the Reverend Hudson Stuck, Archdeacon -of the Yukon, author, missionary and first white man to ascend Mt. -McKinley. The Archdeacon is known and loved by all who know him, not -only for his services but because of his personality and his -adaptability to the needs and conditions of the land in which he lives. -His books, _The Ascent of Denali_, _Ten Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled_ -and _Voyages on the Yukon_, are excellent reading, good examples of -Alaskan literature and history. The Archdeacon has a sense of humor -which makes friends for him wherever he goes, and one evening Gene -Doyle, the oldest mail-carrier in our part of Alaska, a hardened -traveler of the trails, blew in with a good story. Gene was a sourdough -of the most pronounced type. He had wintered many times in Alaska. - -When two people meet on the trails each is warned of the other's -approach by the actions of the dogs. First the leader and then the rest -of the team will begin to bristle and cut antics of various kinds. The -usual salutation in Alaska is not "How are you?" or "Hello!" as might -be the case elsewhere. Instead we call out: "How are the trails ahead?" -On this occasion Doyle knew by the actions of his dogs that he was -about to meet another team. There was a storm in progress and neither -man could see the driver of the other team. Doyle had had a -particularly difficult day's trip and was a bit out of temper when the -driver of the other team thus accosted him: - -"Friend, how are the trails ahead?" - -"They are the G---- d---- dest, blank, blank, blankety-blankedest I've -ever seen in Alaska!" Doyle replied. "How are they your way?" - -"The same!" was the somewhat emphatic response of the gentleman. It was -the Archdeacon! - -As I have already said, weather which in lower latitudes would promptly -convert one into an icicle has little effect upon one who understands -how to prepare for it. With hands and feet warmly protected, with -winter underwear and wind-proof outer clothes one can comfortably and -successfully "weather the weather!" It is no uncommon experience, -however, to meet a man on the trail who sings out to you: - -"I say, old fellow,--your nose is frozen!" - -"Thanks!" you respond. "So is yours!" - -Each will then blissfully apply a little snow to the disabled member -and proceed on his way. But there is one other thing which should be -rigorously guarded against as it is a painful and distressing -experience. This is snow-blindness. The glare on the snow causes the -film of the eye to become a water blister, which takes three or four -days to heal. One of my most poignant recollections is a three days' -siege of snow-blindness, during which I lay helpless in a hut while an -old squaw put wet tea leaves on my eyes. Never again! - -I have heard that from the fighting men of the allied armies now in -Europe have come back some exquisite verse,--such verse as one could -not reasonably expect from men of their youth and previous environment. -The same may be said of much of the verse of Alaska. The poems of -Service and Dunham are well known. But alas, the bulk of the others -never saw the light of day in print! - -As has been said, however, Alaska is a land of contrasts. Not every one -gets the same impression of the same thing! To prove it I quote a poem -written by one of the many who did not find in Alaska just what they -came to seek. The writer of the verses below was the steward on the -_Susie_,--one of the boats which plied the Yukon during the gold rush. -Evidently his claim proved worthless, or something else went wrong. For -he has thus expressed himself: - - AN IMPRESSION OF ALASKA - - The Devil in hell, we are told, was chained. - Thousands of years he thus remained, - But he did not complain nor did he groan. - He decided to have a hell of his own - Where he could torment the souls of men - Without being chained in a sulphur pen! - So he asked the Lord if He had any land - In a clime cool enough for a Devil to stand. - The Lord said: "Yes--but it's not much use. - It's called Alaska. It's cold as the deuce. - In fact, old boy, the place is so bare - I fear you could not make a good hell there!" - - But the Devil said he could not see why; - He knew his business. He'd like to try. - So the bargain was made, the deed was given, - And the Devil took his departure from heaven. - - He next appeared in the far, far North, - Exploring Alaska to learn its worth; - And he said from McKinley as he looked at the truck, - "I got it for nothing,--but still I'm stuck!" - - But, oh,--it was fine to be out in the cold! - The wind blew a gale, but the Devil grew bold, - And thus on the mountain height he planned: - "I'll make of Alaska the home of the damned! - A different place from the old-fashioned hell, - Where each soul burns in a brimstone cell. - I'll use every means a wise Devil need - To make a good hell. You bet I'll succeed!" - - First he filled the air with millions of gnats. - Then he spread the Yukon all over the Flats, - Set a line of volcanos from Unimak Pass, - And covered the soil with tundra grass. - He made six months' night--when 'twas sixty below, - A howling wind and a pelting snow! - And six months' day--with a spell now and then - Too hot for the Devil and all of his men! - Brought hungry wolves and dogs by the pack - Whose yells send chills right down your back, - And as you "mush" o'er the bleak expanse - The North Wind blows holes in your pants! - - But of all the pests the imp could devise - The Yukon mosquitoes bear off the prize. - They've a rattler's bite, a scorpion's sting, - And they measure six inches from wing to wing! - The Devil said when he fashioned these: - "One of 'em is worse than a thousand fleas!" - - Then, over the mountain and rolling plain - Where the dew falls soft and there's plenty of rain - He grew flowers and berries. 'Twas just a bluff! - The Devil knows how to peddle his stuff! - And to prove how well he knew the game - He next proceeded to salt his claim. - - He put gold nuggets in all the streams - To lure men on in dreams! In dreams! - He hid them deep in the glacial ice, - As a glittering city hides its vice! - Then he bade Dame Rumor spread the news - Throughout all the world to its motley crews - That there was gold in piles and piles, - Of every color and in all styles! - Then he grinned a grim, sardonic grin, - And said: "Now watch the fools rush in! - They'll fight for gold. They'll steal and slay! - But in the end _I'm_ the one they'll pay!" - - 'Tis a fine hell this that the Devil owns! - Its trails are marked with frozen bones; - The wild winds moan over bleak chaparral; - 'Tis a hell of a place he chose for his hell! - - And now you know, should anyone ask you, - What kind of a place is our Alaska! - -I am convinced that the Alaskans, whether they realize it or not, are -poetic and imaginative. All over the country one finds the quaintest of -names that have been bestowed upon the various localities by some -follower of the trail, prospector, or other traveler. In one's -journeyings he will come upon settlements bearing such names as Sunset, -Paystreak, Anchorage and Fortymile. There are also the "Isles of God's -Mercy" where Henry Hudson found shelter on his last voyage, "Anxiety -Point" and "Return Reef" of Sir John Franklin, that Sir Galahad of -explorers whose Eskimo name means "the man who does not molest our -women." In Bank's Land is "Mercy Bay" and there is also the "Thank God" -harbor so named by poor Hall on the _Polaris_. - -So, if one could but gather them together, the poems and songs and -pretty names of Alaska, each a part of her real history, it might make -a column about three miles long, but--it would be mighty interesting -reading! - -One has but to glance at the map to see the similarity of the Alaskan -coast to that of Norway. Will not the day come when her fiords and -mountains, her Northern Lights and Midnight Sun will be as famed in -song and story as those of Norway? Surely it will! - - - - - CONCLUSION - - -In concluding this volume I am reminded of two stories, both of which -seem applicable to the subject. One of the quaintest and most -interesting characters I ever ran across was a French-Canadian, Captain -of one of the boats which plied the Yukon during the summer and in the -winter stayed at St. Michael. One day the river, or the boat, or both, -behaved badly. So he sang out: - -"T'row over the anch'!" - -"But, Capitaine," expostulated a sailor, "ze anch' she have no chain on -her!" - -The Captain glared at him wrathfully. - -"T'row her over any way!" he bawled. "She may help some!" - -The second story concerns this same gentleman. When the mail service -was established at St. Michael he was told that all he had to do if he -wanted a letter was to go up to the window and ask for it. Never having -had a letter he thought he would like the experience. So he went and -demanded one. The postmaster asked his name. - -"Pièrre LeGros," he said. - -"How do you spell it?" asked the man inside. - -This was a poser. Pièrre's knowledge did not extend to orthography. But -he was nothing if not adaptable. He eyed the man balefully for a moment -and the expression on his face was worth a fortune. It changed slowly -from interest to scorn. He straightened himself up as proudly as a king -and remarked without the slightest trace of temper: - -"Vell,--eef you no can spell Pièrre LeGros zen I zink yo' better sell -your damn' post-of_fees_!" - -The first of these stories is illustrative of my motive in writing this -book. So desirous am I that all men may know our _Land of Tomorrow_ as -she really is that I have tried to set forth her advantages and her -opportunities which lie on every hand only waiting to be grasped. -Therefore I hope _she may help some_! Also, I feel that wisdom and -thoughtfulness on the part of our government will be necessary in order -to protect Alaska. And she must be protected because she can not yet -protect herself. If we can not protect her, keep her safe from invasion -by a foreign enemy, then again I am one with Pièrre LeGros. We had -better sell her! - -I am not so pessimistic as to think that such a thing will happen, -however. The United States seldom fails to do the right thing at the -right time. Alaska is the first country peopled by a race which has -back of it the spirit and the traditions of democracy! It is the last -great fertile and temperate land on which western civilization may take -a fresh start. The democracy which now exists in Alaska is of the very -best brand. It is that of a country which, critical of her own -mistakes, is capable of showing the world what she has learned from -experience. The distilled experience of America and of the whole world -is hers to draw upon. There is no excuse for a repetition of any of the -blunders the motherland may have made during the days of her youth and -her inexperience. - -That the government realizes all this is evident. It was made plain -when after a long struggle she saved Alaska's resources from monopoly. -Now the problem is to _make sure_ that whatever is done in the way of -economical development, of building railroads, town sites, schools, -public buildings, establishing home government and promoting industrial -and agricultural possibilities, shall be done in the right -way,--sanely, harmoniously, permanently. Statesmen must be trained for -this work and it is a trust which any statesman ought to hold sacred. -To build a new civilization! How splendid a task at which to spend -one's working years! Alaska is America's opportunity. - -So long as the United States owns Alaska (and may it be always!) she is -wealthy. She bought fabulous riches in 1867 for two cents an acre! With -a mere handful of adventurous spirits, with no railroads to speak of, -Alaska has already shown what she can do. With good transportation, -with thriving, teeming, hustling, heavily populated cities,--what will -the future reveal? _Read the answer in the history of the American -people!_ - -Time was when the Great West lured all men. Now it is the Great North! -The West, that once fabled land of the bad man, the gold mine, the gun -fighter and similar attractions, has vanished from our scheme. If there -is now a spot in the West which has not passed into the hands of -private management, rest assured that it is a spot where nothing but -sage brush and jack rabbits will thrive! But the Great North is -waiting! And calling! The last frontier! The only territory under the -Stars and Stripes where the man without capital has yet a reasonable -chance of reaping the reward of his labors. And the North is waiting -and calling for _you_! - -As I write the closing pages of this book I find that I myself am once -more hearing--the Voice! Is it the same Voice which called me to the -Northland some ten years ago? I think so. And never before have I heard -it in tones so distinct, so insistent. I have been somewhat critical -(justly so, I feel) of the indifference of the government toward the -present and future needs of Alaska. But----. Only a few hours ago I -donned the most _comfortable_ suit of clothes I have ever worn, namely, -the uniform of the good old U. S. A. I am for peace,--just so long as -there is no legitimate reason for war. But Germany can not step on the -tail of my Uncle Sam's coat with impunity! - -Would that I were able to put into words a fitting tribute to the -staunch friends among whom I have come and gone under almost every -conceivable circumstance and condition! To form friendships such as -these, cemented by events which can not occur elsewhere, is well worth -living for. Whenever my mind reverts to this subject I recall a little -stanza which expresses my thoughts far better than I can voice them -myself. So, to my friends, the Alaskans, I can only say: - - "I have eaten your bread and your salt; - I have drunk of your water and wine; - The deaths you have died I have watched beside, - And the lives that you lived were mine!" - - - - -Transcriber notes: - -Some words were broken up due to line endings. As they only occur once -in the book it's not absolutely clear if they should be hyphenated or -not. This concerns the following words: - -snow-slides, playwright, omnipresent, half-politician, sourdough; - -The following corrections have been made: - -p. 129 "There is one noticable thing about the conditions" noticable -changed to noticeable - -p. 169 "reached direct only betwen June and October" betwen changed to -between - -p. 203 "several bottles of whiskey" whiskey changed to whisky - -p. 208 "passengers, bagbage and freight" bagbage changed to -baggage - -p. 215 "unconscious of this characteristice" characteristice -changed to characteristic - -p. 228 "'Don't let the dark git you out -here. You can't do nothin' fer me!" added ' after me! - -p. 228 "But----" added . - -Illustrations moved to paragraph breaks. Everything else has been -retained as printed. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Land of Tomorrow, by William B Stephenson, Jr. - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAND OF TOMORROW *** - -***** This file should be named 41061-8.txt or 41061-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/0/6/41061/ - -Produced by Janet Kegg, Sandra Eder and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Land of Tomorrow - -Author: William B Stephenson, Jr. - -Release Date: October 14, 2012 [EBook #41061] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAND OF TOMORROW *** - - - - -Produced by Janet Kegg, Sandra Eder and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 432px;"> -<img id="coverpage" src="images/cover.jpg" width="432" height="650" alt="Bookcover" /> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 301px;"> -<a href="images/i01h.jpg" id="Frontispiece"><img src="images/i01.jpg" width="301" height="400" alt="Picture of the Alsakan summer" /></a> -<span class="caption">THE BEAUTIFUL ALASKAN SUMMER</span> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<div class="titlepage bbox"> - - -<h1>THE LAND OF -TOMORROW</h1> - -<p class="title mabottom10"><span class="inc">BY</span><br /> - -<big>WILLIAM B. STEPHENSON, JR.</big><br /> -<small>FORMERLY UNITED STATES COMMISSIONER IN ALASKA</small></p> - - - -<p class="title mabottom7">ILLUSTRATED</p> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 224px;"> -<img src="images/signet.png" width="224" height="79" alt="New York" /> -</div> -<p class="title mabottom2"><big>GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY</big></p> - - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - -<p class="title matop8 mabottom8"><small>COPYRIGHT, 1919,<br /> -BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY</small></p> - - - -<p class="title"><small>PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA</small></p> - - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<div class="titlepage"> - - -<p class="title matop8 mabottom8 lh">TO MY MOTHER<br /> -<span class="inc">ALICE HERSHEY STEPHENSON</span><br /> -<span class="smaller">WITH GREATEST DEVOTION</span></p> - -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_vii" id="Page_vii">[vii]</a></span><a name="FOREWORD" id="FOREWORD">FOREWORD</a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">THAT the Voice of the North calls insistently -to him who once has dwelt amidst its snows -is neither myth nor legend. It is history. Like -the Song of the Lorelei, having heard it once it -rings in his ears forever. True, it is a strenuous -game which Man plays against Nature in Alaska. -There, as nowhere else on earth, he pays the -price for what he gets. Yet if you ask one who -has loved and left her, one who has lived among -her mountains, experiencing alike the bitter winter -and the wondrous Alaskan summer, every -day of which is perfect beyond the power of -words to describe, even though he may deny the -call it is not difficult to detect the hidden longing -underlying his reply. For it is a fact not to be -gainsaid that after such an experience, no matter -how much a man may have looked forward to -a life of ease after his return, he seldom finds it -satisfying. Usually when he goes back home it -is to find his old friends scattered or dead. The -old pleasures turn to gall and wormwood in his -mouth. In time the jar and turbulence of cities -get on his nerves. He begins to hear the Voice! -The old residents of Alaska, they who have lived<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_viii" id="Page_viii">[viii]</a></span> -there so long that they seem a part of the land -itself, always smile grimly when they hear a man -begin to curse the land where he has made his -wealth and swear that he never wants to see it -again. To them it is an old story. They have -seen many return to the regions whence they -came. And they have seen most of them come -back! They alone know the truth of the line -from the old Norse legend:</p> - -<p> -"<em>Dark and true and tender is the North!</em>"<br /> -</p> - -<p>Following the opening up of the gold fields -much was written of Alaska, but it was confined -largely to the territory of the Yukon and the unsettled, -chaotic conditions of the hour. The fortunate -few who, through the medium of poem, -song or story, have revealed the glories and the -tragedies of this part of the country have done -their work well. The record of that now-historic -stampede to the Klondike gold fields has journeyed -to the uttermost parts of the earth. But -all this was twenty years ago. The Alaska of -to-day is not what it was then, and there are sections -of this marvelous country which no artist -has yet painted and of which no poet has yet -sung. Were this not true the present scribe -would have no task,—no reason for adding to -the list.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[ix]</a></span>Sixty miles north of the mouth of the Yukon -lies the little island of St. Michael on which the -writer spent five years (first as manager of the -Pacific Cold Storage Plant and afterward as -United States Commissioner), journeying later -from this island to almost every spot in the country -which the white man has yet penetrated. -Moved by the astonishing discovery during a recent -visit to the States that there is practically -nothing to be had in any library in regard to this -island, so important a connecting link between -the Yukon and the outer world, he is inflicting -this little volume upon a patient and long-suffering -public. He has been moved to do this, not -from a desire to pose as a creator of literature, -but because of a belief which can not be shaken -that Alaska is <em>The Land of Tomorrow</em>! It is -the only bit of Uncle Sam's territory where it is -still possible for a man to get in on the ground -floor. Now that the great World War is at an -end thousands of soldiers are coming home again—to -begin life over! They will be seeking a new -environment. Travel, especially by water, even -though (as is the case with those lately in the -service) it be under difficulties and not always -of one's own choosing, never fails to breed <em>wanderlust</em> -in man. It awakens something within -him which urges him to go adventuring, to seek<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[x]</a></span> -the far spaces of the world, no matter how much -his heart may cry out to him to stay at home. -In Alaska there is room for all who know how -to fight! Untold opportunity for him who is -willing to fight! With a physique made strong -by the life in the trenches, with muscles hardened -by military training, the returned soldier will be -fitted as he never has been before and perhaps -never will be again to cope with the somewhat -rigorous life demanded of him who dwells "north -of fifty-three."</p> - -<p>Alaska is calling for men,—men to cultivate -her farms, to develop her mines, to build her railroads, -to man her fisheries and her lumber camps. -She will soon be asking for business men to manage -her stores, for lawyers, doctors and dentists, -for teachers, ministers and priests, for actors and -motion picture operators. In another year -Uncle Sam's great railroad will be running Pullman -cars across this sparsely-settled country. -This means progress. Alaska will begin to live. -She will prove a good although at certain seasons -of the year a frigid mother to thousands yet unborn. -The homely old proverb in regard to the -early bird is peculiarly applicable to Alaska. The -worm is only waiting to be caught.</p> - -<p>To know Alaska is to love her. As one old -North-Pacific sea captain once put it,—"A man<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[xi]</a></span> -can get along without the woman he loves if he -has to. But he can't get along without Alaska -after he has fallen in love with her!"</p> - -<p>It is Robert Service, however, who in <em>The -Spell of the Yukon</em> has breathed the real spirit -of the land:</p> - -<div class="poem smaller"> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"Some say God was tired when He made it;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Some say it's a good land to shun;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">May be. But there's some as would trade it<br /></span> -<span class="i1">For no land on earth—and I'm one!"<br /></span> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="right">W. B. S.</p> - -<p class="p0">St. Michael, Alaska.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiii" id="Page_xiii">[xiii]</a></span><a name="CONTENTS" id="CONTENTS">CONTENTS</a></h2> - - -<table summary="Table of Contents"> -<tbody> -<tr><td class="r"><small>CHAPTER</small></td><td></td><td class="r"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">I.</td><td class="smcap">Northward Ho!</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_19">19</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">II.</td><td class="smcap">The Land of Tomorrow</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_30">30</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">III.</td><td class="smcap">St. Michael</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_38">38</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">IV.</td><td class="smcap">Northern Lights</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_46">46</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">V.</td><td class="smcap">Great Opportunities</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_52">52</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">VI.</td><td class="smcap">Politics and Government</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_63">63</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">VII.</td><td class="smcap">The Parallel Steel Bars</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_72">72</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">VIII.</td><td class="smcap">Flowers and Birds of the Northland</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_83">83</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">IX.</td><td class="smcap">Mt. McKinley National Park</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_91">91</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">X.</td><td class="smcap">The All-Alaska Sweepstakes</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_100">100</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">XI.</td><td class="smcap">Buried Wealth</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_115">115</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">XII.</td><td class="smcap">The Haunt of the Salmon</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_126">126</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">XIII.</td><td class="smcap">The Eighth Wonder of the World</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_137">137</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">XIV.</td><td class="smcap">The Cities of the Far North</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_151">151</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">XV.</td><td class="smcap">The Native Races</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_161">161</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">XVI.</td><td class="smcap">Social Life in Alaska</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_197">197</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">XVII.</td><td class="smcap">The Prize of the Pacific</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_210">210</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">XVIII.</td><td class="smcap">Alaska and the War</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_216">216</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r">XIX.</td><td class="smcap">Alaskan Writers</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_222">222</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="r"></td><td class="smcap">Conclusion</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_236">236</a></td></tr> -</tbody> -</table> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xv" id="Page_xv">[xv]</a></span><a name="ILLUSTRATIONS" id="ILLUSTRATIONS">ILLUSTRATIONS</a></h2> - - -<table summary="List of Illustrations"> -<tbody> -<tr><td class="smcap">The beautiful Alaskan summer</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_19"></a><a href="#Frontispiece"><em>Frontispiece</em></a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap"></td><td class="r"><small>PAGE</small></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">The author dressed for the trails at Kotlick, mouth of the Yukon</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_40">40</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">An island on which is located one of the finest fox farms in Alaska</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_40">40</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">Nearly twenty thousand furs ready for shipment</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_40">40</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">"Simrock Mary's" herd of reindeer coming over the hill</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_56">56</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">Sledders off for provisions for the reindeer herders</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_56">56</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">Pribilof Islands where Uncle Sam protects the fur seal</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_56">56</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">Countless thousands of "Murrs" have made this island their own</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_56">56</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">A typical Touriana valley garden</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_88">88</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">The trail near Wrangell in summer. Note the beauty of the woods</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_88">88</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">Lover's Lane, near Sitka, guarded by Totem Poles</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_88">88</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">Sluicing the winter dump at Fairbanks</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_120">120</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">The third beach at Nome from which was taken millions of dollars worth of gold in dust and nuggets</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_120">120</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">One night's catch. Nearly five thousand salmon weighing approximately 75,000 pounds</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_120">120</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap"><span class="pagenum norm"><a name="Page_xvi" id="Page_xvi">[xvi]</a></span>A fishwheel</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_120">120</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">Sitka, the old Russian capital of Alaska</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_152">152</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">Juneau, the capital</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_152">152</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">Eskimos of St. Michael</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_152">152</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">"Scotty" Allen and Baldy</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_200">200</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">Gene Doyle, one of the oldest mail carriers on Seward Peninsula. A hero ofthe trail!</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_200">200</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">Coming in to St. Michael with our thirty-three dog team after going out to meet the mail carrier</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_200">200</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">Dutch Harbor</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_200">200</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">Reverend Hudson Stuck, Archdeacon of the Yukon, preaching with Indian and Eskimo interpreters</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_224">224</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">Interior of Greek Catholic Church in St. Michael, built in 1837</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_224">224</a></td></tr> -<tr><td class="smcap">Fine old National House with Totem Poles near Wrangell</td><td class="r"><a href="#Page_224">224</a></td></tr> -</tbody> -</table> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<p class="big center matop8 mabottom8"><span class="pagenumhide"><a name="Page_xvii" id="Page_xvii">[xvii]</a></span>THE LAND OF TOMORROW</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<p class="vbig center mabottom2"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span>THE LAND OF -TOMORROW</p> - - -<h2><a name="CHAPTER_I" id="CHAPTER_I">CHAPTER I<br /> - -<span class="normal">NORTHWARD HO!</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">MEMORY, with unerring exactitude, carries -me back to a never-to-be-forgotten -day,—the twenty-ninth of May, 1909,—the day -on which I sailed from Seattle on the S. S. -<em>St. Croix</em> to take charge of the plant of the Pacific -Cold Storage Company at St. Michael, -Alaska. In my early manhood I had studied law, -but the years immediately preceding this date I -had spent among the great forests of British Columbia -in charge of the interests of the British -Columbia Tie and Timber Company. It was a -life which appealed to me,—one which I loved -and had planned to follow during my working -years. But man proposes! And that inexplainable -thing for which we have no definite name,—call -it fate, fortune, destiny, or what you will—often -disposes! Some sudden and utterly unforeseen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span> -event, almost in the twinkling of an eye, will -change the whole current and meaning of a man's -life. Such an experience was mine. So, like Columbus -of old, I set forth once more upon the -uncharted sea of life in search of a new world.</p> - -<p>The last decade has brought about marvelous -improvement in travel northward. Most ocean -voyages are eventful and mine was particularly -so. Therefore it may not be amiss to begin with -it. At that time sailing to Alaska was unlike -voyaging to any other part of the world. Man -knew not whither he was going or whether he -would return. The air of mystery which broods -ever over all the northland seems to cast a spell -upon the traveler from the moment of starting. -Once there, the Land of Silence wraps her arms -about him and holds him close, sometimes absorbing -him!</p> - -<p>There are two routes by which one may make -his way northward. One is by what is known -as the Inside Channel, by far the more beautiful -and diverting and carrying him into the heart of -the Yukon territory. The other is the Outside -Passage and bears him directly across to the -Alaskan Peninsula and thence around the coast -to Nome. It was the latter route which I took -on my first voyage to Alaska.</p> - -<p>No man can see the lights of Victoria or Vancouver<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span> -fade behind him without a feeling that he -is standing in the dawn of a new life. Behind -him lies the known; ahead, the unknown! From -Vancouver to Skagway, up the Inside Channel, -is a wonderful journey of a thousand miles, and -as the boats pull away from shore one sees lying -to right of him the mainland of British Columbia -and to the left the island which bears the name -of that intrepid explorer who navigated the then -unknown waters of the North Pacific and charted -them. Those who now journey northward -will never realize their debt to Captain Vancouver. -To the land-lubber the journey up the -Channel seems fraught with a thousand dangers. -But not so. Not a sunken rock but this old sea-dog -has charted it, and the vessels thread their -way with the utmost safety through a perfect -maze of islands. To realize the miracle of this -thousand miles of tangled maze one has but to -stand in the bow of the boat and attempt to pick -out the channel through which it will pass. He -will guess wrong every time. One can not distinguish -the isles from the shore. The mountains -crash skyward, seemingly from the very deck of -the vessel itself. But the inexperienced can not -tell whether they crown an island or are on the -mainland. The tourist gazes with admiration, -not unmixed with awe, at the countless little bays<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span> -and straits through which the boats twist, turn, -creep forward and ofttimes turn backward! And -so it is until the thousand miles of water, with its -fairy islands and its gigantic icebergs lie far behind -him,—a part of that past upon which he has -turned his back.</p> - -<p>The journey of the <em>St. Croix</em> (making the <em>outside</em> -trip) was uneventful until we reached Cape -Flattery. Here we encountered a terrific storm -from the northwest. For a couple of days we had -had a feeling that the glorious Pacific was in one -of her sullen moods. It began with a gray sea -and a few flying clouds. Followed a head wind -which knocked fifty miles off the day's run and -then,—a real storm, a miniature hurricane. It -continued with unabated violence until we were -within a day's run of Unimak Pass, at the foot -of the Alaskan Peninsula. For six days we had -sailed straight across the ocean to northwest, seeing -nothing but sky and water,—huge, mountain-like -waves which rose and fell with monotonous -regularity. When we reached this point, -however, we had a little diversion. Great numbers -of walrus were splashing about in the water -and lying on the ice. Here, also, I saw the first -whales I had ever seen.</p> - -<p>One of the sights of this ocean voyage is Mt. -Shishaldin, an active volcano nearly nine thousand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span> -feet high and located about thirty miles east -of Unimak Pass. In symmetry and in the beauty -of its curves it rivals Fujiyama, the sacred mountain -of Japan. No geographer has ever visited -Mt. Shishaldin. No man has yet ascended it. -Unimak, the island on which it stands, is a continuation -of the Alaskan Peninsula, being separated -from it only by a narrow strait. Like the -rest of the Aleutian chain, it lies between Bering -Sea and the Pacific Ocean.</p> - -<p>It was about three o'clock in the morning of -June ninth that we sighted the volcano. Scarcely -any one on board had retired, as none wished to -miss the view of the mountain. It is safe to say -that none regretted the loss of sleep. It was a -sight long to be remembered. Directly over the -smoking cone the early-morning sun, dark red -of hue, was slowly rising. The effect was most -spectacular and—symbolic! No work of the -Master's hand so symbolizes life as do the mountains. -No matter how dark the vales and cañons, -on the heights there is always light!</p> - -<p>It was shortly after we entered the Pass that -our journey began to afford us excitement. Here -we encountered the first large ice floes and caught -between them were many vessels,—the <em>Ohio</em>, -<em>Senator</em>, <em>Victoria</em>, <em>Olympia</em> and <em>Mackinac</em> being -plainly visible. Each was trying to find a passage<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span> -through the ice and it was most amusing to -see the grim smile which came over the face of -our own Captain W—— when he saw their predicament. -It is considered quite an honor to -bring the first boat through the ice in the spring. -No wonder, then, that the Captain was pleased. -All these boats had sailed from one to three days -ahead of us. Now the <em>St. Croix</em> had an equal -chance with the rest.</p> - -<p>At about half speed we started to plow -through the ice. We made about fifty miles. -Then the ice became much thicker and more difficult -to penetrate. Many times we came to a -standstill. Then we would back up some eight -or nine hundred feet and at full speed would go -ahead again, ramming the ice with all possible -force. It was necessary to hold on to the rail in -order to keep one's feet.</p> - -<p>Now, this sort of thing may be interesting for -a certain length of time, but when it becomes -continuous one's interest flags! Operations were -suspended for thirty minutes three times a day -while meals were served, but except for these intervals, -it went on night and day. I say night -and day, but it was principally day. At this time -of year there was only about one hour of the -twenty-four when one could not see to read in his -state-room without the electric light.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span>On the morning of June eleventh I was awakened -by a terrific crash. I heard the swift scampering -of feet along the deck toward the bow. -I dressed as quickly as possible and hurried forward. -We had bumped squarely into a young -iceberg at full speed and had smashed our bow -stem. This meant that we were caught in the -ice floe with no means of getting out! We could -no longer ram the ice with the ends of the planking -exposed. It further developed that the owners -had neglected to equip the boat with material -necessary for repairs. But the Captain realized -the necessity of doing <em>something</em>, so, in his dilemma, -he ordered some of the steerage bunks -torn up in order to get two by four lumber with -which to patch the bow. It was wasted effort. -The material was too light to be serviceable. It -did not last as long as it took to put it on. One -bump finished it.</p> - -<p>There was among the passengers a ship-builder -named Trahey. Being a practical individual, he -suggested chaining the anchor across the bow and -ramming the ice with it. This seemed to be all -right, and we were beginning to think that our -troubles were over, but all of a sudden we struck -an ice floe about thirty feet thick. The anchor -slid up the side and tore out the planking. The -Captain (and the rest of us as well) saw that he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span> -was up against it. The boat began to take water. -We all realized that the situation had become -serious.</p> - -<p>Presently the click-click of the wireless was -heard. Calls for help were sent immediately. -The first response was from the S. S. <em>Thedias</em>. -She replied that she was stuck in the ice off -Nome and could render assistance to no one. The -second response was from the <em>Corwin</em>. She lay -off St. Michael. She refused to come to our aid -for less than six thousand dollars, which terms -Captain W——, evidently valuing our lives at -nothing, refused to accept. We carried no -freight. Already the meals on the boat were getting -poor, but at the moment no one was troubled -with a large appetite! The Captain would give -out no information as to his intentions, but it -chanced that one of the passengers, an old friend -of mine, a former Passenger Agent for the Santa -Fe railroad, had been a telegraph operator and -he kept me informed as the wireless messages -broke over the antenna.</p> - -<p>In our helpless condition we began to drift -toward the Arctic Ocean at the rate of four miles -an hour and we could not keep our minds from -reverting to the tragic experience of the <em>Portland</em> -which only a few years previously had floated -about the Polar Sea all summer. It is needless<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span> -to say that there was little sleep on the <em>St. Croix</em> -that night. I retired at eleven-thirty but was -up again at four and entertained myself by -watching the seals and walruses playing near the -boat.</p> - -<p>We spent the next day, June twelfth, wondering -what was to become of us, but as is usually -the case in such crises, after the first shock is -over one becomes philosophical about most things,—even -the imminence of death. No man in his -right mind really fears death. But the sudden -realization that all one's plans have come to -naught, that one shall never realize his cherished -dreams, the thoughts of loved ones far away,—it -is these and kindred things which make of it -the staggering proposition that it is. So the men -on board realized the necessity of keeping a stiff -upper lip. We tried to make the others believe -that we were cheerful, and although none of us -could stifle his vague uneasiness we managed to -keep it out of sight. In the afternoon a party -of us got out on the ice, chose sides and had a -snow-ball battle. It helped us to forget the seriousness -of our plight and to amuse those who -watched from the boat. By nightfall we had -drifted as far north as latitude sixty-four, a few -miles south of Nome. But—we danced on deck<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span> -until two in the morning, the thirteenth day of -June.</p> - -<p>I have always scouted the prevailing notion -that there is any bad luck connected with the -number thirteen! I had no more than fallen -asleep when I was awakened by the jar of the -machinery. My first thought was that the Captain -had decided to make a final attempt to buck -the ice and I was confident that this could have -but one result,—the wrecking of the boat. I -dressed immediately and went on deck, only to -come face to face with another of those mysterious -twists of fortune which ofttimes in an instant -turn danger to safety and just as frequently -make of apparent surety a disaster. Right -ahead of us, as far as the eye could see, was an -open channel, straight as a die and just a little -wider than the boat!</p> - -<p>All was activity now. It seemed only a moment -until we were under way. Once started -we forged ahead with all possible speed in order -that we might get out of the ice pack before the -channel should close again. Luck favored us. A -few hours later we landed at Nome. There was -no coal to be had here and as we had only enough -for twelve hours, after unloading the passengers -the <em>St. Croix</em> headed immediately for St. -Michael. At two o'clock in the afternoon, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span> -<em>thirteenth</em> day of June, I reached my destination.</p> - -<p>No steamers can land at the island. Both passengers -and freight have to be lightered ashore. -The inner bay was filled with ice. We anchored -five miles out. I went ashore with a friend in -his gasoline launch which had been sent out for -him. We left the <em>St. Croix</em> at two-thirty, and we -had to get out several times and pull the boat -along the ice until we could launch her again in -open water. At seven o'clock we reached the -beach. I stepped ashore and took a look at what -was to be my abiding-place for the next five -years. Home was never like this! I was informed -that the largest building in sight was the Steamboat -Hotel. I took my way thither and was the -sole occupant of this now-historic hostlery for -more than a week.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_II" id="CHAPTER_II">CHAPTER II<br /> - -<span class="normal">THE LAND OF TOMORROW</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">THE writer lays no claim to being an historian, -but a word in regard to Alaska's early -history and how the country came to be a part of -our national possessions may not be amiss.</p> - -<p>When the Russians first came to the island of -Unalaska they learned from the natives there of -a vast country lying to eastward, the name of -which was <em>Alayeksa</em>. Their own island, one of -the Aleutian group, they called <em>Nagun-Alayeksa</em>, -which means "the land next to Alayeksa." -As is usually the case, especially in primitive languages, -the word was gradually modified and in -time it assumed three different forms. The Russians -called the country itself <em>Alashka</em>. The peninsula -became <em>Aliaska</em>, the island <em>Unalaska</em>. In -English the word changed once more to the present -name, <em>Alaska</em>, which means "The Great -Country." It is a fitting name. All honor to -those two good Americans, Seward and Sumner, -who in the teeth of the most withering scorn, ridicule, -and even opprobrium, saved for our country<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span> -her most glorious and valuable possession,—the -land discovered and partly explored by Vitus -Bering in 1741.</p> - -<p>The old saying that "Westward the star of -empire takes its way" is not applicable to Alaska. -She enjoys a reputation wholly unique in the -history of nations. She is the only country acquired -by any European power in America because -of expansion <em>eastward</em>. The territory -which lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the -Mississippi River was our inheritance from the -mother country. The two Floridas, Texas, New -Mexico, and California we acquired, either directly -or indirectly, from Spain. From France -we purchased Louisiana. But about the middle -of the sixteenth century there began in Russia a -movement eastward similar to that which followed -(westward) the American Revolution in -our own country.</p> - -<p>It was shortly after the overthrow of the Tartars -and the establishment of a national monarchy. -But there was as much difference between -the motives underlying the westward -movement in our country and the eastward -movement in Russia as there was in the character -of the pioneers who made them and the results -which followed. The American pioneer was -either a fur trader, a prospector, a hunter, a missionary,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span> -a soldier, or a farmer seeking land on -which to settle. The Russian pioneer was usually -either a fugitive from justice or a proved -criminal who had been punished by exile to the -vast wilderness which lay beyond the confines of -the empire.</p> - -<p>Commercial and military motives exist in all -countries, however, and in this case both operated. -The exigencies of commerce carry men to -the far corners of the earth. The trade in furs -had long been a leading industry in Russia. So -as soon as it became known that the countries east -of the Russian empire were rich in fur-bearing -animals, particularly the highly-prized sable, the -merchants at once sat up and took notice! They -hastened to extend their trade eastward as rapidly -as the country could be made Russian territory. -So the Cossacks, pressing ever onward, at last -reached the Straits. Eastward through Siberia, -into Alaska they came for this purpose. Here -they found not only furs but huge quantities of -ivory which was embedded in the drift along the -seacoast and the rivers.</p> - -<p>It was during the reign of Peter the Great,—a -reign which was significant for many reasons. -He it was who was responsible for the promulgation -of comprehensive exploring plans which -resulted in the discovery of Alaska. He fitted<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span> -out an exploring party under command of Vitus -Bering, a Dane, who was accompanied by a Russian -navigator named Chirikof. The story of -Bering's exploration is now too well known to -need elaboration here. On the morning of July -sixteenth, 1741, Bering records that he "came in -sight of a rugged coast, presenting a vast chain -of mountains and a noble peak wrapped in eternal -snows." This was Mt. St. Elias.</p> - -<p>For some reason which seems unaccountable -and has never been explained, Bering did not -stop at this time for further exploration. Instead, -he set sail for home to report his discovery. -He never reached Russia, however. His -boat, the <em>St. Peter</em>, was wrecked off a small -island not far from Kamchatka, where, on December -eighth, 1741, the commander died. He -had discovered, explored, and named many of the -small islands, but his crew had suffered miserably -from scurvy. Many had died. The rest remained -for nine months upon the little island -which now bears the commander's name,—Bering -Island. The other boat, commanded by -Chirikof, had also a tragic experience. This -navigator discovered the coast of Alaska not far -from Sitka. In an attempt to land ten of his -men were lost. A rescuing party sent in search -of them met the same fate. Both were victims<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span> -of the cannibalistic residents of the coast. They -were sacrificed by the Kolosh Indians. A second -rescuing party went after the others but just -as they neared the shore a party of natives, looking -as innocent as the cat who has eaten the canary, -suddenly appeared upon the bank. The -little boat load of rescuers stood not upon the -order of their going. Regarding discretion as -the better part of valor, they turned and fled. A -few months later, haggard and famished, the -remnant of the crew landed at Kamchatka.</p> - -<p>Followed the long years of controversy in regard -to trading privileges, but in time these were, -in a manner, adjusted. A hundred and sixty-eight -years later the United States added one -more chapter in the history and growth of our -national interests on the Pacific. She acquired -Alaska. Beginning in Oregon, extending next -to California, where they received their most powerful -impetus, these interests have gradually increased -to gigantic proportions. The markets of -the Orient became alluring. The Pacific railways -were constructed. Not to have profited by -Russia's willingness to dispose of Alaska would -have been madness.</p> - -<p>Perhaps the story (vouched for by Charles -Sumner) of how the purchase came about may -also be of interest. It was during the administration<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span> -of President Buchanan, in 1859. An unofficial -representative of the President sounded -the Russian minister as to the willingness of his -government to sell Alaska. Being asked quickly -what the United States would pay, the unofficial -representative (who had not given the subject -serious consideration and who, if he had done so, -would have had no authority to answer such a -question) was a bit nonplussed for the moment. -But he sent out a feeler by saying suggestively, -"Oh,—about five million dollars."</p> - -<p>He saw at once that he had made an impression. -He hastened to the assistant Secretary of -State and reported the affair to him. The latter -then approached the Russian minister, with -the result that the matter was brought definitely -before the government. But——. The Civil -War broke out. And for the next six years there -was no talk of buying anything! During these -years, however, the people of what is now the -State of Washington, along Puget Sound, had -become deeply interested in the fisheries. In -1866, through their legislature, they petitioned -the President of the United States to obtain for -them from the Russian government permission to -fish in Alaskan waters, asking also for a more -complete exploration of the Pacific coast fisheries -from "Cortez Bank to Bering Sea." It was this<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span> -petition which revived the discussion in regard -to the purchase of Alaska.</p> - -<p>Fortune favored the project. As was the case -with Napoleon, when he agreed to the sale of the -Louisiana territory, Russia, bled by one war and -already preparing for another, in danger of losing -those of her possessions which had been -threatened by the British navy during the Crimean -war, the Russian-American Fur Company -not disposed to accept such modifications of its -charter as the government saw fit to grant, empowered -the Archduke Constantine, brother of -the Czar, to instruct the Russian minister at -Washington to cede the territory of Alaska to -the United States. Within a month all arrangements -were complete. The treaty was signed -March thirtieth, 1867. The price at first agreed -upon was seven million dollars, but William H. -Seward, Secretary of State, offered to increase -this amount by two hundred and fifty thousand -dollars on condition that Russia cede the territory -"unencumbered by any reservations, privileges, -franchises, grants or possessions by associated -companies … Russia or any other…."</p> - -<p>It seemed for a while that there would be a -hitch in the negotiations due to the protest made -by the Hudson Bay Company against this latter -demand. But Seward stood firm. He insisted,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span> -wisely, upon this condition and secured it. -Upon the entrance of the United States into the -game the Hudson Bay Company retired permanently -from the scene.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_III" id="CHAPTER_III">CHAPTER III<br /> - -<span class="normal">ST. MICHAEL</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">IT is only when one ventures forth upon so -large a subject that he realizes how inadequate, -how incomplete the result must be -even after he has done his best. He may just as -well acknowledge his shortcomings in the outset -and crave his readers' indulgence. It is the truth -that there is no man living who can or has the -right to attempt to speak of Alaska as a whole. -A man might travel continuously for a whole -year, using every means of expedition at his command, -not wasting a day anywhere, journeying -by land or sea, in winter and summer, taking advantage -of the "last ice" and the "first water," -and yet he could not begin to cover the country. -In the far-distant corners, hidden away from the -eyes of man, one will come upon the scattered -missions of the various churches to reach which -one must journey thousands of miles! So, whenever -a man from Nome speaks of Alaska he -means that part of it which he himself knows,—the -Seward Peninsula. The man from Cordova,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span> -or Valdez, talks of the Prince William -Sound country and calls it Alaska! The man -from Juneau speaks of Alaska, but all that he -means is the southeastern coast. This is why -so much that is written of the country is contradictory. -In fact, Alaska is not one but many -countries! And the various parts differ radically -from each other. Nature has separated them -each from the other by obstacles almost insuperable. -They have different interests, different -problems. Their climate is not the same, -nor their resources, nor their population. Thus -what is true of one part of Alaska may be (and -often is) absurdly untrue of another part.</p> - -<p>Because much of my own experience here has -centered about St. Michael and because the little -island is so large a part of the country's fragmentary -history I am indulging myself in the pleasure -of telling her story. When the Russian-American -company was under the administration -of that able and high-minded official, Baron von -Wrangell, Michael Trebenkoff was sent out to -establish a trading-post on Norton Sound. In -1833 he built Redoubt St. Michael, putting it -under the protection of his patron Archangel. It -was the second Russian port on Bering Sea, Nushayak, -in Bristol Bay, having been founded in -1818.</p> - -<p class="mabottom2"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span>It is a quaint, historic little island, about twenty-two -miles long and six miles wide. It has one -mountain, an extinct volcano, in the center and -is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel. -The latter was utterly useless for shipping, -and a few years ago the government spent quite -an amount of money widening and improving it -in order that, by its use, the worst part of the -sea voyage from St. Michael to the Yukon river -might be avoided. But it was misdirected effort. -The boats do not use it because of its narrowness. -The canal, at the mouth of which is a beacon, -leads by a wandering course into St. Michael's -Bay. I one day asked Captain Polte, an old officer -of one of the vessels, why the canal was not -used. "Well," he replied laconically, "we can't -use it when it's windy and when there's no wind -we don't need it!" Reason enough.</p> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 268px;"> -<a href="images/i02h.jpg"><img src="images/i02.jpg" width="268" height="400" alt="Picture of the author dressed for the trails at Kotlick" /></a> -<span class="caption">THE AUTHOR DRESSED FOR THE TRAILS AT -KOTLICK, MOUTH OF THE YUKON</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i03ah.jpg"><img src="images/i03a.jpg" width="500" height="258" alt="Picture of " /></a> -<span class="caption">AN ISLAND ON WHICH IS LOCATED ONE OF THE FINEST -FOX FARMS IN ALASKA</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i03bh.jpg"><img src="images/i03b.jpg" width="500" height="310" alt="Picture of a house with lots of fur stapled in front of" /></a> -<span class="caption">NEARLY TWENTY THOUSAND FURS READY FOR SHIPMENT</span> -</div> - - -<p>Some of the old log buildings on St. Michael -still stand, mute reminders of the day when the -little island belonged to Russia. On a point of -rock one may still see the small octagonal block -house inside of which the diminutive but still-defiant -rusty cannon arouse the interest of all visitors. -In the stormy pioneer days, so we are told, -these little six-pounders more than once proved -effective when the post was in danger. They -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span>were considered sufficiently historic to be exhibited -at the Seattle Exposition in 1909.</p> - -<p>This is neither the time nor the place to record -the story of the Klondike stampede, but that part -of it which affected the island may be here related. -When almost in the twinkling of an eye the -desolate coast of Bering Sea became a veritable -highway of nations, when all the available shipping -facilities of the Pacific coast were soon exhausted, -when ships from the Atlantic began -coming around the Horn, when every part of the -Pacific began to hum with Alaskan business,—the -tide of traffic found it necessary to separate. -One part of it sailed through the Inside Passage -to Skagway. The other took the Outside Passage -and entered through St. Michael. It is not a -very convenient port, it is true, but it is the best -there is. To St. Michael came all the heavy merchandise, -the immense stocks of goods for trading -and for individual use. This port thus became -the gateway to the fabulously rich gold fields of -the Yukon. St. Michael is, therefore, a large -part of the history of the Klondike stampede.</p> - -<p>The White Pass and Yukon Company is a -transportation company which has operated for -several years on the Yukon with headquarters at -Dawson, Yukon Territory. This company believed -that the best method of shipping supplies<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span> -to Alaska would be to bring them in by way of -Skagway, then over the White Pass and Yukon -Railroad to Dawson, transferring them there to -the White Pass boats and barges and floating -them thence <em>down</em> the river to points in the -interior. The Northern Navigation Company -brought its freight to St. Michael by way of the -Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. It was then loaded -on boats and barges and pushed <em>up</em> the river. -What was a disadvantage to the White Pass -people was a distinct advantage to the Northern -Navigation Company. This was the fact that -the lower part of the Yukon River below Lake -Lebarge was free from ice from a month to six -weeks earlier than that part of the river which -lay between Lake Lebarge and Dawson. The -method of the White Pass and Yukon Company -held an unquestionable advantage in the saving -of fuel. But as the greater number of the principal -mining towns and supply points for the different -mining districts lay <em>below</em> Lake Lebarge -it was but natural that large shipments of freight -for early summer delivery were consigned to the -Northern Navigation Company, at St. Michael. -A great rivalry sprang up between these two -companies. Keen competition followed. But it -was soon realized that each was working under -difficulties which ought to be and could be remedied.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span> -The White Pass and Yukon Company was -dependent upon the river transportation for existence. -So a merger of the two seemed vital to -the interests of both. In June, 1914, the White -Pass and Yukon Company bought out the Northern -Navigation Company, thus securing a monopoly -of the Yukon from source to mouth. The -result has been that the greater portion of the -freight now shipped into the interior of Alaska -is taken over the White Pass road and then floated -down the river. This has seriously affected -St. Michael, of course, as it has deprived this once -busy little city of the greater part of her revenue.</p> - -<p>As is the case in all new countries many of the -companies organized during this busy period in -Alaska's history have now passed out of existence, -due, no doubt, to too great haste in the -beginning. The Alaska Commercial Company -was not slow in realizing the good fortune which -had come to her. All the business so suddenly -born of the lure of the gold fields was tossed into -her lap. She had to build extensive shipyards, install -machine shops and build river craft. Stores, -warehouses, dwellings and an hotel were built at -St. Michael. Rival companies were organized,—the -Alaska Exploration Company, the Alaska -Development Company, and many others. Only<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span> -two of these survived for any length of time, however. -One was a Chicago concern—the North -American Trading and Transportation Company. -The other was the Northern Navigation -Company. For a while these flourished. The -establishment of the former was across the Bay -of St. Michael and was a little town in itself. -The latter was on the island. To-day, these, too, -have passed. The enterprises were not a success -in recent years, and the plants are deserted.</p> - -<p>St. Michael lies about a hundred and twenty-five -miles south of Nome. It is hugged by the -sea and therefore gets a certain amount of -"damp" cold in winter instead of the "strong" or -the "still" cold of the interior. Also, during the -winter it is sometimes tragically stormy—terrific -high winds with no forests to break them. In -summer, however, it is delightful and most picturesque. -It is covered by the tundra—Russian -moss—always fresh and beautiful, lying over the -island like a robe of soft green velvet. Plank -sidewalks line the streets, extending to the Army -Post, and where the sidewalks end the walking -ends also in summer. To step off is to sink ankle -deep in the soft green moss.</p> - -<p>Under the chapter devoted to the native races -the subject of the natives on St. Michael will be -more fully dealt with. In other sections of Alaska<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span> -the natives are largely Indians. Here only -the Eskimo is to be seen. The visitor will encounter -him everywhere in summer—in the -streets, loafing in the stores, beaching or launching -his boat on the water front, clad in the native -costume, the <em>parka</em>, made of drill in summer and -of fur, beautiful in design, in winter, shod in -<em>mukluks</em>. At every turn one will find their -handiwork for sale—carved ivories from walrus -tusks, baskets, fur boots. Should one wish an -ivory cribbage board there is no other place, with -the possible exception of Nome, where he will find -so large a variety from which to choose. As for -the Eskimo woman,—well, in the far places of -the world where there is little civilization and no -pretense whatever on the part of humanity to be -other than wholly natural one soon becomes accustomed -to the unusual! There is no commoner -sight in St. Michael than that of the native -mother sitting in the street unconcernedly feeding -her baby (sometimes two of them) after -Nature's most primitive and wholesome method!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_IV" id="CHAPTER_IV">CHAPTER IV<br /> - -<span class="normal">NORTHERN LIGHTS</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">ALASKA is a land of such wild beauty, so -full of interest and charm, that it seems a -pity that so mistaken an idea persists in regard -to her climate. Yet that it does persist -is scarcely to be wondered at. It is the knowledge -we acquire in childhood which usually abides -with us longest. So the preconceived idea which -we absorbed in our youth from both our histories -and our geographies is hard to eradicate. -"Our country purchased this cold and barren -land from Russia," we were taught, and "Alaska -is noted for her ice-covered seas and her glaciers." -Furthermore, when that far-sighted statesman, -W. H. Seward, negotiated, in 1867, for the purchase -of this great territory from Russia, the majority -of Americans had so visualized Alaska as -a country of perpetual snows and glaciers that -even the most important newspapers and journals -facetiously referred to the purchase as <em>Seward's -ice-box</em>.</p> - -<p>Severe climatic conditions, while they do exist<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span> -in the extreme Arctic regions, are by no means -typical of the country as a whole. The greater -part of Alaska lies in the North Temperate Zone. -Southeastern Alaska is comparatively mild. The -Alaskan Peninsula, while rather frigid in winter, -is most enjoyable in summer. There is no fact, -seemingly, which is so hard to impress upon those -who have never visited Alaska as that in regard to -the "strong" cold of the interior. Yet it <em>is</em> a fact -that if one is prepared for it he does not find it uncomfortable. -True, for six months of the year the -average temperature is below zero, and zero in -this country, instead of being at the bottom of the -thermometer, is half way up the scale! Fifty below -is often recorded. Eighty below is not unusual. -And occasionally the mercury freezes and -the thermometer refuses to register! But——. -It is the absolute and unvarnished truth that the -climate of the interior of Alaska is fully as comfortable -in winter as that of the northern part of -the United States,—much more comfortable than -in those states and cities where one is subjected to -fogs and dampness in addition to low temperature. -I have been colder and far more uncomfortable -in both Boston and Chicago than I ever was -in Alaska. In the interior there is practically no -wind, no dampness. The still, dry air is wonderfully -invigorating, and heavily charged with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span> -electricity. One frequently gets a shock from -shaking hands, while a kiss for one's best girl -is a matter for prayerful consideration!</p> - -<p>One may wear in the Alaskan cities clothing -of the same quality and weight as that worn in -the States. The addition of a fur coat will make -him thoroughly comfortable, even in the most extreme -weather. This is not true of the trails, -however. One must resort to the <em>parka</em>, the -native costume with the long fur boots, if he -wishes to be able to resist the cold.</p> - -<p>Spirit thermometers are expensive and so other -means of taking the temperature have been devised. -Pain-killer is known to freeze at forty-five -and alcohol at seventy-five below zero. When -the still cold comes on the pain-killer is put out. -When it freezes, the alcohol replaces it. When -the latter freezes we give it up with a feeling that -it really does not matter how much colder than -seventy-five below it is!</p> - -<p>We are familiar with the old legend to the effect -that the abode of the Hyperboreans was in -some distant region far beyond the North Wind! -That it was a Paradise, the Elysian Fields, a -land of perpetual sunshine and marvelous fertility, -inaccessible by land or by sea! I have often -had occasion to ponder upon this legend during -my various journeyings in Alaska. Did you ever<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span> -take a <em>daylight</em> photograph by the <em>Midnight</em> -Sun? I have. Did you ever sun yourself, at -midnight, at a picnic? Or try to sleep in a land -where there is no such thing as night? Where -there are twenty-four hours of sunshine, necessitating -the curtaining of the windows in order to -be able to keep one's eyes closed and to obtain -for both eyes and nerves that real rest which -comes only with the darkness? I have, many -times.</p> - -<p>Nowhere else in all the world are there such -wondrous tints as in Alaska. To appreciate the -beauty of the land, however, one needs must be -an early riser. To have seen the marvelous -change which comes over the pure whiteness of -the snow-crowned crests between the darkness -and the dawn! The tender violet becomes topaz, -the topaz deepens into gold. The gold -merges into burnished copper, the copper into -rose, the rose into crimson, and then—the day is -born! No man can see the dawn break over the -mountain tops, especially if it be in a lonely, -sparsely-peopled land, without feeling as did the -poet when he wrote:</p> - -<div class="poem smaller stanza"> -<span class="i0">"For I know of a sun and a wind.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And some plains and a mountain behind,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Where there's neither a road nor a tree—<br /></span> -<span class="i4">Only my Maker and me!"<br /></span> -</div> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span>In Alaska, as elsewhere, we have a land of -contrasts, it is true. In December there are but -two and a half hours of daylight. At noon the -sun throws long horizontal rays and on cloudy -days the colors of the sunrise merge into those -of the sunset! And there is ever the long twilight—no -matter what time of the year it may -be. On the shortest day there are slight traces -of daylight from about nine until three o'clock.</p> - -<p>He who has never seen the winter night in -Alaska has missed one of the most beautiful -sights in the whole world. In many other corners -of this earth I have watched the coming of -the night but nowhere else has it ever moved me -so deeply. Here, as nowhere else, "the heavens -declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth -His handiwork!" How many times have I -sat in my door-way and watched the ending of -the day. If there have been a few flying clouds -during the afternoon they seldom fail to clear at -evening. One by one the stars come out. From -some remote darkness long meteors slip silently -and shoot across the heavens, leaving phosphorescent -trails, their scattered star dust, behind them. -The features of the distant mountains, so lovable -by day, become grim, hard, forbidding, when at -nightfall they gather their gray hoods about their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span> -heads and go to sleep, standing! Ah, the wild, -weird beauty of an unpeopled land!</p> - -<p>The old Italian adage "See Naples and die!" -never fails to spring to my mind whenever I look -out upon the dark, crisp, bespangled night sky -in Alaska. Over all its other brilliancy the vivid -tones of the Aurora, flashes of green and red, -shoot riotously. The Northern Lights! Only in -Alaska does one see them in all their gorgeous -glory! If sentiment be a part of man's make-up -(and where is he who can deny it?), the lover of -the <em>Land of Tomorrow</em> will not even attempt to -stifle in his heart a wish that is almost a prayer. -It is that when the hour shall come for him to -venture forth into that undiscovered country -whence no traveler returns, the Northern Lights -may light him on his way!</p - -><hr class="chap" /> - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_V" id="CHAPTER_V">CHAPTER V<br /> - -<span class="normal">GREAT OPPORTUNITIES</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">IF the idea that Alaska is the "land of ice and -snow" is gradually disappearing another idea -just as erroneous seems likely to take its place. -This is that Alaska is the "land of gold." -While it is true that along her streams and in the -heart of her mountains lie minerals of the value -of which no man can speak truly, the gold mines -of Alaska are by no means her greatest asset. -Her farms and fisheries, her enormous coal fields, -the thousand and one opportunities to make -money which do not exist in older localities are -here to be had with small effort and little or no -capital. I could cite many instances of those who -have acquired wealth in this country from almost -infinitesimal beginnings.</p> - -<p>A wealthy man of my acquaintance who now -owns a four story building covering a whole block -in Seattle went to Nome when the great rush -was on. Unlike the others he neither sought for -gold nor located mines. All he possessed was a -boat. He established a ferry on Snake River,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span> -which is only about fifty or sixty feet wide. He -charged twenty-five cents a trip. As soon as he -got together a little sum he bought a steamboat -which had been wrecked on the river and converted -it into a lodging house. Two years later -he was president of a bank!</p> - -<p>This is only one instance of hundreds which are -a matter of personal knowledge. I know of -four sisters who came to this country after a hard -struggle in the States. They bought a few wash -tubs and opened a laundry. Two of them mended -for the miners. The other two washed and -ironed. They netted a hundred dollars a day! -Two of them married. The other two opened a -millinery and dry goods store. They made a fortune. -They live in the west now and could live in -affluence if they so desired. They have invested -in government bonds and other safe securities -and are the best exemplification of the possibilities -of the Great North that I know.</p> - -<p>One thing which I should like to make plain -and which is an item of value to the prospective -resident is this: Alaska is a country where unfair -dealing or trickery is not tolerated. In the -early days when food was worth its weight in -gold, when one was forced to pay fifteen dollars -for an oyster stew and one dollar for a cup of -coffee, this fact was made plain and nobody has<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span> -tried it since to my knowledge. A fellow who -had set up an eating house was caught one day -putting sperm candles in the soup to give it a -rich flavor. The miners made short work of that -man. They put him in a boat, took away the -oars and set him adrift down the Yukon! In -my first years in this country the appearance of -the first boat which got through the ice in the -spring was a great event. We knew it would -bring us fresh vegetables and eggs. This was -before the days when we raised crops of any -kind. Cheerfully we paid the fabulous prices -for tomatoes, grape fruit, eggs and such things. -And not infrequently we ate all that we purchased -at one sitting!</p> - -<p>In listing the business opportunities in Alaska -perhaps one may as well begin with that most -important asset of any country,—the land itself. -Any of the valleys on Cook Inlet contain many -acres of good agricultural land, some of which -is timbered. The coast line from Wrangell to -the Aleutian Peninsula, split by many streams, -has also many acres. The better place to locate, -however, is near the large towns. The Susitna -and Matanuska valleys hold the coal fields and -near them are thousands of acres where the wild -hay for cattle grows in great abundance. There -is much less loss of stock in Alaska in winter than<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span> -in Montana and the Dakotas. The coldest day -on the Alaskan coast last winter south of the -Aleutian Islands was above zero. For fifteen -years (and this is as long as the records have been -kept) there has never been a week when the -average temperature has been as cold as that of -New York, Washington or Philadelphia. -Alaska's climate gives the lie to her latitude.</p> - -<p>It is, of course, the Japan current which transforms -this part of Alaska. What magic it works,—this -warm, life-giving stream! It clothes the -northern isles in green vegetation, makes the -silk-worm flourish far north of its rightful locality -and brings warmth and joy to the dwellers of -the Far North.</p> - -<p>The government has committed itself to a new -policy of development in Alaska. The vast -riches of this country are not to be exploited at -haphazard or at the whim or the will of private -corporations or individuals. The national shoulders -have been squared to the task of developing -the country and her resources in a manner conservative, -sane, and in keeping with the magnitude -of the interests at stake. Practically all -the land and natural resources of the country are -still the property of the United States.</p> - -<p class="mabottom2">There is a plan on foot for the creation of a -Development Board, to be appointed by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span> -President and confirmed by the Senate. It includes -the voting of an appropriation sufficient -to obtain men of ability who will devote themselves -to the task and <em>who will live in Alaska</em>! -This is as it should be. Alaska's interests, now -batted back and forth between the General Land -Office, the Forest Service, the Road Commission, -the Bureau of Mines, the Bureau of Education -and the Secretary of the Interior, would all be -handled by one body whose <em>raison d'être</em> would -be the welfare of Alaska. All her activities are -closely related. All are a part of one huge problem -and all should be directed by one governing -board.</p> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i04ah.jpg"><img src="images/i04a.jpg" width="500" height="290" alt="Picture of a reindeer herd" /></a> -<span class="caption">"SIMROCK MARY'S" HERD OF REINDEER COMING OVER -THE HILL</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i04bh.jpg"><img src="images/i04b.jpg" width="500" height="219" alt="Picture of reindeer and reindeer herder" /></a> -<span class="caption">SLEDDERS OFF FOR PROVISIONS FOR THE REINDEER -HERDERS</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i05ah.jpg"><img src="images/i05a.jpg" width="500" height="228" alt="Picture of a seal herd at Pribilof Islands" /></a> -<span class="caption">PRIBILOF ISLANDS WHERE UNCLE SAM PROTECTS THE -FUR SEAL</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i05bh.jpg"><img src="images/i05b.jpg" width="500" height="295" alt="Picture of murrs at the islands" /></a> -<span class="caption">COUNTLESS THOUSANDS OF "MURRS" HAVE MADE THIS -ISLAND THEIR OWN</span> -</div> - - -<p>There are sixty-four million acres of agricultural -land in Alaska which can be made valuable -for tilling and grazing. Some of this is already -under cultivation but there is not yet an output -more than sufficient to supply the home markets. -The farming area, according to the surveys which -have been made, is as large as the combined area -of the States of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, -New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, -Vermont and New Hampshire, and in the opinion -of the Department of Agriculture this area -ought to be capable of supporting a population -nearly equal to that supported by the farm products -of these states.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span>Almost every kind of a crop can be raised in -Alaska, although corn will not grow at all and -the soil is not particularly good for wheat. But -barley, oats, rye, potatoes, cabbages, turnips, tomatoes, -and nearly all the common garden vegetables -have been grown successfully. The potatoes -are of the best quality and run several hundred -bushels to the acre.</p> - -<p>Wild fruits grow abundantly. Nearly every -kind of berry (except the cranberry) can be -raised here. Only two years after the terrible -eruption of Mt. Katmai, on the Alaskan Peninsula -just opposite Kodiak Island, the ash-laden -hillsides were again covered with verdure. The -rich green grass grew as high as a man's head -and it really seemed that the eruption was the best -thing that had ever happened for Kodiak. The -grass not only grew high. It grew much earlier -than it ever had before and the berries were much -larger and more luscious than they had been before -the ash covered the land. The berry crop -was enormous. Kodiak, like Ireland, is now an -"Emerald Isle." The eastern part of it is covered -with a magnificent forest of spruce beyond -which lies luxuriant grass land, the abundance -and quality of which for hay and forage is not -approached by any grazing land in the United -States. It is equaled only by the "guinea grass"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span> -of the tropics. At present this part of the country -is almost entirely neglected. But one of these -days the stock raisers of the world will wake up. -They will find no finer spot on earth for the -promulgation of their industry than the Island -of Kodiak.</p> - -<p>Of the berries which grow in Alaska the most -important is the "Molina" berry. In shape and -appearance it is much like our blackberry, or a -cross between the blackberry and raspberry. -When picked it comes loose from the receptacle -like the raspberry. These berries grew in Kodiak -before the eruption, it is true, but they were much -smaller and less palatable and the vines were -much less hardy and vigorous. In one respect -they resemble the persimmon. They have an -astringent taste which disappears only when the -berry is dead ripe. But they are extremely delicate -of flavor,—distinctive in that they resemble -in taste nothing else that I know and when served -with sugar and cream they are excellent.</p> - -<p>There are two varieties of blueberries. One is -known as the high-bush blueberry and the other -is known as the low-bush berry. I have always -thought it a little strange that the cranberry does -not grow here. Conditions seem good for it. -But it does not.</p> - -<p>When the railroad is completed (which will be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span> -soon), when the farmer has an outlet for his produce -and can enter the markets of the "Outside," -the future of Alaska will be secured. The government -is now selling the land at most reasonable -rates. For four hundred dollars one can -buy a three hundred and twenty acre farm. Pioneers -are rapidly taking advantage of this to become -independent land owners.</p> - -<p>Time was in the United States when, beyond -the Mississippi, Wilderness was King! But this -did not prevent the settler from breaking his way -through. So it is in Alaska. The trees are being -hewn down for clearings and in those clearings -homes are springing up. More men each -year are locating homesteads and bringing their -families with them, secure in the knowledge that -their children can be educated in Alaskan schools, -fed with Alaskan meat and vegetables, their bills -paid in Alaskan gold. There is a market for -everything that can be grown and this market -will be much enlarged by the increased population -which the railroad will bring. Alaska will -soon be a populous and prosperous country and -will one day ask admission to the Union. When -she comes in, bringing her six hundred thousand -square miles, she will be the largest State. Texas, -so long the giant, will be a dwarf in comparison.</p> - -<p>To sum up, then, the opportunities which offer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span> -themselves in Alaska,—there are (1) cattle -ranges of enormous size; (2) immense salmon -shoals; (3) huge tracts of farming land; (4) -large forests (in certain sections) of fine timber; -(5) an almost unlimited supply of fur. The -United States has no tin mines except in Alaska. -There is enough coal buried under the soil -to keep the whole world warm for five thousand -years! The coal, tin and gold must be mined. -Here is a chance for large numbers of workmen. -The fish must be caught and canned. The canneries -employ large numbers of men. But the -crying need of the country is for homesteaders, -because the agricultural development is of prime -importance to Alaska and to the world. The -first binder operated in Fairbanks in 1911 and -the first threshing machine in 1912. In time implement -houses will be needed. Manufacturing -enterprises offer a rich field. At present (1918) -there is not a single grain mill in the country. -This may be due, however, to the fact that there -is not yet a large enough amount of grain raised -to justify the building of mills. But in time there -will be. There is unlimited water power for their -operation.</p> - -<p>Mr. Michael O'Kee, a Yukon Territory gardener, -is regarded as the Luther Burbank of -Alaska. He has specialized in berries and has<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span> -proved that they may be grown just as well -around the Arctic Circle as in sun-kissed California. -Also, he has grown cabbages weighing -eighteen pounds with heads hard and sound.</p> - -<p>Reindeer breeding is fast becoming an important -factor, and here again one must revert to -the land. Reindeer need space, for they are the -beef of Alaska and must have pasturage. This -pasturage is always to be had. Reindeer steaks -are and have been for a long time regularly quoted -on the Seattle markets. That they will one -day figure conspicuously in our meat supply cannot -be questioned. Already the big packing concerns -have sent their representatives to look over -the ground. There is one drawback to this industry, -however, which will have to be adjusted -and regulated before it can become profitable. -The cost of shipping is now prohibitive. Alaska -has now a hundred thousand reindeer. Within -the next ten years she will have three million.</p> - -<p>A well-known mining engineer of Los Angeles -who has recently studied the resources of Alaska -has thus summed up his belief:</p> - -<blockquote> -<ol> -<li class="negin">(1) The reindeer ranches of the Far North -are destined to solve the meat question -for the United States.</li> - -<li class="negin">(2) The fisheries of the north coast waters<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span> -will be able to furnish practically all the -sea food for the entire country within the -next century.</li> - -<li class="negin">(3) The gold, copper and other valuable -mines of Alaska have scarcely been -scratched, and the next few years will see -an Alaskan boom not now dreamed of by -the most optimistic business men of the -United States.</li> -</ol> -</blockquote> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_VI" id="CHAPTER_VI">CHAPTER VI<br /> - -<span class="normal">POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">UNTIL recent years one administration after -another completely ignored the real worth -of Alaska. It was organized as a "non-contiguous -territory" in 1886. Not until seventeen -years later was it supplied with a form of -government of any kind, and even then the laws -of Oregon were extended to it. In 1899, however, -gold was discovered in the sand on the beach -at Nome! The attention of Congress was promptly -directed to this "non-contiguous territory" and -the next year (1900) actual civil government -was granted. In 1906 the first representative -was sent to Congress. In 1912 a territorial assembly, -with limited powers, was authorized.</p> - -<p>To say that Alaska has suffered and been hindered -in her development by this legislative -apathy on the part of Congress would be putting -it mildly. First of all, one of the greatest needs -of any new country was wholly lacking. The -absence of any kind of a criminal code was a bit -appalling. It is a matter of record that once the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span> -settlers, in dire need, were forced to seek the protection -of the English navy! There was also a -lack of proper legal, medical and educational -facilities, and as Alaska's importance increased -she became a helpless victim of political conditions -some of the results of which were serious. -One of these results was an unnecessary Forest -Service. Another was the belated opening of the -coal fields. A third was a long period of very -meagre transportation facilities.</p> - -<p>The discussion of all these important matters -by government officials was lengthy and profound. -But, as usual, wherever and whenever -new policies are projected there is always the -pessimist who stubbornly blockades progress. -Alaska was no exception. So advance in her affairs -was negligible.</p> - -<p>One hears much, especially in these restless -days, of the red tape which results from the lack -of coördination in our government. But, with -the possible exception of the Secretary of the -Interior, only one who has dwelt in Alaska can -appreciate to what lengths it extends. In an -article published not long ago in the <em>Outlook</em>, Mr. -Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, expressed -himself forcibly upon this subject as it -concerned Alaska, making use of the following -illustration:</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span>"A citizen who wished to lease an Alaskan -island for fox farming carried on a correspondence -with three different departments of the -Federal Government for several months in an -effort to find out which had jurisdiction and -authority to make the lease. It was finally decided -that none of them did!"</p> - -<p>Further investigation brought forth the following -astonishing facts: The control of Alaskan -lands is in one department, the control of -forests in another. The control of roads is in a -third, of fisheries in a fourth, of railroads in a -fifth! The black bear is entrusted to one department -and the brown bear to another! Cables -and telegraphs comes under another department, -reindeer and the native races under still another. -Entry for homestead or mineral land, if it lie -<em>outside</em> the national forest, is made through one -department, if <em>within</em> the national forest through -another. Timber in the national forest is sold -at auction under the <em>Department of Agriculture</em>. -Timber outside the national forest is sold -(under wholly different rules and regulations) -under the <em>Department of the Interior</em>. One may -export the pulp made from timber in the public -lands, but the timber itself may not be exported.</p> - -<p>A child could readily understand how all this, -or much of it, might be avoided by the creation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span> -of governmental offices in Alaska with sufficient -officers to get over the large territory which must -be covered. As a further illustration of what all -this red tape means to those desiring to live in -the north I cite a case (also referred to by Secretary -Lane) which came to my personal knowledge. -On October ninth, 1906, Mrs. Mary A. -Dabney, of Seattle, filed a claim, recording the -location on this day. The survey was made September -twenty-fourth, 1908. It was approved -by the Surveyor General January twenty-first, -1909. Application for patent was made March -twenty-fourth, 1909. There was no protest -against the validity of Mrs. Dabney's claim, and -no conflicting claims. But the mineral entry was -not patented until October seventeenth, 1913—<em>seven -years after the claim was filed</em>! Had there -been an officer on the ground, with power to act, -with authority to investigate and prepare the -case for the General Land Office all this long -wait would have been avoided.</p> - -<p>This lack of coördination affects almost every -phase of Alaskan life and industry. Certain -islands are set apart as bird reserves under protection -(?) of the Biological Survey which sends -a keeper <em>in summer</em> to guard one or two of the -islands! At other times they are unprotected. -Game animals are supposedly under the protection<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span> -of wardens hired by and under the direction -of the Governor of Alaska. These wardens enforce -the rules of the Department of Agriculture -and are paid out of the appropriation of the -Department of the Interior! Fur-bearing animals -are under the protection of wardens appointed -by the Secretary of Commerce and working -under the regulations of the Department of -the Interior. The Department of Agriculture -has sole authority over the animals which are -shipped as specimens for scientific and propagating -purposes, except reindeer, which are controlled -by the Department of the Interior.</p> - -<p>Not long ago it was discovered by the Bureau -of Education that the walruses were being -slaughtered by the wholesale. As this is a menace -to the food supply of both the natives and their -dogs the Bureau at once reported it to Washington. -The report was turned over to the Department -of Agriculture and this Department -promptly decided that the killing was illegal. -When it came to putting into motion the machinery -to stop it, however, the usual thing occurred. -There was no machinery available to prevent it.</p> - -<p>The prize story along this line, however, is the -evidence in the case of the black bear <em>versus</em> the -brown bear. Some years ago a law was passed -making the brown bear a game animal. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span> -law was intended to protect the Kodiak bear, -the "great brown bear" as it is called. So the -brown bear passed under the control of the Department -of Agriculture. The black bear, recognized -as a fur-bearing animal, remained under -the jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce. -And then the fun began! Scarcely a litter of -black bear cubs but contains one or more brown -ones! To which Department of our National -Government shall the little brown brothers and -sisters be awarded? One protests against the separation -of families in this manner! The question -we are asking ourselves and which yet remains to -be solved is: Is <em>a</em> brown bear of Alaska <em>the</em> brown -bear?</p> - -<p>The Forest Service as it was inaugurated also -proved a detriment. Rules and regulations which -worked well in the States could not be intelligently -applied to Alaska. As an illustration,—there -was a territorial law in force at the time the Service -took charge which forbade the shipment of -timber into the United States. Under the new -Service, timber might be exported provided -stumpage were paid to cover the Service's expenses. -In case of the reserve forest on the Alexander -Archipelago, however, an exception was -made. This forest was withdrawn (it was said) -in order that the timber kings could not rifle it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span> -for export purposes. Yet——. The old territorial -law would have furnished ample protection -and would have been a better measure of conservation -than the one introduced by the Forest -Service.</p> - -<p>Any system which imposes irritating restrictions -(as this one undoubtedly did) upon the pioneers -of a sparsely-peopled country is a mistake -for many reasons. Such a system never fails to -operate against itself. And this system proved -a boomerang. Under it the railroads, wishing to -buy Alaskan lumber for construction purposes, -had to pay for it at the stumpage rates of the -Forest Reserve! Meanwhile Alaska was suffering -for lack of transportation facilities and it is -difficult for even the most optimistic conservative -enthusiast to see <em>improvement</em> in such measures.</p> - -<p>The belated opening of the coal fields was but -one more instance of the legislative indifference -which hindered Alaska's development. Eastern -coal operators were shipping coal in large quantities -to the Pacific coast. In Alaska the belief -was general that when the Panama Canal was -once in operation these operators would intrench -themselves strongly on the coast, confident that -they would be able to compete with operators -from Alaska as soon as the latter's coal fields<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span> -were released. Naturally, the first man on the -ground would have the advantage and the Alaskans -grew almost desperate as time went by and -the troublesome situation was not relieved. In -1914, however, a bill was passed in Congress -which authorized the leasing of the coal fields and -permitted the lessee to rent two thousand five -hundred and sixty acres at a yearly rental of one -dollar an acre, this to be applicable on the royalty -demanded, which was two cents a ton.</p> - -<p>In the matter of highways Alaska was also -handicapped. Wheeled traffic here was out of -the question until roads were built. Railroads -which can not touch the interior are limited as to -their usefulness. The highways are of paramount -importance to the development of any country. -But a Board of Commissions for Alaska was organized -a few years ago and since then the building -of roads has increased.</p> - -<p>Even in the face of all these handicaps and difficulties, -however, we are not pessimistic. In -time they will, they <em>must</em>, adjust themselves. As -soon as sufficient roads are built to enable settlement -it will be only a question of time (and a -short time at that) until Alaska will become self-supporting. -Her vast resources can not be dealt -with singly. They must be dealt with as a whole. -When once the United States grasps Alaska's<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span> -needs and conditions, when her receipts and disbursements -pass through a single, responsible -Board which shall each year report to Congress -the revenues and expenses, the government will -undoubtedly form an Alaskan budget which will -render legislation in her behalf much simpler -and more intelligent.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_VII" id="CHAPTER_VII">CHAPTER VII<br /> - -<span class="normal">THE PARALLEL STEEL BARS</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">AS is the case in all new countries the most -serious problem that has yet confronted -Alaska has been the lack of railroads. All -men recognize that in the parallel steel bars lie -the means of unlocking the treasures of an empire. -In them rest the future successful or unsuccessful -attempts to develop the resources of -any new land.</p> - -<p>When the importance of building railroads in -Alaska became apparent the old, old serpent, the -cobra of civilization, raised its head and spread -its hood. Should those roads already built in -the country be left to private interests, such as the -Morgan-Guggenheim Syndicate, at the risk of -a possibly unfair monopoly in the future? Or -should the United States own and control them? -The question was long and strongly argued. But -the matter was definitely decided on March -twelfth, 1914, when Congress voted in favor of -government ownership.</p> - -<p>The President was directed to "locate, build,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span> -or purchase and operate" a system of railroads -at a cost not to exceed thirty-five million dollars. -William C. Eads was made Chairman of the -Railroad Commission. Construction was commenced -in 1915, with Anchorage, on Cook Inlet, -for a base. The Alaska and Northern Railway -was purchased and became a part of the new -system. The road, beginning at Seward, was to -run along the southern coast through the Susitna -Valley and Broad Pass to the Tanana River, -with a terminal at Fairbanks. Its length, including -a short branch to the Matanuska coal -fields, was to be five hundred and four miles.</p> - -<p>In eight months' time a right of way was -cleared for forty miles and thirteen miles of track -laid. Then came a halt. The inevitable labor -troubles broke forth. These were finally adjusted, -however, and the construction resumed, -and it was hoped by the fall of 1917 to reach the -Menana coal fields, about a hundred miles south -of Fairbanks.</p> - -<p>We are prone to believe that when the money -to build a railroad has been appropriated the -most important and difficult part of the job is accomplished. -This is a huge mistake. For the -Congress of the United States to vote thirty-five -million dollars to build a railroad in Alaska was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span> -easy. To build that road was an herculean undertaking.</p> - -<p>Fairbanks is the geological center of the country. -To reach it from the coast the engineer must -break through a wilderness of forest and mountains, -swamps and glaciers. They must haul a -great quantity of material by sledges in winter so -that the construction of many special roads may -not be necessary. The experience gained in -Panama, and the recent opening of the coal mine -near the road already completed, helped considerably, -but the perils involved in engineering in -Alaska, coupled with the rigorous winter weather, -are those of all similar projects multiplied by -ten!</p> - -<p>To illustrate by but one instance (and it will -give some idea of the labor involved) in the first -forty miles of the line there are sixty-seven -bridges! Many of them span deep and almost inaccessible -cañons. During the winter months -the snow, sometimes twenty-five to thirty feet -deep, had to be removed before the work could -be carried on, and during the time of building the -temperature varied little. It was twenty to forty -below zero all the time! Nevertheless the men -worked courageously on and spring found them -far on the way.</p> - -<p>One of the most brilliant feats of engineering<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span> -that has yet been achieved was accomplished during -the building of the Copper River railroad in -Alaska. To me it seemed little short of phenomenal. -It was necessary to span Miles Glacier. -The bridge is fifteen hundred feet long. There -is a double turn in the river here, and it flows between -the two faces of the Miles and Childs glaciers, -both "living," a sheer three hundred feet. -The engineers were well aware that when the -spring "break-up" should come, thousands of icebergs -would come battering down the defile. -Would it be possible to erect a bridge with four -spans, the abutments of which could be made sufficiently -strong to withstand the onslaught of -these icebergs, propelled as they were by the -twelve mile current of the river? Everybody (except -the engineers) declared it impossible.</p> - -<p>When I remember how intensely interested -I myself became in watching the progress of -this wonderful building I often wonder what the -feelings must have been of those to whom success -or failure meant so much,—the builders -themselves. Never shall I forget the tenseness -of the closing days of that undertaking,—the -grim, silent determination written in the faces of -those men! In spite of the Doubting Thomases -(of whom, I confess, I was one) the thing was -triumphantly, gloriously accomplished.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span>It was at the cost of two years of the stiffest -fighting that Man has ever put up against Nature. -The great concrete piers, begun through -the winter ice, were driven forty to fifty feet -through the river bottom and there anchored. -The solid concrete was reinforced with steel. A -row of eighty pound rails, set a foot apart all -around, the whole structure bound together with -concrete, were placed next. Then above the -piers, ice-breakers, similarly constructed, were -planted.</p> - -<p>It was conceded in the beginning that no false -work would stand against the battering ice. -Therefore the work of connecting the piers with -the steel road-way must be done in winter. It -was a cruel and trying task. The weather did -its worst. It was bitter cold. Snow storms were -practically continuous. The piercing wind blew -sixty to ninety miles an hour and the fine particles -of snow hurled by the gale cut and stung -one's face like shot.</p> - -<p>When the last span was almost in place there -came a most appalling moment. The "false -work," as the supports are technically called and -which in this case consisted of two thousand piles -driven forty feet into the bottom of the river, -suddenly moved fifteen inches! The ice, a solid -sheet, was borne on a twelve knot current. Into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span> -it the piles had been frozen as solidly as a rock. -The spring break-up had begun in the river. The -ice-cap, lifted twenty feet above its winter bed, -began to move!</p> - -<p>The false work with its mass of unfinished steel -was fifteen inches out of plumb. Not to get it -back meant that communication with the other -side could not be established that winter. The -engineers recognized that at any moment the -whole span, supports and all, might be carried -away. The magnitude of the fight they would -have to put up in order to prevent this was realized -by all of them. But they determined not -to lose heart.</p> - -<p>I shall never forget the scene which followed. -It was like a huge motion picture and I have always -regretted that a camera man was not at -hand to preserve it. Steam from every available -engine was turned into every available feed -pipe. Every man in camp was put to work chopping -the seven-foot ice away from the piles. At -last this was done. That which followed was the -climax of the picture. It was a scene which could -never fade from the memory of him who saw it. -During that stinging Arctic day and the night -which followed it, <em>during which the river rose -twenty-one feet</em>, the piles were kept free from ice -while hundreds of cross-pieces were unbolted!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span> -Then the shifting into place began,—at first but -one inch a day, then two, three, then four inches -a day. The melting and the chopping went on -unceasingly, no one daring to relax his vigilance -for one moment unless there was a man at his -elbow to take his place. Anchorages were quickly -made in the ice above the bridge. Feverishly -every man, from the chief engineer to the last -laborer, worked while that whole four hundred -and fifty feet of intricate bridge work was -coaxed, inch by inch, back into its place. Finally, -at midnight, after an eighteen hour day of -one shift, the anxious and weary men had the -happiness and the satisfaction of seeing the great -span settle down on its concrete bed. The last -bolt was driven in. One hour later,—the river -broke loose! In less time than it takes to record -it the whole four hundred and fifty feet of false -work was a pile of chaotic wreckage. But the -river had been vanquished. It had lost the fight -by a single hour! The people of Alaska and the -United States Government can never sufficiently -reward such men as these. Mere money can not -pay for such achievement.</p> - -<p>In contrast to the strenuous experience just -related the builders of the White Pass and Yukon -road had a most amusing episode to record. -The bears in the vicinity got altogether too<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span> -friendly. At first the blasting frightened them. -But they soon learned to follow the example of -the men and scuttle to shelter until it was over. -They became so crafty that nothing which could -possibly be eaten was safe unless some one -watched it night and day. The bears actually -learned to recognize the warning shouts of the -foreman and to secrete themselves so cunningly -that in the temporary absence of the men they -could sneak out of their hiding place and steal -the contents of the workmen's dinner pails! It -might have been funny had it not been that the -men were often far from a base of supplies and -facing the possibility of starvation.</p> - -<p>Now, in Alaska we have a method of dealing -with thieves which is usually effective, but in this -case it did not work. The bears could not read! -Every dweller in Alaska has heard the story of -William Yanert. He came into the country from -God-knows-where and built himself a cabin in -the Yukon Flats. He calls his abode "Purgatory." -Nobody knows why he lives there or what -particular sin he is accepting punishment for, as -the name of his cabin would indicate. We do not -often ask questions on such subjects in Alaska. -And Yanert seems absolutely contented with his -lot! When the Mounted Police began driving -undesirable characters out of Dawson, however,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span> -Yanert returned several times from hunting trips -to find that his cabin had been robbed of supplies -which he had laid in for the winter. He resolved -that the next time he left home he would leave -warning, and while he was pondering upon the -most effective method of doing so he heard a noise -at the back of his house and went to investigate. -He peeped out and saw a Canada jay (known -commonly in Alaska as a "whisky-jack" or a -"camp-robber") picking away at his bacon. He -shot the bird. Then with the grimmest sort of -humor he buried it in a full-sized grave, shaping -it just as though a man were lying there. He -fashioned a headboard on which he painted in -letters so heavy that none could fail to read:</p> - -<p class="p0 center inc"> -HE<br /> -ROBBED MY CAMP AND I<br /> -SHOT HIM.</p> - -<p>Yanert had no further trouble with looters.</p> - -<p>The importance and the significance of the construction -of the government railroad are things -which can be rightly appreciated only by those -who live, or have lived, in Alaska. In another -year (1919) unless delayed by the war, Pullman -cars for the comfort and convenience of -passengers will be running from Fairbanks to -the sea. Freight cars will carry the great resources<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span> -of the country from "Interior" to "Outside." -But while these things mean much to -Alaska there is one thing which means much -more. This is the construction of a <em>government -railroad leading into the United States</em>! This -is a thing I have not even heard discussed and -the possibility of such an enterprise, so far as I -know, has not yet been sounded. Only two-fifths -of Alaska is mapped! But one has but to -stop and think a moment in order to realize that -such a road would be of untold value. And this -value is not alone commercial, by any means. Is -not Alaska a country worth having? I think so. -America thinks so. <em>Japan thinks so!</em> It is by no -means outside the possibility of conception that, -coveting her, she may one day attempt to possess -her. In the event of such a contingency, unless -conditions are altered (and that without delay), -Alaska may one day be lost to us. She is -now reached only by the sea. Soldiers and sailors -must enter the country by that route. How -about a transport or a battleship? In time of -war would they be able to reach Alaskan ports?</p> - -<p>These are questions on which the thoughtful -will not fail to ponder. Alaska's one defense in -time of need would be the army, and that army, -in order to reach her, would have to run the -gauntlet of a naval enemy's fleet. The gravity of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span> -such a situation would be much lessened by the -ability to transport military forces (whether the -times be those of peace or war) to Alaska via -a Canadian-American railroad!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_VIII" id="CHAPTER_VIII">CHAPTER VIII<br /> - -<span class="normal">FLOWERS AND BIRDS OF THE NORTHLAND</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">WHENEVER I look back over the pleasurable -experiences which belong to the -years I have spent in the Northland I find -my thoughts dwelling upon my first summer -in St. Michael. Here the summer comes almost -in a day, and following upon the heels of -a rigorous winter so closely, the contrast is little -short of startling. Knowing naught of this -sudden transformation, I was not prepared for -it. But I well recall a day in June when I looked -out from my door-way and wondered whether -there could be another spot on earth so beautiful. -Gone instantly was every memory of the dark, -bleak months that had just passed. The snow -still lingered on the distant mountain tops, it is -true. Great masses of pure white clouds rolled -upon the intensely blue sky. The vegetation was -in all its vivid freshness, the tundra carpeted with -flowers. Even the reeking Arctic moss itself had -burst into myriad brilliant flowers. It was the -season of perpetual day,—twenty-four long hours<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span> -of continuous sunshine. Nature seemed to be rejoicing -in her own beauty and all the green things -of the earth praised God!</p> - -<p>I can not resist the temptation to devote a -small space to the flowers and birds of Alaska. -Even I who lived a good many years in our own -golden west, where flowers are by no means a -scarcity, or a rarity, always feel a tendency to enthuse -and become expansive when I think of the -beauteous wild flowers of the Northland. They -lift their dainty heads out of the tundra and seem -to smile radiantly at you as you pass.</p> - -<p>I confess that when I saw the tundra first it -did not make any particular hit with me! And -this feeling is shared by many when first they -come. I recall one of our Alaskan poets who -must have shared it, for I find among his effusions -a couplet to this effect:</p> - -<div class="poem smaller"> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"Sometimes it's as soggy as sawdust!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Sometimes it's as soft as a sponge!"<br /></span> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Like many others I had gone to Alaska with -a mental picture of a great, snow-covered expanse -which stretched away for illimitable miles -in loneliness and silence. But one day as I -walked along I suddenly saw—a little yellow -flower. I began to wonder whether wild flowers -grew here. A little investigation brought astonishing -results.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span>I found yellow poppies as much at home as in -my own California! Daisies, both white and -yellow! There is a little blossom resembling in -form and grace the sweet pea, but it is a rich, -deep indigo blue. I do not know its name, or -whether it has a name. The tiny blue forget-me-nots, -the beautiful gold-and-purple iris, dainty -anemones, and many others which I know not -how to name. There is a starry white flower -like a cherry blossom, a yellow bloom resembling -a cowslip. There is the blue corn-flower, the -wild heliotrope, immortelles, purple asters, violets -and, most interesting of all, a purple bleeding-heart! -Why purple, I wonder? In addition -to these there are beautiful wild grasses, exquisite -mosses with wondrous weeping tendrils and -star-like blossoms. And there is a little crimson -vine which grows like patches of red velvet -and clings very close to the green moss.</p> - -<p>I grew to love the tundra, whatever the time or -the season. From the first warm days of the -spring until the snow came swishing down and -wrapped it in its soft white blanket, I enjoyed -its every mood. In summer it is as beautiful as -the seemingly more favored spots of the earth. -In winter——. There is always the great, white, -silent expanse which one grows to love also. For -I find the feeling to be general among those who<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span> -live in the Northland that it is not in her milder -moods that Alaska calls to us loudest. One is -most deeply conscious of hidden and gigantic -forces,—untrodden heights, to which one can -never attain, even in spirit! There may be those -who hold that the tundra is desolate, dreary. Not -I!</p> - -<p>The most striking of all the wild flowers that -I have ever seen in Alaska is a species of white -<em>claytonia</em>. It grows in rings as large as a dinner -plate. These floral rings are dropped here and -there upon the green moss and in the center of -the ring is a rosette of pointed green leaves -pressed close to the ground. Around this rosette -grows the ring of flowers made up of forty or -fifty individual blossoms, all springing from the -same root, their faces turned <em>outward</em> from the -green rosette. In certain places these circles -grow so close together that one can scarcely walk -without stepping upon them.</p> - -<p>In addition to the wild flowers there are many -cultivated ones. In Skagway, Fairbanks, and the -other large towns, the garden flowers grow profusely. -Their only enemy is the southerly trade -winds which, on summer afternoons, frequently -rise suddenly and keep everybody busy devising -some means of protection for the tall growing -plants. For the plants grow very tall. Think<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span> -of sweet peas nine feet high which have had no -special cultivation! Pansies three inches across! -Asters seven and dahlias ten inches in diameter! -I have in mind one garden I saw which contained -nineteen different kinds of flowers blooming at -once, among them some gorgeous roses, and they -were in bloom from June first to October first. -No. We are not shut away from the beautiful -because we live within sight of the Arctic Circle! -Garden parties here rival those I have attended -in the States, and I find that human nature -is the same the world over! There is no -nook or corner of God's earth where one, if he -seeks, will not find exquisite beauty lavished impartially -and unstintedly by Mother Nature, and -warm and kindly hearts as well!</p> - -<p>The birds of Alaska are many and beautiful. -In fact, in one section or another of the country -most of the birds common to the north temperate -zone are to be found. Of the larger ones the -ptarmigan, grouse, gulls and carrier pigeons are -most common. A few years ago the owners of -carriers discovered to their astonishment and dismay -that the latter were mating with the gulls to -the ruination of both birds and it became necessary -to separate them. Alaska is also the home -of the raven and the crow. And the former is -quite the most talkative creature in the country!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span> -When he has no other birds to chatter with he -talks to himself, and like the buzzard of the southern -countries, he acts as scavenger. The ravens -are much more numerous than the crows.</p> - -<p class="mabottom2">There is a long, low, wooded stretch of land -twenty miles below Muir Glacier in which ornithologists -have observed and collected specimens -of more than forty species of birds. Of song -birds, we have the golden-crowned sparrow, the -Alaska hermit and russet-back thrush. The -plaintive song of the hermit thrush is so appealing. -It consists of but three notes. But its song -is full of beauty, of mystery, of pathos. There -are also the grossbeak, the gray-cheeked thrush, -the Oregon robin, the western robin, kinglet, -warbler, redstart, Oregon junco, and a species of -sparrow not to be found elsewhere.</p> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i06ah.jpg"><img src="images/i06a.jpg" width="500" height="288" alt="Picture Tannana Valley garden" /></a> -<span class="caption">A TYPICAL TANNANA VALLEY GARDEN</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i06bh.jpg"><img src="images/i06b.jpg" width="500" height="288" alt="Picture of the trail near Wrangell in summer" /></a> -<span class="caption">THE TRAIL NEAR WRANGELL IN SUMMER. -NOTE THE BEAUTY OF THE WOODS</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 280px;"> -<a href="images/i07h.jpg"><img src="images/i07.jpg" width="280" height="400" alt="Picture of Lover's Lane" /></a> -<span class="caption">LOVER'S LANE, NEAR SITKA, GUARDED BY TOTEM POLES</span> -</div> - - -<p>In speaking of the birds of the Northland one -must not omit to mention the albatross. I shall -always remember one that I observed following -the boat on which I was crossing Prince William -Sound. I could well imagine the feelings of the -Ancient Mariner as I watched it,—first on one -side of the boat and then on the other, dipping, -curving, slanting, but always on straight, unbending -wing! Like an experienced swimmer its motion -was in long, graceful strokes. It flew apparently -without effort, as though it gave no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span> -thought to where its next flight would take it. -I could quite understand how the superstitious -might look upon it as some spirit from the deep -which sought to cast a spell over him and lure -him on to shipwreck and to death. The gulls -fly gracefully, as do also the Arctic terns. But -the flight of the albatross is unlike that of any -other bird I have ever seen.</p> - -<p>Of water fowl there are also the <em>pomarine</em> and -the long-tailed jaeger and the king eider duck. -The pomarine jaeger is most peculiar of shape, -especially while flying, and has a cruel-looking -beak. The plumage of the male king eider is very -brilliant and beautiful during the breeding season.</p> - -<p>The finest singing bird in the country is the -Lapland longspur. In color, flight, and its bubbling, -liquid music, it suggests the bobolink. In -fact, it is often referred to as "the bobolink of the -North," and what bird lover does not know the -lines of our beloved John Burroughs who after -lying on his back under a tree for two hours patiently -waiting until it should please his majesty, -the northern bobolink, to sing for him, wrote:</p> - -<div class="poem smaller"> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"On Unalaska's emerald lea,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">On lonely isles in Bering Sea,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">On far Siberia's barren shore,<br /></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span> -<span class="i3">On north Alaska's tundra floor,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">At morn, at noon, in pallid night,<br /></span> -<span class="i3">We heard thy song and saw thy flight,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">While I, sighing, could but think<br /></span> -<span class="i3">Of my boyhood's bobolink!"<br /></span> -</div> -</div> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_IX" id="CHAPTER_IX">CHAPTER IX<br /> - -<span class="normal">MT. MCKINLEY NATIONAL PARK</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">IN 1916 a bill was presented in Congress to establish -in Alaska the Mt. McKinley National -Park. All lovers of the country hoped that -the legislation necessary to create this park would -not be long in coming. The Alaskan Range -(sometimes called the Alaskan Alps), of which -Mt. McKinley is the culminating peak, has no -rival in scenic grandeur. The snow line is about -seven thousand feet. But Mt. McKinley rises -twenty thousand three hundred feet, and for the -upper thirteen thousand the mountain is clad in -glaciers and perpetual snows.</p> - -<p>The region of the proposed park offered a last -chance for the United States Government to preserve -untouched by civilization a great primeval -section in its natural beauty. Many parts of -Alaska are famous for big game. But for mountain -sheep, caribou and moose ranging over wide -areas this section is unsurpassed. I have often -seen three hundred sheep in a ten mile journey! -And more caribou than I ever dreamed of existing!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span> -At one time a party of us estimated with -the naked eye more than a thousand within half a -mile of us and many more straggling off in the -distance.</p> - -<p>I have made no mention of the mosquitos -which abound in Alaska, but so many writers -have that perhaps it is not necessary to elaborate -upon the subject. It is sufficient to say that here -one gives them respectful attention! Many a -wanderer has met his death in the early days because -he was unprepared to fight them off as he -plunged through the swamps and the wilderness. -This "respectful attention" is shared by the animals, -especially the caribou, which migrate from -place to place, avoiding the plains where the -mosquitos abound. Sometimes they remain high -up in the rugged mountain ridges. Sometimes -they even climb the glaciers. One often sees them -in huge droves. They do not stay long in any one -locality except in the Taklat basin and in the -vicinity of Muldrow Glacier. Here they remain -during the summer and rear their young.</p> - -<p>On February twenty-sixth, 1917, the bill became -a law and the Mt. McKinley National Park -was created. The long dimension of the park -follows the general course of the Alaskan Range -from Mt. Russell to Muldrow Glacier, the Park -including all the main range from its northwest<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span> -face to and beyond the summit. East of the glacier -the range widens to the north and consists -of a number of parallel mountain ridges separated -by broad, open basins.</p> - -<p>Moose are plentiful in certain parts of the new -park but are not so commonly seen as sheep and -caribou. They cling to the timbered areas for -two reasons. First, because they feed upon the -willow and birch twigs and leaves and the roots -of water plants. Second, by nature the moose -is a cautious, wary animal. He is less likely to -permit familiarity than the caribou and remains -where he is inconspicuous. The best hunting -grounds for moose are not <em>within</em> the park but in -the lowlands just north of the Alaskan Range.</p> - -<p>Bears,—black, brown and grizzly—are here, -as they are in many other parts of Alaska also. -Foxes are plentiful. Lynx abound, as do the -mink, marten and ermine, to a limited extent. -The marshy lowlands, in addition to being the -abode of the moose, are likewise the paradise of -the beaver. Many a night have I lain in my tent -and heard the whack-whack of their tails on the -surface of the water and the splash when they -went in to swim.</p> - -<p>There is no point on which Alaska is more in -need of wise and careful legislation than in regard -to the game. Game will not last long unless<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span> -protected. Already the market hunter is in -the field. True, there <em>are</em> game laws in Alaska, -but I have been reminded more than once of the -mother who said of her naughty little daughter, -"She <em>has</em> manners—but they're bad!"</p> - -<p>The game laws are not strictly enforced and -many a sled load of wild meat finds its way into -the towns in winter. Fairbanks is the destination -of most of it. It is a matter of personal -knowledge that from fifteen hundred to two -thousand sheep have been taken into this town -each winter for the last three years. And if this -is being done now, what will be the result when -the new government railroad is completed to -within fifteen miles of the park? There is but one -answer. The game will disappear rapidly. Forebodings -on this point have been quieted to a certain -extent, however, so far as the game in the -park itself is concerned. The law, while it -grants miners and prospectors permission to kill -what they need for food, stipulates expressly that -"in no case shall animals or birds be killed in -said park for sale, or removal, or wantonly."</p> - -<p>It is the easiest thing in the world to reach -Mt. McKinley Park. One may leave Seattle -and within a week be in Anchorage, or Seward. -From here it is but a day's ride to the Park Station. -A couple of days in the saddle and one<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span> -will find himself in the midst of the herds. Furthermore, -this time will be shortened. It is inevitable -that a road will be built. Then, half a -day in a motor and the horseback journey will -be eliminated.</p> - -<p>Regarded as a purely business proposition, the -creation of this Park was quite worth while. -Other and much less attractive lands advertise -their natural beauties so alluringly that tourists -flock to them, spending millions of dollars for -diversion far less pleasurable than that which may -be had right here in our own country. A good -road, a good hotel or two, and this National Park -in Alaska will call to her a much larger percentage -of tourists than our government now imagines.</p> - -<p>Almost every animal in Alaska has its own -particular locality. The small black bear is the -exception. It may be found everywhere. In -southeastern Alaska the shy, black-tail deer is -to be seen. It is a pretty, graceful creature, with -a glossy coat, an impudent little black tail and -slender, curving horns. If it were tame one could -easily carry it in his arms. It seldom weighs -more than a hundred pounds. Hunters have -made it afraid, however, and unless forced out -by starvation, it seldoms ventures near a human -habitation.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span>At Mt. St. Elias the foxes abound,—blue and -silver and sometimes a black one, rarest and most -valuable of all. Four hundred dollars is not an -unusual price for a black fox skin. Sea otters -are getting scarce. The skins of these are valued -at seven hundred dollars.</p> - -<p>To find the really "Big Game,"—the largest -the country affords, the moose, the huge and -dangerous Kodiak bear, the caribou and the -mountain sheep, one should go to the rugged, -mountainous peninsula between Prince William -Sound and Cook Inlet. The moose shed their -antlers periodically and I quite agree with a fellow -hunter who one day remarked that he knew -of nothing quite so pathetic-looking, so subdued -and sympathy-seeking, so meek and lowly of -spirit as a bull moose without its horns! Neither -do I.</p> - -<p>The Kodiak bear is dark brown of color. And -an exceedingly ugly and vicious brute as to temper! -He is a born fighter. If he suspects that -it is your purpose to interfere with him he will -attack you ferociously. If, however, he does not -happen to be hungry and you fail to bother him -his lack of interest in you is often humiliating! -He is, seemingly, impervious to the cold and -sleeps in his cave all winter.</p> - -<p>The Alaskan miners are great on story-telling<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span> -and one of them one day related in my presence -an amusing episode which he claimed was -a personal experience. He said that he found -himself suddenly in the immediate presence of a -Kodiak bear. It was a position wholly unsought -on his part and, as he remarked, unduly familiar! -But he added that it was a moment when familiarity -bred, not contempt, but fear. He had always -heard that a sudden and unusual noise would -frighten a bear away provided he hadn't seen you -first! So he began hammering his gold pan with -his pick, making all the din possible with the -means at his command. It failed to work. He -spent the night in a tall tree, meekly descending -from the same when the bear, tired of waiting, -went next morning to seek a breakfast elsewhere. -Nor was that all. His gold pan was full of holes -from being hammered with his pick!</p> - -<p>A cunning and most amusing pet is a black -bear cub, and as pets these are quite common -in St. Michael and other parts of Alaska. They -dance and gambol on hind feet, wrestle like human -beings, and not infrequently drink from a -bottle as do babies—and men!</p> - -<p>The caribou is unquestionably the prettiest animal -in Alaska. Its body is sleek and graceful -as that of the antelope. Its back is brown, its -flanks and legs pure white. It has enormous,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span> -out-spreading, re-curving and sharp-pronged -antlers, a distinguishing feature of which is that -the first branch of one of them curves directly -in front of the forehead and then spreads straight -out to the front into a broad edge-wise fan which -is called a "plow." The caribou roam (in herds) -and feed almost entirely on grass. It is most -interesting to watch them feed in winter. With -the "plow" they break through the crust of the -snow. Then they use the horn as a rake, scraping -away the snow so that they may get at the -grass underneath.</p> - -<p>The seal, the walrus, the reindeer and the polar -bear,—all are here. They are the oldest residents -of the north country. But there is one -thing which does <em>not</em> abide with us. This is the -serpent. Evidently Ireland is not the only country -from which the good St. Patrick banished -the snakes. The Eskimos and Indians of Alaska -probably never saw one. In fact, it is claimed -that no poisonous thing exists here. But to this -I make one exception. The mosquito is still with -us in certain sections of the country. There are -none in St. Michael, however. And no snakes! -As a corroboration of this statement I submit -the information that the serpent has no place in -either the heraldry or the basketry of the natives -of Alaska. The absence of the snake in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span> -Northland, however, may be due, not to the influence -of St. Patrick, but to the frigidity of the -climate. Anyway, we rejoice that it is so. The -most timid of women may wade barefooted in -the marshes without a shiver! Besides, Alaskans -are proverbially kind-hearted and what one of -us would willingly put himself in the position of -"Old Man Snyder" of whom the mid-western -poet who wrote under the name of <em>Ironquill</em> once -said:</p> - -<div class="poem smaller"> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"Old man Snyder found a snake<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Frozen stiffer than a stake<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And he tucked it in his vest.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">When the saurian became thawed<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Mr. Snyder became chawed!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And in one unbroken stream<br /></span> -<span class="i1">He proceeded to blaspheme<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And eradicate the plug<br /></span> -<span class="i1">From a little old brown jug!<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i1">Year by year, both day and night,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Snyder tried to cure that bite,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">But he didn't have the heft!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">So one day he while tug-<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Ging at the plug<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Caught the jim-jams and got left!<br /></span> -</div> -</div> - -<h3>Moral.</h3> - -<div class="poem smaller"> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i1">Frozen saurians are safer!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And it's bitterer than borax<br /></span> -<span class="i1">To be gnawed about the thorax<br /></span> -<span class="i1">One's humanity to pay for!"<br /></span> -</div> -</div> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_X" id="CHAPTER_X">CHAPTER X<br /> - -<span class="normal">THE ALL-ALASKA SWEEPSTAKES</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">NO story of Alaska would be complete unless -it included reference to that most vital element -of all the Northland, the Alaskan dog. I -once heard a story of an old Southern planter -who said:</p> - -<p>"Whenevah Ah meet up with a man who says -he don' like a niggah, Ah always set it down that -he nevah <em>owned</em> one!"</p> - -<p>I can truthfully say the same about a dog. Ever -since the days when Ulysses roamed the seas man -has loved his dog. Dearest (and most valuable) -to the heart of an Alaskan is his "Malamut" or -"Husky," as the Alaskan dog is usually designated. -So intelligent that he is almost human, -strong as a young ox, oblivious (apparently) to -the cold,—he is a part of the land itself! His -importance to the life of the North can not be -over-estimated. He carries the mail into far regions -which but for him would be closed to the -outside world for many months of the year.</p> - -<p>"An I should live a thousand years," as Shakespeare<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span> -puts it, I could never forget a leader I -once had. I called him "Paddie." During one -long, cold winter we went to Andreafsky, distant -a hundred and twenty miles from St. Michael, to -take the mail. I can see him yet, at the head of -the thirty-three dog team, pulling us swiftly over -the hard, white snow. At night when I would -wrap myself in my sleeping-bag and lie down to -sleep, Paddie never failed to come and lie beside -me, snuggling as closely as possible to keep me -warm. I <em>could</em> not forget, if I tried, his faithfulness -and affection, and I do not wish to. I -think of him many times, often have dreamed of -him and sometimes have talked to him in my -sleep.</p> - -<p>But laying aside all sentiment in regard to his -dogs, a man would indeed be helpless in the north -country without them. Into far and almost inaccessible -regions which no other beast could -penetrate and where neither man nor vehicle -could enter unaided, the dogs run nimbly, pulling -a sled behind them. Many and dramatic -(and true!) are the stories of the arrival of a dog -team in the nick of time with food and supplies -for a distant, snowed-in camp the members of -which would have starved but for their coming.</p> - -<p>Reference will be made in another chapter to -the wonderful part our dogs are now playing in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span> -the great World War. Alaskans have never -failed to appreciate what they owe them, but it -is only within comparatively recent years that -they have realized their real value. Nothing in -the history of the country has been of more value -to Alaska than the Dog Derby, the "All-Alaska -Sweepstakes," as the dog races are called.</p> - -<p>Albert Fink, an attorney at Nome, one day -overheard a bet between two men as to the speed -of their respective dog teams. As he owned some -fine dogs himself, he conceived the idea of having -a real Derby, matching the teams for the love of -the sport itself. Calling together all the dog -lovers and dog owners of the community, he put -the suggestion before them. The result was the -organization of the Nome Kennel Club, a society -the purpose of which was to foster the races. The -latter were to be known as the "All-Alaska -Sweepstakes," and as such the races have been -known ever since. The club was organized and -conducted just as jockey clubs are. Rules and -regulations were drawn up, officers elected, and a -purse of fifteen thousand dollars collected for the -first race.</p> - -<p>Some one has ventured the opinion that nothing -on earth could ever have made the city of -Nome except the very thing that did make it,—the -discovery of gold in the sand on the beach!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span> -Be that as it may, it is safe to say that since that -discovery nothing has ever equaled the interest -it created until the first dog race was held in 1908.</p> - -<p>Men talked of nothing else. On the day of -the race the stores, banks and offices were deserted -and it is a fact that the District Court -was forced to adjourn. Witnesses, jurors and -attorneys failed to appear. All went to the races. -Thousands of dollars were wagered on the dogs, -thousands more on the men who drove them. It -was a day of great excitement and enthusiasm.</p> - -<p>The course was from Nome, on Bering Sea, -across Seward Peninsula to Candle and back,—a -distance of four hundred and ten miles. The -first race was a great event. One of the conditions -was that the whole team must return to the -starting-point. The weather was most severe -and some of the dogs froze to death. It is no -uncommon sight in Alaska to see an intrepid -driver, in harness himself, helping to bring back -in the sled the disabled dogs which have become -incapacitated by accident or sickness. The man -who loses a dog is out of the race, no matter what -the cause of the loss may be. The rules provide, -however, that after being certified at Candle, the -turning-point, the dog does not necessarily have -to be <em>driven</em> back. But the whole team must return.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span>The winning team of the first race were Malamuts -owned by Albert Fink, driven by John -Hegness. They made the distance in a hundred -and nineteen hours, fifteen minutes and twenty-two -seconds. The winning team was closely followed -by one driven by the now-famous "Scotty" -Allen and which made the course in a hundred -and twenty hours, seven minutes and fifty-two -seconds. Three hours elapsed before the third -team came in.</p> - -<p>The small margin of time between the first -and second teams made the race, which took -days to finish, of unusual interest. There was -great uncertainty almost up to the last moment. -But the race was regarded as a success and the -event became a fixture. Heretofore, while there -had been much discussion as to the breeding of -racing dogs, it had been largely theoretical. Now -men who owned dogs began to put their minds -on it seriously.</p> - -<p>The purse of fifteen thousand dollars collected -for the first race was awarded in three prizes. -Ten thousand went to the winner, three thousand -to the second and two thousand to the third -team. It was supposed when the amount was -collected that it would be amply sufficient to -tempt dog owners to become fanciers and to induce -the importation and breeding of faster and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span> -better dogs. But the sum was found to be inadequate. -The total purse fell far short of the -amount necessary to assemble, feed, train and -condition a team.</p> - -<p>The following year there were numerous entries -for the second race. And they were not confined -to wealthy dog owners, by any means. -Miners, fur traders, mail carriers, to say nothing -of the first delegate to Congress, entered the contest. -This time "Scotty" Allen came in for his -own. He drove his team himself and lowered the -time to eighty-two hours, two minutes and forty-two -seconds,—thirty-seven hours less than the -time the first race had consumed.</p> - -<p>Perhaps the most interesting personage in connection -with the early dog racing in Alaska is -Fox Ramsey. He is an Englishman, the brother -of Lord Dalhousie. He was what is commonly -known as a Cheechaco,—in other words, a tenderfoot. -He was unused to the ways of the trail, -and what he did <em>not</em> know about handling dogs -would fill a book. But he was a good sport. So -he entered his team of Malamuts in the second -race and drove them himself. He took any -amount of chaff from the local drivers and the -amusement of the latter was certainly justified. -<em>Several weeks</em> after the race was over Ramsey -drove up to the finishing post and with the utmost<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span> -good humor notified the judges that his -team had arrived!</p> - -<p>The old saying, however, that "he who laughs -last laughs best" is peculiarly applicable to Fox -Ramsey. He chartered a schooner bound for -Siberia. When he returned, as some one has already -recorded, "Siberian huskies howled from -every port hole." The crowd which had found -so much merriment in his racing team of the previous -year laughed louder than ever. They took -not the slightest interest in the training of his -dogs. Ramsey kept his own counsel. When the -time came he entered the race. Then came Ramsey's -turn to laugh. He took both first and second -money! Not only that, he broke the record. -The new one was astonishing. He covered the -course in seventy-four hours, fourteen minutes -and twenty-two seconds.</p> - -<p>The good Alaskans, as always, showed the -right spirit. Their amusement changed to admiration. -All existing theories as to the best -breeds for racing had been completely upset. -Ramsey is now at the front "somewhere in -France" fighting for his country—and ours! -Here's to him!</p> - -<p>It is the hope, of course, of every fancier to -perfect a breed which will lower the record still -more, and many hope to prove that the descendants<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span> -of the wolf are best adapted to the needs of -the country. There is a new breed which is now -being watched with interest,—the stag-and fox-hound. -It has proved excellent for speed in short -races but has not yet been able to hold out over -the long course of the Sweepstakes. Another -experiment is with the Russian wolf-hound,—beautiful -dogs these are, but with courage as yet -untested.</p> - -<p>There is great difference of opinion as to the -relative merits of the various breeds, and since -the third race the Derby has settled down to a -contest between those who believe in the superiority -of the fox-hound, bird dog and Malamut -cross as pitted against the pure-blooded Siberians.</p> - -<p>Those who have never trained or watched over -the training and conditioning of a team of racing -dogs would find it a most interesting experience. -The food of the dogs, like that of a child, -is carefully watched over. It consists at first -of dog-salmon, corn and cornmeal mush, rice and -bacon. Later this is changed to a more strengthening -diet. They are fed chopped beef, mutton -and eggs. Also, one who has never visited -Alaska would open his eyes wide if he could see -the kennels where the dogs are kept. In fact, -one sometimes wonders whether the human inhabitants<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span> -are as comfortable. To get a team in -condition requires the combined efforts of a large -retinue of trainers, drivers and helpers. The -driver who is to pilot the first team of a kennel -devotes his time and attention to the choice few -of some twenty or thirty dogs. The helpers and -second string drivers keep the remainder in fit -condition so as to develop and gait those which -must be ready to substitute in case any one of -the first lot proves unequal to the qualifications -for entry,—speed, soundness, courage.</p> - -<p>It has often happened that dogs the fame of -which has spread not only over Alaska but over -all the world have developed from the second -string. One such was Baldy of Nome, the hero -of a book written by his owner, Mrs. C. E. Darling, -commonly known as "The Darling of the -Dogs." Baldy is old now,—a pensioner. He -lives in ease and luxury at the California estate -of his mistress. His story is interesting. He -was rejected at first as being not of sufficient -caliber for the first team. Whether the rejection -spurred him to renewed effort I do not -know. But he proceeded to prove his worth. He -won his way from wheel of the second team to -leader of the first team. Baldy occupies a -warm spot in every Alaskan heart. He worked -up from the ranks,—a "self-made" dog, so to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span> -speak, and proved his courage, his sagacity, his -strength, and his endurance. One of the most -interesting things about him is that he now possesses -the largest service flag of any one of my -acquaintance. Twenty-eight of his sons and -grandsons went to the Vosges to "do their bit," -and Baldy now wears the <em>Croix de Guerre</em> bestowed -upon them by the French government!</p> - -<p>Of the now-famous dogs of the Derby mention -must be made of Dubby. He was the first "loose" -leader ever developed in Alaska and the best. -He was almost human in intelligence. He ran -free from the tow line. He would take his place -proudly at the head of his team, with no restraint -of tow or leash, observing the spoken commands -with instant obedience. From his position of authority -at the head of the team, by incessant yelping -and playful antics, he would encourage the -others, and woe to any one of them that proved -the laggard! Dubby promptly punished him. -He would run back, bark and then nip him until -the offender was only too glad to return to duty -and resume gait. Other dogs which have won -fame in the Derby are (1) Jack McMillan, a -leader belonging to Albert Fink; (2) Rex, a -pacer; (3) The Blatchford Blues, two thoroughbred -Llewellyn setters, wonderful both as to -speed and intelligence; (4) Kalma, a beautiful,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span> -white-eyed, black-coated Siberian who has proved -the most lasting campaigner of them all.</p> - -<p>Not to the dogs alone, however, much as we -love them, is due the credit for the success of the -Alaskan Derby. Too much can not be said for -the trainers and drivers. All of them were men -deeply versed in dog lore. They had made a -study of many years' duration and were imbued -with theories as to the training and conditioning -of dogs,—theories as varied as were the breeds -of the dogs themselves. These men were knights -of the trail, inured to hardship, fleet and sure -of foot, gifted both with physical endurance and -courage to which no words can do justice. Mention -has already been made of "Scotty" Allen. -He is known to every man, woman and child on -Seward Peninsula. He has been in every race -except the last one, either with a team of his own -or one owned jointly by himself and Mrs. Darling. -He developed and owns the two famous -leaders, Dubby and Buddy, and their reputation -is world-wide.</p> - -<p>To "Scotty" Allen the French Government -entrusted the responsibility of choosing and -transporting to France more than a hundred of -the Sweepstake dogs. Further reference will be -made to their noble work on the war-swept fields -of Europe where, with a courage and daring<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span> -equaled only by their human brothers, they carry -ammunition and supplies far into the mountains,—often -to remote and seemingly inaccessible -spots where the soldiery could not penetrate -without them. It was because of this mission -that Allen was unable to enter the last race and -as he has recently been elected to the Alaskan -Legislature he will also be deprived of the privilege -of entering this year. The session is held -at the same time as the Derby. In any other -country the latter might be postponed. Here -it is not possible. It is a matter of much regret -that the Derby can not be made a territorial -affair. This was the original intention, as the -name, All-Alaska Sweepstakes, indicates. But -it proved impossible. The race could not be held -after the spring break-up. It must have the -hard spring trail and the cold weather, and the -trainers must have the whole of the winter for -the training and conditioning of the dogs. Therefore, -April must be the month and, regrettable as -the fact is, this prevents teams from Fairbanks, -Iditarod and other Alaskan towns from entering. -The men from these sections could not well -take chances on the disappearance of the trail -by an early thaw before they could return home -again for the spring clean-ups. But almost every -Alaskan town now has its own Kennel Club,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span> -small or large as the case may be, and all are actively -alive to the sport. Moreover, the "Outside" -is by no means indifferent. Many contributions -to the purse come each year to the Nome -Kennel Club.</p> - -<p>Trophies for the different races, usually cups, -are, almost without exception, the gifts of men -in the United States who are devotees of the -sport. Unable to participate themselves, they -like to aid and encourage the event. The latest -trophy, and the one which unquestionably will -be most sought after this year, is the cup presented -by John Borden, Chicago sportsman and millionaire, -who joined the Club last summer while -in Nome. This cup is for a new contest,—extreme -speed being the object. The course is to -cover twenty-six miles, three hundred yards. It -must be run under perfect conditions, it being -the object and the desire of both donor and Club -to learn how fast a dog team can actually travel -without obstacles. The winner each year will be -given a small cup, and the big trophy must be -won three times in succession before it becomes -the property of the winner.</p> - -<p>In addition to Allen and Ramsey, other drivers -have made substantial but less spectacular winnings. -Two of these are the Johnson brothers -and another is Leonard Sepalla. Their dogs were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span> -Siberians, driven in a long string, fifteen to twenty-six -to a team. These men have marvelous -records for endurance, as has also Peter Berg, -a mail carrier. The latter did a hundred and -thirty miles without a stop for food or rest. The -last thirty miles was made in harness, and in snow -shoes, with what was left of his badly used-up -team. Then, after hauling a large part of his -frost-bitten and exhausted dogs to the finishing -post he found that he had been beaten to second -money by a man who had ridden four hundred -miles behind his untiring and seemingly inexhaustible -Siberians.</p> - -<p>If the Alaskan Derby had had but one result,—that -of developing a superior race of dogs—it -would have been invaluable to Alaska. But -it has done one other thing in which every dog -lover rejoices. It has not only benefited the racing -dog. It has materially benefited the condition -of the working dog. The old rule of feeding -an exhausted and over-worked team "buckskin -soup" no longer goes in Alaska. Very few -drivers now have the temerity to abuse a dog. -It has been proved beyond doubt that better results -come from kindness and care than can possibly -be obtained by neglect or brutal treatment.</p> - -<p>So, after many years' sojourn in the country, -I paraphrase the saying of the old Southern<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span> -planter. I affirm that he who does not love a dog -never owned one! Here's to them,—dumb heroes -of the trackless wilderness and the gigantic -snow fields! Over the frozen wastes they cheerfully -pull both driver and load for thousands of -miles and come up smiling when the end of the -long journey is reached. Into their masters' -deepest affections they unconsciously walk and -"stay put." They become his most sympathetic -companions, comrades and friends. And the -news which from time to time reaches us from -"over there" where our canine heroes are doing -their "bit" in a manner little short of miraculous -goes straight to our hearts. Yes. The dog has -come into his own. And all Alaska rejoices that -it is so. Over a kingdom of devoted subjects he -reigns supreme!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_XI" id="CHAPTER_XI">CHAPTER XI<br /> - -<span class="normal">BURIED WEALTH</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">IT is not the purpose of such a book as this to -go into detail in regard to the gold and the -other minerals which lie hidden in the heart of -Alaska. There are many volumes dealing with -the gold fields and with mines and mining which -contain such definite information along those -lines as the student may seek. But to those who -knew Alaska both before and after the great -stampede of 1898 the change of scene in the locality -offers food for thought. In the great Interior, -where once man alone, with only his pick -and shovel, coaxed from Mother Earth in small -quantities the precious yellow metal, huge monsters -with an endless chain of buckets now swoop -down, dig up sand and gravel by the ton and -search every ounce of it for gold. One may now -take a motor car and ride out to the spots where -in the early days bewildering fortunes were made -in a short space of time,—fortunes which in many -cases were spent as fast as they were made. A -well-known missionary of the Episcopal Church<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span> -relates that one day during his travels he met a -man freighting with dogs along the Koyakuk -River. He learned while stopping at the camp -that night that in the palmy days of the gold rush -this man had offered a dance-hall girl her weight -in gold dust if she would marry him. She refused. -But she told him she would get his dust -anyway. And she did!</p> - -<p>Twenty years have gone by since the madness -at Dawson, Nome, and the other gold centers -was at its height. The true story of the stampede -to Klondike has never been written. Perhaps -it never will be. It was unique,—not so -much in the number who flocked to the gold -fields. Of those who went between 1897 and -1900 thirty thousand is an elastic estimate. Far -greater was the multitude which flooded California -during the wild rush of '49. Eighty thousand -in one year! Five thousand ships, deserted -by both owners and crews, tossed idly in San -Francisco Bay. Three years later there was a -much larger migration to Australia. A hundred -thousand gold seekers entered the port of Melbourne -in 1852! But the Klondike stampede is -without a parallel in history because of the conditions -to be confronted. Never before had a -gold region been so inaccessible, so remote. -Never before had such masses of men flung themselves<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span> -against an Arctic wilderness, determined -to do or die! The result was only what was to -be expected. The physically unfit perished. -Only the hardy survived. Hundreds of men, -fresh from offices and shops, came, bringing their -city-bred habits and customs. They found them -of no value in this land where Nature, in her -fiercest and most savage mood, awaited them. -They died,—died in almost every conceivable -manner. They perished of exhaustion, of starvation, -of disease. They were the victims of their -own ignorance and lack of experience. They -were drowned. They were smothered in snow-slides. -Only the fittest held out. These, making -long journeys up and down the frozen rivers, -through dense forests and over rough mountains, -ofttimes pulling their own sleds,—these have left -no record of those tragic days for the world to -read!</p> - -<p>The Matanuska coal fields are the richest in -the world, not excepting the rich mines of Virginia, -Pennsylvania and Kentucky. They lie in -ninety square miles of territory. The vein is -fourteen feet and bears the highest grade of coking -coal,—the only coal except that to be found -in Virginia which is fit for the use of the Navy. -It is estimated that this coal can be mined and -shipped to San Francisco at a cost of four dollars<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span> -a ton, that if it should be sold at retail at -six dollars a ton, the price would be nine dollars -cheaper than the present price of coal in Los -Angeles! In my judgment this solves the coal -question, both as to its use for domestic purposes -and in time of war as well. The new government -railroad leads directly into the Matanuska coal -fields.</p> - -<p>As far as the mineral deposits,—the gold, copper, -tin, etc.,—are concerned one may truthfully -say that they have not yet been touched, although -the yearly output is more than thirty-two million -dollars. The richest mines are not the gold -mines. They are the copper mines. Last year -(1917) the Kennicott copper mines produced the -largest per cent of the thirty-two million. And -the copper production doubles in value the entire -production of gold. Since the purchase of Alaska -the country has produced in excess of five hundred -million dollars,—a country which was -bought for seven million two hundred and fifty -thousand! Alaska was Uncle Sam's best bargain.</p> - -<p>Harry Olsen, a member of Stefanson's latest -expedition, asserts that fabulous deposits of native -copper were seen by them on Bank's Island, -about six hundred miles north of Great Bear -Lake. The Eskimos use copper for everything<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span> -for which any kind of metal is used and because -it is so plentiful and so easy to obtain they think -it of no value.</p> - -<p>In 1913 I was going from Nome to Siberia on -the S. S. <em>Victoria</em>. Among the passengers were -Dr. and Mrs. Anderson and several members of -Stefanson's party. We put them off into their -own boats in the Roadstead, outside of Nome. -The expedition was wrecked just after leaving -Diomede Islands and the party lost for a year. -Amundsen, when he returned through the Northwest -Passage, reported having seen a tribe of -blond Eskimos. Stefanson was on his way to -verify that report. Later a second expedition -was fitted out and the report substantiated.</p> - -<p class="mabottom2">There are many famous placer gold mines,—at -Nome, at Dawson, and at the other localities -in the Yukon. Two of the largest quartz mines -in the world are at Juneau,—the Alaska Juneau -and the Alaska Gastineau. Each plant handles -from eight to ten thousand tons of ore a day. -The Juneau mines had produced sixty-two millions -of dollars' worth of ore when the ocean -broke through and flooded the works. Two-thirds -of the property was ruined. But the remaining -third, now enclosed by a huge concrete dam, is -still producing. The famous Treadwell mines -are on Douglas Island and have recently had a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span> -similar experience. About a year ago they also -were flooded and sustained a serious loss.</p> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i08ah.jpg"><img src="images/i08a.jpg" width="500" height="284" alt="Picture of sluicing winter dump at Fairbanks" /></a> -<span class="caption">SLUICING THE WINTER DUMP AT FAIRBANKS</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i08bh.jpg"><img src="images/i08b.jpg" width="500" height="352" alt="Picture of the third beach at Nome" /></a> -<span class="caption">THE THIRD BEACH AT NOME FROM WHICH WAS TAKEN -MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF GOLD IN DUST AND NUGGETS</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i09ah.jpg"><img src="images/i09a.jpg" width="500" height="309" alt="Picture of one night's catch of salmon" /></a> -<span class="caption">ONE NIGHT'S CATCH. NEARLY FIVE THOUSAND SALMON -WEIGHING APPROXIMATELY 75,000 POUNDS</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i09bh.jpg"><img src="images/i09b.jpg" width="500" height="340" alt="Picture of a fishwheel" /></a> -<span class="caption">A FISHWHEEL</span> -</div> - - -<p>I have already said that it is not my purpose -to go into detail in regard to the mines and the -other industries of the North. I wish only to -reveal the opportunities which lie waiting for -him who is alert for business chances. When the -new railroad is completed any able-bodied man -who has energy, initiative and ambition can get -into the interior of this rich country at little expense. -And if it were generally known how many -hundred prospectors are laying their plans to be -there during this present year (1918) the laggard -would bestir himself! It can not be long -until <em>all</em> the industries of Alaska will be opened -up upon a large scale. The climate, while severe -at times, need not deter any well man or woman -from going. People here dress for the weather. -Real suffering from cold is seldom known. Nobody -has "bad colds" in Alaska. The cold is -dry and invigorating. Nowhere on earth will one -find men and women of such perfect health. Nowhere -will one see sturdier, healthier, more rosy-cheeked -children. Moreover, novelists and playwrights -to the contrary, the living and working -conditions here are governed by the very same -principles and laws as those of other lands. Any -man or woman can get on in Alaska just as long -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span>as he or she is "on the square." Otherwise either -of them, in my judgment, will, in time, come to -grief anywhere.</p> - -<p>As was the case with the railroads, the government -was up against the proposition of government -ownership or private monopoly in regard to -the rich coal fields of Alaska. When their value -was discovered, capitalists and entry men with -speculative tendencies swooped down upon the -coal treasures of the country, horse, foot and dragoon. -For a time it seemed that the entire potential -wealth of the land was to have the usual -fate,—that of being brought under monopolistic -control.</p> - -<p>The United States Government has ill repaid -Theodore Roosevelt for much that he has done. -But Alaskans will not forget and the United -States will one day realize what he did for them -in this particular instance. When he saw what -was about to happen, with his characteristic -method of doing things first and asking permission -afterward, he withdrew every acre of coal-bearing -land in Alaska from entry! This was -nearly fifteen years ago. Alaska sat helpless and -gnashed her teeth while legislation fought with -politics and speculation wrestled with finance.</p> - -<p>Being able to see the absurdity which never -fails to appear in such crises and to laugh at it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span> -has saved many a man from losing his chances -of going to Heaven! One day in 1913 I chanced -to be at Dutch Harbor where the battleship -<em>Maryland</em> was coaling. Had the <em>Maryland</em> carried -a gun such as the German one which fired on -Paris on Good Friday of the present year she -might have fired a volley which could have landed -squarely in the Matanuska coal fields! There -was nothing funny in the situation to an Alaskan, -of course, but I was moved to unseemly mirth -when I saw that <em>Pocahontas</em> coal <em>from Virginia</em> -going into her bunkers! We in Alaska (<em>miserere</em>!) -were importing coal for our own use from -Washington, California and—Australia!</p> - -<p>Now, however, Alaska has her reward. The -Secretary of the Interior has re-opened the coal -fields for entry. But permission is given only to -<em>lease</em> the coal tracts. Before this book appears -the first Alaskan coal will be helping to fill the -bunkers, not only of Alaska herself but of the -Pacific coast as well.</p> - -<p>There is one noticeable thing about the conditions -imposed upon the lessees of the coal fields -by Secretary Lane and it is a point upon which -both the prospective lessee and employee should -be informed. These conditions provide for the -safeguarding of the lives and welfare of the miners. -No operator may mine coal at minimum<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span> -cost without regard for the safety of his men. -The rules are explicit. The lease requires him -to "leave ample support for the roof of the drifts -and stopes, to provide adequate ventilation, special -exits, to guard against explosion, flooding, -'squeezes' and fire." The protection of the workman -goes even further than this. No firm, or individual, -operating in government land, may -work the miners longer than eight hours a day. -They must agree to pay them twice a month in -cash. The forced buying at stores owned by the -company is strictly prohibited. The operators, -at the request of a majority of the miners, must -grant one of their number, chosen by vote, permission -to check and weigh the coal in cases where -the miners' pay is based upon their output.</p> - -<p>Wise provisions these! The stormy and bloody -history of the Colorado fields is to have no repetition -here if the foresight and the good judgment -of the Department of the Interior can prevent -it. All these things lend to the desirability -of employment in Alaska. There are only two -spots in the country where the coal lands are in -possession of individuals or of private companies. -Every other inch of it belongs to the government. -And it will keep on belonging to it! -The Secretary of the Interior, Mr. Franklin K. -Lane, is the largest operating landlord in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span> -world. While you may not buy coal land in -Alaska you may lease it—for not more than fifty -years. For each ton mined you pay a royalty -to the government. You may then ship your -coal in a government coal-car! One can see how -easy it will be for a lessee to make money in coal -in Alaska. All he has to do is to dig! No speculating -in coal lands! No shifting and juggling -of stocks and bonds of coal-carrying railroads! -So far as the coal fields and mining in Alaska are -concerned neither money, politics nor influence -will avail to change the situation one jot or one -tittle! Amen! Hallelujah!! Waltz me around -again, Willie!!!</p> - -<p>With farm and mineral lands, however, it is -different. These may pass into the hands of -private companies or individuals just as soon as -the latter can qualify to meet the conditions. We -who know the country can realize as outsiders -can not what the railroad will mean to Alaska. -One may take a boat at the mouth of the Yukon, -traveling westward to southward, thence up the -Tanana until he reaches Fairbanks which is within -a hundred miles of the Arctic Circle. Here -the new railroad will have its northern terminus. -One may then take the train back to Seward, riding -through the great gold country—a section -the wealth of which is uncomputed—then on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span> -through the enormous coal fields, past farms -laden with crops, finding himself, when the end -of the journey is reached, at Seward, the terminus -on the Peninsula, after a journey (not including -the water voyage) of four hundred and -fifty miles.</p> - -<p>In proportion as commerce and industry grow -opportunities for labor will increase. The omnipresent -automobile will bring with it the necessity -for the garage, the repair shop, the chauffeur, -the mechanician. The railroad terminals -mean new towns and new towns mean business -houses. Wherever there is a road in process of -construction there is always a chance for women. -The workmen must be fed and provided with -sleeping quarters. Boarding houses, laundries, -etc., are indispensable. But——. I should not be -honest either with myself or with my readers if I -did not here utter one word of warning. No -woman need be afraid to go to Alaska, but both -men and women should go wisely and in full understanding -of conditions there. Both <em>must</em> be -equipped to meet those conditions. The first is -the promise, oral or written, of a job before going! -The other is the means to return home at -any time. No one should go to Alaska without -having first provided for one or both of these conditions.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_XII" id="CHAPTER_XII">CHAPTER XII<br /> - -<span class="normal">THE HAUNT OF THE SALMON</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">THE greatest industry in Alaska is unquestionably -the salmon fishing. More than two -hundred and fifty kinds of edible fish abound in -Alaskan waters and this does not include trout -and grayling in the streams where only the latter -are to be found. Most of the halibut eaten -in the United States comes from Alaska. These -fish often weigh as high as two hundred pounds. -Large numbers of whales are caught and prepared -for market annually. The fish products -of the country have already netted more than -two hundred million dollars.</p> - -<p>Nothing in the history of all Nature is more -wonderful (or more tragic) than the story of -the salmon. So wonderful is it that it is almost -beyond the power of the human brain to comprehend -it. Until the advent of the motion picture—one -of the greatest educators of our day -and generation—few knew that the salmon returns -to the very spot where it was spawned to -die. After thirty months at sea, during which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span> -time nothing is known of them, they are drawn -by some mysterious instinct back to the very -spot of their birth. Sometimes the return necessitates -a journey of fifteen hundred miles and -during that journey nothing is eaten. Fishermen, -both white and native, have told me repeatedly -that they have never yet found anything in -the stomach of a salmon. They leave the ocean -and enter the rivers early in the spring. As soon -as they enter fresh water they cease eating. Their -stomachs shrink as their appetites fail and they -have therefore no desire to return to the salt-water -feeding-grounds. When they reach their destination -they reproduce, which is the object of the -long journey. Shortly afterward they die. Life, -seemingly, is complete for them when they have -reached the waters which gave them birth and -have transmitted life to others. This done, they -drop down the river with the current and are seen -no more. From three to four hundred eggs to -each pound of the parent fish is the average -spawn. And yet——. The artificial propagation -of the salmon goes on ceaselessly. It is compared -to the sowing of seed by the farmer. The culture -of the eggs in a hatchery and the distribution of -fingerlings lay the foundation for an increased -harvest year by year.</p> - -<p>To me the return of the salmon to the spawning<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span> -grounds is the most marvelous thing in the -world. From its source in the snow-capped -mountains of the interior to the spot where it -flows, bell-toned and majestic, into the sea, the -Yukon with its various tributaries is more than -twenty-five hundred miles long! And the water -is muddy. The fish wheels, useless in clear water, -are in constant motion. How, then, does the salmon -determine the exact spot at which to leave -the river and enter the particular tributary from -which, originally, it came? Only once has it been -in it before,—the time when as a fingerling of -two or three inches it made its first swift journey -out to sea! What man, even if he had all manner -of landmarks to guide him, would undertake -to return to the spot he left in childhood if in -order to do so he had to leave the broad ocean -and follow twenty-five hundred miles of water -which is first river, then tributary, then creek, -then brook and finally a lake? It is not worth -while to try to reduce the thing to intelligible -terms. It is incomprehensible. No human intelligence -can explain the spawning migration of -the salmon. Yet long-continued and careful investigation -and observation in every stream of -the Pacific coast have established these facts beyond -question.</p> - -<p>He who has never seen a "run" of salmon has<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span> -something yet to live for! I know of no other -event which equals it. The heaviest runs are in -May, June, and July, the catch being largest in -the latter month. The largest fish are caught in -May. The "royal family" of salmon is the King. -These are best in June. Often they weigh from -fifty to eighty pounds. The king salmon never -rises to the fly. The canneries take them by the -wheel.</p> - -<p>I shall never forget my first view of a fish -wheel and a cannery. I thought the wheel the -nearest approach to an infernal machine that I -had ever seen—until I got into the cannery! The -wheels are fashioned of wire-gauze compartments -and are built in places near high-water mark -where salmon are known to run in greatest numbers, -usually at the head of natural or artificial -channels in the river bed. "Like a cradle endless -rocking" the wheel revolves, scooping up the unsuspecting -and beautiful creatures literally by -thousands. It is the blackest and bloodiest of -murder. Nothing else! But——. In the "Outside" -they insist on eating salmon and the canneries -can not supply the demand without the -wheel.</p> - -<p>Kipling, in his <em>American Notes</em>, says that he -saw a ton of salmon taken on the Columbia River -as one night's catch from the revolving cups of a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span> -giant wheel. My own first sight of a fish wheel -in operation beats the story of this renowned -writer all to pieces. The proprietor announced -that the catch of this night was <em>five tons</em>, an -amount which taxes the credulity of any man in -his right mind. With a fascination which no -words can describe I watched those fish being -unloaded. Huge fifty-pounders, hardly dead, -scores weighing from twenty to thirty pounds -and myriads of smaller ones! The warehouse, -built on piles in the bend of the river, was not -far away, and as I was there for the purpose of -seeing the process from first to last, I went -aboard the barge onto which the salmon had -been tossed. Presently we drew up alongside -the warehouse and unloaded the fish. Like a man -hypnotized I followed my guide up the scale-strewn, -fishy incline which led into the cannery.</p> - -<p>None but natives worked in this particular -cannery. The building shook and shivered with -every chug of the machinery. I watched them -cross and re-cross the slippery floor and I could -think of nothing but the Devil and a blood-bespattered -Devil at that!</p> - -<p>My experience up to this moment, however, -was not a circumstance to what happened next! -When the boxes containing the fish were thrown -down under a jet of water they broke of their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span> -own accord and the salmon burst into a stream -of silver. A native jerked one up, a twenty-pounder, -deftly beheaded and detailed it in two -swift strokes of a knife. With equal deftness -he relieved it of its internal arrangements by a -third stroke. Then he tossed it into a bloody-dyed -tank. The headless, tailless, <em>inside</em>less fish -fairly leaped from his hands—just as though it -were once more taking the rapids. But not so. -The next man caught him up short. What the -first man had left undone the second one polished -off to a fine degree. He proceeded to commit -additional murder of the most damnable sort. -He thrust the fish under a machine resembling -a chaff-cutter which hewed and hacked it into -unseemly red pieces ready for the can and the -poor mutilated remains were ready for the third -man.</p> - -<p>With long, bony, crooked fingers he jammed -the pieces into cans which, sliding down a marvelous -machine, forthwith proceeded to solder -their own tops as they passed! The fourth man -tested the can for flaws and then it was sunk -(with hundreds of others) into a vat of boiling -water to be cooked for a few minutes. The cans -bulged slightly after this operation and were -slidden along on trolleys to the fifth man who -with a needle and soldering iron vented them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span> -and then soldered the little aperture. The process -was finished—all except the label. This attached, -the "finest salmon on the market" was -ready for shipment.</p> - -<p>In Alaska we get used to almost everything -in time, but I confess that it took me some time -to pull myself together after this experience. -Never had I been so conscious of the grim contrasts -of life as when I stepped outside that cannery! -In that rude factory, the floor of which -was but forty by ninety feet, I had seen the most -civilized and the most murderous machinery! -Outside, only a few feet away, before my eyes -lay the most beautiful of God's country,—the -immense solitude of the hills! I fairly fled down -to the launch by which I was to journey back -down the river, trying to get as far away as possible -from the slippery, scale-spangled, oily floors -and the blood-bespattered Eskimos. But it was -like a doctor's first surgical operation. I got over -it, and after several years' residence in the country -became so accustomed to the sights of a cannery -that they now make little or no impression. -The canneries are Alaska's greatest asset.</p> - -<p>To state how many cans of salmon go out yearly -would be an impossible task. All we know -is that the value of the Alaskan salmon fisheries<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span> -can not be computed. It is true that Alaska -derives much of her wealth from the copper, gold -and silver mines and her practically untouched -coal deposits. But her fisheries are the most important -of her industries. Mines have a way of -giving out suddenly, for no apparent reason. -But the fish reproduce themselves each year. The -fisheries of Alaska can not fail.</p> - -<p>Next to the fisheries the fur business is perhaps -the most important industry. Here again -is a business opening for him who seeks it. As -very warm clothing is necessary, tanners ought -to find the land full of opportunities. The fur -business is perhaps the <em>easiest</em> way to affluence -which presents itself in Alaska. Native hunters -and trappers follow the old rule and hunt their -prey from Nature's supply. But many have already -gone into the raising of fur-bearing animals -as a business, just as the farmer raises sheep -for the wool.</p> - -<p>Fox farming is the most popular and a great -industry is being developed. Many who began -this business in Alaska have since transported -it to the States. In the west are some twelve or -fifteen such institutions and the eastern States -also contain a few. The value of the fox fur is -known to all and, as has been said, from four to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span> -seven hundred dollars is not an unusual price for -the black and silver fox skins.</p> - -<p>Judge Martin F. Moran, of the Kobuk district, -is experimenting in angora goat-raising -in which he thinks there is a great future. Judge -Moran lives twenty miles north of the Arctic -Circle. Since the breaking out of the war angora -ranchers in the west have netted large fortunes -by supplying mohair, and conditions for -raising the goats are less favorable there than in -Alaska. Judge Moran is planning (and has perhaps -already carried out his plan) to import a -herd of angoras which shall graze upon the rich -reindeer moss which grows so abundantly in the -tundra of western and northern Alaska.</p> - -<p>The sea-otter, the most valuable fur-bearing -animal, may not now be hunted, according to a -law enacted by Congress, until November first, -1920. These were formerly numerous, but they -are now threatened with extinction and are to -be found only on some of the Aleutian Islands. -It has been estimated that during the Russian -occupation two hundred and sixty thousand sea-otter -skins were taken, valued at twenty-six million -dollars. Since the United States took over -the country in 1867 about ninety thousand have -been marketed. Now, however, the output is only -about twenty skins a year. A good otter skin is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span> -very valuable, ranging in price from eight hundred -to eighteen hundred dollars.</p> - -<p>The seal-fur industry, although developed by -the Russians, reached its height after the territory -was acquired by the United States. From -1867 to 1902 seal skins to the value of thirty-five -million dollars were exported. The fur seal, although -widely distributed throughout the country, -has but one breeding place,—the Pribilof -Islands. Here most of the skins are taken. The -seals were slaughtered in the most ruthless -fashion and the government at last awoke to the -knowledge that the seal was in a fair way to follow -the sea-otter unless protected. In 1870 the -capture of seals on these islands was prohibited -by law. The United States took charge of the -islands and the fisheries. Natives may kill annually -only enough seals to provide themselves -with food and clothing. The destruction of the -herds was thus halted by the government and in -1912 the census revealed two hundred and fifteen -thousand, nine hundred and forty seals.</p> - -<p>From the sale of fox furs and seal skins the -government has derived during the last twenty-five -years a direct revenue almost covering the -total purchase price of Alaska. There are approximately -twenty thousand white people in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span> -territory. In China there are four hundred million. -Yet in 1915 the United States trade with -Alaska was five million dollars in excess of the -total United States trade with China!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_XIII" id="CHAPTER_XIII">CHAPTER XIII<br /> - -<span class="normal">THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">ALASKA is a land of scenic splendor. She -has scenery as beautiful as that of Switzerland -or New Zealand. From my own cottage -doorway I have seen sunsets which equaled those -of Mont Blanc, famed in song and story, and I -have traveled through valleys which in summer -rivaled the celebrated Vale of Chamounix. Whoever -it was who selected the Seven Wonders of -the World of which we learned in our school days -would have had to add to the list if he had ever -dwelt for any length of time "north of fifty-three."</p> - -<p>The country boasts some of the greatest wonders -of Nature. The Calico Bluffs on the Yukon -are as high as the Washington monument and -their strata look much like agate formations. She -has five thousand glaciers which are giants in -comparison with those of the Alps. The Childs -Glacier is as tall as the dome of the capital at -Washington. Of the hundreds of others there -are many that are known as "first class" glaciers.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span> -By this is meant that they discharge their contents -into the sea direct. Among them are the -LeConte, Dawes, Brown, Sawyer and Taku. It -is the latter which furnishes the bergs that surround -the ships which carry travelers northward -through the "Inside" route. From the deck of -the vessel, near Taku Inlet, forty-five glaciers -may be counted. Of these, as you face Taku, -Norris glacier stands to the left. It is unique in -that it sends out two seemingly full-grown rivers, -one flowing to north and one to south. Flowers -may be seen growing in the forest glades nearby, -and remnants of tree stumps two feet in diameter -reveal that the glacier must once have withdrawn -long enough at least to permit them to -grow. Then a change of climate or other natural -action must have pushed the ice forward again -to cut them off and grind them into fragments,—making -them a part of the glacial débris.</p> - -<p>Mendenhall Glacier is near Juneau. It is easily -reached by automobile and a delightful experience -it is to ride along the highway leading to it. -The road is fringed with masses of wild flowers. -Imagine, if you can, sitting in the shade of a -gigantic cottonwood, or spruce, and eating ice -cream made from the milk of cows which now -pasture upon the grass where once the ice stood -a thousand feet deep! Mendenhall, according<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span> -to the best authorities, is at least twenty-five miles -long,—almost twice the length of the largest glacier -the Alps affords.</p> - -<p>The highest mountain peak in Alaska was -known to the Russians as <em>Bulshaia</em> and to the -natives of Cook Inlet as <em>Traleyka</em>. Both words -signify the "great" or the "high" mountain. The -natives of the interior called it <em>Denali</em>, but in -1895 it was named Mt. McKinley. It is twenty -thousand three hundred feet high, exceeded in -height only by Aconcogua of South America and -Mt. Everest in Indo-China. It was named by -W. A. Dickey, who saw it from the Susitna -River. Later its position and altitude were determined. -Many have attempted to ascend it. -In 1912 Prof. Herschel Parker of Columbia -University and Mr. Belmore Browne of Tacoma, -Washington, got within three hundred feet of the -summit, and in 1913, Rev. Hudson Stuck, Archdeacon -of the Yukon and author of <em>Ten Thousand -Miles with a Dog Sled</em> and <em>Voyages on the -Yukon</em>, together with three companions, reached -the top.</p> - -<p>Above the recently-created National Park Mt. -McKinley towers in majestic sublimity, the everlasting -sentinel, the guardian, as it were, of the -last and loveliest spot on earth which remains as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span> -Nature fashioned it, still untouched by human -hands.</p> - -<p>Mt. St. Elias is better known and has been -much written about. Its height is eighteen thousand -and twenty-four feet. Mt. Logan is nineteen -thousand five hundred and forty feet. Of -the two now-celebrated passes in the mountains -of the Yukon, the Chilkoot and White Pass, the -former is at a height of three thousand one hundred -feet and the latter at a height of twenty-eight -hundred feet. It was over these passes that -the gold-seekers of 1898 stampeded into Klondike.</p> - -<p>But the mountains of Alaska, glorious, majestic -and awe-inspiring as they are, are the losers -when compared with the greatest of Alaskan -wonders, the volcanoes. Of these, Mt. Katmai, -opposite the Island of Kodiak, the terrific eruption -of which in June, 1912, is well remembered, -is most celebrated. At that time a mass of ash -and pummice, the volume of which is estimated -at <em>five cubic miles</em>, was thrown into the air. It -buried an area about the size of the State of -Connecticut to a depth varying from ten inches -to ten feet and smaller amounts of the ash fell -as far as nine hundred miles away. Unquestionably, -the notoriously cold, wet summer which followed -the eruption was due to the fine dust which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span> -was thrown into the higher regions of the atmosphere -to such an extent as to have a profound -effect upon the weather. At the time of the -eruption I was at sea, on my way from St. -Michael to the States. It was not long until the -ash began falling over us, filling the air and seemingly -trying to cover the face of the waters. It -got into our lungs and made them ache. It was -not until some time later that I heard that it was -Mt. Katmai which had exploded and that the -eruption was one which would go down in history. -There was not, of course, the enormous -loss of life which followed the eruptions of Vesuvius, -Stromboli and Mt. Pélee. But in other -respects the explosion of Mt. Katmai was unique. -Kodiak, the town which was buried, was a hundred -miles away. Ash fell as far away as Juneau, -Ketchikan and the Yukon valley, distant -respectively six hundred, seven hundred and fifty -and nine hundred miles.</p> - -<p>In the report of the leader of the National -Geographic Society's Mt. Katmai Expedition of -1915-'16, Robert F. Griggs, of the Ohio State -University, is the following paragraph which -gives concisely a good idea of the magnitude of -the explosion:</p> - -<p>"Such an eruption of Vesuvius would bury -Naples under fifteen feet of ash. Rome would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span> -be covered a foot deep. The sound would be -heard at Paris. Dust from the crater would fall -in Brussels and Berlin and the fumes would be -noticeable far beyond Christiana, Norway."</p> - -<p>Yet it was only a little over a year after this -eruption that I myself saw those ash-laden hills -covered again with green verdure! The native -blue-top hay was growing right through the ash -which had been washed off the hills and was then -covering the land a foot and a half deep. I was -deeply interested in the native method of harvesting -this hay. In the pursuit of agriculture as I -understood it I had never encountered this practice -elsewhere. The hay was cut high up on the -mountain. It was done into bundles in fish nets -and was then sent tumbling down the mountain-side -to the bottom. There it was picked up and -carried off homeward or else loaded on boats to -be shipped elsewhere.</p> - -<p>At the time of the eruption the natives, fortunately -for them, were all away fishing. They -were never permitted to return to their mountain. -The government built them a new town -and conveyed them thither in a body, thus establishing -them in it. The village was not near the -crater. It was about twenty-five miles away. -This is five times as far distant from the volcano<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span> -as Pompeii was from Vesuvius or St. Pièrre from -Mt. Pélee.</p> - -<p>As has been said, the verdure has returned. -Around Kodiak it is vividly, beautifully green. -But the Katmai Valley, once fertile and now a -barren waste, contains what the writer firmly believes -to be the most wonderful and awe-inspiring -sight in the whole world. On the second visit of -the Expedition of the National Geographic Society, -the following year, Prof. Griggs explored -and named it. He called it "The Valley of Ten -Thousand Smokes"—than which there could be -no better name!</p> - -<p>There are no words in the language capable -of giving any definite impression of the scene. -Stretching away as far as the eye can see, until -the valley is lost in the far-distant mountains, -lie literally thousands of small volcanos, replicas -in miniature of Katmai, the Great! From almost -every one of them shoots a slender column -of steam which rises steadily and gracefully, -sometimes to a height of a thousand feet before -it breaks or even wavers! Words become futile. -One could not exaggerate it if he tried. There -would not be an adjective left in the language -when he finished!</p> - -<p>My own view of the valley was hasty, superficial -and from a respectful distance! I can well<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span> -appreciate, however, what the Expedition endured -in order to give to the world knowledge -of this wondrous spot. I heartily commend to -the readers of this volume the report of Prof. -Griggs in the National Geographic Magazine for -May, 1917, in which he relates the experience of -himself and his party as they made their way -back and forth, plunging through suffocating vapors, -trapping gases for chemical analysis, making -soundings, mapping the course of the valley -and studying the geology of what he calls "the -most amazing example of her processes which -Nature has yet revealed to twentieth century -man,—one of Vulcan's melting pots from which -the earth was created." In a tent less than two -miles from one of the huge clouds of steam he -slept at night and on one of the large flat stones -outside, so hot that it was a natural stove, the -members of the Expedition cooked their food.</p> - -<p>One gets the best idea of the magnitude of the -valley by comparing it with our Yellowstone -Park. The Katmai valley is thirty-two miles -long, about two miles wide and seventy square -miles in area. In the Yellowstone are four thousand -hot springs and a hundred geysers scattered -over three thousand square miles. The geysers -occur in isolated basins the total area of which -is hardly twenty miles. The largest one, and it<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span> -plays but seldom, shoots up a column about three -hundred feet high. Old Faithful, which is the -only one the tourist can ever be sure of seeing -in action, is only a hundred feet high. In the -Alaskan valley, however, observe the contrast. -<em>There are thousands of vents in constant action.</em> -Some of these ascend more than five thousand -feet into the air when conditions are good and -when the valley is wind-swept they creep along -the ground for two or three miles! These vents -are not geysers. They are hot springs. Geysers -can exist only when the rock through which they -break is sufficiently cool to permit water to form. -It is unlikely therefore that there will ever be -geysers here,—at least not for many centuries. -The valley may gradually cool so as to permit -their formation. But it will be ages hence.</p> - -<p>Prof. Griggs is emphatic in his belief that -there is nothing known to mankind with which -"The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes" can be -compared. I agree with him. Would that it -were more accessible to the traveler and that no -tourist would return from a sojourn in Alaska -without seeing it! I shall never cease to be grateful -that a fortunate circumstance permitted me -to obtain even so small a peep at it. Surely -nothing approaching it has been seen by man -upon this earth. The Expedition report states,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span> -among other interesting things, that the water is -so hot that the thermometer would not register -it and that the heat from the stones would char a -piece of wood instantly!</p> - -<p>Kilauea, in Hawaii, has always borne the -reputation of being king of volcanoes. It is now -dethroned. Mention has already been made of -Mt. Shishaldin, on Unimak Island. As no geographer -has ever visited it, little is known about -it. Katmai, however, is unquestionably the monarch. -Not so much in diameter, circumference -or area does it exceed Kilauea. It is in depth. -Kilauea's greatest depth is five hundred feet. -Katmai's is thirty-seven hundred feet!</p> - -<p>In an attempt to give some idea of the magnitude -of Katmai, I quote once more from Prof. -Griggs' report:</p> - -<p>"If every single structure in New York, -Brooklyn, the Bronx and the other boroughs of -Greater New York were gathered together and -deposited in the crater of Mt. Katmai," he says, -"the hole that remained would still be <em>more than -twice as large as that of Kilauea</em>." The king is -dead. Long live the king—of volcanoes!</p> - -<p>From the glaciers and the mountains of Alaska -to the rivers is but a natural turn. One of the -most important factors in the life and commercial -development of a country is, of course, her<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span> -river navigation. Alaska has two great gateways -to Bering Strait,—the Yukon and Kuskokwim -rivers. Until recently only the Yukon was available -for commercial purposes, but the United -States Coast and Geodetic Survey has announced -that at last a channel has been charted through -the delta of the Kuskokwim. This means much. -It means that a River of Doubt has become a -River of Promise!</p> - -<p>Because of the latitude at which they enter Bering -Sea the Yukon is navigable for three and a -half and the Kuskokwim for four months only. -The entrance of the Yukon is shallow, that of -the Kuskokwim tortuous and not well known. -But once inside, an ordinary river boat can navigate -the Yukon to White Horse, in Canada, a distance -of twenty-two hundred miles. In spite of -the short seasons the possibilities of using the river -in the development of the valley are apparent and -will suffice for some time to come. Navigation -is also fairly good on the lower Copper River, -the Kobuk, and smaller streams. When it comes -to the most winding and tortuous watercourse I -have ever encountered, however,—respectfully I -salute the Iditarod! One's supply of adjectives, -however ample under ordinary circumstances, -fails him completely when he attempts to do justice -to the crookedness of this river. It writhes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span> -and twists and turns like some huge serpent, and -when it can think of nothing else to do it doubles -back on its own track! To try to follow it would -give a man delirium tremens, and like Tennyson's -brook it "goes on forever!"</p> - -<p>The Pacific coast line, including the Aleutian -Islands, has many excellent harbors. With the -exception of Cook Inlet, these are open to navigation -from November until June, but the ice -pack does not extend far south of St. Lawrence -Island. This part of the coast is almost without -harbors. The Arctic Ocean is open from July -to September, permitting navigation to Alaskan -ports.</p> - -<p>There is cable communication between Seattle -and certain parts of southeastern Alaska,—Cordova, -Valdez and Seward. Telegraph lines run -from Valdez to Fairbanks and down the Yukon -to St. Michael from which point there is wireless -communication with Nome. These are all military -lines. The Navy Department maintains -wireless stations at Kodiak and Unalaska. The -War Department has wireless stations at Sitka, -Cordova, Fairbanks, Circle, Eagle and Nulato. -There are also private wireless stations at Iditarod -and on Bristol Bay and many of the mining -districts are now provided with telephone lines.</p> - -<p>The United States Government is thoroughly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span> -awake to the necessity of making safe the now-dangerous -waters of southern Alaska. They are -now being charted and soon the old title "The -Graveyard of the Pacific" will no longer apply -to them. Within the past sixty years three hundred -ships have gone down upon the rocks. Valuable -cargoes amounting to eight million dollars -and lives to the number of five hundred have -here been lost. Both to southeast and southwest -of Alaska lie many mountainous islands, and ofttimes -the lower half of the mountain will be lost -in the water. Like the submerged lower half of -the iceberg which wrecked the <em>Titanic</em>, they lie -in wait, seemingly, for the ignorant or the unwary -and rip open the hulls of the ships that -venture too near.</p> - -<p>The light-house service of Alaska leaves much -to be desired. The first buoy was floated in 1884. -The first light was put up ten years later. There -are three hundred and twenty-nine aids to navigation -now on the whole Alaskan coast line. -These include a hundred and forty lights of which -twenty-eight were placed in 1915. On the much-traveled -route from Icy Strait to Nome, a distance -equal to that between New York and London, -there are but three lighthouses!</p> - -<p>There are indications of improvement along -this line, however. A first class light is to be<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span> -placed on Cape St. Elias. New vessels are being -built for light-house work and for the Coast Survey, -but like all great enterprises, things progress -slowly. About one-half of the main channels -of southeastern Alaska have been explored -by a wire drag and as rapidly as the appropriations -by Congress will permit the work will be -pushed forward.</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_XIV" id="CHAPTER_XIV">CHAPTER XIV<br /> - -<span class="normal">THE CITIES OF THE FAR NORTH</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">OF the cities of Alaska the most interesting -historically is Sitka. No one will regret -the time spent in visiting this, the former seat of -the Russian territorial government and the -stronghold of the Greek Catholic Church. After -the passing of the Russians it became the first -capital of Alaska. It is situate on Baranof Island, -facing Sitka Sound. The climate is mild -and out-door life delightful.</p> - -<p>Sitka is beautifully picturesque. The island-laden -ocean sweeps to west of it while on the east -the frothing Indian River surges down from its -birthplace in the group of snow-capped mountains -known as the Seven Sisters. In 1799 the -Russians established a trading post here and occupied -it until 1804. The old Greek church dating -from 1816 still stands, alongside of a new -one called St. Peter's-by-the-Sea, erected in 1899. -The city contains much that is of interest,—a -Museum named in honor of Sheldon Jackson of -the Presbyterian Mission. To the influence of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span> -this man Alaska is indebted for her now-thriving -reindeer industry. During the rush to the gold -fields in 1898 word was borne to Washington that -the gold-seekers were dying by thousands for -lack of food and proper clothing to protect them -from the bitter climate into which, in their inexperience, -they had entered inadequately equipped. -In the effort to aid them the government attempted -to send supplies to the starving camps -by reindeer. The plan was not a success and the -government was left with the reindeer on its -hands. Dr. Jackson used his influence with the -result that the reindeer were secured for the -Eskimos.</p> - -<p class="mabottom2">Sitka has United States Public Schools. It -has also a Presbyterian Industrial Training -School for natives. It is the headquarters of the -Agricultural Experiment stations, the Coast -Survey Magnetic Base Station, and is the residence -of both the Russian and Episcopal Bishops -of Alaska.</p> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i10ah.jpg"><img src="images/i10a.jpg" width="500" height="209" alt="Picture of Sitka, Alaskas old russian capital" /></a> -<span class="caption">SITKA, THE OLD RUSSIAN CAPITAL OF ALASKA</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i10bh.jpg"><img src="images/i10b.jpg" width="500" height="371" alt="Picture of the capital Juneau" /></a> -<span class="caption">JUNEAU, THE CAPITAL</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 303px;"> -<a href="images/i11h.jpg"><img src="images/i11.jpg" width="303" height="400" alt="Picture of two eskimos of St. Michael" /></a> -<span class="caption">ESKIMOS OF ST. MICHAEL</span> -</div> - - -<p>Juneau, the present capital, is also most picturesquely -located. From the water it seems to -be lying on a shelf,—the cliffs of Mt. Juneau to -the rear and the sea in front of it. It is about a -hundred miles north by east of Sitka, on Gastineau -Channel, opposite Douglas Island on which -are situate the celebrated Treadwell mines. Juneau -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span>is thoroughly modern as to churches, schools, -newspapers, hospitals. It has drainage, police -and fire protection, telephone and telegraph service -and electric light. A small town of sixteen -hundred inhabitants in 1910, it has increased to -a thriving city. The ever-increasing population -is fast dotting the lower heights with beautiful -and comfortable homes and down below them the -ever-advancing tunnels of the gold-seekers keep -honey-combing the rock-ribbed earth. As one -journeys northward he can see the stamp house -of the Treadwell mines, built right into the side -of the precipitous face of the mountain down -which a railroad track has been laid to carry the -ore from the tunnels that bore into the heart of -the cliff.</p> - -<p>Ketchikan is a city of commercial importance -because of the fishing industry. It is typical of -the settlements along the coast and of the fishing -settlements in particular. It also is located on -an island which gives it many advantages. On -one side it has deep water. On the other side -it has mountain, river and lake. Ketchikan is -one of the best places for the visitor to see a "run" -during which the salmon crowd up the river in a -struggle so fierce that many of them are killed -in the effort to reach the spawning-grounds.</p> - -<p>The most attractive city of this part of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span> -country is Wrangell, named for the Russian explorer -and naval officer, Baron Ferdinand Wrangell, -wise administrator of affairs connected with -the Alaskan colonies of Russia between 1831 and -1836. During his administration an observatory -was established at Sitka. He it was who exposed -the shameful abuses of the Russian-American -Company and prevented the extension of their -charter in 1862. He was an astute and far-sighted -statesman, and realizing the value of Alaska, -he bitterly opposed the sale of the territory to -the United States.</p> - -<p>Wrangell, the city named after him, lies on an -island of the same name a hundred and fifty miles -southeast of Juneau. The seeker after the unusual -in his travels will find here much to interest -and divert him. To Wrangell the traders -still bring the trophies of the chase, making their -journey down the rapidly-flowing Stikine river -from the wonderful Cassiar hunting grounds, -famed for their big game. To these grounds -every year flock hunters from all parts of the -world to shoot the mountain sheep, the moose, -the bear and the caribou. In Wrangell, also, -one may see the best of what remains of the -magnificent totem poles of Alaska.</p> - -<p>No lover of history, and particularly the history -of the native peoples of the world, can help<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span> -cherishing a feeling of deep regret when he sees -the approaching decay of these expressions of -their inner lives. As is the case in our own great -west, the steam roller of civilization is passing -over what is left of the primitive people, crushing -out the spirit of all that once was and in some -cases still is revered by them, flattening out that -which is picturesque and distinctive in them. Who -can look upon the massive-timbered communal -houses of the natives of Alaska, before which -were placed the totem poles, bold with their blazonry -of animals, grotesquely carved and gaudily -painted,—eagle and whale, bear, wolf and beaver—without -a sigh that soon they, too, will sail into -the past with the caravels of Columbus or ride out -of the plains with the buffalo to return no more?</p> - -<p>Through the long ages the American Indian -has worshiped—not the sun, but the great, <em>creative -spirit</em> behind the sun! And he has expressed -that worship in the celebrated Sun Dance, a truly -<em>religious</em> ceremony in which he is now forbidden -to indulge by the United States government! In -like manner the natives of the Far North expressed -themselves in totems. To a certain extent -they are ancestor worshipers, as are the -Chinese. The totem poles are their expression -of their primitive heraldry. They erected them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span> -in front of their rude dwellings, with a pageantry -uncouth, it is true, but in a spirit of sincerity.</p> - -<p>I am not one of those who would decry the influence -and the splendid service of the missionary. -But it is an influence which often works -both ways. Many of the latter can see in these -expressions of pride of ancestry nothing but the -most arrant heathenism, so the totem poles of -Alaska are rotting away. And no more are being -built. The young natives are being "educated" -out of any respect which hitherto they -may justly have entertained for their forefathers. -There is no scorn known to the human race which -is quite so withering as that which the man who -does not know who his grandfather was entertains -for the man who does!</p> - -<p>It can not be long until the totem pole will be -a thing of the past. Therefore he who would see -them in all their glory must not linger. All will -soon be gone. Here at Wrangell are still some -splendid specimens, perhaps the best the north -country now has to offer.</p> - -<p>Skagway may be called the city of romance. -Time was when it held the key which unlocked -the gateway of the Promised Land,—that golden -kingdom of the North. It is now a thriving commercial -center. The White Pass railroad begins -here, forming a sort of portage by means of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span> -which the two extremes of the country may shake -hands with each other. The railroad itself is -short. But it touches the headwaters of the Yukon -with its twenty-five hundred miles of navigation, -bearing on its broad bosom the commerce -and the traffic of Klondike, Dawson, and Fairbanks, -to the outlet in Bering Sea.</p> - -<p>But this is not the reason the history of Skagway -is romantic. When the gold rush began -in 1896 the landing had to be made at Dyea at -the other end of the Lynn Canal. From here it -was necessary to cross the dangerous Chilkoot -Pass, a most hazardous undertaking. One day -the word was passed along that another pass -(now known as White Pass) had been discovered. -With a rush like a flock of frightened -sheep the gold seekers turned and went the other -way. <em>In one day</em> fifteen thousand people left -Dyea for Dawson and Skagway and in that same -length of time what had formerly been a swamp -became a city!</p> - -<p>Abler pens than mine have recorded in novel, -poem and play the story of those eventful days. -All know now of the famous (or infamous) gambling -hells with which these places were infested. -The spot in Skagway to-day which most attracts -the tourist is the cemetery where lies the body of -"Soapy" Smith. "Soapy" was half-outlaw, half-politician,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span> -the "Boss" of the town, in fact. Skagway -was without doubt the wildest and wickedest -place in the world during the reign of "Soapy" -Smith. The decent and sober citizens stood it as -long as they could. When they felt, however, -that Skagway had suffered from her evil reputation -long enough they held a meeting and came -to a decision! The Sylvester Wharf, now a half-ruin, -has been left standing to mark the spot -where the fathers of the town ran "Soapy" to -cover and shot him.</p> - -<p>Dawson, in the Canadian Yukon, had a somewhat -similar experience. But the Northwest -Mounted Police came to her assistance and -brought order out of chaos. The fame of Dawson -during the gold rush is world-wide. Her -affairs are now in the charge of the Canadian -government. There is also a United States -Consulate there.</p> - -<p>The most important and the largest city in -Alaska is Fairbanks. It lies on the Tanana -River, practically at the head of navigation. It -is the site of the Fourth Judicial District and of -government activities in the interior of Alaska. -Fairbanks is a city of which any country might -be proud, heated by a central steam plant, with -schools, churches, hospitals, newspapers, long-distance -telephone and wireless stations. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span> -electric plant which lights the city also serves the -adjacent mining camps. Fairbanks may be -reached all during the year by a stage service -three hundred and fifty-four miles from Valdez -and during five months in summer steamboat -service westward to St. Michael, eastward to -Dawson and White Horse, Yukon Territory, is -maintained. Reference has already been made -to the progress of this delightful city, its social -life and the kindly spirit of the people.</p> - -<p>As one nears the western coast the cities become -few and far between. Anchorage, on Cook -Inlet, Iditarod and Nome are the most important. -The interesting story of Nome is well -known. Prospectors were working the streams -for gold when suddenly the yellow dust was -found in huge quantities in the sand along the -beach! The first settlement was called Anvil -City and was the usual mushroom affair. Nowhere -else in Alaska was the struggle of the -gold-seekers to be compared with those of Nome. -Its exposed position on Norton Sound made it -subject to the violent coast storms. The conditions -were unsanitary, the food and fuel supply -a subject of great anxiety, the water supply -scanty and the climate cruel. In the face of all -these discouragements, however, the hardy pioneers -fought and conquered. Nome is now a city<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span> -of some three thousand, the commercial, judicial -and educational center of Seward Peninsula. It -is a fine, courageous little city, compactly built, -with modern improvements and prosperous business -houses. A railroad eighty-five miles long -runs to Shelton, but Nome and the adjacent regions -are reached direct only between June and -October, the open season of Bering Sea.</p> - -<p>I always learn with regret of any tourist who -takes a trip up the "Inside" passage and returns -by the same route. What can he possibly -know of Alaska? The broad expanse of country -which sweeps away to the north and the -west, guarded by the mountains, watered by one -of the mightiest rivers in the world,—of this he -knows nothing, for it is a country which can not -be described. It must be seen to be appreciated. -It is this part of Alaska that is Nature's gigantic -workshop with a job in it for any man who asks! -Here new cities are yet to be born, new business -enterprises to be established, new farms to be -tilled. Here any man who chooses may have that -most prized of all possessions,—a home of his -own! There is room for all!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_XV" id="CHAPTER_XV">CHAPTER XV<br /> - -<span class="normal">THE NATIVE RACES</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">IN speaking of the native races of Alaska it -is not my purpose to enter into the subject -except in so far as it belongs to a book of this -character. As was said of the mines, the real -student of such subjects will find (in the journals -devoted to ethnology) what definite information -he seeks. Strangely enough, however, -a diligent search has revealed that there is not -to be found in any library a book or in any -magazine an article dealing with that most unusual -custom which prevails among the Eskimos,—the -trial marriage. Whether this custom -exists among any other natives of the world I -do not know. But I think not.</p> - -<p>The natives of Alaska are of four groups. -First, the <em>Eskimos</em>, who dwell in the northern -part of the territory in the area near the Arctic -Ocean and Bering Sea. Second, the <em>Aleut</em>, a -people closely related to the Eskimos, who are -to be found only in the Aleutian Islands and the -mainland adjacent thereto. Third, the <em>Thlinkits</em>,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span> -who are Indians and confined to the southeastern -section of the country known as the Panhandle. -Fourth, the <em>Athabaskans</em>, of the same -stock as the American Indian, who occupy the -interior and touch the coast only at Cook Inlet.</p> - -<p>The Thlinkits were once the most civilized and -at the same time the most warlike of the native -tribes. When the Russians came they found -them living in well-built log houses and with an -organized tribal system. They are to-day of -greater intelligence than any of the other native -tribes and are skilled craftsmen. The Athabaskans, -on the other hand, with the exception of -some of the most isolated Eskimo tribes, are the -least civilized. Only those on the coast have any -kind of tribal organization and this is not countenanced -by the United States Government. Like -the clansmen of Scotland, they seem to group -themselves in families. The Aleuts were once -quite prosperous, expert in the taking of the -sea-otter, a very difficult animal to catch. The -ravages of the Russian fur-traders almost annihilated -the native population. They enslaved -them and compelled them to capture the sea-otters -for them. But the latter are now almost -extinct and the Aleuts eke out a precarious -existence by fishing and trapping foxes. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span> -call their habitations <em>barábaras</em> and they resemble -the igloos of the Eskimos.</p> - -<p>It is the latter people that I know best and of -whom I would speak most. There are no Indians -in St. Michael. The native people here -are wholly Eskimos, and one has to live among -them to realize the moral descent of a once-fine -native race. One must know them in order to -comprehend the height from which they have -fallen! In winter they live in their igloos. And -an igloo is a place so unspeakably filthy that one -can scarcely entertain a thought (much less a -sight) of it. In summer they live in tents. Yet——. -In spite of their uncleanliness, in spite of -every other argument which may be urged -against them, one always finds himself at the end -of his ruminations admitting to himself that, after -all, they are a fine native race! It is a conclusion -at which he never fails to arrive even in -the face of appalling evidence. The conviction -will not be downed.</p> - -<p>I have often walked about their summer camps -at St. Michael, Nome and other localities. Always -I have found the scene practically the same. -One cannot help being struck with the industry -which the Eskimos display. Every inmate of -the tent will be at work! And each is at work -upon something <em>useful</em>! Not one of them will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span> -be caught idle. The father usually will be seen -carving a piece of ivory, or wood. The Eskimos -are skilled carvers. While President Taft was -in office a magnificent piece was sent him for his -desk. It was carved from the tusk of a walrus -by a native. In the tent the mother will be -making <em>mukluks</em>, or fur boots, while the older -daughter beats out and twists the caribou sinew -into that strong thread with which the furs and -boots are sewed. Let me add that they never come -unsewed! The smaller children will each be engaged -in some light task, such as making curios, -or smoothing the first roughness off of the ivory -from which the father, later, will carve something. -Every member of the family will be engaged -in producing <em>something of value</em>. Wherever -one goes among the Eskimos he will be -struck by this admirable trait.</p> - -<p>They are a light-hearted, good-natured people, -easily amused. They have a ready smile for -you as you pass them by. Compared with the -white man they are undersized. From my own -six-feet-two they seem rather diminutive to me -when I look down upon them, but they are by -no means the dwarfs that people imagine them. -The average height of the man is five-feet-four. -Tall Eskimos are not unusual. They are well-built, -graceful in movement and possessed of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span> -small hands and feet. The nose (in some of the -tribes) is flat, but in others it is quite the opposite, -and the mouth, although somewhat large, is -always filled with beautiful teeth. Their smile -is most attractive. I have seen many handsome -Eskimos,—that is, they would be handsome if -they were clean!</p> - -<p>The centaur of old was no more a part of his -horse than the Eskimo is a part of his boat. He -is a born navigator,—as aquatic as a duck. He -fashions for himself a small boat of skin in -which he practically encloses himself. These -boats are of two kinds and in their construction -the Eskimo reveals his ingenuity. They are -cunningly contrived and cleverly managed. -With this primitive craft he performs all sorts -of unbelievable stunts. An expert and daring -fisherman is he. The smaller boat (called a -<em>kayak</em>) is a sealskin canoe and is a rather tiny -affair. It has circular hatches for one man. The -<em>bidarka</em> (or <em>bidocky</em>) will hold two men. But -the <em>baidará</em> is made of walrus hide and will hold -from twenty to thirty persons. It will live in a -heavy sea and is taken on long sea voyages. The -stranger who travels even a short distance in -one, however, usually does so with his heart in his -mouth most of the time. The fabric belies its -looks. It appears so flimsy as to be dangerous<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span> -and the water is plainly visible underneath. But -the natives walk boldly about in them. Every -step depresses the skin for two or three inches, -but long experience has taught them that the -spot on which they stand will sustain the weight -of a ton! I have actually seen them turn a summersault -in the water with one of these home-made -craft and come up smiling! Yet, strange -to say, while they are, apparently, more at home -on the water than on the land, few of them swim. -Perhaps it is that the water is too cold.</p> - -<p>Who that has seen these diminutive people -venture forth into a treacherous and perilous sea -with naught between them and death but this -tiny home-made boat to do battle with the huge -monsters of the ice-encumbered deep—the whale, -the walrus and the seal—can question their courage? -Not I! The Eskimo has made no effort to -conquer his environment. More wisely he has -adapted himself to it and constrained it to his -needs. The land of his birth is inhospitable. His -environment is savage. He wrings his sustenance -from the land only by powerful effort, and human -nature takes on a new dignity in the life -of such people. Only the sturdiest of creatures, -set naked in an Arctic world, could rise superior -to such an environment.</p> - -<p>As for the Eskimo woman,—in youth she is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span> -not unattractive, often quite good-looking, in -fact. But I hereby testify that of all the hideously -unattractive and ugly creatures known to -the human race the full-blooded, middle-aged -Eskimo woman carries off the palm. As it was -in the beginning, before God said "Let there be -light"—she is without form and void! She ages -rapidly. She dresses as do the men, in the -<em>parka</em>, a long, loose garment reaching to the -knee, made of muskrat and reindeer skin in -winter and of drill in summer, fur-seal boots and -breeches. As the men are nearly always smooth-faced -it is often difficult to tell them apart. They -both use tobacco. And they are nothing if not -economical! They chew it until every particle -of flavor has vanished. Then they dry and smoke -it!</p> - -<p>A friend of mine, a well-known woman writer -who once served the American Minister to China -as personal secretary, one day confided to me that -since the day she left the celestial empire (some -fifteen years ago) she had never seen any dirt -worth mentioning! Obviously, she has never -glimpsed the interior of an igloo! With an American -Army Officer of the Medical Corps I once -visited one. We were told that it was one of the -cleanest Eskimo villages in Alaska. The saints -preserve me from a visit to the dirtiest one! An<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span> -igloo is a windowless hut, shut tight against the -air. It is usually crowded with a large family, -grossly clad in skins which are poorly tanned, -partly decayed. They are unspeakably fed, -greasy of skin. Refuse of every kind was piled -about the igloo and a recent thaw made the place -a mass of liquid filth.</p> - -<p>Of course, the reason for all this is apparent, -and in a way unavoidable. Fuel is scarce and hard -to obtain. Therefore, ventilation, with its waste -of heat, would be fatally extravagant. Food is -gathered in summer and stored for winter. When -it comes out of storage much of it is decayed. -Crowding is unavoidable and this means filth and -infection. Water is scanty, cleanliness impossible. -All this leads to the prevalence of disease -and the disease most prevalent is tuberculosis. -Moreover, this village which we visited has no -doctor. The nearest one is seven miles away.</p> - -<p>Conditions in Alaska, so far as medical relief -for the natives is concerned, are distressing and -inexcusable. Year after year, with persistent regularity, -the Sundry Civil Appropriation Committee -of the House strikes out the modest sum -of seventy-five thousand dollars petitioned for by -the Board of Education for medical relief work -among the natives of Alaska. In all southeastern -Alaska there is but one hospital for natives,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span>—a -Presbyterian institution at Haines. Dr. -Romig, a former Moravian Medical Missionary -in the Bristol Bay district in Bering Sea, gave -as an estimate that forty per cent of the Eskimo -population of this district, numbering some -seventeen hundred people, were afflicted with -transmissible diseases—chiefly tuberculosis, syphilis -and trachoma. The physical condition of -these people is pitiable in the extreme. Yet the -government provides <em>one</em> physician and a small -inadequate infirmary without proper equipment -and maintained in an abandoned schoolhouse!</p> - -<p>Contrast this with what is being done for the -Indians of the United States. For the three hundred -thousand there are now employed two hundred -doctors, eighty nurses, seven dentists, seventy -field matrons, and seventy-seven miscellaneous -hospital attendants. Also, the government maintains -for the Indians forty-nine hospitals, four -tuberculosis sanitaria with a capacity for caring -for a thousand four hundred and ninety-nine patients! -The reason for the striking contrast between -this and the shameful neglect of the Alaskan -natives ought to be found and removed. The -present condition is a reproach to us as a nation. -Not only this, it is a menace to the health and -safety of the white people already there and an -argument against the coming of others.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span>Much has been said and written of the origin -of the Eskimos. There is a difference of opinion -as to whence, originally, they came. My own belief -is that they are of Mongolian origin. A similarity -of language would tend to strengthen this -belief. When it comes to a native tongue I confess -that the Eskimo has a peculiarity which is -unique and baffling, more so than I have ever encountered -in any other language. I once got up -against this in a manner which took some time to -untangle. As United States Commissioner at St. -Michael it was part of my duty to try offenders -against the law. The first time the offender -chanced to be an Eskimo I suddenly discovered -that I had troubles of my own. Apparently his -<em>no</em> meant <em>yes</em>, and vice versa. I could not understand -it at first, but at last it dawned upon me -that although he spoke brokenly in English he -was <em>thinking</em> in his own tongue. For instance, -I would say to him:</p> - -<p>"You did so-and-so, didn't you?"</p> - -<p>"Yes!" he would reply, when I knew very well -that he meant to deny it.</p> - -<p>I called in a priest, a man who spoke the native -language, from whom I learned that my surmise -was correct. The Eskimo, when he says -yes means "Yes, I did <em>not</em>!" When he says no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span> -he means "No, I <em>did</em>!" There you are! One has -to be mentally cross-eyed in order to get him!</p> - -<p>The Eskimos are very peaceable people except -when (in violation of the law) the white -man sells them whisky. It must be acknowledged -that the latter has done little to encourage -their uplift. In fact, he is largely to blame -for the demoralized condition of the Eskimo to-day. -One may no longer sell liquor in Alaska, -but the mischief, so far as the natives is concerned, -is already done. For a long time there seemed -no way to prevent the furnishing of whisky to -the Eskimos. A law might cover it, it is true. -But experience has taught me that if a man is -clever enough and unscrupulous enough he can -drive a horse and wagon through the best law -that was ever made! Where there was no saloon -the liquor was furnished the natives in the -guise of pay or bribe, and every man who has -lived in Alaska knows how little regard the white -man has had for the sanctity of the native home. -Wives and daughters were constantly dishonored. -If the husband or father protested or put -up a fight he was overcome by threats or bribes -and given liquor to drink until what natural good -qualities he once possessed disappeared forever.</p> - -<p>If one would see the native races at their best -he must see them as far as possible from the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span> -haunts of the white men. There he will find them -by no means an inferior people. I know of one -cannery where every employee except the superintendent -and the bookkeeper is a native, and one -has but to observe their work to be convinced of -their capability. But it seems impossible for -them to live near the white people without both -whites and natives starting down hill. From the -acquaintance to the debauchery of the native -woman by a certain type of white man is but a -step. It has not been a great many years since -the whalers used to come up from San Francisco -to winter in the Arctic and catch whales. Their -first act on arriving was to carry off the native -women, take them aboard the vessels and keep -them all winter. In the spring when they got -ready to return they would throw them ashore -unceremoniously. This went on many years but -has now been stopped by the government. Sometimes -the white men marry the native women and -when they do they quickly sink to their level. The -native man, always imitative of the white man, -in time forsakes the hunting and fishing which -once furnished him an honest living and sooner -or later he is to be seen hanging around the villages, -picking up odd jobs.</p> - -<p>Some of the customs of the natives of Alaska -(and elsewhere) are both quaint and startling.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span> -When a native guest enters a house neither host -nor guest take notice of each other. The host -goes on with his work and the visitor either assists -him or produces some of his own. When he -departs, however, the host says to him:</p> - -<p>"Inûvdluaritse!" (Live well!)</p> - -<p>But they greet the white visitor in smiling -friendliness and when he leaves the host usually -says to him:</p> - -<p>"Aporniakinatit!" (Do not hurt thy head!) -Presumably this is a warning against the upper -part of the low doorway.</p> - -<p>The Eskimo's idea of hospitality sometimes -extends to lengths which are somewhat appalling -and occasionally it requires not a little diplomacy -to refuse them without giving offense. -When one gets caught in an Eskimo village and -has to spend the night there it is the commonest -of occurrences for the man of the house to offer -him not only the freedom of his home but his wife -as well! Among the natives the interchange of -wives is common.</p> - -<p>And this brings us to that most discussed of -all questions,—the morality (or the lack of it) -of the native peoples of the earth. No matter to -what far corner of the world one may journey -he will find this problem the same in all of them. -The Eskimo is no exception. Before the coming<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span> -of the white man he was utterly godless. He -had no religion, no form of worship, no imagery, -no idea of any "happy hunting ground" hereafter. -In many sections this is still true, although -they have been brought under the influence of the -church in some localities.</p> - -<p>In St. Michael the natives are not permitted -to live in the village, but their tents dot the hillsides -around and during the summer months the -streets are alive with them. Often they come -from great distances with their furs, carved ivory, -etc., which they have for sale. Their winter -dwelling, the igloo, is a pit in the ground, roofed -over with logs and sometimes, not always, a window -made of fish skin or the entrail of a walrus. -The hut is entered by a kind of ante-chamber -in the top of which is a hole large enough to -admit a man. If he chances to be a large man -he sometimes has difficulty in getting through! -He must descend a ladder to a narrow passage -or tunnel which leads to the principal room, often -fifteen or twenty feet from the entrance. The -sole furniture of a native residence is a seal-oil -lamp which is used for both heating and cooking. -It is lighted in the autumn and burns incessantly -until spring.</p> - -<p>The igloo is usually from six to eight feet high -and about thirty feet in circumference. Often<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span> -it houses from ten to twenty persons. During -the cold and stormy weather every aperture is -closed. How they endure the odor and the vitiated -air is something no white man can understand. -The summer dwellings were formerly -constructed above ground and consisted of light -poles roofed over with skins. Now, however, -these have given way to the ordinary tent which -is not only cheaper but preferable for many reasons.</p> - -<p>In almost every village, or native settlement, -the visitor will find the council-house, a much -larger hut than the others. It is called a -<em>kashga</em>, and is used also as a sort of club where -the youths and the unmarried men of the village -congregate. Here matters of importance are discussed -and guests from a distance lodged. The -hut is usually about twenty feet square and ten -feet high.</p> - -<p>It was in one of these <em>kashgas</em> that I had -what was perhaps the most interesting experience -in connection with the native races that I -have had during the years that I have lived in -Alaska. I have come in touch with the ceremonies -of the natives of many corners of the -earth, but this one was unique,—even more so -than the celebrated Snake Dance of the Hopi, -of Arizona. I had once been able to befriend<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span> -a young Eskimo. In gratitude for the favor he -invited me to attend a native festival to which -(he gave me to understand) no white man had -ever been admitted. Whether this meant that -no white man had <em>ever</em> been admitted or that -none had seen the ceremony as indulged in by -this particular tribe I am unable to say. Nevertheless -I understood that he was attempting to -honor me. I confess that it was with some misgivings -that I went, but I have never been sorry.</p> - -<p>This particular ceremony was known as The -Ten Year Festival. Some tribe from another -locality is asked to visit the home tribe and the -ceremony is held during the visit. The visitors -this year came from Unalakleet, bringing large -quantities of gifts and many of them going back -empty-handed at the end of the festival. "Potlatching," -or trading, is the favorite occupation -of the Eskimos and many a time have I been a -victim. But I usually hastened to "potlatch" -whatever I happened to draw off onto some one -else at the earliest possible opportunity!</p> - -<p>In some respects the Ten Year Festival is not -unlike the ceremonies of the American Indians. -In the <em>kashga</em>, heated to suffocation, the natives -and their visitors foregather. A square hole is -cut in the floor and a sort of shelf, or bench, runs -around the sides of the room. On this bench<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span> -sit the principal personages of the tribe, their -feet dangling and not infrequently kicking those -below them in the face. The "orchestra" with -their tom-toms begin their monotonous drumming. -The medicine man is heard below chanting -a weird tribal song and presently his head -appears through the hole in the floor. He comes -up, dancing and singing, both song and chant -increasing in intensity as he appears. The other -members of the tribe join the dance and the song. -Their motions become more and more violent. A -perspiration which is largely grease, due to the -oil which exudes from their skin, rolls from their -naked bodies as they writhe and lash themselves -into a perfect frenzy. The women join the dance, -cavorting about unclothed, just as the men do.</p> - -<p>The final episode of the ceremony occurs when -the medicine man breaks from the <em>kashga</em> and -runs outside in the bitter cold. Of course, everything -is frozen tight, but a hole is cut in the Bay -and into the ice-cold water he plunges, returning -to the <em>kashga</em> dripping wet. He then tells -them that he has been in consultation with the -Great Spirit, or whatever it is that they call their -ruling power, and that he has been instructed -to tell them that the crops will be good, the furs -plentiful, that they will be successful in catching -the walrus and the seal.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span>I have already spoken of the unusual custom -of the trial marriage which exists among the natives -of the Far North. So far as I know, it -exists nowhere else,—at least under supervision -of the church. But when the United States purchased -Alaska there was a paragraph in the -treaty which read as follows:</p> - -<p>"The inhabitants of the ceded territory, according -to their choice, reserving their natural -allegiance, may return to Russia within three -years, but if they should prefer to remain in the -ceded territory they, with the exception of the -uncivilized tribes, shall be admitted to the enjoyments -and all the rights, advantages and immunities -of citizens of the United States, and shall -be maintained and protected in the full enjoyment -of their liberty, property and religion. The -uncivilized tribes will be subject to such laws -and regulations as the United States may from -time to time adopt in regard to aboriginal tribes -of that country."</p> - -<p>The supposition is that the "laws and regulations" -were not immediately forthcoming and -that gradually the natives came under the influence -of the Greek Catholic Church. The trial -marriage is a blending of the customs of both of -these.</p> - -<p>I presume that there is no other place in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span> -world where the natives approach more nearly -to living in a state of nature than here. This -applies as much to their family life as to their -out-door existence. In former times when the -Eskimo man and woman decided that they would -like to wage the war of life together, to combine -against their implacable foes, the cold, the storm -and the darkness, they just went ahead and did -it. This was and in many cases still is the beginning -and the end of the subject of marriage -with them. The native custom in the olden days -was a somewhat strenuous experience for the -bride. It is still followed, but it has now become -a mere ceremony, quaint and picturesque. The -young Eskimo seldom "falls in love." He selects -a wife, usually choosing her for her health -and strength. In the olden days, having picked -her out, he would lie in wait for her, seize her by -the hair of her head and drag her off to his igloo, -the whole family following and (apparently) attempting -to rescue her. Strangely enough, his -choice was not always the young girl. There -was a lively competition for widows, especially -if they were the mothers of sons who would be -able to help bring in the whale and keep the wolf -from the door.</p> - -<p>Of Eskimo morality and civilization there are -many degrees. Some of the tribes as yet untouched<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span> -by the influence of the missionaries have -moral laws of extreme refinement. And they -live up to them! Do you know of another spot -on earth where <em>both man and woman</em> who have -proved guilty of unfaithfulness are meted out -the same punishment? I do not. But the reindeer -Koriaks, one of the tribes not far from -Nome, place the greatest stress upon loyalty and -chastity of both man and woman, and the punishment -for both, when they transgress the law, -is instant death!</p> - -<p>As to many of the tribes, however, little can -be said and that little is not to their credit. They -have no higher conception of life than that which -is wholly animalistic. Through all the long -ages, with them a physical act has been merely -a physical act. It has had no moral significance. -And can the idea of untold ages be easily eradicated? -And, after all, are they worse than other -people? Comparisons are odious. But it must -be remembered that these natives live out their -lives thus <em>thinking no evil</em>! What, then, of the -white man, born with the knowledge of the moral -significance which is attached to the personal relationship -and who has permitted himself to become -degraded by the vices of civilization? The -native man is <em>un</em>moral. The white man is <em>im</em>moral. -There is a difference! Moreover, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span> -Scarlet Letter is not alone for the Hester -Prynnes of Old Plymouth. From time immemorial -among some of the tribes of the North -the unchaste Eskimo woman has been forced to -wear a sign of her degradation,—a green band -in her hair. However, unlike Hester Prynne, -she is given another chance, albeit an unfair one. -If she gives birth to an able-bodied boy she becomes -an object of unusual and sincere respect -and her green band becomes, as it were, a crown.</p> - -<p>Humanity itself, in the Far North, sometimes -becomes quite as cold and frozen as the land itself. -But there is one thing which never fails -to thaw it,—children. And any one who lives -long in the north country can not but realize -that children are of vital necessity in any sparsely-settled -land. The Reverend Hudson Stuck, -to whose admirable volume, <em>Voyages on the Yukon</em>, -reference has already been made, relates -a good story bearing on this point. Long residence -in Alaska has taught him much that has -never yet been writ in books and has made of -him, although a man of the strictest religious -convictions, kindly tolerant of the frailties of -humankind. Above all else, he is impatient, as -we all are, of the non-essentials in education -which are being crammed down the throats of -the natives by teachers, often due to youth and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span> -inexperience, while the essentials, the things of -real value to them as individuals and to the country -as a whole, are neglected. The Archdeacon -relates that once he visited a Mission where the -man in charge, a youth, with misguided enthusiasm, -boasted that there was neither a half-breed -nor an illegitimate child in the village! The -Archdeacon received the information in silence, -but after a tour of inspection he returned to -the subject.</p> - -<p>"I see no children at all," he remarked. -"Aren't there any?"</p> - -<p>The young man proudly admitted that there -were none,—whereupon the Archdeacon proceeded -to shock him.</p> - -<p>"I much prefer half-breed children or even -illegitimate children to no children at all!" he -said. "By the grace of God, much may be done -with the half-breed or even the illegitimate child. -But in the name of all that is hopeless and preposterous," -he finished, "what can ever be accomplished -in a country where there are <em>no children -at all</em>?"</p> - -<p>It has always been a matter of real regret to -me that the Archdeacon did not record the answer -to his question!</p> - -<p>Just when the custom of the trial marriage -in its present form originated I do not know.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span> -That it must have entered with or at least followed -closely in the wake of the Greek Catholic -Church is undeniable. As was the case with -the native ceremonies of the American Indians,—the -Sun Dance, the Ghost Dance, the Flute -Dance and the Snake Dance—<em>religious</em> ceremonies, -every one of them, exaggerated and highly-colored -reports of which were carried to the government -by over-enthusiastic and sometimes fanatical -missionaries and agents with the result -that the government took steps to suppress them, -the trial marriage of the natives of Alaska, while -not yet suppressed, now rests under official displeasure. -A part of my duty was to investigate -this subject. I did so—with a result more astonishing -to myself than it could possibly have -been to any one else. Like the man of old who -went to the temple to scoff and remained to -pray, I issued forth from this investigation with -most of my preconceived theories on the subject -knocked galley-west. Some of my hitherto -staunchest principles, if not quite broken, were -so badly bent that I have never yet been able to -hammer them out quite straight again!</p> - -<p>I had it out one day with Father B——, a -priest of the Greek Church, a benevolent and -kindly old man who in the early days of his mission -among the Eskimos had cherished a dream<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span> -of them as a separate people,—a race apart, who -should work out their own salvation with the -<em>assistance</em> (not the <em>insistence</em>) of a wisely directed -form of religion. That dream for a while -promised to be realized, at least to a certain extent. -But with the coming of the first white men, -most of whom were utterly lawless, he saw his -vision fade and finally vanish. Nevertheless he -worked on and the trial marriage is his solution -of the problem. It is a sort of welding of the -customs of both the native and the church.</p> - -<p>There is one point in regard to the custom on -which I wish to be plainly understood. In -Alaska it is against the law for an unmarried -man and woman to live together. To say that -the custom exists with the <em>consent</em> of the Church -is wholly unfair. Every one who has lived in -such a country as this knows very well that many -of the customs as well as the laws are born of -necessity, and the custom of the trial marriage -is unquestionably one of these. It certainly exists -with the <em>knowledge</em> of the Church and its -origin undoubtedly lies in this fact: The parishes -over which one priest has jurisdiction lie -far apart. A visit to each of them is possible -only about once a year. Without the Church -there would be <em>no</em> marriage, even a belated one. -Not infrequently it happens that a young Eskimo<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span> -who wishes a wife goes to the priest and -asks his assistance in finding one. The girl may -(and often does) live in one parish and the young -man in another. He will either go to her home -or she will go to his. But they can not be married -until the next visit of the priest which is -sometimes a whole year later.</p> - -<p>Before the priest will consent to assist the -youth in finding a suitable companion, however, -he makes certain requirements which the young -man must meet. He must build an igloo, furnish -it and stock it with supplies. He must then -construct his boat in order that he may fish and -thus make a living for them both. This done he -may have his girl. <em>Score one in favor of the trial -marriage!</em> He may <em>not</em> have her unless he is -prepared to house and support her. When his -igloo and boat are complete the young people go -to the new home and live together for one year. -At the end of the year, however, they must be -married by the ceremony of the Church. If they -do not come to him to be married the priest seeks -them out and forbids them to live together any -longer.</p> - -<p>While the idea itself rather sticks in one's -throat, the thoughtful man can not deny that the -trial marriage has much to recommend it. They -who have come most closely in touch with it, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span> -missionaries and priests, say that it is indeed seldom -that the couple fail to return at the end of -the year to be married. When they do, it is -asserted, there is usually a reason, and when this -reason exists, they claim, it is far better for -them to separate. The year of trial has proved -that they are not suited to each other. If a child -has come to them, the mother takes it and goes -back to her people, and both the man and woman -may select another mate and enter into another -compact if they desire. But this seldom happens.</p> - -<p>I argued the question to a finish with Father -B——. He could not be moved from his position -and in the end I could but acquiesce in much -that he said. How much better this system is -than that which prevails under the stress of our -present day civilization! In the rapid and feverish -life of the cities of the world to-day,—what -happens? The lover and his lass during the -period of courtship put forth their whole stock -of attractiveness. Seeing each other periodically -it is quite simple to keep out of sight one's faults -and weaknesses. No sooner are they married -than the hitherto concealed frailties begin to appear. -Then——. They realize that there exists -a <em>bond</em> between them and more often than not, -like a dog straining at his leash, they endeavor to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span> -find out just how elastic the tie is,—just how far -they can strain or stretch it. First arguments, -then differences, then quarrels. Before they -know it the cord snaps. Life is never the same -again. Lovers' quarrels may be made up. Family -quarrels never! What then? Nine times out -of ten, for social or economic reasons, they go on -living together, ekeing out an unhappy and often -tortured existence. What could be worse? -That which (for lack of a better term to apply -to it) we call the social evil is not confined to the -scarlet woman of the streets. It often exists in -the best families of the land!</p> - -<p>Among these people of the Northland, however, -it is different. Both the youth and the -maiden know very well that at the end of the -year there is a possibility of either leaving the -other. The result of this knowledge is that from -the very first they fall into the habit of trying -to please each other! And it is a habit they -seldom outgrow. If they find that they can <em>not</em> -please each other they are privileged to separate,—in -fact, are required to do so. They are not -permitted to remain together quarreling all their -lives and ruining the family life of the children -who come to them. This, in my judgment, explains -the light-heartedness of the Eskimos. -They are a happy people and the parents never<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span> -punish the children. Domesticity counts for -much among them. Home is sanctuary from the -elements. They have little else,—but they have -each other! The manner in which they are forced -to live for so many months of the year, so closely -confined, draws them very closely together. I -question whether what they lack, or what we -imagine they lack, does not matter less than we -think. To me it seems that they miss little of -life's essential meaning. They do not have much, -it is true. They are often ill-fed. They are not -intellectual. They are not sentimental. They -are just human! And although they may be for -months shut in by the icy blasts of winter they -do not complain. Why? Because no cold can -penetrate the inner glow and warmth which is -born of an adequate comradeship!</p> - -<p>The trial marriage permits the indulgence in -one of their quaintest of customs. No Eskimo -maiden ever accepts a proposal of marriage. Indifference -to the attention of her admirer is the -acme of good form! I find that "keeping up -appearances" is characteristic of humanity -whether the latter dwell on Greenland's icy -mountain or India's coral strand! And propinquity -is and ever has been the most prolific parent -of love—at either the North Pole or the Equator. -The "force" with which the Eskimo youth of to-day<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span> -seizes his bride by the hair to "drag" her off -to his igloo is altogether counterfeit, as is also -the attempt on the part of her family to "rescue" -her. It is merely the indulgence in one of their -most ancient customs.</p> - -<p>I have been much among the natives,—especially -those who abide on my island, and because -of what I have seen of their family life I am almost -a convert to the system. As a rule the -Eskimo makes a good husband, willing to perform -any labor, endure any hardship or suffer -any deprivation in order to procure food for his -wife and children. Many an Arctic man of my -acquaintance has died for his family, and I am -often reminded when I think of them of the familiar -lines:</p> - -<p class="p0 smaller" style="margin-left: 15%;"> -"All love that hath not friendship for its base<br /> -Is like a mansion built upon the sand!<br /> -Love, to endure life's sorrow and earth's woe,<br /> -<em>Needs friendship's solid masonry below!"</em> -</p> - -<p>It is said that some one once asked Diogynes -this question:</p> - -<p>"At what age is it best for a man to marry?"</p> - -<p>With the classical brevity of the Greeks he -replied:</p> - -<p>"In youth it is too soon,—in age too late!"</p> - -<p>I disclaim any intention of offering a treatise -on the subject of marriage, but the investigation<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span> -of this custom of the natives unquestionably -gave me a huge jolt! It turned my thoughts -into a channel which otherwise I might never -have had occasion to explore. Would that I -could chart it! If only we could bring ourselves -to regard marriage as a profession and would set -ourselves in a business-like way to excelling in it! -Could it in any way detract from its dignity? -Or its sacredness? Surely not. Medicine and -surgery are professions. The Law is a profession, -and the Church. Diplomacy, legislation and -arms are professions. Marriage is the greatest -of all professions,—and the most difficult of any -to master! One may master to a degree which -may be regarded as little short of perfection the -other professions,—music, art, oratory, etc. -What man of to-day has the conceit to regard -himself as a well-nigh perfect husband?</p> - -<p>That the rewards of marriage are incomparable -is undeniable. Life's journey, at best, is -lonely. No man can deny that even though his -daily task may take him amidst the crowd he lives -the greater part of his life alone! A dear and -close companionship is all that makes life tolerable. -Nothing else ever has, will or can. Fame -is a delusion and a snare. Ambition is a disease. -Affectionate companionship and a home are the -only things worth having. Why not build a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span> -<em>home</em> instead of a house? Why not go about -the process in a business-like way? Why not -make honor and loyalty fashionable and permit -faithlessness to go out of style?</p> - -<p>One of America's foremost writers declares repeatedly -throughout his excellent novels that -judgment has never yet entered into the selection -of a mate,—that sentiment and emotion alone -decide the after life of every couple who are wed. -This is, unfortunately, true except in rare cases. -None would care to abolish wholly the electrical -current which flashes between the sexes. And -yet——. Marriage entered into from a sense -of duty on both sides is not without its strong -argument. He who undertakes marriage because -he regards it as both a duty and a privilege, -or solely from a sense of duty, who either actively -or passively selects a mate for no other -reason, is very likely because of that same sense -of duty to fulfill his obligations faithfully and to -behave well. Nothing in all the earth is quite so -fine as an active conscience! For such a man -life reserves some of her grandest hours. The -Golden Apples do not grow so far above the -heads of any of us that we can not reach out and -gather them if we try! And he who follows the -path of duty will find his own apple quite as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span> -luscious and sweet at the core as that of him who -trod the flowery road of personal pleasure!</p> - -<p>I am one of those who hope that with the end -of the great World War a new spirit of tolerance -may spread its white wings over all the -world and that sooner or later some of the time-worn -social rules and regulations, archaic because -designed for a civilization two thousand years -ago, may be abrogated or at least amended and -modified. May the day come when life shall be -individual, when creed and dogma shall be buried -in a grave so deep that there shall be no possibility -of a Resurrection! When that nameless -and indefinite thing known as Public Opinion -shall be forced to lower its threatening finger -and lose its power! When all men and all women -shall enjoy the privilege of working out, each -for himself and herself, that most potent factor -in the human experience, namely, the personal -relationship, and when we shall all live saner, -cleaner, healthier, happier and <em>more moral</em> lives -in consequence!</p> - -<p>Dr. William H. Dall, Paleontologist of the -United States Geological Survey and Honorary -Curator of Mollusks at the National Museum at -Washington, D. C., has written the following -charming verses about the natives of Alaska.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span> -"Innuit" is the name by which the Eskimo calls -himself and his people from Greenland to Mt. St. -Elias. The <em>topek</em> is the winter house of turf -and walrus hide. In the igloo, or snow house, -there is no wood. All Innuit believe in evil spirits -which are supposed to dwell far inland, away -from the shores. In times of starvation Innuit -ethics permit a mother to put her baby, when she -can no longer feed it, out in the snow to die. -The child's mouth must be stuffed with mud or -grass. Otherwise its spirit will return and be -heard crying about the house at night.</p> - -<h3>THE SONG OF THE INNUIT</h3> - -<div class="poem smaller"> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">O, we are the Innuit people,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Who scatter about the floe<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And watch for the puff of the breathing seal<br /></span> -<span class="i2">While the whistling breezes blow.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">By a silent stroke the ice is broke<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And the struggling prey below<br /></span> -<span class="i0">With the crimson flood of its spouting blood<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Reddens the level snow.<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">O, we are the Innuit people,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Who flock to the broken rim<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Of the Arctic pack where the walrus lie<br /></span> -<span class="i2">In the polar twilight dim.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Far from the shore their surly roar<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Rises above the whirl<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Of the eager wave, as the Innuit brave<br /></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span> -<span class="i2">Their flying lances hurl.<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">O, we are the Innuit people<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Who lie in the topek warm;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">While the northern blast flies strong and fast<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And fiercely roars the storm;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Recounting the ancient legends<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Of fighting, hunting and play,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">When our ancestors came from the southland tame<br /></span> -<span class="i2">To the glorious Arctic day.<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">There is one sits by in silence<br /></span> -<span class="i2">With terror in her eyes,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">For she hears in dreams the piteous screams<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Of a cast-out babe that dies—<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Dies in the snow as the keen winds blow<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And the shrieking northers come,—<br /></span> -<span class="i0">On that dreadful day when the starving lay<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Alone in her empty home.<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">O, we are the Innuit people,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And we lie secure and warm<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Where the ghostly folk of the Nunatak<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Can never do us harm.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Under the stretching walrus hide<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Where at the evening meal<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The well-filled bowl cheers every soul<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Heaped high with steaming seal.<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">The Awful Folk of the Nunatak<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Come down in the hail and the snow,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And slash the skin of the kayak thin<br /></span> -<span class="i2">To work the hunter woe.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">They steal the fish from the next day's dish<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And rot the walrus lines—<br /></span> -<span class="i0">But they fade away with the dawning day<br /></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span> -<span class="i2">As the light of summer shines.<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">O, we are the Innuit people<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Of the long, bright Arctic day,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">When the whalers come and the poppies bloom<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And the ice-floe shrinks away;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Afar in the buoyant umiak<br /></span> -<span class="i2">We feather our paddle blades<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And laugh in the light of the sunshine bright,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Where the white man's schooner trades.<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">O, we are the Innuit people<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Rosy and brown and gay;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And we shout as we sing of the wrestling ring<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Or toss the ball at play.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">In frolic chase we oft embrace<br /></span> -<span class="i2">The waist of a giggling maid<br /></span> -<span class="i0">As she runs on the sand of the Arctic strand<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Where the ice-bears bones are laid.<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">O, we are the Innuit people,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Content in our northern home;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Where the kayak's prow cuts the curling brow<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Of the breakers snowy foam.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The merry Innuit people,<br /></span> -<span class="i2">Of the cold, gray Arctic sea,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Where the breathing whale, the Aurora pale<br /></span> -<span class="i2">And the snow-white foxes be.<br /></span> -</div> -</div> - -<p>There is a diversity of opinion as to the ultimate -fate of the native races of the earth. To -my mind there is but one answer. Search the -wide world over to-day and where will you find -a wilderness? There are none which the aggressive -white man has not penetrated. And wherever<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span> -the white man enters the native man begins -to disappear. It has always been so, and it always -will be so. -If only the white man would let them alone! -Is it not better to have the vast Arctic spaces -people by a native race than to have it unpeopled -by anybody? The Eskimos live where no one -else on earth can or will live. They are a picturesque -and harmless people. In their struggle -for existence they have fought valiantly. Surely -they have earned the right to exist unmolested, -earned it bravely.</p> - - -<hr class="chap" /> - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_XVI" id="CHAPTER_XVI">CHAPTER XVI<br /> -<span class="normal">SOCIAL LIFE IN ALASKA</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">I HAVE more than once been forced to endure -the suppressed sympathy of friends who live -in the Interior because of my enforced residence -on St. Michael. It is a sympathy wholly wasted. -St. Michael is a bright, clean little place. There -are few mosquitoes,—a fact which in itself is a -recommendation. Although the temperature is -sometimes very low, and although the Arctic -winter sends down some terrific blizzards at times, -as a rule the short winter days are bright, still -and pleasant. If one wishes sport it is right at -hand on the mainland,—wild geese, duck, ptarmigan -and caribou. There is also salmon fishing.</p> - -<p>As a brilliantly-colored thread is sometimes -woven into a piece of embroidery I find one vivid -memory running through the years I have lived -on St. Michael. To me the most wonderful thing -in connection with those years is the transformation -which takes place each year on the day that -the first ship anchors in the Bay. Like the Sleeping<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span> -Beauty of the fairy tale St. Michael suddenly -wakens from her long winter's sleep. No words -can describe that awakening. It must be seen to -be appreciated.</p> - -<p>When the last boat leaves the island in October -almost every one who has been employed there -during the summer season returns to the States -as there is nothing for them to do here during the -long, dark months. When the first boat comes in -June, however, laden with tourists, prospectors -and business men, they all come back, and the -scene which follows their arrival is one that I -have never seen equalled elsewhere. I have in -mind at this writing two good friends, the men -who during the years that I served as United -States Commissioner at St. Michael, were responsible -for this transformation. When one remembers -that fifty thousand people passed -through the port of St. Michael during the rush -to Nome, it is apparent that theirs was no small -task. One of these men was Mr. A. F. Zipf, -Traffic Manager of the Northern Navigation -Company. The other was S. J. Sanguineti, a -splendid son of sunny California. Everything -connected with transportation in and out of -Alaska was in the hands of Mr. Zipf, while Mr. -Sanguineti had charge of the provisioning of hotels<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span> -and boats, the providing of eating and sleeping -accommodations for the many who flocked -each summer to the country.</p> - -<p>The efficiency displayed by these two men was -a thing to create admiration and enthusiasm. Because -of Mr. Zipf's capability in managing details, -within thirty minutes after the landing -every one employed in St. Michael was in his -place. The clerk was behind his counter, or back -of his desk in an office. The cook was in the -kitchen and the laundryman in the laundry. They -did not even go first to the rooms which had been -engaged for them. Their baggage was placed -therein for them and within the hour St. Michael -fairly teemed with activity. The men who had -just gone to work looked as though they had -been there always. In the same deft manner did -Mr. Zipf handle the transfer of passengers, baggage -and freight (enormous in volume) which -passed through the port of St. Michael and went -on up the Yukon. Every detail had been carefully -worked out before the landing.</p> - -<p>In these stirring days of our national life I -have thought many times of these two men and -wondered that the United States Government -has not sought them out for positions of responsibility. -Both would be master hands in helping -to untangle the complicated mass of detail which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span> -now taxes the strength and the ability of our -country. Uncle Sam never had greater need for -her men of proved efficiency.</p> - -<p class="mabottom2">Social life is not wanting in St. Michael, or in -any other community in Alaska. We have -reached a period in our career where we thoroughly -resent being pictured as a collection of -wild and lawless mining camps where faro banks, -drinking joints and vigilance committees abound. -The resident of the Outside, unless forewarned, -would open his eyes wide if asked to attend a -garden party, or a four o'clock tea, in one of the -larger Alaskan towns. Evening dress after six -o'clock is not at all unusual for both men and -women. The women's clubs are very much alive -and engaged in the same activities as those of the -States. In fact, one finds in the various sections -of Alaska most of the normal manifestations of -cultured civilization,—the elements which contribute -to the upbuilding of an intelligent, law-abiding -commonwealth.</p> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 260px;"> -<a href="images/i12ah.jpg"><img src="images/i12a.jpg" width="260" height="390" alt="Picture of Scotty Allen and Baldy" /></a> -<span class="caption">"SCOTTY" ALLEN AND BALDY</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 259px;"> -<a href="images/i12bh.jpg"><img src="images/i12b.jpg" width="259" height="390" alt="Picture of Gene Doyle" /></a> -<span class="caption">GENE DOYLE, ONE OF THE OLDEST MAIL -CARRIERS ON SEWARD PENINSULA. -A HERO OF THE TRAIL!</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i12ch.jpg"><img src="images/i12c.jpg" width="500" height="294" alt="Picture of a thirty-three-dog team -against the background of St. Michael" /></a> -<span class="caption">COMING IN TO ST. MICHAEL WITH OUR THIRTY-THREE-DOG -TEAM AFTER GOING OUT TO MEET THE MAIL CARRIER</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i13h.jpg"><img src="images/i13.jpg" width="500" height="290" alt="Picture of Dutch Harbor" /></a> -<span class="caption">DUTCH HARBOR</span> -</div> - - -<p>The subject of intemperance in Alaska has -been much dwelt upon, and rightly, for it became -such a menace to the future development of the -country that the Alaskans themselves voluntarily -did away with it. It was not forced upon them -by any legislation. Formerly liquor played a -great part in the life of the country and in this -connection, no matter what one's convictions may -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span>be, it must be acknowledged that there were extenuating -circumstances. The same is true of -the men now in the service in the European War. -The soldier who, wounded, has lain on the battlefield -eight or ten hours in a driving rain, or all -during a chill, frosty night, often has to have a -stinging hot stimulant if his life is to be saved. It -is not a matter of principle. It is a thing of necessity. -What man is courageous enough to take -upon himself the responsibility of saying that it -shall not be given him? He may never have -tasted it before in his life. It was just so with -these Alaskan pioneers,—were they not soldiers, -too, the advance guard, as it were, of a new civilization? -They entered into a bleak and practically -unknown land where Nature frowned savagely -upon them on every hand. The half-starved, -half-frozen, not-sufficiently-clad follower of the -trail had to keep life in him some way while he -made those first long, hard journeys through a -practically unpeopled land. It was not always -possible to have fire. So his flask was often his -salvation. But liquor came to be the curse of -Alaska and now the country, of its own volition, -has gone "bone-dry." The only business which -has now no chance of succeeding in Alaska is the -saloon.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span>Not a great while ago an Alaskan Carrie Nation -broke forth from the ranks of patient and -long-suffering women and did some effective -work. She lived at <em>Mile Twenty-three and a</em> -<em>Half</em>, the other name of which village is <em>Roosevelt</em>. -It is a station between Seward and Anchorage -on the new government railroad. Her real -name is Mrs. Dabney and she does not in the -least enjoy being regarded as the prototype of -her belligerent sister from Kansas, U. S. A. In -fact, her method is different from the original -Carrie. She does not harangue on the subject, -neither does she go forth with an ax and smash -saloons. Her way is just to remark quietly that -"she won't stand for it!"</p> - -<p>Anchorage was a tiny village until they began -building the railroad. Then before anyone knew -it it became a bustling town of eight thousand. -The government made it a prohibition town, announcing -that drinking among the employees -would not be tolerated and that liquor should not -be sold at the road houses. Now, having had -some experience in this line, I am convinced that -nowhere else in the world (with the possible exception -of the Foreign Legion) can so many different -types of men be found as in a railroad -construction gang or a lumber camp! And there -were all kinds at <em>Mile Twenty-three and a Half!</em></p> - -<p>Mrs. Dabney was a fine housekeeper and cook.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span> -She saw no reason why she should not make the -best of her ability in this line so she established -herself in a square log house and often fed from -seventy-five to a hundred men a day and gave -sleeping quarters to as many as the house would -accommodate. As has been said, she let it be -known that there would be no drinking because -"she just wouldn't stand for it!"</p> - -<p>The Fourth of July came along, however, and -about twenty-five of the men decided that they -would celebrate the event. They proceeded to -collect the ingredients for said celebration, a part -of which consisted of a demijohn and several -bottles of whisky. While they were in the midst -of their hilarity,—enter Mrs. Dabney! She ordered -the "boss" (who, by the way, was her employer!) -to his room. In fact she escorted him -thither and locked him in after telling him to go -to bed. Then she went back down stairs, gathered -up the bottles and the demijohn and threw -them into Lake Kenai. When she returned she -said quietly that she had no intention of cleaning -up after a lot of drunken men, that the government -had forbidden drinking and that not one -of them could ever come to her table again. The -men departed without argument. The next day, -however, headed by the "boss," they returned. -They stated in the outset that they had not come -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span>to ask her to take them back but merely to express -their regret,—that she was quite right in -refusing to be bothered with a crowd of men who -would not obey the law.</p> - -<p>This act is characteristic of Alaskan men. I -know no corner of the earth where a good woman -is held in higher esteem. The men themselves -are often unconscious of this characteristic, but it -crops out in their little mannerisms. For instance, -there are two ways of addressing a woman -in Alaska. As one writer has already expressed -it, "We call one kind of woman by her first name -and don't know that she has any other. But the -other kind of woman,—we call her <em>Mrs.</em>! And -we don't know whether she has a first name or -not!"</p> - -<p>It was so with this woman. Neither miner, -traveler, trader, workman nor wayfarer ever -thinks of calling her other than Mrs. Dabney. -But my experience is that there is no straighter -way to a woman's heart than a manly and sincere -apology! So, in this case, when she said quietly -to the men that she had tried to give them good, -clean food to eat and a comfortable place to sleep, -that all she asked of them was that they obey the -rules and not make her work more difficult or -more disagreeable than was necessary, she made<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span> -friends of those men forever. They respected -her because they realized that she herself respected -the law and stood for its enforcement. -Finally she permitted them to return, but she -ended the interview by saying:</p> - -<p>"You needn't think you can fool me, either. -Any time one of you brings whisky into this -house I can find it. More than that," she finished, -"B—— says to-morrow is his birthday and he's -going to celebrate. But he ain't,—even if he <em>is</em> -the Mayor of Roosevelt!"</p> - -<p>The men of Alaska, while they admit that the -free use of liquor was once almost a necessity in -the country, see no reason why it should be so -now. Civilization has brought with it other and -better means of keeping warm and in good spirits. -Like many another thing of this twentieth -century it has outlived its usefulness. There are -comfortable homes in all the populated sections -of Alaska now,—homes where one sees just what -he would find anywhere else in the world. Social -intercourse and family life are the same here as -elsewhere. There is tennis. There is golf. -There are music and dancing, and a "chummy" -feeling seems to possess all the occupants of the -land. There is a general impression that life in a -thinly-populated country is not conducive to sociability. -I have never found it so. There is a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span> -<em>bon camaraderie</em> in Alaska that I have found nowhere -else in the world. Perhaps it is of a brand -not to be found except in the far spaces of the -universe!</p> - -<p>There is one Great Day in Alaska,—the day -when the ice goes out of the Bay in the spring! -There is something about the sight and sound of -<em>flowing</em> water which moves one strangely after -nine long months of the "still" cold. One relaxes -unconsciously from a tenseness which until -that moment he has not realized has possessed -him and in this connection I would relate a bit -of personal experience.</p> - -<p>Life here, as elsewhere, seems to take on new -meaning in the springtime. Merry boating or -sailing parties are one of the favorite amusements -of the Alaskan summer. One evening,—it was -the day that the ice went out of the Bay,—I made -one of a jolly party which went sailing. The -presence of an Army Post always adds to the -social life of any community, large or small, and -stationed at St. Michael at this time was an officer -whose heroism and self-control saved the -lives of all but two of our party of eight. Captain -Peter Lind was in charge of the boat. We -had known him long as an able seaman and therefore -put ourselves and our ladies into his keeping -without the least thought of possible disaster.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span> -From the Fort were two officers, Lieutenants -Wood and Pickering. The other members of the -party were Dr. and Mrs. McMillan, Mr. and -Mrs. Bromfield and myself. When we were well -out from shore the boat suddenly capsized. Before -we realized that anything was happening we -were in the water. The water was very cold, but -the men were good swimmers, and we managed to -get a hold on the capsized boat. We were all -clinging to it when without the slightest warning -over it went again. The hour that followed was -one which no member of that little party will -ever forget. Captain Lind disappeared. But -the magnificent cool-headedness of Lieutenant -Wood caused the rest of us to put up a stiff fight -and resolve to die game if we had to. Finally -after a battle which reduced the strongest of us -to utter exhaustion we had the satisfaction of seeing -six of our little party safely ashore. Mrs. -Bromfield and Captain Lind were lost. And the -getting to land was by no means the least thrilling -part of the experience. The Eskimos on the -shore heard our calls, and although their little -boats had not been used all winter and were in -need of repairs, they launched them quickly and -came to our aid. The boat in which I came in -took water badly. But one sturdy little Eskimo -baled industriously while the other rowed.</p> - -<p>I once heard an old Frenchman singing a song<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span> -about the wind in the springtime. It ran like -this:</p> - -<div class="poem smaller"> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"Le vent que traverse la montagne<br /></span> -<span class="i6">M'a rendu fou!"<br /></span> -</div> -</div> - -<div class="poem smaller"> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i2">(The wind which crosses the mountain<br /></span> -<span class="i6">Has driven me mad!)<br /></span> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Each member of our little party realized that -Captain Lind could not have been himself at the -moment of our disaster. The winter had been -very severe and I have frequently wondered -whether the sight of the Bay which for so long -had been solid ice and had then so quickly melted -into beautiful, sparkling, <em>moving</em> water,—just as -a lovely woman sometimes gives way suddenly to -tears,—had not been the strongest element in his -sudden mental undoing.</p> - -<p>Civilization follows the flag wherever it goes. -Army men are splendid the world over, a fact formerly -realized by the few but which is now being -driven home to the many by the great war. And -the Army women——. They are such "good fellows!" -They, too, go with the flag to make a -home for their soldier husbands. And they care -not a whit whether they follow them into the -sands of the desert or over the Arctic snows!</p> - -<p>I can not leave the story of St. Michael without -reference to Gene Doyle, the oldest mail carrier<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span> -in our part of the country. Have you ever -thought what it means to be a mail carrier in -Alaska? These men are the real heroes of the -trails. Over in the Canadian Yukon they tolerate -no such inhumane treatment of men. There -no man may take out a horse or a dog if the mercury -registers lower than forty-five below zero -unless it is a case of life or death and even then -one must get permission from the Northwest -Mounted Police. But the American mail man -<em>must</em> go,—or lose his job! Many a time has -Doyle set forth with the temperature at sixty -below, and you may rest assured that if he did -not show up on schedule time we made ready our -sleds and went out to meet him! There is no -resident of Alaska who is not in sympathy with -the Rev. Hudson Stuck who has more than once -expressed an ardent longing to serve as Postmaster -General for just one week!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_XVII" id="CHAPTER_XVII">CHAPTER XVII<br /> - -<span class="normal">THE PRIZE OF THE PACIFIC</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">ASIDE from our interests which are now -bound up in the great war there is no -problem confronting the United States which is -so vital as that of Alaska and the Pacific Coast. -Separated as she is from the motherland by a foreign -country, the shipping to and from Alaska -is the most important thing to be considered. -True, two of her river systems furnish five thousand -miles of navigable water, but in winter they -are choked with ice and the country is as yet painfully -short on railroads! The Pacific Ocean is -the great problem of the American people to-day -and Alaska is the prize beyond compute of the -Pacific Coast.</p> - -<p>It is high time that the American people and -the United States Government as well rubbed -their eyes and awakened to a fact long known -to the few of us who have been on guard. The -cards were shuffled some time ago and are just -lying, waiting to be dealt in the greatest game -that has ever been played! Before the war we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span> -used to hear much talk about the "control of the -seas." How many of us realized what that expression -meant? The war has opened our eyes. -Who is it that has the shuffled cards lying ready? -Who is it that <em>wants</em> the Pacific? The answer is -ready and instant. <em>Japan!</em></p> - -<p>Every school boy knows that the United States -owns the Aleutian Islands. He knows also that -they stretch all the way across to Asia and separate -Bering Sea from the Pacific. In this group -of Islands is one which has an ice-free front. It -is called Dutch Harbor. It would prove an excellent -base, if properly fortified, in the control -of the Pacific Ocean. Out of our hands Dutch -Harbor would be just as effective a barrier -<em>against</em> us as Gibraltar now is against Spain! In -time of war a naval enemy would have a good -chance of beating us to Dutch Harbor and accomplishing -what we, with a lack of foresight -have failed to do,—bar the way to Alaska to us -forever after.</p> - -<p>Why the seriousness of this has not been realized -by the government is inexplainable. Alaska -is our most valuable possession. It is not mere -womanish fear which forces us to recognize that -we are in danger of losing her. There can be no -question that in the event of a struggle for the -possession of the Pacific the fate of Alaska will<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span> -be exactly that which befell Korea in the Manchurian -war of a decade or two ago. Nor is this -all. Who can sit still at this very moment and -see the Japs pushing eastward through Siberia -without apprehension?</p> - -<p>A hostile fleet in Dutch Harbor and Alaska -will fall of her own weight! The distance to -Dutch Harbor is just the same from Yokohama -as it is from San Francisco! Dutch Harbor is to -us what Gibraltar was to Spain in the days of the -Armada. Shall we, like Spain, fail to realize her -value until too late? If so, our experience can -not be other than that which befell her. The tremendous -significance of our failure to make -Dutch Harbor impregnable and impassable will -one day stun us. But the great war has forced -us into doing what long ago we should have done -without being forced. We are feverishly building -ships. If we get our great fleet in order, and if -we do it <em>first</em>, then it may be that the shuffled cards -may never be dealt. There may be no game. -There are those who never play unless they see -the way open to win!</p> - -<p>We have another strategic point also. This is -Rugged Island, lying in Resurrection Bay. This -Bay was so named by the Russians who discovered -it on the anniversary of Our Lord's Resurrection. -Rugged Island is an easy point of attack<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span> -and the government has recently appropriated -seven hundred thousand dollars to fortify -it.</p> - -<p>No comedy of Æschylus ever equaled a proposition -put forth in Congress not long ago by the -Hon. Frank O. Smith of Maryland. Under the -astounding and absurd title of <em>Eugenic Peace</em> he -proposed that in the interest of world peace the -United States should cede to Canada the southern -part of Alaska, known as the Panhandle! This -section shuts off a large region of Canada from -the sea.</p> - -<p>Strangely enough, the proposition secured the -support of a number of eminent men (not one of -whom, however, had ever been to Alaska) but to -one who lives here it is the limit and pinnacle of -absurdity. First of all, the business affairs of -the people living here are conducted almost -wholly with Seattle and San Francisco. Would -they consent to such a change? Never! Their -business would be paralyzed if turned over to -Canada, thereby necessitating the payment of a -tariff on their exports. Just think what such a -proposition would entail. Fully one-third of the -salmon fisheries of the world are in the Panhandle! -One of the largest gold mines in the -world (the Treadwell, on Douglas Island) is -located here. Great forests of timber (to cut<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span> -which has been forbidden by the government) -cover a large part of the area in question. Here, -also, are Juneau, the capital of Alaska; Sitka, the -ancient Russian capital; Ketchikan, Wrangell, -and many other fishing and trading towns containing -more than half the permanent population -of the whole of Alaska! Why not present Canada -with the northern peninsula of Michigan, or -the tip of the State of Washington?</p> - -<p>There is no doubt that Canada would be glad -to arrange things so that her traffic with the -Yukon might be carried on without the payment -of tariff duties. Well, there is a remedy, but it -does not lie in the transfer of territory. It lies -in reciprocity of trade,—if not reciprocity, then -<em>free</em> trade to and from the Yukon and Skagway, -its natural seaport. But the idea of ceding the -whole country in order to accommodate the residents -in the much less important part of the -Yukon is a proposition about which it is difficult -to be serious! What a joke the United States -would be playing upon herself!</p> - -<p>For a long time after the historic days of -"Fifty-four forty or fight" there was much argument -over the boundary of Alaska. It culminated -in 1898, however, in the decision of the -Lord Chief Justice of England, Lord Alverstane, -that the contention of the American members of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span> -the Commission (Elihu Root, Henry Cabot -Lodge and Ex-Senator Turner) was correct and -should be sustained. This decision gave to the -United States complete control of the seacoast -and all the bays and channels opening into it. -And it is a control it behooves us to keep! But -the greatest need of Alaska to-day is a railroad -running <em>into</em> the country by means of which -troops could be sent from the United States. -This road would have to run through Canada, -and here again is a problem for the statesmen -of our country to ponder over <em>and solve</em>!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_XVIII" id="CHAPTER_XVIII">CHAPTER XVIII<br /> - -<span class="normal">ALASKA AND THE WAR</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap">A WIRELESS message flashed the news to -Alaska that our country had entered the -war. The effect was the usual one,—the one to -which we in Alaska have become accustomed. It -aroused a patriotism which was both ideal and -practical. It is said that the man who went farthest -to serve his colors was a man from Iditarod. -A man with his dog team drove by his dwelling -and told him the news. Like Israel Putnam of -Revolutionary fame who left his team standing -in the field where he was ploughing and went to -join the Minute Men, so this man laid aside his -work and journeyed a thousand miles on a dog -sled to enlist!</p> - -<p>Every line of industrial, engineering, mining, -agricultural and fishing activity immediately was -speeded to the top notch of energy and production. -The coal output increased from fifty thousand -to a hundred thousand tons. Fish food -products jumped from twenty to forty-two million -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span>dollars. There was an increase of twenty-two -million pounds of canned salmon shipped to -the United States over the output of 1917.</p> - -<p>The people of Alaska are hardy. They are -patriotic. They are energetic and practical. -They understand fully what war means. They -know that although far removed from the scene -of activity they are called upon to help win the -war just as much as if they were fighting in the -trenches. They know that the greatest good they -can do their country is to feed her fighting men. -So they went about it in a business-like manner. -The result is that theirs is a practical, <em>organized</em> -patriotic coöperation. Many of the pioneer gold -seekers are now transformed into farmers. The -potato crop for this year is two thousand tons,—only -one item, but a significant one.</p> - -<p>The Alaskan women, as always, came straight -to the front. With that practical knowledge born -of residence in such a country as Alaska they -eliminated the sentimental and went to work at -those things which America asks and expects of -her women. Mrs. Thomas J. Donahoe, of Valdez, -who is also President of the Federation of -Women's Clubs, was appointed Chairman of the -Woman's Committee of the Council of National -Defense, and the Red Cross is represented and -practically managed in almost every locality in -the territory. When the first Liberty Loan was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span> -floated the response of Alaska was instant and -generous and the same is true of the succeeding -loans.</p> - -<p>In connection with the part Alaska is playing -in the great struggle I revert once more to the -subject of the dogs. Our hearts were touched -when we learned that they, too, had been awarded -the <em>Croix de Guerre</em> by the French Government, -the Cross having been sent to Mrs. Esther -Birdsall Darling who owned and sold many of -them to France. "Scotty" Allen took them over -and left them there to do their "bit."</p> - -<p>It was a French Reserve Officer, a mining engineer, -Lieutenant René Haas, who first called -the attention of the French Government to the -services which could be rendered by the dogs. -Mrs. Darling, good patriot that she is and ever -ready to promote the cause of the Allies, promptly -offered the best that the Darling-Allen kennels -afforded. Lieutenant Haas was commissioned -to select them. He chose twenty-five of -the youngest, swiftest and best bred of these kennels. -Then, supported enthusiastically by Captain -Moufflet, who also knew the possibilities of -the Alaskan dog service, the interest of their -superior officers was aroused and Lieutenant -Haas was ordered to go to Nome, there to select -and purchase a hundred or more suitable for duty<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span> -in the Vosges. "Scotty" Allen was persuaded -to go to France with the dog contingent and the -number was augmented by others from Canada -and Labrador. When he and Lieutenant Haas -sailed they had four hundred and fifty splendid -dogs with them,—half a regiment! All were -successfully delivered at the front where they -have rendered distinguished and valuable service.</p> - -<p>He would indeed be dead to emotion who could -read the report which came with the <em>Croix de -Guerre</em> and which was sent from headquarters -on the French frontier to far-away Alaska. We -all knew that the dogs would meet emergencies -boldly, no matter what the circumstances, the -conditions or the weather. One specific incident -which will be a part of Alaska's written history -when the war is over serves to emphasize and justify -our faith in them.</p> - -<p>From a lonely post out on the frontier in the -French Alps came to headquarters a most urgent -call for help. They were out of ammunition and -the situation was most critical. True to their -reputation for valor the French were holding the -post, fighting against heavy odds, each man saying -in his heart the little sentence which has become -the slogan of the French army and the -prayer of every man, woman and child in France,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span>—"<em>They -shall not pass!</em>" To hold the post -longer, however, meant that ammunition <em>must</em> be -forthcoming at once. A terrific blizzard was in -progress. The trails were dangerous, almost -obliterated in places. Trucks and horses were of -no avail. But there were the dogs,—Alaska's -heroes. To them France turned in her emergency. -The sleds were quickly loaded. The -Malamuts fell to harness instantly on command. -Lieutenant Haas was ready for his perilous journey. -A crack of the whip, an encouraging shout -to the dogs and they were off. For four days -and four nights they kept their steady gait. Up -and down precipitous mountain-sides, over -treacherous trails and across the snow-buried expanse, -most of the time under shell fire from the -enemy, they went quietly, steadily on. Lieutenant -Haas acknowledged that the dogs seemed -to realize quite as clearly as he did himself the -necessity of haste and a cool head, that they had -in their eyes the "do-or-die" look which he had so -often seen in the eyes of his men. And every -one who knows anything about them knows how -much victory means to a Malamut.</p> - -<p>On the morning of the fifth day, just at dawn, -they reached the post,—one more instance of a -dramatic arrival in the nick of time. The ammunition -was now completely exhausted. One<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span> -needs not a vivid imagination to hear in fancy the -ringing cheers which greeted them. A pronounced -trait of the Alaskan dog is glory in victory, -mourning in defeat. This has been observed -many times in the races,—the downcast, -dejected air of the dogs that fail, the brisk and -happy attitude of those that win. So in this instance, -the cheers and the Cross were but episodes. -The victory was the thing!</p> - -<p>The French Government acknowledges that -the dogs are quite as valuable as any other branch -of the service and those that made this hard and -perilous trip are to be painted and hung in the -War Museum in Paris.</p> - -<p>Mrs. Darling and "Scotty" are and have every -reason to be proud of their dogs. In the din of -battle and the precariousness of life on the frontier -they doubtless miss their owners' kindness -and attention. But the sympathies of the latter -go with them wherever they go. Lieutenant -Haas declares that these dogs have a "college -education" and can be trusted to do their work -intelligently and fearlessly. When the time -comes for the history of the Great World War -to be written, may the deeds of the dogs of Nome -who played no less courageous and conspicuous -a part than did her men be fittingly inscribed -therein!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span><a name="CHAPTER_XIX" id="CHAPTER_XIX">CHAPTER XIX<br /> - -<span class="normal">ALASKAN WRITERS</span></a></h2> - - -<p class="p0 cap mabottom2">IN addition to her gold and copper, her furs -and her fish, Alaska has produced a crop of -writers of more or less importance. By far the -truest exponent of the life of the country is Robert -Service whose <em>The Spell of the Yukon</em> -surely breathes the spirit of the land. Service -is now an army surgeon in the European war and -his latest volume <em>Rhymes of a Red Cross Man</em> -has added to the reputation he justly enjoys because -of the verse which went before it. This -little volume is dedicated to the memory of his -brother, Lieutenant Albert Service, killed in action, -and the <em>Foreword</em> with which the collection -opens is well worth quoting:</p> - -<div class="poem smaller"> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"I've tinkered at my bits of rhymes<br /></span> -<span class="i1">In weary, woeful, waiting times;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">In doleful hours of battle din<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Ere yet they brought the wounded in!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Through vigils by the fateful night,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">In lousy barns by candle light;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">In dug-outs, sagging and aflood,<br /></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span> -<span class="i1">On stretchers stiff and bleared with blood;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">By ragged grove, by ruined road,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">By hearths accurst where Love abode;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">By broken altars, blackened shrines—<br /></span> -<span class="i1">I've tinkered at my bits of rhymes!<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"I've solaced me with scraps of song<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The desolated ways along;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Through sickly fields all shrapnel-sown<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And meadows reaped by death alone;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">By blazing cross and splintered spire,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">By headless Virgin in the mire;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">By gardens gashed amid their bloom,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">By gutted grave, by shattered tomb;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Beside the dying and the dead,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Where rockets green and rockets red<br /></span> -<span class="i1">In trembling pools of poising light,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">With flowers of flame festoon the night.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">Ah me! By what dark ways of wrong<br /></span> -<span class="i1">I've cheered my heart with scraps of song!<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"So here's my sheaf of war-won verse,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And some is bad, and some is worse.<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And if at times I curse a bit,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">You needn't read that part of it!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">For through it all, like horror, runs<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The red resentment of the guns!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And you yourself would mutter when<br /></span> -<span class="i1">You took the things that once were men<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And sped them through that zone of hate<br /></span> -<span class="i1">To where the dripping surgeons wait!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">You'd wonder, too, if, in God's sight,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">War ever, <em>ever</em> can be right!"<br /></span> -</div> -</div> - -<p class="mabottom2">Service is essentially a poet. His novel, <em>The -Trail of Ninety-eight</em>, well,—we have forgiven<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span> -him! It is lurid melodrama and certainly adds -nothing to his literary reputation. But none can -read <em>The Spell of the Yukon</em> without breathing -deeply!</p> - -<div class="poem smaller stanza mabottom2"> -<span class="i0">"There's a land where the mountains are nameless<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And the rivers all run God knows where!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">There are lives that are erring and aimless<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And deaths that just hang by a hair!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">There are hardships that nobody reckons,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">There are valleys unpeopled and still!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">There's a land—oh, it beckons and beckons!<br /></span> -<span class="i1">I want to go back—and I will!"<br /></span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i14ah.jpg"><img src="images/i14a.jpg" width="500" height="271" alt="Picture of Rev. Hadson Stuck preaching" /></a> -<span class="caption">REV. HUDSON STUCK, ARCHDEACON OF THE YUKON, -PREACHING WITH INDIAN AND ESKIMO INTERPRETERS</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 500px;"> -<a href="images/i14bh.jpg"><img src="images/i14b.jpg" width="500" height="378" alt="Picture of the interior of the greek catholic church in -St. Michael" /></a> -<span class="caption">INTERIOR OF GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ST. MICHAEL -BUILT IN 1837</span> -</div> - - -<div class="figcenter" style="width: 336px;"> -<a href="images/i15h.jpg"><img src="images/i15.jpg" width="336" height="400" alt="Picture of old national house" /></a> -<span class="caption">FINE OLD NATIONAL HOUSE WITH TOTEM POLES -NEAR WRANGELL</span> -</div> - - -<p>I have already said that the true story of the -Klondike stampede has never been written and -perhaps never will be. A great deal was put out -under the guise of literature, but it was mere -journalistic stuff. It will not endure and should -not. Jack London was in Klondike. And he -was a born story-teller. He should have written -something quite worth while of those stirring days -with all the wealth of material which lay about -him. But the best he did was <em>The Call of the -Wild</em> and in it he indulged his love for the romantic -to such an extent that you find yourself -wondering whether dogs are real dogs and his -men real men until in the end you conclude that -they are not! His white men are like characters -on the stage. And if there are any Indians in -<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span>Alaska such as he portrayed I have never encountered -them. They are absurdly untrue to life. -Furthermore, the brutal side of life seems to have -had undue attraction for London. It is true that -it did exist. But it was not the whole of life in -Alaska, by any means, and one sickens of it after -continuous reading about it. Rex Beach's stories, -<em>The Spoilers</em> and <em>The Silver Horde</em> (by far his -best, in my judgment), are good and typical of -the life of the period. Yet one can not read -them without a feeling that they, too, leave much -to be desired.</p> - -<p>The wit, the pathos, the comedies, the tragedies, -the sordidness, the heroism of those days! Whose -pen could delineate the characters of those who -wrought them or adequately describe the country -as it was,—and is! It would take the combined -genius of a Poe, a Kipling and a Bret -Harte to do justice to the subject. Richard -Harding Davis was preparing to go to Klondike. -Had he carried out his intention it might -have been different. But one morning he picked -up the morning paper and read therein that the -<em>Maine</em> had been blown up in Havana harbor. -He changed his mind!</p> - -<p>I am convinced that the best tales of the land -have never been put on paper. These are the -stories related at the road-houses, or in the rooms<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span> -of the Arctic Brotherhood or some similar gathering-place -by those who took part in them. And -they usually come out quite by accident. The -participant thinks there is nothing wonderful -about them. Some grizzled miner,—Service calls -them "the silent men who <em>do</em> things,"—will suddenly -begin talking, and sometimes the story he -tells will beat any that has ever yet found its way -into print. Why has no one ever written a steamboat -story? Or a tale of the Arctic Brotherhood? -There are material and local color galore -for such.</p> - -<p>Nearly all Alaskans are familiar with the writings -of Samuel Clarke Dunham. He has occasionally -burst into verse, and he has a dry humor -which is exhilarating. I have already quoted -from one of his best known effusions concerning -the tundra. Tracking about in the wet Russian -moss is often calculated to extract (not painlessly) -about ninety per cent of one's enthusiasm! -So one day Dunham broke forth in a poem which -began thus:</p> - -<div class="poem smaller"> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">"I've traversed the toe-twisting tundra</span><br /> -<span class="i1">Where reindeer root round for their feed!" etc.</span><br /> -</div> -</div> - -<p>Would that there were some way of gathering -together the fugitive stories and poems, replete -with wit and humor, with pathos and tragedy, -which are a part of Alaska's unwritten history!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span> -Many a time have I been guilty of hanging -around a road-house, saloon or "joint" of some -kind for no reason on earth except that I knew -I should hear a good story or two from some wandering -wayfarer who had just come in off the -trail. And at such times I have often recalled -the familiar song (peculiarly true to life in -Alaska) the chorus of which runs:</p> - -<p class="p0 center"> -"Sometimes you're glad,<br /> -Sometimes you're sad,<br /> -When you play in the game of life!"</p> - -<p>I have heard in these miners' gatherings tales -of tragedies almost unbelievable, comedies which -would furnish excellent vehicles for the talents of -Charlie Chaplin and not a few love stories worthy -of a Dickens, a Hugo or a Tolstoi. But they -were no sooner told than forgotten as no one was -at hand to record them.</p> - -<p>I well recall an evening when I joined a group -who sat smoking beside a stove in one of the -road-houses. There was conversation, but one -usually loquacious individual sat silently and -smoked his pipe. Whenever he had appeared -there before he had always been accompanied by -an older man. They seemed inseparable companions. -I had a feeling that something tragic -had happened and that he would relate it before -the evening was over. So I decided to "stick<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span> -around." Presently some one asked him where -his partner was. He did not reply immediately, -but presently took his pipe from between his teeth -and speaking in the vernacular of the country -said:</p> - -<p>"He won't be here no more."</p> - -<p>"You mean——?"</p> - -<p>"Yep."</p> - -<p>We were all interested immediately but forebore -to ask questions. Presently he went on.</p> - -<p>"We were just comin' along the trail. His -foot slipped an' down he went into the crevasse. -I hollered down, an' I heerd him answer. So I -climbed down as far as I could, an' I could see -him, an' talk to him. His face was jammed right -in the ice an' was already freezin'. We couldn't -do nothin' but just look at each other. Then he -says, 'You might as well go on!' An' I says, -'I'm damned ef I do!' I untied the packs an' -got all the rope we had, but it wouldn't reach him. -'I'll go git some more rope,' I says to him, but I -knowed it'd be too late. 'Go on!' he says. 'Don't -let the dark git you out here. You can't do -nothin' fer me!' I knowed he was right. But I -hated like hell to leave him. I'd 'a stayed ef it'd -done any good. But it wouldn't. To-day I got -some more rope an' went back. But——. The -ice down where he was had opened again an' I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span> -could see straight down fer two hundred feet. -He wuzn't there!"</p> - -<p>Nobody said anything. He took a few more -puffs from his pipe. Then he got up and went -out.</p> - -<p>I have more than once mentioned the Reverend -Hudson Stuck, Archdeacon of the Yukon, author, -missionary and first white man to ascend Mt. -McKinley. The Archdeacon is known and loved -by all who know him, not only for his services -but because of his personality and his adaptability -to the needs and conditions of the land in -which he lives. His books, <em>The Ascent of Denali</em>, -<em>Ten Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled</em> and <em>Voyages -on the Yukon</em>, are excellent reading, good -examples of Alaskan literature and history. The -Archdeacon has a sense of humor which makes -friends for him wherever he goes, and one evening -Gene Doyle, the oldest mail-carrier in our -part of Alaska, a hardened traveler of the trails, -blew in with a good story. Gene was a sourdough -of the most pronounced type. He had -wintered many times in Alaska.</p> - -<p>When two people meet on the trails each is -warned of the other's approach by the actions of -the dogs. First the leader and then the rest of -the team will begin to bristle and cut antics of -various kinds. The usual salutation in Alaska<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span> -is not "How are you?" or "Hello!" as might be -the case elsewhere. Instead we call out: "How -are the trails ahead?" On this occasion Doyle -knew by the actions of his dogs that he was -about to meet another team. There was a storm -in progress and neither man could see the driver -of the other team. Doyle had had a particularly -difficult day's trip and was a bit out of temper -when the driver of the other team thus accosted -him:</p> - -<p>"Friend, how are the trails ahead?"</p> - -<p>"They are the G—— d—— dest, blank, blank, -blankety-blankedest I've ever seen in Alaska!" -Doyle replied. "How are they your way?"</p> - -<p>"The same!" was the somewhat emphatic response -of the gentleman. It was the Archdeacon!</p> - -<p>As I have already said, weather which in lower -latitudes would promptly convert one into an -icicle has little effect upon one who understands -how to prepare for it. With hands and feet -warmly protected, with winter underwear and -wind-proof outer clothes one can comfortably and -successfully "weather the weather!" It is no uncommon -experience, however, to meet a man on -the trail who sings out to you:</p> - -<p>"I say, old fellow,—your nose is frozen!"</p> - -<p>"Thanks!" you respond. "So is yours!"</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span>Each will then blissfully apply a little snow to -the disabled member and proceed on his way. But -there is one other thing which should be rigorously -guarded against as it is a painful and distressing -experience. This is snow-blindness. -The glare on the snow causes the film of the -eye to become a water blister, which takes three -or four days to heal. One of my most poignant -recollections is a three days' siege of snow-blindness, -during which I lay helpless in a hut while an -old squaw put wet tea leaves on my eyes. Never -again!</p> - -<p>I have heard that from the fighting men of the -allied armies now in Europe have come back -some exquisite verse,—such verse as one could -not reasonably expect from men of their youth -and previous environment. The same may be -said of much of the verse of Alaska. The poems -of Service and Dunham are well known. But -alas, the bulk of the others never saw the light of -day in print!</p> - -<p class="mabottom2">As has been said, however, Alaska is a land -of contrasts. Not every one gets the same impression -of the same thing! To prove it I quote -a poem written by one of the many who did not -find in Alaska just what they came to seek. The -writer of the verses below was the steward on the -<em>Susie</em>,—one of the boats which plied the Yukon<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span> -during the gold rush. Evidently his claim proved -worthless, or something else went wrong. For he -has thus expressed himself:</p> - -<h3>AN IMPRESSION OF ALASKA</h3> - -<div class="poem smaller"> - -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">The Devil in hell, we are told, was chained.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Thousands of years he thus remained,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">But he did not complain nor did he groan.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">He decided to have a hell of his own<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Where he could torment the souls of men<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Without being chained in a sulphur pen!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">So he asked the Lord if He had any land<br /></span> -<span class="i0">In a clime cool enough for a Devil to stand.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The Lord said: "Yes—but it's not much use.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">It's called Alaska. It's cold as the deuce.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">In fact, old boy, the place is so bare<br /></span> -<span class="i0">I fear you could not make a good hell there!"<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">But the Devil said he could not see why;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">He knew his business. He'd like to try.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">So the bargain was made, the deed was given,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And the Devil took his departure from heaven.<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">He next appeared in the far, far North,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Exploring Alaska to learn its worth;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And he said from McKinley as he looked at the truck,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">"I got it for nothing,—but still I'm stuck!"<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">But, oh,—it was fine to be out in the cold!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The wind blew a gale, but the Devil grew bold,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And thus on the mountain height he planned:<br /></span> -<span class="i0">"I'll make of Alaska the home of the damned!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">A different place from the old-fashioned hell,<br /></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span> -<span class="i0">Where each soul burns in a brimstone cell.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">I'll use every means a wise Devil need<br /></span> -<span class="i0">To make a good hell. You bet I'll succeed!"<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">First he filled the air with millions of gnats.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Then he spread the Yukon all over the Flats,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Set a line of volcanos from Unimak Pass,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And covered the soil with tundra grass.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">He made six months' night—when 'twas sixty below,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">A howling wind and a pelting snow!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And six months' day—with a spell now and then<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Too hot for the Devil and all of his men!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Brought hungry wolves and dogs by the pack<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Whose yells send chills right down your back,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And as you "mush" o'er the bleak expanse<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The North Wind blows holes in your pants!<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">But of all the pests the imp could devise<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The Yukon mosquitoes bear off the prize.<br /></span> -<span class="i0">They've a rattler's bite, a scorpion's sting,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And they measure six inches from wing to wing!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The Devil said when he fashioned these:<br /></span> -<span class="i0">"One of 'em is worse than a thousand fleas!"<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">Then, over the mountain and rolling plain<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Where the dew falls soft and there's plenty of rain<br /></span> -<span class="i0">He grew flowers and berries. 'Twas just a bluff!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The Devil knows how to peddle his stuff!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And to prove how well he knew the game<br /></span> -<span class="i0">He next proceeded to salt his claim.<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">He put gold nuggets in all the streams<br /></span> -<span class="i0">To lure men on in dreams! In dreams!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">He hid them deep in the glacial ice,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">As a glittering city hides its vice!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Then he bade Dame Rumor spread the news<br /></span><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span> -<span class="i0">Throughout all the world to its motley crews<br /></span> -<span class="i0">That there was gold in piles and piles,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Of every color and in all styles!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Then he grinned a grim, sardonic grin,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">And said: "Now watch the fools rush in!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">They'll fight for gold. They'll steal and slay!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">But in the end <em>I'm</em> the one they'll pay!"<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">'Tis a fine hell this that the Devil owns!<br /></span> -<span class="i0">Its trails are marked with frozen bones;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">The wild winds moan over bleak chaparral;<br /></span> -<span class="i0">'Tis a hell of a place he chose for his hell!<br /></span> -</div> -<div class="stanza"> -<span class="i0">And now you know, should anyone ask you,<br /></span> -<span class="i0">What kind of a place is our Alaska!<br /></span> -</div> -</div> - -<p>I am convinced that the Alaskans, whether -they realize it or not, are poetic and imaginative. -All over the country one finds the quaintest of -names that have been bestowed upon the various -localities by some follower of the trail, prospector, -or other traveler. In one's journeyings he -will come upon settlements bearing such names -as Sunset, Paystreak, Anchorage and Fortymile. -There are also the "Isles of God's Mercy" where -Henry Hudson found shelter on his last voyage, -"Anxiety Point" and "Return Reef" of Sir John -Franklin, that Sir Galahad of explorers whose -Eskimo name means "the man who does not -molest our women." In Bank's Land is "Mercy -Bay" and there is also the "Thank God" harbor -so named by poor Hall on the <em>Polaris</em>.</p> - -<p>So, if one could but gather them together, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span> -poems and songs and pretty names of Alaska, -each a part of her real history, it might make a -column about three miles long, but—it would be -mighty interesting reading!</p> - -<p>One has but to glance at the map to see the -similarity of the Alaskan coast to that of Norway. -Will not the day come when her fiords and -mountains, her Northern Lights and Midnight -Sun will be as famed in song and story as those -of Norway? Surely it will!</p> - -<hr class="chap" /> - - - -<h2><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span><a name="CONCLUSION" id="CONCLUSION">CONCLUSION</a></h2> - - -<p>In concluding this volume I am reminded of -two stories, both of which seem applicable to the -subject. One of the quaintest and most interesting -characters I ever ran across was a French-Canadian, -Captain of one of the boats which plied -the Yukon during the summer and in the winter -stayed at St. Michael. One day the river, or the -boat, or both, behaved badly. So he sang out:</p> - -<p>"T'row over the anch'!"</p> - -<p>"But, Capitaine," expostulated a sailor, "ze -anch' she have no chain on her!"</p> - -<p>The Captain glared at him wrathfully.</p> - -<p>"T'row her over any way!" he bawled. "She -may help some!"</p> - -<p>The second story concerns this same gentleman. -When the mail service was established at -St. Michael he was told that all he had to do if -he wanted a letter was to go up to the window -and ask for it. Never having had a letter he -thought he would like the experience. So he -went and demanded one. The postmaster asked -his name.</p> - -<p>"Pièrre LeGros," he said.</p> - -<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span>"How do you spell it?" asked the man inside.</p> - -<p>This was a poser. Pièrre's knowledge did not -extend to orthography. But he was nothing if -not adaptable. He eyed the man balefully for a -moment and the expression on his face was worth -a fortune. It changed slowly from interest to -scorn. He straightened himself up as proudly -as a king and remarked without the slightest -trace of temper:</p> - -<p>"Vell,—eef you no can spell Pièrre LeGros -zen I zink yo' better sell your damn' post-of<em>fees</em>!"</p> - -<p>The first of these stories is illustrative of my -motive in writing this book. So desirous am I -that all men may know our <em>Land of Tomorrow</em> -as she really is that I have tried to set -forth her advantages and her opportunities which -lie on every hand only waiting to be grasped. -Therefore I hope <em>she may help some</em>! Also, I -feel that wisdom and thoughtfulness on the part -of our government will be necessary in order to -protect Alaska. And she must be protected because -she can not yet protect herself. If we -can not protect her, keep her safe from invasion -by a foreign enemy, then again I am one with -Pièrre LeGros. We had better sell her!</p> - -<p>I am not so pessimistic as to think that such a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span> -thing will happen, however. The United States -seldom fails to do the right thing at the right -time. Alaska is the first country peopled by a -race which has back of it the spirit and the traditions -of democracy! It is the last great fertile -and temperate land on which western civilization -may take a fresh start. The democracy which -now exists in Alaska is of the very best brand. It -is that of a country which, critical of her own -mistakes, is capable of showing the world what -she has learned from experience. The distilled -experience of America and of the whole world is -hers to draw upon. There is no excuse for a repetition -of any of the blunders the motherland -may have made during the days of her youth and -her inexperience.</p> - -<p>That the government realizes all this is evident. -It was made plain when after a long struggle she -saved Alaska's resources from monopoly. Now -the problem is to <em>make sure</em> that whatever is done -in the way of economical development, of building -railroads, town sites, schools, public buildings, -establishing home government and promoting -industrial and agricultural possibilities, shall -be done in the right way,—sanely, harmoniously, -permanently. Statesmen must be trained for this -work and it is a trust which any statesman ought -to hold sacred. To build a new civilization! How<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span> -splendid a task at which to spend one's working -years! Alaska is America's opportunity.</p> - -<p>So long as the United States owns Alaska (and -may it be always!) she is wealthy. She bought -fabulous riches in 1867 for two cents an acre! -With a mere handful of adventurous spirits, with -no railroads to speak of, Alaska has already -shown what she can do. With good transportation, -with thriving, teeming, hustling, heavily -populated cities,—what will the future reveal? -<em>Read the answer in the history of the American -people!</em></p> - -<p>Time was when the Great West lured all men. -Now it is the Great North! The West, that once -fabled land of the bad man, the gold mine, the -gun fighter and similar attractions, has vanished -from our scheme. If there is now a spot in the -West which has not passed into the hands of private -management, rest assured that it is a spot -where nothing but sage brush and jack rabbits -will thrive! But the Great North is waiting! -And calling! The last frontier! The only territory -under the Stars and Stripes where the man -without capital has yet a reasonable chance of -reaping the reward of his labors. And the North -is waiting and calling for <em>you</em>!</p> - -<p>As I write the closing pages of this book I find -that I myself am once more hearing—the Voice!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span> -Is it the same Voice which called me to the Northland -some ten years ago? I think so. And never -before have I heard it in tones so distinct, so insistent. -I have been somewhat critical (justly so, -I feel) of the indifference of the government -toward the present and future needs of Alaska. -But——. Only a few hours ago I donned the -most <em>comfortable</em> suit of clothes I have ever worn, -namely, the uniform of the good old U. S. A. I -am for peace,—just so long as there is no legitimate -reason for war. But Germany can not step -on the tail of my Uncle Sam's coat with impunity!</p> - -<p class="mabottom2">Would that I were able to put into words a -fitting tribute to the staunch friends among whom -I have come and gone under almost every conceivable -circumstance and condition! To form -friendships such as these, cemented by events -which can not occur elsewhere, is well worth living -for. Whenever my mind reverts to this subject -I recall a little stanza which expresses my -thoughts far better than I can voice them myself. -So, to my friends, the Alaskans, I can only -say:</p> - -<div class="poem smaller stanza mabottom2"> -<span class="i0">"I have eaten your bread and your salt;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">I have drunk of your water and wine;<br /></span> -<span class="i1">The deaths you have died I have watched beside,<br /></span> -<span class="i1">And the lives that you lived were mine!"<br /></span> -</div> - -<div class="transnote"> -<p class="p0"><b>Transcriber notes:</b></p> - -<p class="p0">Some words were broken up due to line endings. As they only occur once -in the book it's not absolutely clear if they should be hyphenated or -not. This concerns the words:<br /> - -snow-slides, playwright, omnipresent, half-politician, sourdough;<br /><br /> - -The following corrections have been made:<br /> - -<a href="#Page_129">p. 129</a> noticable changed to noticeable<br /> - -<a href="#Page_169">p. 169</a> betwen changed to between<br /> - -<a href="#Page_203">p. 203</a> whiskey changed to whisky<br /> - -<a href="#Page_208">p. 208</a> bagbage changed to baggage<br /> - -<a href="#Page_215">p. 215</a> characteristice changed to characteristic<br /> - -<a href="#Page_228">p. 228</a> added ' after You can't do nothin' fer me!<br /> - -<a href="#Page_228">p. 228</a> added . after But----<br /><br /> - -Illustrations moved to paragraph breaks. Everything else has been -retained as printed.</p> -</div> - - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Land of Tomorrow, by William B Stephenson, Jr. - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAND OF TOMORROW *** - -***** This file should be named 41061-h.htm or 41061-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/0/6/41061/ - -Produced by Janet Kegg, Sandra Eder and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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100644 index 94a59f4..0000000 --- a/old/41061-h/images/i15h.jpg +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/41061-h/images/signet.png b/old/41061-h/images/signet.png Binary files differdeleted file mode 100644 index eb362d8..0000000 --- a/old/41061-h/images/signet.png +++ /dev/null diff --git a/old/41061.txt b/old/41061.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c51ed10..0000000 --- a/old/41061.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,5443 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's The Land of Tomorrow, by William B Stephenson, Jr. - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Land of Tomorrow - -Author: William B Stephenson, Jr. - -Release Date: October 14, 2012 [EBook #41061] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAND OF TOMORROW *** - - - - -Produced by Janet Kegg, Sandra Eder and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net - - - - - - - -Transcriber notes: - -Italics is represented with underscore _, bold with the equal sign = -and small caps with ALL CAPS. A list of corrections made can be found -at the end of the book. - - - - -[Illustration: THE BEAUTIFUL ALASKAN SUMMER] - - - - - THE LAND OF - TOMORROW - - BY - - WILLIAM B. STEPHENSON, JR. - FORMERLY UNITED STATES COMMISSIONER IN ALASKA - - ILLUSTRATED - - [Signet] - NEW YORK - GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY - - - - - COPYRIGHT, 1919, BY GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY - - PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - - - - - TO MY MOTHER - - ALICE HERSHEY STEPHENSON - - WITH GREATEST DEVOTION - - - - - FOREWORD - - -That the Voice of the North calls insistently to him who once has dwelt -amidst its snows is neither myth nor legend. It is history. Like the -Song of the Lorelei, having heard it once it rings in his ears forever. -True, it is a strenuous game which Man plays against Nature in Alaska. -There, as nowhere else on earth, he pays the price for what he gets. -Yet if you ask one who has loved and left her, one who has lived among -her mountains, experiencing alike the bitter winter and the wondrous -Alaskan summer, every day of which is perfect beyond the power of words -to describe, even though he may deny the call it is not difficult to -detect the hidden longing underlying his reply. For it is a fact not to -be gainsaid that after such an experience, no matter how much a man may -have looked forward to a life of ease after his return, he seldom finds -it satisfying. Usually when he goes back home it is to find his old -friends scattered or dead. The old pleasures turn to gall and wormwood -in his mouth. In time the jar and turbulence of cities get on his -nerves. He begins to hear the Voice! The old residents of Alaska, they -who have lived there so long that they seem a part of the land itself, -always smile grimly when they hear a man begin to curse the land where -he has made his wealth and swear that he never wants to see it again. -To them it is an old story. They have seen many return to the regions -whence they came. And they have seen most of them come back! They alone -know the truth of the line from the old Norse legend: - - "_Dark and true and tender is the North!_" - -Following the opening up of the gold fields much was written of Alaska, -but it was confined largely to the territory of the Yukon and the -unsettled, chaotic conditions of the hour. The fortunate few who, -through the medium of poem, song or story, have revealed the glories -and the tragedies of this part of the country have done their work -well. The record of that now-historic stampede to the Klondike gold -fields has journeyed to the uttermost parts of the earth. But all this -was twenty years ago. The Alaska of to-day is not what it was then, and -there are sections of this marvelous country which no artist has yet -painted and of which no poet has yet sung. Were this not true the -present scribe would have no task,--no reason for adding to the list. - -Sixty miles north of the mouth of the Yukon lies the little island of -St. Michael on which the writer spent five years (first as manager of -the Pacific Cold Storage Plant and afterward as United States -Commissioner), journeying later from this island to almost every spot -in the country which the white man has yet penetrated. Moved by the -astonishing discovery during a recent visit to the States that there is -practically nothing to be had in any library in regard to this island, -so important a connecting link between the Yukon and the outer world, -he is inflicting this little volume upon a patient and long-suffering -public. He has been moved to do this, not from a desire to pose as a -creator of literature, but because of a belief which can not be shaken -that Alaska is _The Land of Tomorrow_! It is the only bit of Uncle -Sam's territory where it is still possible for a man to get in on the -ground floor. Now that the great World War is at an end thousands of -soldiers are coming home again--to begin life over! They will be -seeking a new environment. Travel, especially by water, even though (as -is the case with those lately in the service) it be under difficulties -and not always of one's own choosing, never fails to breed _wanderlust_ -in man. It awakens something within him which urges him to go -adventuring, to seek the far spaces of the world, no matter how much -his heart may cry out to him to stay at home. In Alaska there is room -for all who know how to fight! Untold opportunity for him who is -willing to fight! With a physique made strong by the life in the -trenches, with muscles hardened by military training, the returned -soldier will be fitted as he never has been before and perhaps never -will be again to cope with the somewhat rigorous life demanded of him -who dwells "north of fifty-three." - -Alaska is calling for men,--men to cultivate her farms, to develop her -mines, to build her railroads, to man her fisheries and her lumber -camps. She will soon be asking for business men to manage her stores, -for lawyers, doctors and dentists, for teachers, ministers and priests, -for actors and motion picture operators. In another year Uncle Sam's -great railroad will be running Pullman cars across this -sparsely-settled country. This means progress. Alaska will begin to -live. She will prove a good although at certain seasons of the year a -frigid mother to thousands yet unborn. The homely old proverb in regard -to the early bird is peculiarly applicable to Alaska. The worm is only -waiting to be caught. - -To know Alaska is to love her. As one old North-Pacific sea captain -once put it,--"A man can get along without the woman he loves if he -has to. But he can't get along without Alaska after he has fallen in -love with her!" - -It is Robert Service, however, who in _The Spell of the Yukon_ has -breathed the real spirit of the land: - - "Some say God was tired when He made it; - Some say it's a good land to shun; - May be. But there's some as would trade it - For no land on earth--and I'm one!" - - W. B. S. - -St. Michael, Alaska. - - - - - CONTENTS - - - CHAPTER PAGE - - I. NORTHWARD HO! 19 - - II. THE LAND OF TOMORROW 30 - - III. ST. MICHAEL 38 - - IV. NORTHERN LIGHTS 46 - - V. GREAT OPPORTUNITIES 52 - - VI. POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT 63 - - VII. THE PARALLEL STEEL BARS 72 - - VIII. FLOWERS AND BIRDS OF THE NORTHLAND 83 - - IX. MT. MCKINLEY NATIONAL PARK 91 - - X. THE ALL-ALASKA SWEEPSTAKES 100 - - XI. BURIED WEALTH 115 - - XII. THE HAUNT OF THE SALMON 126 - - XIII. THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD 137 - - XIV. THE CITIES OF THE FAR NORTH 151 - - XV. THE NATIVE RACES 161 - - XVI. SOCIAL LIFE IN ALASKA 197 - - XVII. THE PRIZE OF THE PACIFIC 210 - - XVIII. ALASKA AND THE WAR 216 - - XIX. ALASKAN WRITERS 222 - - CONCLUSION 236 - - - - - ILLUSTRATIONS - - - THE BEAUTIFUL ALASKAN SUMMER _Frontispiece_ - - PAGE - - THE AUTHOR DRESSED FOR THE TRAILS AT - KOTLICK, MOUTH OF THE YUKON 40 - - AN ISLAND ON WHICH IS LOCATED ONE OF THE - FINEST FOX FARMS IN ALASKA 40 - - NEARLY TWENTY THOUSAND FURS READY FOR - SHIPMENT 40 - - "SIMROCK MARY'S" HERD OF REINDEER COMING - OVER THE HILL 56 - - SLEDDERS OFF FOR PROVISIONS FOR THE REINDEER - HERDERS 56 - - PRIBILOF ISLANDS WHERE UNCLE SAM PROTECTS - THE FUR SEAL 56 - - COUNTLESS THOUSANDS OF "MURRS" HAVE - MADE THIS ISLAND THEIR OWN 56 - - A TYPICAL TOURIANA VALLEY GARDEN 88 - - THE TRAIL NEAR WRANGELL IN SUMMER. NOTE - THE BEAUTY OF THE WOODS 88 - - LOVER'S LANE, NEAR SITKA, GUARDED BY - TOTEM POLES 88 - - SLUICING THE WINTER DUMP AT FAIRBANKS 120 - - THE THIRD BEACH AT NOME FROM WHICH WAS - TAKEN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WORTH OF GOLD - IN DUST AND NUGGETS 120 - - ONE NIGHT'S CATCH. NEARLY FIVE THOUSAND - SALMON WEIGHING APPROXIMATELY 75,000 - POUNDS 120 - - A FISHWHEEL 120 - - SITKA, THE OLD RUSSIAN CAPITAL OF ALASKA 152 - - JUNEAU, THE CAPITAL 152 - - ESKIMOS OF ST. MICHAEL 152 - - "SCOTTY" ALLEN AND BALDY 200 - - GENE DOYLE, ONE OF THE OLDEST MAIL CARRIERS - ON SEWARD PENINSULA. A HERO OF - THE TRAIL! 200 - - COMING IN TO ST. MICHAEL WITH OUR THIRTY-THREE - DOG TEAM AFTER GOING OUT TO MEET - THE MAIL CARRIER 200 - - DUTCH HARBOR 200 - - REVEREND HUDSON STUCK, ARCHDEACON OF - THE YUKON, PREACHING WITH INDIAN AND - ESKIMO INTERPRETERS 224 - - INTERIOR OF GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ST. - MICHAEL, BUILT IN 1837 224 - - FINE OLD NATIONAL HOUSE WITH TOTEM - POLES NEAR WRANGELL 224 - - - - - THE LAND OF TOMORROW - - - - - THE LAND OF TOMORROW - - - - - CHAPTER I - - NORTHWARD HO! - - -Memory, with unerring exactitude, carries me back to a -never-to-be-forgotten day,--the twenty-ninth of May, 1909,--the day on -which I sailed from Seattle on the S. S. _St. Croix_ to take charge of -the plant of the Pacific Cold Storage Company at St. Michael, Alaska. -In my early manhood I had studied law, but the years immediately -preceding this date I had spent among the great forests of British -Columbia in charge of the interests of the British Columbia Tie and -Timber Company. It was a life which appealed to me,--one which I loved -and had planned to follow during my working years. But man proposes! -And that inexplainable thing for which we have no definite name,--call -it fate, fortune, destiny, or what you will--often disposes! Some -sudden and utterly unforeseen event, almost in the twinkling of an -eye, will change the whole current and meaning of a man's life. Such an -experience was mine. So, like Columbus of old, I set forth once more -upon the uncharted sea of life in search of a new world. - -The last decade has brought about marvelous improvement in travel -northward. Most ocean voyages are eventful and mine was particularly -so. Therefore it may not be amiss to begin with it. At that time -sailing to Alaska was unlike voyaging to any other part of the world. -Man knew not whither he was going or whether he would return. The air -of mystery which broods ever over all the northland seems to cast a -spell upon the traveler from the moment of starting. Once there, the -Land of Silence wraps her arms about him and holds him close, sometimes -absorbing him! - -There are two routes by which one may make his way northward. One is by -what is known as the Inside Channel, by far the more beautiful and -diverting and carrying him into the heart of the Yukon territory. The -other is the Outside Passage and bears him directly across to the -Alaskan Peninsula and thence around the coast to Nome. It was the -latter route which I took on my first voyage to Alaska. - -No man can see the lights of Victoria or Vancouver fade behind him -without a feeling that he is standing in the dawn of a new life. Behind -him lies the known; ahead, the unknown! From Vancouver to Skagway, up -the Inside Channel, is a wonderful journey of a thousand miles, and as -the boats pull away from shore one sees lying to right of him the -mainland of British Columbia and to the left the island which bears the -name of that intrepid explorer who navigated the then unknown waters of -the North Pacific and charted them. Those who now journey northward -will never realize their debt to Captain Vancouver. To the land-lubber -the journey up the Channel seems fraught with a thousand dangers. But -not so. Not a sunken rock but this old sea-dog has charted it, and the -vessels thread their way with the utmost safety through a perfect maze -of islands. To realize the miracle of this thousand miles of tangled -maze one has but to stand in the bow of the boat and attempt to pick -out the channel through which it will pass. He will guess wrong every -time. One can not distinguish the isles from the shore. The mountains -crash skyward, seemingly from the very deck of the vessel itself. But -the inexperienced can not tell whether they crown an island or are on -the mainland. The tourist gazes with admiration, not unmixed with awe, -at the countless little bays and straits through which the boats -twist, turn, creep forward and ofttimes turn backward! And so it is -until the thousand miles of water, with its fairy islands and its -gigantic icebergs lie far behind him,--a part of that past upon which -he has turned his back. - -The journey of the _St. Croix_ (making the _outside_ trip) was -uneventful until we reached Cape Flattery. Here we encountered a -terrific storm from the northwest. For a couple of days we had had a -feeling that the glorious Pacific was in one of her sullen moods. It -began with a gray sea and a few flying clouds. Followed a head wind -which knocked fifty miles off the day's run and then,--a real storm, a -miniature hurricane. It continued with unabated violence until we were -within a day's run of Unimak Pass, at the foot of the Alaskan -Peninsula. For six days we had sailed straight across the ocean to -northwest, seeing nothing but sky and water,--huge, mountain-like waves -which rose and fell with monotonous regularity. When we reached this -point, however, we had a little diversion. Great numbers of walrus were -splashing about in the water and lying on the ice. Here, also, I saw -the first whales I had ever seen. - -One of the sights of this ocean voyage is Mt. Shishaldin, an active -volcano nearly nine thousand feet high and located about thirty miles -east of Unimak Pass. In symmetry and in the beauty of its curves it -rivals Fujiyama, the sacred mountain of Japan. No geographer has ever -visited Mt. Shishaldin. No man has yet ascended it. Unimak, the island -on which it stands, is a continuation of the Alaskan Peninsula, being -separated from it only by a narrow strait. Like the rest of the -Aleutian chain, it lies between Bering Sea and the Pacific Ocean. - -It was about three o'clock in the morning of June ninth that we sighted -the volcano. Scarcely any one on board had retired, as none wished to -miss the view of the mountain. It is safe to say that none regretted -the loss of sleep. It was a sight long to be remembered. Directly over -the smoking cone the early-morning sun, dark red of hue, was slowly -rising. The effect was most spectacular and--symbolic! No work of the -Master's hand so symbolizes life as do the mountains. No matter how -dark the vales and canyons, on the heights there is always light! - -It was shortly after we entered the Pass that our journey began to -afford us excitement. Here we encountered the first large ice floes and -caught between them were many vessels,--the _Ohio_, _Senator_, -_Victoria_, _Olympia_ and _Mackinac_ being plainly visible. Each was -trying to find a passage through the ice and it was most amusing to -see the grim smile which came over the face of our own Captain W---- -when he saw their predicament. It is considered quite an honor to bring -the first boat through the ice in the spring. No wonder, then, that the -Captain was pleased. All these boats had sailed from one to three days -ahead of us. Now the _St. Croix_ had an equal chance with the rest. - -At about half speed we started to plow through the ice. We made about -fifty miles. Then the ice became much thicker and more difficult to -penetrate. Many times we came to a standstill. Then we would back up -some eight or nine hundred feet and at full speed would go ahead again, -ramming the ice with all possible force. It was necessary to hold on to -the rail in order to keep one's feet. - -Now, this sort of thing may be interesting for a certain length of -time, but when it becomes continuous one's interest flags! Operations -were suspended for thirty minutes three times a day while meals were -served, but except for these intervals, it went on night and day. I say -night and day, but it was principally day. At this time of year there -was only about one hour of the twenty-four when one could not see to -read in his state-room without the electric light. - -On the morning of June eleventh I was awakened by a terrific crash. I -heard the swift scampering of feet along the deck toward the bow. I -dressed as quickly as possible and hurried forward. We had bumped -squarely into a young iceberg at full speed and had smashed our bow -stem. This meant that we were caught in the ice floe with no means of -getting out! We could no longer ram the ice with the ends of the -planking exposed. It further developed that the owners had neglected to -equip the boat with material necessary for repairs. But the Captain -realized the necessity of doing _something_, so, in his dilemma, he -ordered some of the steerage bunks torn up in order to get two by four -lumber with which to patch the bow. It was wasted effort. The material -was too light to be serviceable. It did not last as long as it took to -put it on. One bump finished it. - -There was among the passengers a ship-builder named Trahey. Being a -practical individual, he suggested chaining the anchor across the bow -and ramming the ice with it. This seemed to be all right, and we were -beginning to think that our troubles were over, but all of a sudden we -struck an ice floe about thirty feet thick. The anchor slid up the side -and tore out the planking. The Captain (and the rest of us as well) saw -that he was up against it. The boat began to take water. We all -realized that the situation had become serious. - -Presently the click-click of the wireless was heard. Calls for help -were sent immediately. The first response was from the S. S. _Thedias_. -She replied that she was stuck in the ice off Nome and could render -assistance to no one. The second response was from the _Corwin_. She -lay off St. Michael. She refused to come to our aid for less than six -thousand dollars, which terms Captain W----, evidently valuing our -lives at nothing, refused to accept. We carried no freight. Already the -meals on the boat were getting poor, but at the moment no one was -troubled with a large appetite! The Captain would give out no -information as to his intentions, but it chanced that one of the -passengers, an old friend of mine, a former Passenger Agent for the -Santa Fe railroad, had been a telegraph operator and he kept me -informed as the wireless messages broke over the antenna. - -In our helpless condition we began to drift toward the Arctic Ocean at -the rate of four miles an hour and we could not keep our minds from -reverting to the tragic experience of the _Portland_ which only a few -years previously had floated about the Polar Sea all summer. It is -needless to say that there was little sleep on the _St. Croix_ that -night. I retired at eleven-thirty but was up again at four and -entertained myself by watching the seals and walruses playing near the -boat. - -We spent the next day, June twelfth, wondering what was to become of -us, but as is usually the case in such crises, after the first shock is -over one becomes philosophical about most things,--even the imminence -of death. No man in his right mind really fears death. But the sudden -realization that all one's plans have come to naught, that one shall -never realize his cherished dreams, the thoughts of loved ones far -away,--it is these and kindred things which make of it the staggering -proposition that it is. So the men on board realized the necessity of -keeping a stiff upper lip. We tried to make the others believe that we -were cheerful, and although none of us could stifle his vague -uneasiness we managed to keep it out of sight. In the afternoon a party -of us got out on the ice, chose sides and had a snow-ball battle. It -helped us to forget the seriousness of our plight and to amuse those -who watched from the boat. By nightfall we had drifted as far north as -latitude sixty-four, a few miles south of Nome. But--we danced on deck -until two in the morning, the thirteenth day of June. - -I have always scouted the prevailing notion that there is any bad luck -connected with the number thirteen! I had no more than fallen asleep -when I was awakened by the jar of the machinery. My first thought was -that the Captain had decided to make a final attempt to buck the ice -and I was confident that this could have but one result,--the wrecking -of the boat. I dressed immediately and went on deck, only to come face -to face with another of those mysterious twists of fortune which -ofttimes in an instant turn danger to safety and just as frequently -make of apparent surety a disaster. Right ahead of us, as far as the -eye could see, was an open channel, straight as a die and just a little -wider than the boat! - -All was activity now. It seemed only a moment until we were under way. -Once started we forged ahead with all possible speed in order that we -might get out of the ice pack before the channel should close again. -Luck favored us. A few hours later we landed at Nome. There was no coal -to be had here and as we had only enough for twelve hours, after -unloading the passengers the _St. Croix_ headed immediately for St. -Michael. At two o'clock in the afternoon, the _thirteenth_ day of -June, I reached my destination. - -No steamers can land at the island. Both passengers and freight have to -be lightered ashore. The inner bay was filled with ice. We anchored -five miles out. I went ashore with a friend in his gasoline launch -which had been sent out for him. We left the _St. Croix_ at two-thirty, -and we had to get out several times and pull the boat along the ice -until we could launch her again in open water. At seven o'clock we -reached the beach. I stepped ashore and took a look at what was to be -my abiding-place for the next five years. Home was never like this! I -was informed that the largest building in sight was the Steamboat -Hotel. I took my way thither and was the sole occupant of this -now-historic hostlery for more than a week. - - - - - CHAPTER II - - THE LAND OF TOMORROW - - -The writer lays no claim to being an historian, but a word in regard to -Alaska's early history and how the country came to be a part of our -national possessions may not be amiss. - -When the Russians first came to the island of Unalaska they learned -from the natives there of a vast country lying to eastward, the name of -which was _Alayeksa_. Their own island, one of the Aleutian group, they -called _Nagun-Alayeksa_, which means "the land next to Alayeksa." As is -usually the case, especially in primitive languages, the word was -gradually modified and in time it assumed three different forms. The -Russians called the country itself _Alashka_. The peninsula became -_Aliaska_, the island _Unalaska_. In English the word changed once more -to the present name, _Alaska_, which means "The Great Country." It is a -fitting name. All honor to those two good Americans, Seward and Sumner, -who in the teeth of the most withering scorn, ridicule, and even -opprobrium, saved for our country her most glorious and valuable -possession,--the land discovered and partly explored by Vitus Bering in -1741. - -The old saying that "Westward the star of empire takes its way" is not -applicable to Alaska. She enjoys a reputation wholly unique in the -history of nations. She is the only country acquired by any European -power in America because of expansion _eastward_. The territory which -lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mississippi River was our -inheritance from the mother country. The two Floridas, Texas, New -Mexico, and California we acquired, either directly or indirectly, from -Spain. From France we purchased Louisiana. But about the middle of the -sixteenth century there began in Russia a movement eastward similar to -that which followed (westward) the American Revolution in our own -country. - -It was shortly after the overthrow of the Tartars and the establishment -of a national monarchy. But there was as much difference between the -motives underlying the westward movement in our country and the -eastward movement in Russia as there was in the character of the -pioneers who made them and the results which followed. The American -pioneer was either a fur trader, a prospector, a hunter, a missionary, -a soldier, or a farmer seeking land on which to settle. The Russian -pioneer was usually either a fugitive from justice or a proved criminal -who had been punished by exile to the vast wilderness which lay beyond -the confines of the empire. - -Commercial and military motives exist in all countries, however, and in -this case both operated. The exigencies of commerce carry men to the -far corners of the earth. The trade in furs had long been a leading -industry in Russia. So as soon as it became known that the countries -east of the Russian empire were rich in fur-bearing animals, -particularly the highly-prized sable, the merchants at once sat up and -took notice! They hastened to extend their trade eastward as rapidly as -the country could be made Russian territory. So the Cossacks, pressing -ever onward, at last reached the Straits. Eastward through Siberia, -into Alaska they came for this purpose. Here they found not only furs -but huge quantities of ivory which was embedded in the drift along the -seacoast and the rivers. - -It was during the reign of Peter the Great,--a reign which was -significant for many reasons. He it was who was responsible for the -promulgation of comprehensive exploring plans which resulted in the -discovery of Alaska. He fitted out an exploring party under command of -Vitus Bering, a Dane, who was accompanied by a Russian navigator named -Chirikof. The story of Bering's exploration is now too well known to -need elaboration here. On the morning of July sixteenth, 1741, Bering -records that he "came in sight of a rugged coast, presenting a vast -chain of mountains and a noble peak wrapped in eternal snows." This was -Mt. St. Elias. - -For some reason which seems unaccountable and has never been explained, -Bering did not stop at this time for further exploration. Instead, he -set sail for home to report his discovery. He never reached Russia, -however. His boat, the _St. Peter_, was wrecked off a small island not -far from Kamchatka, where, on December eighth, 1741, the commander -died. He had discovered, explored, and named many of the small islands, -but his crew had suffered miserably from scurvy. Many had died. The -rest remained for nine months upon the little island which now bears -the commander's name,--Bering Island. The other boat, commanded by -Chirikof, had also a tragic experience. This navigator discovered the -coast of Alaska not far from Sitka. In an attempt to land ten of his -men were lost. A rescuing party sent in search of them met the same -fate. Both were victims of the cannibalistic residents of the coast. -They were sacrificed by the Kolosh Indians. A second rescuing party -went after the others but just as they neared the shore a party of -natives, looking as innocent as the cat who has eaten the canary, -suddenly appeared upon the bank. The little boat load of rescuers stood -not upon the order of their going. Regarding discretion as the better -part of valor, they turned and fled. A few months later, haggard and -famished, the remnant of the crew landed at Kamchatka. - -Followed the long years of controversy in regard to trading privileges, -but in time these were, in a manner, adjusted. A hundred and -sixty-eight years later the United States added one more chapter in the -history and growth of our national interests on the Pacific. She -acquired Alaska. Beginning in Oregon, extending next to California, -where they received their most powerful impetus, these interests have -gradually increased to gigantic proportions. The markets of the Orient -became alluring. The Pacific railways were constructed. Not to have -profited by Russia's willingness to dispose of Alaska would have been -madness. - -Perhaps the story (vouched for by Charles Sumner) of how the purchase -came about may also be of interest. It was during the administration -of President Buchanan, in 1859. An unofficial representative of the -President sounded the Russian minister as to the willingness of his -government to sell Alaska. Being asked quickly what the United States -would pay, the unofficial representative (who had not given the subject -serious consideration and who, if he had done so, would have had no -authority to answer such a question) was a bit nonplussed for the -moment. But he sent out a feeler by saying suggestively, "Oh,--about -five million dollars." - -He saw at once that he had made an impression. He hastened to the -assistant Secretary of State and reported the affair to him. The latter -then approached the Russian minister, with the result that the matter -was brought definitely before the government. But----. The Civil War -broke out. And for the next six years there was no talk of buying -anything! During these years, however, the people of what is now the -State of Washington, along Puget Sound, had become deeply interested in -the fisheries. In 1866, through their legislature, they petitioned the -President of the United States to obtain for them from the Russian -government permission to fish in Alaskan waters, asking also for a more -complete exploration of the Pacific coast fisheries from "Cortez Bank -to Bering Sea." It was this petition which revived the discussion in -regard to the purchase of Alaska. - -Fortune favored the project. As was the case with Napoleon, when he -agreed to the sale of the Louisiana territory, Russia, bled by one war -and already preparing for another, in danger of losing those of her -possessions which had been threatened by the British navy during the -Crimean war, the Russian-American Fur Company not disposed to accept -such modifications of its charter as the government saw fit to grant, -empowered the Archduke Constantine, brother of the Czar, to instruct -the Russian minister at Washington to cede the territory of Alaska to -the United States. Within a month all arrangements were complete. The -treaty was signed March thirtieth, 1867. The price at first agreed upon -was seven million dollars, but William H. Seward, Secretary of State, -offered to increase this amount by two hundred and fifty thousand -dollars on condition that Russia cede the territory "unencumbered by -any reservations, privileges, franchises, grants or possessions by -associated companies ... Russia or any other...." - -It seemed for a while that there would be a hitch in the negotiations -due to the protest made by the Hudson Bay Company against this latter -demand. But Seward stood firm. He insisted, wisely, upon this -condition and secured it. Upon the entrance of the United States into -the game the Hudson Bay Company retired permanently from the scene. - - - - - CHAPTER III - - ST. MICHAEL - - -It is only when one ventures forth upon so large a subject that he -realizes how inadequate, how incomplete the result must be even after -he has done his best. He may just as well acknowledge his shortcomings -in the outset and crave his readers' indulgence. It is the truth that -there is no man living who can or has the right to attempt to speak of -Alaska as a whole. A man might travel continuously for a whole year, -using every means of expedition at his command, not wasting a day -anywhere, journeying by land or sea, in winter and summer, taking -advantage of the "last ice" and the "first water," and yet he could not -begin to cover the country. In the far-distant corners, hidden away -from the eyes of man, one will come upon the scattered missions of the -various churches to reach which one must journey thousands of miles! -So, whenever a man from Nome speaks of Alaska he means that part of it -which he himself knows,--the Seward Peninsula. The man from Cordova, -or Valdez, talks of the Prince William Sound country and calls it -Alaska! The man from Juneau speaks of Alaska, but all that he means is -the southeastern coast. This is why so much that is written of the -country is contradictory. In fact, Alaska is not one but many -countries! And the various parts differ radically from each other. -Nature has separated them each from the other by obstacles almost -insuperable. They have different interests, different problems. Their -climate is not the same, nor their resources, nor their population. -Thus what is true of one part of Alaska may be (and often is) absurdly -untrue of another part. - -Because much of my own experience here has centered about St. Michael -and because the little island is so large a part of the country's -fragmentary history I am indulging myself in the pleasure of telling -her story. When the Russian-American company was under the -administration of that able and high-minded official, Baron von -Wrangell, Michael Trebenkoff was sent out to establish a trading-post -on Norton Sound. In 1833 he built Redoubt St. Michael, putting it under -the protection of his patron Archangel. It was the second Russian port -on Bering Sea, Nushayak, in Bristol Bay, having been founded in 1818. - -It is a quaint, historic little island, about twenty-two miles long and -six miles wide. It has one mountain, an extinct volcano, in the center -and is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel. The latter was -utterly useless for shipping, and a few years ago the government spent -quite an amount of money widening and improving it in order that, by -its use, the worst part of the sea voyage from St. Michael to the Yukon -river might be avoided. But it was misdirected effort. The boats do not -use it because of its narrowness. The canal, at the mouth of which is a -beacon, leads by a wandering course into St. Michael's Bay. I one day -asked Captain Polte, an old officer of one of the vessels, why the -canal was not used. "Well," he replied laconically, "we can't use it -when it's windy and when there's no wind we don't need it!" Reason -enough. - -[Illustration: THE AUTHOR DRESSED FOR THE TRAILS AT KOTLICK, MOUTH OF -THE YUKON] - -[Illustration: AN ISLAND ON WHICH IS LOCATED ONE OF THE FINEST FOX -FARMS IN ALASKA] - -[Illustration: NEARLY TWENTY THOUSAND FURS READY FOR SHIPMENT] - -Some of the old log buildings on St. Michael still stand, mute -reminders of the day when the little island belonged to Russia. On a -point of rock one may still see the small octagonal block house inside -of which the diminutive but still-defiant rusty cannon arouse the -interest of all visitors. In the stormy pioneer days, so we are told, -these little six-pounders more than once proved effective when the post -was in danger. They were considered sufficiently historic to be -exhibited at the Seattle Exposition in 1909. - -This is neither the time nor the place to record the story of the -Klondike stampede, but that part of it which affected the island may be -here related. When almost in the twinkling of an eye the desolate coast -of Bering Sea became a veritable highway of nations, when all the -available shipping facilities of the Pacific coast were soon exhausted, -when ships from the Atlantic began coming around the Horn, when every -part of the Pacific began to hum with Alaskan business,--the tide of -traffic found it necessary to separate. One part of it sailed through -the Inside Passage to Skagway. The other took the Outside Passage and -entered through St. Michael. It is not a very convenient port, it is -true, but it is the best there is. To St. Michael came all the heavy -merchandise, the immense stocks of goods for trading and for individual -use. This port thus became the gateway to the fabulously rich gold -fields of the Yukon. St. Michael is, therefore, a large part of the -history of the Klondike stampede. - -The White Pass and Yukon Company is a transportation company which has -operated for several years on the Yukon with headquarters at Dawson, -Yukon Territory. This company believed that the best method of shipping -supplies to Alaska would be to bring them in by way of Skagway, then -over the White Pass and Yukon Railroad to Dawson, transferring them -there to the White Pass boats and barges and floating them thence -_down_ the river to points in the interior. The Northern Navigation -Company brought its freight to St. Michael by way of the Pacific Ocean -and Bering Sea. It was then loaded on boats and barges and pushed _up_ -the river. What was a disadvantage to the White Pass people was a -distinct advantage to the Northern Navigation Company. This was the -fact that the lower part of the Yukon River below Lake Lebarge was free -from ice from a month to six weeks earlier than that part of the river -which lay between Lake Lebarge and Dawson. The method of the White Pass -and Yukon Company held an unquestionable advantage in the saving of -fuel. But as the greater number of the principal mining towns and -supply points for the different mining districts lay _below_ Lake -Lebarge it was but natural that large shipments of freight for early -summer delivery were consigned to the Northern Navigation Company, at -St. Michael. A great rivalry sprang up between these two companies. -Keen competition followed. But it was soon realized that each was -working under difficulties which ought to be and could be remedied. -The White Pass and Yukon Company was dependent upon the river -transportation for existence. So a merger of the two seemed vital to -the interests of both. In June, 1914, the White Pass and Yukon Company -bought out the Northern Navigation Company, thus securing a monopoly of -the Yukon from source to mouth. The result has been that the greater -portion of the freight now shipped into the interior of Alaska is taken -over the White Pass road and then floated down the river. This has -seriously affected St. Michael, of course, as it has deprived this once -busy little city of the greater part of her revenue. - -As is the case in all new countries many of the companies organized -during this busy period in Alaska's history have now passed out of -existence, due, no doubt, to too great haste in the beginning. The -Alaska Commercial Company was not slow in realizing the good fortune -which had come to her. All the business so suddenly born of the lure of -the gold fields was tossed into her lap. She had to build extensive -shipyards, install machine shops and build river craft. Stores, -warehouses, dwellings and an hotel were built at St. Michael. Rival -companies were organized,--the Alaska Exploration Company, the Alaska -Development Company, and many others. Only two of these survived for -any length of time, however. One was a Chicago concern--the North -American Trading and Transportation Company. The other was the Northern -Navigation Company. For a while these flourished. The establishment of -the former was across the Bay of St. Michael and was a little town in -itself. The latter was on the island. To-day, these, too, have passed. -The enterprises were not a success in recent years, and the plants are -deserted. - -St. Michael lies about a hundred and twenty-five miles south of Nome. -It is hugged by the sea and therefore gets a certain amount of "damp" -cold in winter instead of the "strong" or the "still" cold of the -interior. Also, during the winter it is sometimes tragically -stormy--terrific high winds with no forests to break them. In summer, -however, it is delightful and most picturesque. It is covered by the -tundra--Russian moss--always fresh and beautiful, lying over the island -like a robe of soft green velvet. Plank sidewalks line the streets, -extending to the Army Post, and where the sidewalks end the walking -ends also in summer. To step off is to sink ankle deep in the soft -green moss. - -Under the chapter devoted to the native races the subject of the -natives on St. Michael will be more fully dealt with. In other sections -of Alaska the natives are largely Indians. Here only the Eskimo is to -be seen. The visitor will encounter him everywhere in summer--in the -streets, loafing in the stores, beaching or launching his boat on the -water front, clad in the native costume, the _parka_, made of drill in -summer and of fur, beautiful in design, in winter, shod in _mukluks_. -At every turn one will find their handiwork for sale--carved ivories -from walrus tusks, baskets, fur boots. Should one wish an ivory -cribbage board there is no other place, with the possible exception of -Nome, where he will find so large a variety from which to choose. As -for the Eskimo woman,--well, in the far places of the world where there -is little civilization and no pretense whatever on the part of humanity -to be other than wholly natural one soon becomes accustomed to the -unusual! There is no commoner sight in St. Michael than that of the -native mother sitting in the street unconcernedly feeding her baby -(sometimes two of them) after Nature's most primitive and wholesome -method! - - - - - CHAPTER IV - - NORTHERN LIGHTS - - -Alaska is a land of such wild beauty, so full of interest and charm, -that it seems a pity that so mistaken an idea persists in regard to her -climate. Yet that it does persist is scarcely to be wondered at. It is -the knowledge we acquire in childhood which usually abides with us -longest. So the preconceived idea which we absorbed in our youth from -both our histories and our geographies is hard to eradicate. "Our -country purchased this cold and barren land from Russia," we were -taught, and "Alaska is noted for her ice-covered seas and her -glaciers." Furthermore, when that far-sighted statesman, W. H. Seward, -negotiated, in 1867, for the purchase of this great territory from -Russia, the majority of Americans had so visualized Alaska as a country -of perpetual snows and glaciers that even the most important newspapers -and journals facetiously referred to the purchase as _Seward's -ice-box_. - -Severe climatic conditions, while they do exist in the extreme Arctic -regions, are by no means typical of the country as a whole. The greater -part of Alaska lies in the North Temperate Zone. Southeastern Alaska is -comparatively mild. The Alaskan Peninsula, while rather frigid in -winter, is most enjoyable in summer. There is no fact, seemingly, which -is so hard to impress upon those who have never visited Alaska as that -in regard to the "strong" cold of the interior. Yet it _is_ a fact that -if one is prepared for it he does not find it uncomfortable. True, for -six months of the year the average temperature is below zero, and zero -in this country, instead of being at the bottom of the thermometer, is -half way up the scale! Fifty below is often recorded. Eighty below is -not unusual. And occasionally the mercury freezes and the thermometer -refuses to register! But----. It is the absolute and unvarnished truth -that the climate of the interior of Alaska is fully as comfortable in -winter as that of the northern part of the United States,--much more -comfortable than in those states and cities where one is subjected to -fogs and dampness in addition to low temperature. I have been colder -and far more uncomfortable in both Boston and Chicago than I ever was -in Alaska. In the interior there is practically no wind, no dampness. -The still, dry air is wonderfully invigorating, and heavily charged -with electricity. One frequently gets a shock from shaking hands, -while a kiss for one's best girl is a matter for prayerful -consideration! - -One may wear in the Alaskan cities clothing of the same quality and -weight as that worn in the States. The addition of a fur coat will make -him thoroughly comfortable, even in the most extreme weather. This is -not true of the trails, however. One must resort to the _parka_, the -native costume with the long fur boots, if he wishes to be able to -resist the cold. - -Spirit thermometers are expensive and so other means of taking the -temperature have been devised. Pain-killer is known to freeze at -forty-five and alcohol at seventy-five below zero. When the still cold -comes on the pain-killer is put out. When it freezes, the alcohol -replaces it. When the latter freezes we give it up with a feeling that -it really does not matter how much colder than seventy-five below it -is! - -We are familiar with the old legend to the effect that the abode of the -Hyperboreans was in some distant region far beyond the North Wind! That -it was a Paradise, the Elysian Fields, a land of perpetual sunshine and -marvelous fertility, inaccessible by land or by sea! I have often had -occasion to ponder upon this legend during my various journeyings in -Alaska. Did you ever take a _daylight_ photograph by the _Midnight_ -Sun? I have. Did you ever sun yourself, at midnight, at a picnic? Or -try to sleep in a land where there is no such thing as night? Where -there are twenty-four hours of sunshine, necessitating the curtaining -of the windows in order to be able to keep one's eyes closed and to -obtain for both eyes and nerves that real rest which comes only with -the darkness? I have, many times. - -Nowhere else in all the world are there such wondrous tints as in -Alaska. To appreciate the beauty of the land, however, one needs must -be an early riser. To have seen the marvelous change which comes over -the pure whiteness of the snow-crowned crests between the darkness and -the dawn! The tender violet becomes topaz, the topaz deepens into gold. -The gold merges into burnished copper, the copper into rose, the rose -into crimson, and then--the day is born! No man can see the dawn break -over the mountain tops, especially if it be in a lonely, -sparsely-peopled land, without feeling as did the poet when he wrote: - - "For I know of a sun and a wind. - And some plains and a mountain behind, - Where there's neither a road nor a tree-- - Only my Maker and me!" - -In Alaska, as elsewhere, we have a land of contrasts, it is true. In -December there are but two and a half hours of daylight. At noon the -sun throws long horizontal rays and on cloudy days the colors of the -sunrise merge into those of the sunset! And there is ever the long -twilight--no matter what time of the year it may be. On the shortest -day there are slight traces of daylight from about nine until three -o'clock. - -He who has never seen the winter night in Alaska has missed one of the -most beautiful sights in the whole world. In many other corners of this -earth I have watched the coming of the night but nowhere else has it -ever moved me so deeply. Here, as nowhere else, "the heavens declare -the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handiwork!" How many -times have I sat in my door-way and watched the ending of the day. If -there have been a few flying clouds during the afternoon they seldom -fail to clear at evening. One by one the stars come out. From some -remote darkness long meteors slip silently and shoot across the -heavens, leaving phosphorescent trails, their scattered star dust, -behind them. The features of the distant mountains, so lovable by day, -become grim, hard, forbidding, when at nightfall they gather their gray -hoods about their heads and go to sleep, standing! Ah, the wild, weird -beauty of an unpeopled land! - -The old Italian adage "See Naples and die!" never fails to spring to my -mind whenever I look out upon the dark, crisp, bespangled night sky in -Alaska. Over all its other brilliancy the vivid tones of the Aurora, -flashes of green and red, shoot riotously. The Northern Lights! Only in -Alaska does one see them in all their gorgeous glory! If sentiment be a -part of man's make-up (and where is he who can deny it?), the lover of -the _Land of Tomorrow_ will not even attempt to stifle in his heart a -wish that is almost a prayer. It is that when the hour shall come for -him to venture forth into that undiscovered country whence no traveler -returns, the Northern Lights may light him on his way! - - - - - CHAPTER V - - GREAT OPPORTUNITIES - - -If the idea that Alaska is the "land of ice and snow" is gradually -disappearing another idea just as erroneous seems likely to take its -place. This is that Alaska is the "land of gold." While it is true that -along her streams and in the heart of her mountains lie minerals of the -value of which no man can speak truly, the gold mines of Alaska are by -no means her greatest asset. Her farms and fisheries, her enormous coal -fields, the thousand and one opportunities to make money which do not -exist in older localities are here to be had with small effort and -little or no capital. I could cite many instances of those who have -acquired wealth in this country from almost infinitesimal beginnings. - -A wealthy man of my acquaintance who now owns a four story building -covering a whole block in Seattle went to Nome when the great rush was -on. Unlike the others he neither sought for gold nor located mines. All -he possessed was a boat. He established a ferry on Snake River, which -is only about fifty or sixty feet wide. He charged twenty-five cents a -trip. As soon as he got together a little sum he bought a steamboat -which had been wrecked on the river and converted it into a lodging -house. Two years later he was president of a bank! - -This is only one instance of hundreds which are a matter of personal -knowledge. I know of four sisters who came to this country after a hard -struggle in the States. They bought a few wash tubs and opened a -laundry. Two of them mended for the miners. The other two washed and -ironed. They netted a hundred dollars a day! Two of them married. The -other two opened a millinery and dry goods store. They made a fortune. -They live in the west now and could live in affluence if they so -desired. They have invested in government bonds and other safe -securities and are the best exemplification of the possibilities of the -Great North that I know. - -One thing which I should like to make plain and which is an item of -value to the prospective resident is this: Alaska is a country where -unfair dealing or trickery is not tolerated. In the early days when -food was worth its weight in gold, when one was forced to pay fifteen -dollars for an oyster stew and one dollar for a cup of coffee, this -fact was made plain and nobody has tried it since to my knowledge. A -fellow who had set up an eating house was caught one day putting sperm -candles in the soup to give it a rich flavor. The miners made short -work of that man. They put him in a boat, took away the oars and set -him adrift down the Yukon! In my first years in this country the -appearance of the first boat which got through the ice in the spring -was a great event. We knew it would bring us fresh vegetables and eggs. -This was before the days when we raised crops of any kind. Cheerfully -we paid the fabulous prices for tomatoes, grape fruit, eggs and such -things. And not infrequently we ate all that we purchased at one -sitting! - -In listing the business opportunities in Alaska perhaps one may as well -begin with that most important asset of any country,--the land itself. -Any of the valleys on Cook Inlet contain many acres of good -agricultural land, some of which is timbered. The coast line from -Wrangell to the Aleutian Peninsula, split by many streams, has also -many acres. The better place to locate, however, is near the large -towns. The Susitna and Matanuska valleys hold the coal fields and near -them are thousands of acres where the wild hay for cattle grows in -great abundance. There is much less loss of stock in Alaska in winter -than in Montana and the Dakotas. The coldest day on the Alaskan coast -last winter south of the Aleutian Islands was above zero. For fifteen -years (and this is as long as the records have been kept) there has -never been a week when the average temperature has been as cold as that -of New York, Washington or Philadelphia. Alaska's climate gives the lie -to her latitude. - -It is, of course, the Japan current which transforms this part of -Alaska. What magic it works,--this warm, life-giving stream! It clothes -the northern isles in green vegetation, makes the silk-worm flourish -far north of its rightful locality and brings warmth and joy to the -dwellers of the Far North. - -The government has committed itself to a new policy of development in -Alaska. The vast riches of this country are not to be exploited at -haphazard or at the whim or the will of private corporations or -individuals. The national shoulders have been squared to the task of -developing the country and her resources in a manner conservative, -sane, and in keeping with the magnitude of the interests at stake. -Practically all the land and natural resources of the country are still -the property of the United States. - -There is a plan on foot for the creation of a Development Board, to be -appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. It includes -the voting of an appropriation sufficient to obtain men of ability who -will devote themselves to the task and _who will live in Alaska_! This -is as it should be. Alaska's interests, now batted back and forth -between the General Land Office, the Forest Service, the Road -Commission, the Bureau of Mines, the Bureau of Education and the -Secretary of the Interior, would all be handled by one body whose -_raison d'etre_ would be the welfare of Alaska. All her activities are -closely related. All are a part of one huge problem and all should be -directed by one governing board. - -[Illustration: "SIMROCK MARY'S" HERD OF REINDEER COMING OVER THE HILL] - -[Illustration: SLEDDERS OFF FOR PROVISIONS FOR THE REINDEER HERDERS] - -[Illustration: PRIBILOF ISLANDS WHERE UNCLE SAM PROTECTS THE FUR SEAL] - -[Illustration: COUNTLESS THOUSANDS OF "MURRS" HAVE MADE THIS ISLAND -THEIR OWN] - -There are sixty-four million acres of agricultural land in Alaska which -can be made valuable for tilling and grazing. Some of this is already -under cultivation but there is not yet an output more than sufficient -to supply the home markets. The farming area, according to the surveys -which have been made, is as large as the combined area of the States of -Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Connecticut, -Massachusetts, Vermont and New Hampshire, and in the opinion of the -Department of Agriculture this area ought to be capable of supporting a -population nearly equal to that supported by the farm products of these -states. - -Almost every kind of a crop can be raised in Alaska, although corn -will not grow at all and the soil is not particularly good for wheat. -But barley, oats, rye, potatoes, cabbages, turnips, tomatoes, and -nearly all the common garden vegetables have been grown successfully. -The potatoes are of the best quality and run several hundred bushels to -the acre. - -Wild fruits grow abundantly. Nearly every kind of berry (except the -cranberry) can be raised here. Only two years after the terrible -eruption of Mt. Katmai, on the Alaskan Peninsula just opposite Kodiak -Island, the ash-laden hillsides were again covered with verdure. The -rich green grass grew as high as a man's head and it really seemed that -the eruption was the best thing that had ever happened for Kodiak. The -grass not only grew high. It grew much earlier than it ever had before -and the berries were much larger and more luscious than they had been -before the ash covered the land. The berry crop was enormous. Kodiak, -like Ireland, is now an "Emerald Isle." The eastern part of it is -covered with a magnificent forest of spruce beyond which lies luxuriant -grass land, the abundance and quality of which for hay and forage is -not approached by any grazing land in the United States. It is equaled -only by the "guinea grass" of the tropics. At present this part of the -country is almost entirely neglected. But one of these days the stock -raisers of the world will wake up. They will find no finer spot on -earth for the promulgation of their industry than the Island of Kodiak. - -Of the berries which grow in Alaska the most important is the "Molina" -berry. In shape and appearance it is much like our blackberry, or a -cross between the blackberry and raspberry. When picked it comes loose -from the receptacle like the raspberry. These berries grew in Kodiak -before the eruption, it is true, but they were much smaller and less -palatable and the vines were much less hardy and vigorous. In one -respect they resemble the persimmon. They have an astringent taste -which disappears only when the berry is dead ripe. But they are -extremely delicate of flavor,--distinctive in that they resemble in -taste nothing else that I know and when served with sugar and cream -they are excellent. - -There are two varieties of blueberries. One is known as the high-bush -blueberry and the other is known as the low-bush berry. I have always -thought it a little strange that the cranberry does not grow here. -Conditions seem good for it. But it does not. - -When the railroad is completed (which will be soon), when the farmer -has an outlet for his produce and can enter the markets of the -"Outside," the future of Alaska will be secured. The government is now -selling the land at most reasonable rates. For four hundred dollars one -can buy a three hundred and twenty acre farm. Pioneers are rapidly -taking advantage of this to become independent land owners. - -Time was in the United States when, beyond the Mississippi, Wilderness -was King! But this did not prevent the settler from breaking his way -through. So it is in Alaska. The trees are being hewn down for -clearings and in those clearings homes are springing up. More men each -year are locating homesteads and bringing their families with them, -secure in the knowledge that their children can be educated in Alaskan -schools, fed with Alaskan meat and vegetables, their bills paid in -Alaskan gold. There is a market for everything that can be grown and -this market will be much enlarged by the increased population which the -railroad will bring. Alaska will soon be a populous and prosperous -country and will one day ask admission to the Union. When she comes in, -bringing her six hundred thousand square miles, she will be the largest -State. Texas, so long the giant, will be a dwarf in comparison. - -To sum up, then, the opportunities which offer themselves in -Alaska,--there are (1) cattle ranges of enormous size; (2) immense -salmon shoals; (3) huge tracts of farming land; (4) large forests (in -certain sections) of fine timber; (5) an almost unlimited supply of -fur. The United States has no tin mines except in Alaska. There is -enough coal buried under the soil to keep the whole world warm for five -thousand years! The coal, tin and gold must be mined. Here is a chance -for large numbers of workmen. The fish must be caught and canned. The -canneries employ large numbers of men. But the crying need of the -country is for homesteaders, because the agricultural development is of -prime importance to Alaska and to the world. The first binder operated -in Fairbanks in 1911 and the first threshing machine in 1912. In time -implement houses will be needed. Manufacturing enterprises offer a rich -field. At present (1918) there is not a single grain mill in the -country. This may be due, however, to the fact that there is not yet a -large enough amount of grain raised to justify the building of mills. -But in time there will be. There is unlimited water power for their -operation. - -Mr. Michael O'Kee, a Yukon Territory gardener, is regarded as the -Luther Burbank of Alaska. He has specialized in berries and has proved -that they may be grown just as well around the Arctic Circle as in -sun-kissed California. Also, he has grown cabbages weighing eighteen -pounds with heads hard and sound. - -Reindeer breeding is fast becoming an important factor, and here again -one must revert to the land. Reindeer need space, for they are the beef -of Alaska and must have pasturage. This pasturage is always to be had. -Reindeer steaks are and have been for a long time regularly quoted on -the Seattle markets. That they will one day figure conspicuously in our -meat supply cannot be questioned. Already the big packing concerns have -sent their representatives to look over the ground. There is one -drawback to this industry, however, which will have to be adjusted and -regulated before it can become profitable. The cost of shipping is now -prohibitive. Alaska has now a hundred thousand reindeer. Within the -next ten years she will have three million. - -A well-known mining engineer of Los Angeles who has recently studied -the resources of Alaska has thus summed up his belief: - - (1) The reindeer ranches of the Far North are destined to solve - the meat question for the United States. - - (2) The fisheries of the north coast waters will be able to - furnish practically all the sea food for the entire country within - the next century. - - (3) The gold, copper and other valuable mines of Alaska have - scarcely been scratched, and the next few years will see an - Alaskan boom not now dreamed of by the most optimistic business - men of the United States. - - - - - CHAPTER VI - - POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT - - -Until recent years one administration after another completely ignored -the real worth of Alaska. It was organized as a "non-contiguous -territory" in 1886. Not until seventeen years later was it supplied -with a form of government of any kind, and even then the laws of Oregon -were extended to it. In 1899, however, gold was discovered in the sand -on the beach at Nome! The attention of Congress was promptly directed -to this "non-contiguous territory" and the next year (1900) actual -civil government was granted. In 1906 the first representative was sent -to Congress. In 1912 a territorial assembly, with limited powers, was -authorized. - -To say that Alaska has suffered and been hindered in her development by -this legislative apathy on the part of Congress would be putting it -mildly. First of all, one of the greatest needs of any new country was -wholly lacking. The absence of any kind of a criminal code was a bit -appalling. It is a matter of record that once the settlers, in dire -need, were forced to seek the protection of the English navy! There was -also a lack of proper legal, medical and educational facilities, and as -Alaska's importance increased she became a helpless victim of political -conditions some of the results of which were serious. One of these -results was an unnecessary Forest Service. Another was the belated -opening of the coal fields. A third was a long period of very meagre -transportation facilities. - -The discussion of all these important matters by government officials -was lengthy and profound. But, as usual, wherever and whenever new -policies are projected there is always the pessimist who stubbornly -blockades progress. Alaska was no exception. So advance in her affairs -was negligible. - -One hears much, especially in these restless days, of the red tape -which results from the lack of coordination in our government. But, -with the possible exception of the Secretary of the Interior, only one -who has dwelt in Alaska can appreciate to what lengths it extends. In -an article published not long ago in the _Outlook_, Mr. Franklin K. -Lane, Secretary of the Interior, expressed himself forcibly upon this -subject as it concerned Alaska, making use of the following -illustration: - -"A citizen who wished to lease an Alaskan island for fox farming -carried on a correspondence with three different departments of the -Federal Government for several months in an effort to find out which -had jurisdiction and authority to make the lease. It was finally -decided that none of them did!" - -Further investigation brought forth the following astonishing facts: -The control of Alaskan lands is in one department, the control of -forests in another. The control of roads is in a third, of fisheries in -a fourth, of railroads in a fifth! The black bear is entrusted to one -department and the brown bear to another! Cables and telegraphs comes -under another department, reindeer and the native races under still -another. Entry for homestead or mineral land, if it lie _outside_ the -national forest, is made through one department, if _within_ the -national forest through another. Timber in the national forest is sold -at auction under the _Department of Agriculture_. Timber outside the -national forest is sold (under wholly different rules and regulations) -under the _Department of the Interior_. One may export the pulp made -from timber in the public lands, but the timber itself may not be -exported. - -A child could readily understand how all this, or much of it, might be -avoided by the creation of governmental offices in Alaska with -sufficient officers to get over the large territory which must be -covered. As a further illustration of what all this red tape means to -those desiring to live in the north I cite a case (also referred to by -Secretary Lane) which came to my personal knowledge. On October ninth, -1906, Mrs. Mary A. Dabney, of Seattle, filed a claim, recording the -location on this day. The survey was made September twenty-fourth, -1908. It was approved by the Surveyor General January twenty-first, -1909. Application for patent was made March twenty-fourth, 1909. There -was no protest against the validity of Mrs. Dabney's claim, and no -conflicting claims. But the mineral entry was not patented until -October seventeenth, 1913--_seven years after the claim was filed_! Had -there been an officer on the ground, with power to act, with authority -to investigate and prepare the case for the General Land Office all -this long wait would have been avoided. - -This lack of coordination affects almost every phase of Alaskan life -and industry. Certain islands are set apart as bird reserves under -protection (?) of the Biological Survey which sends a keeper _in -summer_ to guard one or two of the islands! At other times they are -unprotected. Game animals are supposedly under the protection of -wardens hired by and under the direction of the Governor of Alaska. -These wardens enforce the rules of the Department of Agriculture and -are paid out of the appropriation of the Department of the Interior! -Fur-bearing animals are under the protection of wardens appointed by -the Secretary of Commerce and working under the regulations of the -Department of the Interior. The Department of Agriculture has sole -authority over the animals which are shipped as specimens for -scientific and propagating purposes, except reindeer, which are -controlled by the Department of the Interior. - -Not long ago it was discovered by the Bureau of Education that the -walruses were being slaughtered by the wholesale. As this is a menace -to the food supply of both the natives and their dogs the Bureau at -once reported it to Washington. The report was turned over to the -Department of Agriculture and this Department promptly decided that the -killing was illegal. When it came to putting into motion the machinery -to stop it, however, the usual thing occurred. There was no machinery -available to prevent it. - -The prize story along this line, however, is the evidence in the case -of the black bear _versus_ the brown bear. Some years ago a law was -passed making the brown bear a game animal. The law was intended to -protect the Kodiak bear, the "great brown bear" as it is called. So the -brown bear passed under the control of the Department of Agriculture. -The black bear, recognized as a fur-bearing animal, remained under the -jurisdiction of the Department of Commerce. And then the fun began! -Scarcely a litter of black bear cubs but contains one or more brown -ones! To which Department of our National Government shall the little -brown brothers and sisters be awarded? One protests against the -separation of families in this manner! The question we are asking -ourselves and which yet remains to be solved is: Is _a_ brown bear of -Alaska _the_ brown bear? - -The Forest Service as it was inaugurated also proved a detriment. Rules -and regulations which worked well in the States could not be -intelligently applied to Alaska. As an illustration,--there was a -territorial law in force at the time the Service took charge which -forbade the shipment of timber into the United States. Under the new -Service, timber might be exported provided stumpage were paid to cover -the Service's expenses. In case of the reserve forest on the Alexander -Archipelago, however, an exception was made. This forest was withdrawn -(it was said) in order that the timber kings could not rifle it for -export purposes. Yet----. The old territorial law would have furnished -ample protection and would have been a better measure of conservation -than the one introduced by the Forest Service. - -Any system which imposes irritating restrictions (as this one -undoubtedly did) upon the pioneers of a sparsely-peopled country is a -mistake for many reasons. Such a system never fails to operate against -itself. And this system proved a boomerang. Under it the railroads, -wishing to buy Alaskan lumber for construction purposes, had to pay for -it at the stumpage rates of the Forest Reserve! Meanwhile Alaska was -suffering for lack of transportation facilities and it is difficult for -even the most optimistic conservative enthusiast to see _improvement_ -in such measures. - -The belated opening of the coal fields was but one more instance of the -legislative indifference which hindered Alaska's development. Eastern -coal operators were shipping coal in large quantities to the Pacific -coast. In Alaska the belief was general that when the Panama Canal was -once in operation these operators would intrench themselves strongly on -the coast, confident that they would be able to compete with operators -from Alaska as soon as the latter's coal fields were released. -Naturally, the first man on the ground would have the advantage and the -Alaskans grew almost desperate as time went by and the troublesome -situation was not relieved. In 1914, however, a bill was passed in -Congress which authorized the leasing of the coal fields and permitted -the lessee to rent two thousand five hundred and sixty acres at a -yearly rental of one dollar an acre, this to be applicable on the -royalty demanded, which was two cents a ton. - -In the matter of highways Alaska was also handicapped. Wheeled traffic -here was out of the question until roads were built. Railroads which -can not touch the interior are limited as to their usefulness. The -highways are of paramount importance to the development of any country. -But a Board of Commissions for Alaska was organized a few years ago and -since then the building of roads has increased. - -Even in the face of all these handicaps and difficulties, however, we -are not pessimistic. In time they will, they _must_, adjust themselves. -As soon as sufficient roads are built to enable settlement it will be -only a question of time (and a short time at that) until Alaska will -become self-supporting. Her vast resources can not be dealt with -singly. They must be dealt with as a whole. When once the United States -grasps Alaska's needs and conditions, when her receipts and -disbursements pass through a single, responsible Board which shall each -year report to Congress the revenues and expenses, the government will -undoubtedly form an Alaskan budget which will render legislation in her -behalf much simpler and more intelligent. - - - - - CHAPTER VII - - THE PARALLEL STEEL BARS - - -As is the case in all new countries the most serious problem that has -yet confronted Alaska has been the lack of railroads. All men recognize -that in the parallel steel bars lie the means of unlocking the -treasures of an empire. In them rest the future successful or -unsuccessful attempts to develop the resources of any new land. - -When the importance of building railroads in Alaska became apparent the -old, old serpent, the cobra of civilization, raised its head and spread -its hood. Should those roads already built in the country be left to -private interests, such as the Morgan-Guggenheim Syndicate, at the risk -of a possibly unfair monopoly in the future? Or should the United -States own and control them? The question was long and strongly argued. -But the matter was definitely decided on March twelfth, 1914, when -Congress voted in favor of government ownership. - -The President was directed to "locate, build, or purchase and operate" -a system of railroads at a cost not to exceed thirty-five million -dollars. William C. Eads was made Chairman of the Railroad Commission. -Construction was commenced in 1915, with Anchorage, on Cook Inlet, for -a base. The Alaska and Northern Railway was purchased and became a part -of the new system. The road, beginning at Seward, was to run along the -southern coast through the Susitna Valley and Broad Pass to the Tanana -River, with a terminal at Fairbanks. Its length, including a short -branch to the Matanuska coal fields, was to be five hundred and four -miles. - -In eight months' time a right of way was cleared for forty miles and -thirteen miles of track laid. Then came a halt. The inevitable labor -troubles broke forth. These were finally adjusted, however, and the -construction resumed, and it was hoped by the fall of 1917 to reach the -Menana coal fields, about a hundred miles south of Fairbanks. - -We are prone to believe that when the money to build a railroad has -been appropriated the most important and difficult part of the job is -accomplished. This is a huge mistake. For the Congress of the United -States to vote thirty-five million dollars to build a railroad in -Alaska was easy. To build that road was an herculean undertaking. - -Fairbanks is the geological center of the country. To reach it from the -coast the engineer must break through a wilderness of forest and -mountains, swamps and glaciers. They must haul a great quantity of -material by sledges in winter so that the construction of many special -roads may not be necessary. The experience gained in Panama, and the -recent opening of the coal mine near the road already completed, helped -considerably, but the perils involved in engineering in Alaska, coupled -with the rigorous winter weather, are those of all similar projects -multiplied by ten! - -To illustrate by but one instance (and it will give some idea of the -labor involved) in the first forty miles of the line there are -sixty-seven bridges! Many of them span deep and almost inaccessible -canyons. During the winter months the snow, sometimes twenty-five to -thirty feet deep, had to be removed before the work could be carried -on, and during the time of building the temperature varied little. It -was twenty to forty below zero all the time! Nevertheless the men -worked courageously on and spring found them far on the way. - -One of the most brilliant feats of engineering that has yet been -achieved was accomplished during the building of the Copper River -railroad in Alaska. To me it seemed little short of phenomenal. It was -necessary to span Miles Glacier. The bridge is fifteen hundred feet -long. There is a double turn in the river here, and it flows between -the two faces of the Miles and Childs glaciers, both "living," a sheer -three hundred feet. The engineers were well aware that when the spring -"break-up" should come, thousands of icebergs would come battering down -the defile. Would it be possible to erect a bridge with four spans, the -abutments of which could be made sufficiently strong to withstand the -onslaught of these icebergs, propelled as they were by the twelve mile -current of the river? Everybody (except the engineers) declared it -impossible. - -When I remember how intensely interested I myself became in watching -the progress of this wonderful building I often wonder what the -feelings must have been of those to whom success or failure meant so -much,--the builders themselves. Never shall I forget the tenseness of -the closing days of that undertaking,--the grim, silent determination -written in the faces of those men! In spite of the Doubting Thomases -(of whom, I confess, I was one) the thing was triumphantly, gloriously -accomplished. - -It was at the cost of two years of the stiffest fighting that Man has -ever put up against Nature. The great concrete piers, begun through the -winter ice, were driven forty to fifty feet through the river bottom -and there anchored. The solid concrete was reinforced with steel. A row -of eighty pound rails, set a foot apart all around, the whole structure -bound together with concrete, were placed next. Then above the piers, -ice-breakers, similarly constructed, were planted. - -It was conceded in the beginning that no false work would stand against -the battering ice. Therefore the work of connecting the piers with the -steel road-way must be done in winter. It was a cruel and trying task. -The weather did its worst. It was bitter cold. Snow storms were -practically continuous. The piercing wind blew sixty to ninety miles an -hour and the fine particles of snow hurled by the gale cut and stung -one's face like shot. - -When the last span was almost in place there came a most appalling -moment. The "false work," as the supports are technically called and -which in this case consisted of two thousand piles driven forty feet -into the bottom of the river, suddenly moved fifteen inches! The ice, a -solid sheet, was borne on a twelve knot current. Into it the piles had -been frozen as solidly as a rock. The spring break-up had begun in the -river. The ice-cap, lifted twenty feet above its winter bed, began to -move! - -The false work with its mass of unfinished steel was fifteen inches out -of plumb. Not to get it back meant that communication with the other -side could not be established that winter. The engineers recognized -that at any moment the whole span, supports and all, might be carried -away. The magnitude of the fight they would have to put up in order to -prevent this was realized by all of them. But they determined not to -lose heart. - -I shall never forget the scene which followed. It was like a huge -motion picture and I have always regretted that a camera man was not at -hand to preserve it. Steam from every available engine was turned into -every available feed pipe. Every man in camp was put to work chopping -the seven-foot ice away from the piles. At last this was done. That -which followed was the climax of the picture. It was a scene which -could never fade from the memory of him who saw it. During that -stinging Arctic day and the night which followed it, _during which the -river rose twenty-one feet_, the piles were kept free from ice while -hundreds of cross-pieces were unbolted! Then the shifting into place -began,--at first but one inch a day, then two, three, then four inches -a day. The melting and the chopping went on unceasingly, no one daring -to relax his vigilance for one moment unless there was a man at his -elbow to take his place. Anchorages were quickly made in the ice above -the bridge. Feverishly every man, from the chief engineer to the last -laborer, worked while that whole four hundred and fifty feet of -intricate bridge work was coaxed, inch by inch, back into its place. -Finally, at midnight, after an eighteen hour day of one shift, the -anxious and weary men had the happiness and the satisfaction of seeing -the great span settle down on its concrete bed. The last bolt was -driven in. One hour later,--the river broke loose! In less time than it -takes to record it the whole four hundred and fifty feet of false work -was a pile of chaotic wreckage. But the river had been vanquished. It -had lost the fight by a single hour! The people of Alaska and the -United States Government can never sufficiently reward such men as -these. Mere money can not pay for such achievement. - -In contrast to the strenuous experience just related the builders of -the White Pass and Yukon road had a most amusing episode to record. The -bears in the vicinity got altogether too friendly. At first the -blasting frightened them. But they soon learned to follow the example -of the men and scuttle to shelter until it was over. They became so -crafty that nothing which could possibly be eaten was safe unless some -one watched it night and day. The bears actually learned to recognize -the warning shouts of the foreman and to secrete themselves so -cunningly that in the temporary absence of the men they could sneak out -of their hiding place and steal the contents of the workmen's dinner -pails! It might have been funny had it not been that the men were often -far from a base of supplies and facing the possibility of starvation. - -Now, in Alaska we have a method of dealing with thieves which is -usually effective, but in this case it did not work. The bears could -not read! Every dweller in Alaska has heard the story of William -Yanert. He came into the country from God-knows-where and built himself -a cabin in the Yukon Flats. He calls his abode "Purgatory." Nobody -knows why he lives there or what particular sin he is accepting -punishment for, as the name of his cabin would indicate. We do not -often ask questions on such subjects in Alaska. And Yanert seems -absolutely contented with his lot! When the Mounted Police began -driving undesirable characters out of Dawson, however, Yanert returned -several times from hunting trips to find that his cabin had been robbed -of supplies which he had laid in for the winter. He resolved that the -next time he left home he would leave warning, and while he was -pondering upon the most effective method of doing so he heard a noise -at the back of his house and went to investigate. He peeped out and saw -a Canada jay (known commonly in Alaska as a "whisky-jack" or a -"camp-robber") picking away at his bacon. He shot the bird. Then with -the grimmest sort of humor he buried it in a full-sized grave, shaping -it just as though a man were lying there. He fashioned a headboard on -which he painted in letters so heavy that none could fail to read: - - HE - ROBBED MY CAMP AND I - SHOT HIM. - -Yanert had no further trouble with looters. - -The importance and the significance of the construction of the -government railroad are things which can be rightly appreciated only by -those who live, or have lived, in Alaska. In another year (1919) unless -delayed by the war, Pullman cars for the comfort and convenience of -passengers will be running from Fairbanks to the sea. Freight cars will -carry the great resources of the country from "Interior" to "Outside." -But while these things mean much to Alaska there is one thing which -means much more. This is the construction of a _government railroad -leading into the United States_! This is a thing I have not even heard -discussed and the possibility of such an enterprise, so far as I know, -has not yet been sounded. Only two-fifths of Alaska is mapped! But one -has but to stop and think a moment in order to realize that such a road -would be of untold value. And this value is not alone commercial, by -any means. Is not Alaska a country worth having? I think so. America -thinks so. _Japan thinks so!_ It is by no means outside the possibility -of conception that, coveting her, she may one day attempt to possess -her. In the event of such a contingency, unless conditions are altered -(and that without delay), Alaska may one day be lost to us. She is now -reached only by the sea. Soldiers and sailors must enter the country by -that route. How about a transport or a battleship? In time of war would -they be able to reach Alaskan ports? - -These are questions on which the thoughtful will not fail to ponder. -Alaska's one defense in time of need would be the army, and that army, -in order to reach her, would have to run the gauntlet of a naval -enemy's fleet. The gravity of such a situation would be much lessened -by the ability to transport military forces (whether the times be those -of peace or war) to Alaska via a Canadian-American railroad! - - - - - CHAPTER VIII - - FLOWERS AND BIRDS OF THE NORTHLAND - - -Whenever I look back over the pleasurable experiences which belong to -the years I have spent in the Northland I find my thoughts dwelling -upon my first summer in St. Michael. Here the summer comes almost in a -day, and following upon the heels of a rigorous winter so closely, the -contrast is little short of startling. Knowing naught of this sudden -transformation, I was not prepared for it. But I well recall a day in -June when I looked out from my door-way and wondered whether there -could be another spot on earth so beautiful. Gone instantly was every -memory of the dark, bleak months that had just passed. The snow still -lingered on the distant mountain tops, it is true. Great masses of pure -white clouds rolled upon the intensely blue sky. The vegetation was in -all its vivid freshness, the tundra carpeted with flowers. Even the -reeking Arctic moss itself had burst into myriad brilliant flowers. It -was the season of perpetual day,--twenty-four long hours of continuous -sunshine. Nature seemed to be rejoicing in her own beauty and all the -green things of the earth praised God! - -I can not resist the temptation to devote a small space to the flowers -and birds of Alaska. Even I who lived a good many years in our own -golden west, where flowers are by no means a scarcity, or a rarity, -always feel a tendency to enthuse and become expansive when I think of -the beauteous wild flowers of the Northland. They lift their dainty -heads out of the tundra and seem to smile radiantly at you as you pass. - -I confess that when I saw the tundra first it did not make any -particular hit with me! And this feeling is shared by many when first -they come. I recall one of our Alaskan poets who must have shared it, -for I find among his effusions a couplet to this effect: - - "Sometimes it's as soggy as sawdust! - Sometimes it's as soft as a sponge!" - -Like many others I had gone to Alaska with a mental picture of a great, -snow-covered expanse which stretched away for illimitable miles in -loneliness and silence. But one day as I walked along I suddenly saw--a -little yellow flower. I began to wonder whether wild flowers grew here. -A little investigation brought astonishing results. - -I found yellow poppies as much at home as in my own California! -Daisies, both white and yellow! There is a little blossom resembling in -form and grace the sweet pea, but it is a rich, deep indigo blue. I do -not know its name, or whether it has a name. The tiny blue -forget-me-nots, the beautiful gold-and-purple iris, dainty anemones, -and many others which I know not how to name. There is a starry white -flower like a cherry blossom, a yellow bloom resembling a cowslip. -There is the blue corn-flower, the wild heliotrope, immortelles, purple -asters, violets and, most interesting of all, a purple bleeding-heart! -Why purple, I wonder? In addition to these there are beautiful wild -grasses, exquisite mosses with wondrous weeping tendrils and star-like -blossoms. And there is a little crimson vine which grows like patches -of red velvet and clings very close to the green moss. - -I grew to love the tundra, whatever the time or the season. From the -first warm days of the spring until the snow came swishing down and -wrapped it in its soft white blanket, I enjoyed its every mood. In -summer it is as beautiful as the seemingly more favored spots of the -earth. In winter----. There is always the great, white, silent expanse -which one grows to love also. For I find the feeling to be general -among those who live in the Northland that it is not in her milder -moods that Alaska calls to us loudest. One is most deeply conscious of -hidden and gigantic forces,--untrodden heights, to which one can never -attain, even in spirit! There may be those who hold that the tundra is -desolate, dreary. Not I! - -The most striking of all the wild flowers that I have ever seen in -Alaska is a species of white _claytonia_. It grows in rings as large as -a dinner plate. These floral rings are dropped here and there upon the -green moss and in the center of the ring is a rosette of pointed green -leaves pressed close to the ground. Around this rosette grows the ring -of flowers made up of forty or fifty individual blossoms, all springing -from the same root, their faces turned _outward_ from the green -rosette. In certain places these circles grow so close together that -one can scarcely walk without stepping upon them. - -In addition to the wild flowers there are many cultivated ones. In -Skagway, Fairbanks, and the other large towns, the garden flowers grow -profusely. Their only enemy is the southerly trade winds which, on -summer afternoons, frequently rise suddenly and keep everybody busy -devising some means of protection for the tall growing plants. For the -plants grow very tall. Think of sweet peas nine feet high which have -had no special cultivation! Pansies three inches across! Asters seven -and dahlias ten inches in diameter! I have in mind one garden I saw -which contained nineteen different kinds of flowers blooming at once, -among them some gorgeous roses, and they were in bloom from June first -to October first. No. We are not shut away from the beautiful because -we live within sight of the Arctic Circle! Garden parties here rival -those I have attended in the States, and I find that human nature is -the same the world over! There is no nook or corner of God's earth -where one, if he seeks, will not find exquisite beauty lavished -impartially and unstintedly by Mother Nature, and warm and kindly -hearts as well! - -The birds of Alaska are many and beautiful. In fact, in one section or -another of the country most of the birds common to the north temperate -zone are to be found. Of the larger ones the ptarmigan, grouse, gulls -and carrier pigeons are most common. A few years ago the owners of -carriers discovered to their astonishment and dismay that the latter -were mating with the gulls to the ruination of both birds and it became -necessary to separate them. Alaska is also the home of the raven and -the crow. And the former is quite the most talkative creature in the -country! When he has no other birds to chatter with he talks to -himself, and like the buzzard of the southern countries, he acts as -scavenger. The ravens are much more numerous than the crows. - -There is a long, low, wooded stretch of land twenty miles below Muir -Glacier in which ornithologists have observed and collected specimens -of more than forty species of birds. Of song birds, we have the -golden-crowned sparrow, the Alaska hermit and russet-back thrush. The -plaintive song of the hermit thrush is so appealing. It consists of but -three notes. But its song is full of beauty, of mystery, of pathos. -There are also the grossbeak, the gray-cheeked thrush, the Oregon -robin, the western robin, kinglet, warbler, redstart, Oregon junco, and -a species of sparrow not to be found elsewhere. - -[Illustration: A TYPICAL TANNANA VALLEY GARDEN] - -[Illustration: THE TRAIL NEAR WRANGELL IN SUMMER. NOTE THE BEAUTY OF -THE WOODS] - -[Illustration: LOVER'S LANE, NEAR SITKA, GUARDED BY TOTEM POLES] - -In speaking of the birds of the Northland one must not omit to mention -the albatross. I shall always remember one that I observed following -the boat on which I was crossing Prince William Sound. I could well -imagine the feelings of the Ancient Mariner as I watched it,--first on -one side of the boat and then on the other, dipping, curving, slanting, -but always on straight, unbending wing! Like an experienced swimmer its -motion was in long, graceful strokes. It flew apparently without -effort, as though it gave no thought to where its next flight would -take it. I could quite understand how the superstitious might look upon -it as some spirit from the deep which sought to cast a spell over him -and lure him on to shipwreck and to death. The gulls fly gracefully, as -do also the Arctic terns. But the flight of the albatross is unlike -that of any other bird I have ever seen. - -Of water fowl there are also the _pomarine_ and the long-tailed jaeger -and the king eider duck. The pomarine jaeger is most peculiar of shape, -especially while flying, and has a cruel-looking beak. The plumage of -the male king eider is very brilliant and beautiful during the breeding -season. - -The finest singing bird in the country is the Lapland longspur. In -color, flight, and its bubbling, liquid music, it suggests the -bobolink. In fact, it is often referred to as "the bobolink of the -North," and what bird lover does not know the lines of our beloved John -Burroughs who after lying on his back under a tree for two hours -patiently waiting until it should please his majesty, the northern -bobolink, to sing for him, wrote: - - "On Unalaska's emerald lea, - On lonely isles in Bering Sea, - On far Siberia's barren shore, - On north Alaska's tundra floor, - At morn, at noon, in pallid night, - We heard thy song and saw thy flight, - While I, sighing, could but think - Of my boyhood's bobolink!" - - - - - CHAPTER IX - - MT. MCKINLEY NATIONAL PARK - - -In 1916 a bill was presented in Congress to establish in Alaska the Mt. -McKinley National Park. All lovers of the country hoped that the -legislation necessary to create this park would not be long in coming. -The Alaskan Range (sometimes called the Alaskan Alps), of which Mt. -McKinley is the culminating peak, has no rival in scenic grandeur. The -snow line is about seven thousand feet. But Mt. McKinley rises twenty -thousand three hundred feet, and for the upper thirteen thousand the -mountain is clad in glaciers and perpetual snows. - -The region of the proposed park offered a last chance for the United -States Government to preserve untouched by civilization a great -primeval section in its natural beauty. Many parts of Alaska are famous -for big game. But for mountain sheep, caribou and moose ranging over -wide areas this section is unsurpassed. I have often seen three hundred -sheep in a ten mile journey! And more caribou than I ever dreamed of -existing! At one time a party of us estimated with the naked eye more -than a thousand within half a mile of us and many more straggling off -in the distance. - -I have made no mention of the mosquitos which abound in Alaska, but so -many writers have that perhaps it is not necessary to elaborate upon -the subject. It is sufficient to say that here one gives them -respectful attention! Many a wanderer has met his death in the early -days because he was unprepared to fight them off as he plunged through -the swamps and the wilderness. This "respectful attention" is shared by -the animals, especially the caribou, which migrate from place to place, -avoiding the plains where the mosquitos abound. Sometimes they remain -high up in the rugged mountain ridges. Sometimes they even climb the -glaciers. One often sees them in huge droves. They do not stay long in -any one locality except in the Taklat basin and in the vicinity of -Muldrow Glacier. Here they remain during the summer and rear their -young. - -On February twenty-sixth, 1917, the bill became a law and the Mt. -McKinley National Park was created. The long dimension of the park -follows the general course of the Alaskan Range from Mt. Russell to -Muldrow Glacier, the Park including all the main range from its -northwest face to and beyond the summit. East of the glacier the range -widens to the north and consists of a number of parallel mountain -ridges separated by broad, open basins. - -Moose are plentiful in certain parts of the new park but are not so -commonly seen as sheep and caribou. They cling to the timbered areas -for two reasons. First, because they feed upon the willow and birch -twigs and leaves and the roots of water plants. Second, by nature the -moose is a cautious, wary animal. He is less likely to permit -familiarity than the caribou and remains where he is inconspicuous. The -best hunting grounds for moose are not _within_ the park but in the -lowlands just north of the Alaskan Range. - -Bears,--black, brown and grizzly--are here, as they are in many other -parts of Alaska also. Foxes are plentiful. Lynx abound, as do the mink, -marten and ermine, to a limited extent. The marshy lowlands, in -addition to being the abode of the moose, are likewise the paradise of -the beaver. Many a night have I lain in my tent and heard the -whack-whack of their tails on the surface of the water and the splash -when they went in to swim. - -There is no point on which Alaska is more in need of wise and careful -legislation than in regard to the game. Game will not last long unless -protected. Already the market hunter is in the field. True, there _are_ -game laws in Alaska, but I have been reminded more than once of the -mother who said of her naughty little daughter, "She _has_ manners--but -they're bad!" - -The game laws are not strictly enforced and many a sled load of wild -meat finds its way into the towns in winter. Fairbanks is the -destination of most of it. It is a matter of personal knowledge that -from fifteen hundred to two thousand sheep have been taken into this -town each winter for the last three years. And if this is being done -now, what will be the result when the new government railroad is -completed to within fifteen miles of the park? There is but one answer. -The game will disappear rapidly. Forebodings on this point have been -quieted to a certain extent, however, so far as the game in the park -itself is concerned. The law, while it grants miners and prospectors -permission to kill what they need for food, stipulates expressly that -"in no case shall animals or birds be killed in said park for sale, or -removal, or wantonly." - -It is the easiest thing in the world to reach Mt. McKinley Park. One -may leave Seattle and within a week be in Anchorage, or Seward. From -here it is but a day's ride to the Park Station. A couple of days in -the saddle and one will find himself in the midst of the herds. -Furthermore, this time will be shortened. It is inevitable that a road -will be built. Then, half a day in a motor and the horseback journey -will be eliminated. - -Regarded as a purely business proposition, the creation of this Park -was quite worth while. Other and much less attractive lands advertise -their natural beauties so alluringly that tourists flock to them, -spending millions of dollars for diversion far less pleasurable than -that which may be had right here in our own country. A good road, a -good hotel or two, and this National Park in Alaska will call to her a -much larger percentage of tourists than our government now imagines. - -Almost every animal in Alaska has its own particular locality. The -small black bear is the exception. It may be found everywhere. In -southeastern Alaska the shy, black-tail deer is to be seen. It is a -pretty, graceful creature, with a glossy coat, an impudent little black -tail and slender, curving horns. If it were tame one could easily carry -it in his arms. It seldom weighs more than a hundred pounds. Hunters -have made it afraid, however, and unless forced out by starvation, it -seldoms ventures near a human habitation. - -At Mt. St. Elias the foxes abound,--blue and silver and sometimes a -black one, rarest and most valuable of all. Four hundred dollars is not -an unusual price for a black fox skin. Sea otters are getting scarce. -The skins of these are valued at seven hundred dollars. - -To find the really "Big Game,"--the largest the country affords, the -moose, the huge and dangerous Kodiak bear, the caribou and the mountain -sheep, one should go to the rugged, mountainous peninsula between -Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet. The moose shed their antlers -periodically and I quite agree with a fellow hunter who one day -remarked that he knew of nothing quite so pathetic-looking, so subdued -and sympathy-seeking, so meek and lowly of spirit as a bull moose -without its horns! Neither do I. - -The Kodiak bear is dark brown of color. And an exceedingly ugly and -vicious brute as to temper! He is a born fighter. If he suspects that -it is your purpose to interfere with him he will attack you -ferociously. If, however, he does not happen to be hungry and you fail -to bother him his lack of interest in you is often humiliating! He is, -seemingly, impervious to the cold and sleeps in his cave all winter. - -The Alaskan miners are great on story-telling and one of them one day -related in my presence an amusing episode which he claimed was a -personal experience. He said that he found himself suddenly in the -immediate presence of a Kodiak bear. It was a position wholly unsought -on his part and, as he remarked, unduly familiar! But he added that it -was a moment when familiarity bred, not contempt, but fear. He had -always heard that a sudden and unusual noise would frighten a bear away -provided he hadn't seen you first! So he began hammering his gold pan -with his pick, making all the din possible with the means at his -command. It failed to work. He spent the night in a tall tree, meekly -descending from the same when the bear, tired of waiting, went next -morning to seek a breakfast elsewhere. Nor was that all. His gold pan -was full of holes from being hammered with his pick! - -A cunning and most amusing pet is a black bear cub, and as pets these -are quite common in St. Michael and other parts of Alaska. They dance -and gambol on hind feet, wrestle like human beings, and not -infrequently drink from a bottle as do babies--and men! - -The caribou is unquestionably the prettiest animal in Alaska. Its body -is sleek and graceful as that of the antelope. Its back is brown, its -flanks and legs pure white. It has enormous, out-spreading, re-curving -and sharp-pronged antlers, a distinguishing feature of which is that -the first branch of one of them curves directly in front of the -forehead and then spreads straight out to the front into a broad -edge-wise fan which is called a "plow." The caribou roam (in herds) and -feed almost entirely on grass. It is most interesting to watch them -feed in winter. With the "plow" they break through the crust of the -snow. Then they use the horn as a rake, scraping away the snow so that -they may get at the grass underneath. - -The seal, the walrus, the reindeer and the polar bear,--all are here. -They are the oldest residents of the north country. But there is one -thing which does _not_ abide with us. This is the serpent. Evidently -Ireland is not the only country from which the good St. Patrick -banished the snakes. The Eskimos and Indians of Alaska probably never -saw one. In fact, it is claimed that no poisonous thing exists here. -But to this I make one exception. The mosquito is still with us in -certain sections of the country. There are none in St. Michael, -however. And no snakes! As a corroboration of this statement I submit -the information that the serpent has no place in either the heraldry or -the basketry of the natives of Alaska. The absence of the snake in the -Northland, however, may be due, not to the influence of St. Patrick, -but to the frigidity of the climate. Anyway, we rejoice that it is so. -The most timid of women may wade barefooted in the marshes without a -shiver! Besides, Alaskans are proverbially kind-hearted and what one of -us would willingly put himself in the position of "Old Man Snyder" of -whom the mid-western poet who wrote under the name of _Ironquill_ once -said: - - "Old man Snyder found a snake - Frozen stiffer than a stake - And he tucked it in his vest. - When the saurian became thawed - Mr. Snyder became chawed! - And in one unbroken stream - He proceeded to blaspheme - And eradicate the plug - From a little old brown jug! - - Year by year, both day and night, - Snyder tried to cure that bite, - But he didn't have the heft! - So one day he while tug- - Ging at the plug - Caught the jim-jams and got left! - - =Moral.= - - Frozen saurians are safer! - And it's bitterer than borax - To be gnawed about the thorax - One's humanity to pay for!" - - - - - CHAPTER X - - THE ALL-ALASKA SWEEPSTAKES - - -No story of Alaska would be complete unless it included reference to -that most vital element of all the Northland, the Alaskan dog. I once -heard a story of an old Southern planter who said: - -"Whenevah Ah meet up with a man who says he don' like a niggah, Ah -always set it down that he nevah _owned_ one!" - -I can truthfully say the same about a dog. Ever since the days when -Ulysses roamed the seas man has loved his dog. Dearest (and most -valuable) to the heart of an Alaskan is his "Malamut" or "Husky," as -the Alaskan dog is usually designated. So intelligent that he is almost -human, strong as a young ox, oblivious (apparently) to the cold,--he is -a part of the land itself! His importance to the life of the North can -not be over-estimated. He carries the mail into far regions which but -for him would be closed to the outside world for many months of the -year. - -"An I should live a thousand years," as Shakespeare puts it, I could -never forget a leader I once had. I called him "Paddie." During one -long, cold winter we went to Andreafsky, distant a hundred and twenty -miles from St. Michael, to take the mail. I can see him yet, at the -head of the thirty-three dog team, pulling us swiftly over the hard, -white snow. At night when I would wrap myself in my sleeping-bag and -lie down to sleep, Paddie never failed to come and lie beside me, -snuggling as closely as possible to keep me warm. I _could_ not forget, -if I tried, his faithfulness and affection, and I do not wish to. I -think of him many times, often have dreamed of him and sometimes have -talked to him in my sleep. - -But laying aside all sentiment in regard to his dogs, a man would -indeed be helpless in the north country without them. Into far and -almost inaccessible regions which no other beast could penetrate and -where neither man nor vehicle could enter unaided, the dogs run nimbly, -pulling a sled behind them. Many and dramatic (and true!) are the -stories of the arrival of a dog team in the nick of time with food and -supplies for a distant, snowed-in camp the members of which would have -starved but for their coming. - -Reference will be made in another chapter to the wonderful part our -dogs are now playing in the great World War. Alaskans have never -failed to appreciate what they owe them, but it is only within -comparatively recent years that they have realized their real value. -Nothing in the history of the country has been of more value to Alaska -than the Dog Derby, the "All-Alaska Sweepstakes," as the dog races are -called. - -Albert Fink, an attorney at Nome, one day overheard a bet between two -men as to the speed of their respective dog teams. As he owned some -fine dogs himself, he conceived the idea of having a real Derby, -matching the teams for the love of the sport itself. Calling together -all the dog lovers and dog owners of the community, he put the -suggestion before them. The result was the organization of the Nome -Kennel Club, a society the purpose of which was to foster the races. -The latter were to be known as the "All-Alaska Sweepstakes," and as -such the races have been known ever since. The club was organized and -conducted just as jockey clubs are. Rules and regulations were drawn -up, officers elected, and a purse of fifteen thousand dollars collected -for the first race. - -Some one has ventured the opinion that nothing on earth could ever have -made the city of Nome except the very thing that did make it,--the -discovery of gold in the sand on the beach! Be that as it may, it is -safe to say that since that discovery nothing has ever equaled the -interest it created until the first dog race was held in 1908. - -Men talked of nothing else. On the day of the race the stores, banks -and offices were deserted and it is a fact that the District Court was -forced to adjourn. Witnesses, jurors and attorneys failed to appear. -All went to the races. Thousands of dollars were wagered on the dogs, -thousands more on the men who drove them. It was a day of great -excitement and enthusiasm. - -The course was from Nome, on Bering Sea, across Seward Peninsula to -Candle and back,--a distance of four hundred and ten miles. The first -race was a great event. One of the conditions was that the whole team -must return to the starting-point. The weather was most severe and some -of the dogs froze to death. It is no uncommon sight in Alaska to see an -intrepid driver, in harness himself, helping to bring back in the sled -the disabled dogs which have become incapacitated by accident or -sickness. The man who loses a dog is out of the race, no matter what -the cause of the loss may be. The rules provide, however, that after -being certified at Candle, the turning-point, the dog does not -necessarily have to be _driven_ back. But the whole team must return. - -The winning team of the first race were Malamuts owned by Albert Fink, -driven by John Hegness. They made the distance in a hundred and -nineteen hours, fifteen minutes and twenty-two seconds. The winning -team was closely followed by one driven by the now-famous "Scotty" -Allen and which made the course in a hundred and twenty hours, seven -minutes and fifty-two seconds. Three hours elapsed before the third -team came in. - -The small margin of time between the first and second teams made the -race, which took days to finish, of unusual interest. There was great -uncertainty almost up to the last moment. But the race was regarded as -a success and the event became a fixture. Heretofore, while there had -been much discussion as to the breeding of racing dogs, it had been -largely theoretical. Now men who owned dogs began to put their minds on -it seriously. - -The purse of fifteen thousand dollars collected for the first race was -awarded in three prizes. Ten thousand went to the winner, three -thousand to the second and two thousand to the third team. It was -supposed when the amount was collected that it would be amply -sufficient to tempt dog owners to become fanciers and to induce the -importation and breeding of faster and better dogs. But the sum was -found to be inadequate. The total purse fell far short of the amount -necessary to assemble, feed, train and condition a team. - -The following year there were numerous entries for the second race. And -they were not confined to wealthy dog owners, by any means. Miners, fur -traders, mail carriers, to say nothing of the first delegate to -Congress, entered the contest. This time "Scotty" Allen came in for his -own. He drove his team himself and lowered the time to eighty-two -hours, two minutes and forty-two seconds,--thirty-seven hours less than -the time the first race had consumed. - -Perhaps the most interesting personage in connection with the early dog -racing in Alaska is Fox Ramsey. He is an Englishman, the brother of -Lord Dalhousie. He was what is commonly known as a Cheechaco,--in other -words, a tenderfoot. He was unused to the ways of the trail, and what -he did _not_ know about handling dogs would fill a book. But he was a -good sport. So he entered his team of Malamuts in the second race and -drove them himself. He took any amount of chaff from the local drivers -and the amusement of the latter was certainly justified. _Several -weeks_ after the race was over Ramsey drove up to the finishing post -and with the utmost good humor notified the judges that his team had -arrived! - -The old saying, however, that "he who laughs last laughs best" is -peculiarly applicable to Fox Ramsey. He chartered a schooner bound for -Siberia. When he returned, as some one has already recorded, "Siberian -huskies howled from every port hole." The crowd which had found so much -merriment in his racing team of the previous year laughed louder than -ever. They took not the slightest interest in the training of his dogs. -Ramsey kept his own counsel. When the time came he entered the race. -Then came Ramsey's turn to laugh. He took both first and second money! -Not only that, he broke the record. The new one was astonishing. He -covered the course in seventy-four hours, fourteen minutes and -twenty-two seconds. - -The good Alaskans, as always, showed the right spirit. Their amusement -changed to admiration. All existing theories as to the best breeds for -racing had been completely upset. Ramsey is now at the front "somewhere -in France" fighting for his country--and ours! Here's to him! - -It is the hope, of course, of every fancier to perfect a breed which -will lower the record still more, and many hope to prove that the -descendants of the wolf are best adapted to the needs of the country. -There is a new breed which is now being watched with interest,--the -stag-and fox-hound. It has proved excellent for speed in short races -but has not yet been able to hold out over the long course -of the Sweepstakes. Another experiment is with the Russian -wolf-hound,--beautiful dogs these are, but with courage as yet -untested. - -There is great difference of opinion as to the relative merits of the -various breeds, and since the third race the Derby has settled down to -a contest between those who believe in the superiority of the -fox-hound, bird dog and Malamut cross as pitted against the -pure-blooded Siberians. - -Those who have never trained or watched over the training and -conditioning of a team of racing dogs would find it a most interesting -experience. The food of the dogs, like that of a child, is carefully -watched over. It consists at first of dog-salmon, corn and cornmeal -mush, rice and bacon. Later this is changed to a more strengthening -diet. They are fed chopped beef, mutton and eggs. Also, one who has -never visited Alaska would open his eyes wide if he could see the -kennels where the dogs are kept. In fact, one sometimes wonders whether -the human inhabitants are as comfortable. To get a team in condition -requires the combined efforts of a large retinue of trainers, drivers -and helpers. The driver who is to pilot the first team of a kennel -devotes his time and attention to the choice few of some twenty or -thirty dogs. The helpers and second string drivers keep the remainder -in fit condition so as to develop and gait those which must be ready to -substitute in case any one of the first lot proves unequal to the -qualifications for entry,--speed, soundness, courage. - -It has often happened that dogs the fame of which has spread not only -over Alaska but over all the world have developed from the second -string. One such was Baldy of Nome, the hero of a book written by his -owner, Mrs. C. E. Darling, commonly known as "The Darling of the Dogs." -Baldy is old now,--a pensioner. He lives in ease and luxury at the -California estate of his mistress. His story is interesting. He was -rejected at first as being not of sufficient caliber for the first -team. Whether the rejection spurred him to renewed effort I do not -know. But he proceeded to prove his worth. He won his way from wheel of -the second team to leader of the first team. Baldy occupies a warm spot -in every Alaskan heart. He worked up from the ranks,--a "self-made" -dog, so to speak, and proved his courage, his sagacity, his strength, -and his endurance. One of the most interesting things about him is that -he now possesses the largest service flag of any one of my -acquaintance. Twenty-eight of his sons and grandsons went to the Vosges -to "do their bit," and Baldy now wears the _Croix de Guerre_ bestowed -upon them by the French government! - -Of the now-famous dogs of the Derby mention must be made of Dubby. He -was the first "loose" leader ever developed in Alaska and the best. He -was almost human in intelligence. He ran free from the tow line. He -would take his place proudly at the head of his team, with no restraint -of tow or leash, observing the spoken commands with instant obedience. -From his position of authority at the head of the team, by incessant -yelping and playful antics, he would encourage the others, and woe to -any one of them that proved the laggard! Dubby promptly punished him. -He would run back, bark and then nip him until the offender was only -too glad to return to duty and resume gait. Other dogs which have won -fame in the Derby are (1) Jack McMillan, a leader belonging to Albert -Fink; (2) Rex, a pacer; (3) The Blatchford Blues, two thoroughbred -Llewellyn setters, wonderful both as to speed and intelligence; (4) -Kalma, a beautiful, white-eyed, black-coated Siberian who has proved -the most lasting campaigner of them all. - -Not to the dogs alone, however, much as we love them, is due the credit -for the success of the Alaskan Derby. Too much can not be said for the -trainers and drivers. All of them were men deeply versed in dog lore. -They had made a study of many years' duration and were imbued with -theories as to the training and conditioning of dogs,--theories as -varied as were the breeds of the dogs themselves. These men were -knights of the trail, inured to hardship, fleet and sure of foot, -gifted both with physical endurance and courage to which no words can -do justice. Mention has already been made of "Scotty" Allen. He is -known to every man, woman and child on Seward Peninsula. He has been in -every race except the last one, either with a team of his own or one -owned jointly by himself and Mrs. Darling. He developed and owns the -two famous leaders, Dubby and Buddy, and their reputation is -world-wide. - -To "Scotty" Allen the French Government entrusted the responsibility of -choosing and transporting to France more than a hundred of the -Sweepstake dogs. Further reference will be made to their noble work on -the war-swept fields of Europe where, with a courage and daring -equaled only by their human brothers, they carry ammunition and -supplies far into the mountains,--often to remote and seemingly -inaccessible spots where the soldiery could not penetrate without them. -It was because of this mission that Allen was unable to enter the last -race and as he has recently been elected to the Alaskan Legislature he -will also be deprived of the privilege of entering this year. The -session is held at the same time as the Derby. In any other country the -latter might be postponed. Here it is not possible. It is a matter of -much regret that the Derby can not be made a territorial affair. This -was the original intention, as the name, All-Alaska Sweepstakes, -indicates. But it proved impossible. The race could not be held after -the spring break-up. It must have the hard spring trail and the cold -weather, and the trainers must have the whole of the winter for the -training and conditioning of the dogs. Therefore, April must be the -month and, regrettable as the fact is, this prevents teams from -Fairbanks, Iditarod and other Alaskan towns from entering. The men from -these sections could not well take chances on the disappearance of the -trail by an early thaw before they could return home again for the -spring clean-ups. But almost every Alaskan town now has its own Kennel -Club, small or large as the case may be, and all are actively alive to -the sport. Moreover, the "Outside" is by no means indifferent. Many -contributions to the purse come each year to the Nome Kennel Club. - -Trophies for the different races, usually cups, are, almost without -exception, the gifts of men in the United States who are devotees of -the sport. Unable to participate themselves, they like to aid and -encourage the event. The latest trophy, and the one which -unquestionably will be most sought after this year, is the cup -presented by John Borden, Chicago sportsman and millionaire, who joined -the Club last summer while in Nome. This cup is for a new -contest,--extreme speed being the object. The course is to cover -twenty-six miles, three hundred yards. It must be run under perfect -conditions, it being the object and the desire of both donor and Club -to learn how fast a dog team can actually travel without obstacles. The -winner each year will be given a small cup, and the big trophy must be -won three times in succession before it becomes the property of the -winner. - -In addition to Allen and Ramsey, other drivers have made substantial -but less spectacular winnings. Two of these are the Johnson brothers -and another is Leonard Sepalla. Their dogs were Siberians, driven in a -long string, fifteen to twenty-six to a team. These men have marvelous -records for endurance, as has also Peter Berg, a mail carrier. The -latter did a hundred and thirty miles without a stop for food or rest. -The last thirty miles was made in harness, and in snow shoes, with what -was left of his badly used-up team. Then, after hauling a large part of -his frost-bitten and exhausted dogs to the finishing post he found that -he had been beaten to second money by a man who had ridden four hundred -miles behind his untiring and seemingly inexhaustible Siberians. - -If the Alaskan Derby had had but one result,--that of developing a -superior race of dogs--it would have been invaluable to Alaska. But it -has done one other thing in which every dog lover rejoices. It has not -only benefited the racing dog. It has materially benefited the -condition of the working dog. The old rule of feeding an exhausted and -over-worked team "buckskin soup" no longer goes in Alaska. Very few -drivers now have the temerity to abuse a dog. It has been proved beyond -doubt that better results come from kindness and care than can possibly -be obtained by neglect or brutal treatment. - -So, after many years' sojourn in the country, I paraphrase the saying -of the old Southern planter. I affirm that he who does not love a dog -never owned one! Here's to them,--dumb heroes of the trackless -wilderness and the gigantic snow fields! Over the frozen wastes they -cheerfully pull both driver and load for thousands of miles and come up -smiling when the end of the long journey is reached. Into their -masters' deepest affections they unconsciously walk and "stay put." -They become his most sympathetic companions, comrades and friends. And -the news which from time to time reaches us from "over there" where our -canine heroes are doing their "bit" in a manner little short of -miraculous goes straight to our hearts. Yes. The dog has come into his -own. And all Alaska rejoices that it is so. Over a kingdom of devoted -subjects he reigns supreme! - - - - - CHAPTER XI - - BURIED WEALTH - - -It is not the purpose of such a book as this to go into detail in -regard to the gold and the other minerals which lie hidden in the heart -of Alaska. There are many volumes dealing with the gold fields and with -mines and mining which contain such definite information along those -lines as the student may seek. But to those who knew Alaska both before -and after the great stampede of 1898 the change of scene in the -locality offers food for thought. In the great Interior, where once man -alone, with only his pick and shovel, coaxed from Mother Earth in small -quantities the precious yellow metal, huge monsters with an endless -chain of buckets now swoop down, dig up sand and gravel by the ton and -search every ounce of it for gold. One may now take a motor car and -ride out to the spots where in the early days bewildering fortunes were -made in a short space of time,--fortunes which in many cases were spent -as fast as they were made. A well-known missionary of the Episcopal -Church relates that one day during his travels he met a man freighting -with dogs along the Koyakuk River. He learned while stopping at the -camp that night that in the palmy days of the gold rush this man had -offered a dance-hall girl her weight in gold dust if she would marry -him. She refused. But she told him she would get his dust anyway. And -she did! - -Twenty years have gone by since the madness at Dawson, Nome, and the -other gold centers was at its height. The true story of the stampede to -Klondike has never been written. Perhaps it never will be. It was -unique,--not so much in the number who flocked to the gold fields. Of -those who went between 1897 and 1900 thirty thousand is an elastic -estimate. Far greater was the multitude which flooded California during -the wild rush of '49. Eighty thousand in one year! Five thousand ships, -deserted by both owners and crews, tossed idly in San Francisco Bay. -Three years later there was a much larger migration to Australia. A -hundred thousand gold seekers entered the port of Melbourne in 1852! -But the Klondike stampede is without a parallel in history because of -the conditions to be confronted. Never before had a gold region been so -inaccessible, so remote. Never before had such masses of men flung -themselves against an Arctic wilderness, determined to do or die! The -result was only what was to be expected. The physically unfit perished. -Only the hardy survived. Hundreds of men, fresh from offices and shops, -came, bringing their city-bred habits and customs. They found them of -no value in this land where Nature, in her fiercest and most savage -mood, awaited them. They died,--died in almost every conceivable -manner. They perished of exhaustion, of starvation, of disease. They -were the victims of their own ignorance and lack of experience. They -were drowned. They were smothered in snow-slides. Only the fittest held -out. These, making long journeys up and down the frozen rivers, through -dense forests and over rough mountains, ofttimes pulling their own -sleds,--these have left no record of those tragic days for the world to -read! - -The Matanuska coal fields are the richest in the world, not excepting -the rich mines of Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky. They lie in -ninety square miles of territory. The vein is fourteen feet and bears -the highest grade of coking coal,--the only coal except that to be -found in Virginia which is fit for the use of the Navy. It is estimated -that this coal can be mined and shipped to San Francisco at a cost of -four dollars a ton, that if it should be sold at retail at six dollars -a ton, the price would be nine dollars cheaper than the present price -of coal in Los Angeles! In my judgment this solves the coal question, -both as to its use for domestic purposes and in time of war as well. -The new government railroad leads directly into the Matanuska coal -fields. - -As far as the mineral deposits,--the gold, copper, tin, etc.,--are -concerned one may truthfully say that they have not yet been touched, -although the yearly output is more than thirty-two million dollars. The -richest mines are not the gold mines. They are the copper mines. Last -year (1917) the Kennicott copper mines produced the largest per cent of -the thirty-two million. And the copper production doubles in value the -entire production of gold. Since the purchase of Alaska the country has -produced in excess of five hundred million dollars,--a country which -was bought for seven million two hundred and fifty thousand! Alaska was -Uncle Sam's best bargain. - -Harry Olsen, a member of Stefanson's latest expedition, asserts that -fabulous deposits of native copper were seen by them on Bank's Island, -about six hundred miles north of Great Bear Lake. The Eskimos use -copper for everything for which any kind of metal is used and because -it is so plentiful and so easy to obtain they think it of no value. - -In 1913 I was going from Nome to Siberia on the S. S. _Victoria_. Among -the passengers were Dr. and Mrs. Anderson and several members of -Stefanson's party. We put them off into their own boats in the -Roadstead, outside of Nome. The expedition was wrecked just after -leaving Diomede Islands and the party lost for a year. Amundsen, when -he returned through the Northwest Passage, reported having seen a tribe -of blond Eskimos. Stefanson was on his way to verify that report. Later -a second expedition was fitted out and the report substantiated. - -There are many famous placer gold mines,--at Nome, at Dawson, and at -the other localities in the Yukon. Two of the largest quartz mines in -the world are at Juneau,--the Alaska Juneau and the Alaska Gastineau. -Each plant handles from eight to ten thousand tons of ore a day. The -Juneau mines had produced sixty-two millions of dollars' worth of ore -when the ocean broke through and flooded the works. Two-thirds of the -property was ruined. But the remaining third, now enclosed by a huge -concrete dam, is still producing. The famous Treadwell mines are on -Douglas Island and have recently had a similar experience. About a -year ago they also were flooded and sustained a serious loss. - -[Illustration: SLUICING THE WINTER DUMP AT FAIRBANKS] - -[Illustration: THE THIRD BEACH AT NOME FROM WHICH WAS TAKEN MILLIONS OF -DOLLARS WORTH OF GOLD IN DUST AND NUGGETS] - -[Illustration: ONE NIGHT'S CATCH. NEARLY FIVE THOUSAND SALMON WEIGHING -APPROXIMATELY 75,000 POUNDS] - -[Illustration: A FISHWHEEL] - -I have already said that it is not my purpose to go into detail in -regard to the mines and the other industries of the North. I wish only -to reveal the opportunities which lie waiting for him who is alert for -business chances. When the new railroad is completed any able-bodied -man who has energy, initiative and ambition can get into the interior -of this rich country at little expense. And if it were generally known -how many hundred prospectors are laying their plans to be there during -this present year (1918) the laggard would bestir himself! It can not -be long until _all_ the industries of Alaska will be opened up upon a -large scale. The climate, while severe at times, need not deter any -well man or woman from going. People here dress for the weather. Real -suffering from cold is seldom known. Nobody has "bad colds" in Alaska. -The cold is dry and invigorating. Nowhere on earth will one find men -and women of such perfect health. Nowhere will one see sturdier, -healthier, more rosy-cheeked children. Moreover, novelists and -playwrights to the contrary, the living and working conditions here are -governed by the very same principles and laws as those of other lands. -Any man or woman can get on in Alaska just as long as he or she is "on -the square." Otherwise either of them, in my judgment, will, in time, -come to grief anywhere. - -As was the case with the railroads, the government was up against the -proposition of government ownership or private monopoly in regard to -the rich coal fields of Alaska. When their value was discovered, -capitalists and entry men with speculative tendencies swooped down upon -the coal treasures of the country, horse, foot and dragoon. For a time -it seemed that the entire potential wealth of the land was to have the -usual fate,--that of being brought under monopolistic control. - -The United States Government has ill repaid Theodore Roosevelt for much -that he has done. But Alaskans will not forget and the United States -will one day realize what he did for them in this particular instance. -When he saw what was about to happen, with his characteristic method of -doing things first and asking permission afterward, he withdrew every -acre of coal-bearing land in Alaska from entry! This was nearly fifteen -years ago. Alaska sat helpless and gnashed her teeth while legislation -fought with politics and speculation wrestled with finance. - -Being able to see the absurdity which never fails to appear in such -crises and to laugh at it has saved many a man from losing his chances -of going to Heaven! One day in 1913 I chanced to be at Dutch Harbor -where the battleship _Maryland_ was coaling. Had the _Maryland_ carried -a gun such as the German one which fired on Paris on Good Friday of the -present year she might have fired a volley which could have landed -squarely in the Matanuska coal fields! There was nothing funny in the -situation to an Alaskan, of course, but I was moved to unseemly mirth -when I saw that _Pocahontas_ coal _from Virginia_ going into her -bunkers! We in Alaska (_miserere_!) were importing coal for our own use -from Washington, California and--Australia! - -Now, however, Alaska has her reward. The Secretary of the Interior has -re-opened the coal fields for entry. But permission is given only to -_lease_ the coal tracts. Before this book appears the first Alaskan -coal will be helping to fill the bunkers, not only of Alaska herself -but of the Pacific coast as well. - -There is one noticeable thing about the conditions imposed upon the -lessees of the coal fields by Secretary Lane and it is a point upon -which both the prospective lessee and employee should be informed. -These conditions provide for the safeguarding of the lives and welfare -of the miners. No operator may mine coal at minimum cost without -regard for the safety of his men. The rules are explicit. The lease -requires him to "leave ample support for the roof of the drifts and -stopes, to provide adequate ventilation, special exits, to guard -against explosion, flooding, 'squeezes' and fire." The protection of -the workman goes even further than this. No firm, or individual, -operating in government land, may work the miners longer than eight -hours a day. They must agree to pay them twice a month in cash. The -forced buying at stores owned by the company is strictly prohibited. -The operators, at the request of a majority of the miners, must grant -one of their number, chosen by vote, permission to check and weigh the -coal in cases where the miners' pay is based upon their output. - -Wise provisions these! The stormy and bloody history of the Colorado -fields is to have no repetition here if the foresight and the good -judgment of the Department of the Interior can prevent it. All these -things lend to the desirability of employment in Alaska. There are only -two spots in the country where the coal lands are in possession of -individuals or of private companies. Every other inch of it belongs to -the government. And it will keep on belonging to it! The Secretary of -the Interior, Mr. Franklin K. Lane, is the largest operating landlord -in the world. While you may not buy coal land in Alaska you may lease -it--for not more than fifty years. For each ton mined you pay a royalty -to the government. You may then ship your coal in a government -coal-car! One can see how easy it will be for a lessee to make money in -coal in Alaska. All he has to do is to dig! No speculating in coal -lands! No shifting and juggling of stocks and bonds of coal-carrying -railroads! So far as the coal fields and mining in Alaska are concerned -neither money, politics nor influence will avail to change the -situation one jot or one tittle! Amen! Hallelujah!! Waltz me around -again, Willie!!! - -With farm and mineral lands, however, it is different. These may pass -into the hands of private companies or individuals just as soon as the -latter can qualify to meet the conditions. We who know the country can -realize as outsiders can not what the railroad will mean to Alaska. One -may take a boat at the mouth of the Yukon, traveling westward to -southward, thence up the Tanana until he reaches Fairbanks which is -within a hundred miles of the Arctic Circle. Here the new railroad will -have its northern terminus. One may then take the train back to Seward, -riding through the great gold country--a section the wealth of which is -uncomputed--then on through the enormous coal fields, past farms laden -with crops, finding himself, when the end of the journey is reached, at -Seward, the terminus on the Peninsula, after a journey (not including -the water voyage) of four hundred and fifty miles. - -In proportion as commerce and industry grow opportunities for labor -will increase. The omnipresent automobile will bring with it the -necessity for the garage, the repair shop, the chauffeur, the -mechanician. The railroad terminals mean new towns and new towns mean -business houses. Wherever there is a road in process of construction -there is always a chance for women. The workmen must be fed and -provided with sleeping quarters. Boarding houses, laundries, etc., are -indispensable. But----. I should not be honest either with myself or -with my readers if I did not here utter one word of warning. No woman -need be afraid to go to Alaska, but both men and women should go wisely -and in full understanding of conditions there. Both _must_ be equipped -to meet those conditions. The first is the promise, oral or written, of -a job before going! The other is the means to return home at any time. -No one should go to Alaska without having first provided for one or -both of these conditions. - - - - - CHAPTER XII - - THE HAUNT OF THE SALMON - - -The greatest industry in Alaska is unquestionably the salmon fishing. -More than two hundred and fifty kinds of edible fish abound in Alaskan -waters and this does not include trout and grayling in the streams -where only the latter are to be found. Most of the halibut eaten in the -United States comes from Alaska. These fish often weigh as high as two -hundred pounds. Large numbers of whales are caught and prepared for -market annually. The fish products of the country have already netted -more than two hundred million dollars. - -Nothing in the history of all Nature is more wonderful (or more tragic) -than the story of the salmon. So wonderful is it that it is almost -beyond the power of the human brain to comprehend it. Until the advent -of the motion picture--one of the greatest educators of our day and -generation--few knew that the salmon returns to the very spot where it -was spawned to die. After thirty months at sea, during which time -nothing is known of them, they are drawn by some mysterious instinct -back to the very spot of their birth. Sometimes the return necessitates -a journey of fifteen hundred miles and during that journey nothing is -eaten. Fishermen, both white and native, have told me repeatedly that -they have never yet found anything in the stomach of a salmon. They -leave the ocean and enter the rivers early in the spring. As soon as -they enter fresh water they cease eating. Their stomachs shrink as -their appetites fail and they have therefore no desire to return to the -salt-water feeding-grounds. When they reach their destination they -reproduce, which is the object of the long journey. Shortly afterward -they die. Life, seemingly, is complete for them when they have reached -the waters which gave them birth and have transmitted life to others. -This done, they drop down the river with the current and are seen no -more. From three to four hundred eggs to each pound of the parent fish -is the average spawn. And yet----. The artificial propagation of the -salmon goes on ceaselessly. It is compared to the sowing of seed by the -farmer. The culture of the eggs in a hatchery and the distribution of -fingerlings lay the foundation for an increased harvest year by year. - -To me the return of the salmon to the spawning grounds is the most -marvelous thing in the world. From its source in the snow-capped -mountains of the interior to the spot where it flows, bell-toned and -majestic, into the sea, the Yukon with its various tributaries is more -than twenty-five hundred miles long! And the water is muddy. The fish -wheels, useless in clear water, are in constant motion. How, then, does -the salmon determine the exact spot at which to leave the river and -enter the particular tributary from which, originally, it came? Only -once has it been in it before,--the time when as a fingerling of two or -three inches it made its first swift journey out to sea! What man, even -if he had all manner of landmarks to guide him, would undertake to -return to the spot he left in childhood if in order to do so he had to -leave the broad ocean and follow twenty-five hundred miles of water -which is first river, then tributary, then creek, then brook and -finally a lake? It is not worth while to try to reduce the thing to -intelligible terms. It is incomprehensible. No human intelligence can -explain the spawning migration of the salmon. Yet long-continued and -careful investigation and observation in every stream of the Pacific -coast have established these facts beyond question. - -He who has never seen a "run" of salmon has something yet to live for! -I know of no other event which equals it. The heaviest runs are in May, -June, and July, the catch being largest in the latter month. The -largest fish are caught in May. The "royal family" of salmon is the -King. These are best in June. Often they weigh from fifty to eighty -pounds. The king salmon never rises to the fly. The canneries take them -by the wheel. - -I shall never forget my first view of a fish wheel and a cannery. I -thought the wheel the nearest approach to an infernal machine that I -had ever seen--until I got into the cannery! The wheels are fashioned -of wire-gauze compartments and are built in places near high-water mark -where salmon are known to run in greatest numbers, usually at the head -of natural or artificial channels in the river bed. "Like a cradle -endless rocking" the wheel revolves, scooping up the unsuspecting and -beautiful creatures literally by thousands. It is the blackest and -bloodiest of murder. Nothing else! But----. In the "Outside" they -insist on eating salmon and the canneries can not supply the demand -without the wheel. - -Kipling, in his _American Notes_, says that he saw a ton of salmon -taken on the Columbia River as one night's catch from the revolving -cups of a giant wheel. My own first sight of a fish wheel in operation -beats the story of this renowned writer all to pieces. The proprietor -announced that the catch of this night was _five tons_, an amount which -taxes the credulity of any man in his right mind. With a fascination -which no words can describe I watched those fish being unloaded. Huge -fifty-pounders, hardly dead, scores weighing from twenty to thirty -pounds and myriads of smaller ones! The warehouse, built on piles in -the bend of the river, was not far away, and as I was there for the -purpose of seeing the process from first to last, I went aboard the -barge onto which the salmon had been tossed. Presently we drew up -alongside the warehouse and unloaded the fish. Like a man hypnotized I -followed my guide up the scale-strewn, fishy incline which led into the -cannery. - -None but natives worked in this particular cannery. The building shook -and shivered with every chug of the machinery. I watched them cross and -re-cross the slippery floor and I could think of nothing but the Devil -and a blood-bespattered Devil at that! - -My experience up to this moment, however, was not a circumstance to -what happened next! When the boxes containing the fish were thrown down -under a jet of water they broke of their own accord and the salmon -burst into a stream of silver. A native jerked one up, a -twenty-pounder, deftly beheaded and detailed it in two swift strokes of -a knife. With equal deftness he relieved it of its internal -arrangements by a third stroke. Then he tossed it into a bloody-dyed -tank. The headless, tailless, _inside_less fish fairly leaped from his -hands--just as though it were once more taking the rapids. But not so. -The next man caught him up short. What the first man had left undone -the second one polished off to a fine degree. He proceeded to commit -additional murder of the most damnable sort. He thrust the fish under a -machine resembling a chaff-cutter which hewed and hacked it into -unseemly red pieces ready for the can and the poor mutilated remains -were ready for the third man. - -With long, bony, crooked fingers he jammed the pieces into cans which, -sliding down a marvelous machine, forthwith proceeded to solder their -own tops as they passed! The fourth man tested the can for flaws and -then it was sunk (with hundreds of others) into a vat of boiling water -to be cooked for a few minutes. The cans bulged slightly after this -operation and were slidden along on trolleys to the fifth man who with -a needle and soldering iron vented them and then soldered the little -aperture. The process was finished--all except the label. This -attached, the "finest salmon on the market" was ready for shipment. - -In Alaska we get used to almost everything in time, but I confess that -it took me some time to pull myself together after this experience. -Never had I been so conscious of the grim contrasts of life as when I -stepped outside that cannery! In that rude factory, the floor of which -was but forty by ninety feet, I had seen the most civilized and the -most murderous machinery! Outside, only a few feet away, before my eyes -lay the most beautiful of God's country,--the immense solitude of the -hills! I fairly fled down to the launch by which I was to journey back -down the river, trying to get as far away as possible from the -slippery, scale-spangled, oily floors and the blood-bespattered -Eskimos. But it was like a doctor's first surgical operation. I got -over it, and after several years' residence in the country became so -accustomed to the sights of a cannery that they now make little or no -impression. The canneries are Alaska's greatest asset. - -To state how many cans of salmon go out yearly would be an impossible -task. All we know is that the value of the Alaskan salmon fisheries -can not be computed. It is true that Alaska derives much of her wealth -from the copper, gold and silver mines and her practically untouched -coal deposits. But her fisheries are the most important of her -industries. Mines have a way of giving out suddenly, for no apparent -reason. But the fish reproduce themselves each year. The fisheries of -Alaska can not fail. - -Next to the fisheries the fur business is perhaps the most important -industry. Here again is a business opening for him who seeks it. As -very warm clothing is necessary, tanners ought to find the land full of -opportunities. The fur business is perhaps the _easiest_ way to -affluence which presents itself in Alaska. Native hunters and trappers -follow the old rule and hunt their prey from Nature's supply. But many -have already gone into the raising of fur-bearing animals as a -business, just as the farmer raises sheep for the wool. - -Fox farming is the most popular and a great industry is being -developed. Many who began this business in Alaska have since -transported it to the States. In the west are some twelve or fifteen -such institutions and the eastern States also contain a few. The value -of the fox fur is known to all and, as has been said, from four to -seven hundred dollars is not an unusual price for the black and silver -fox skins. - -Judge Martin F. Moran, of the Kobuk district, is experimenting in -angora goat-raising in which he thinks there is a great future. Judge -Moran lives twenty miles north of the Arctic Circle. Since the breaking -out of the war angora ranchers in the west have netted large fortunes -by supplying mohair, and conditions for raising the goats are less -favorable there than in Alaska. Judge Moran is planning (and has -perhaps already carried out his plan) to import a herd of angoras which -shall graze upon the rich reindeer moss which grows so abundantly in -the tundra of western and northern Alaska. - -The sea-otter, the most valuable fur-bearing animal, may not now be -hunted, according to a law enacted by Congress, until November first, -1920. These were formerly numerous, but they are now threatened with -extinction and are to be found only on some of the Aleutian Islands. It -has been estimated that during the Russian occupation two hundred and -sixty thousand sea-otter skins were taken, valued at twenty-six million -dollars. Since the United States took over the country in 1867 about -ninety thousand have been marketed. Now, however, the output is only -about twenty skins a year. A good otter skin is very valuable, ranging -in price from eight hundred to eighteen hundred dollars. - -The seal-fur industry, although developed by the Russians, reached its -height after the territory was acquired by the United States. From 1867 -to 1902 seal skins to the value of thirty-five million dollars were -exported. The fur seal, although widely distributed throughout the -country, has but one breeding place,--the Pribilof Islands. Here most -of the skins are taken. The seals were slaughtered in the most ruthless -fashion and the government at last awoke to the knowledge that the seal -was in a fair way to follow the sea-otter unless protected. In 1870 the -capture of seals on these islands was prohibited by law. The United -States took charge of the islands and the fisheries. Natives may kill -annually only enough seals to provide themselves with food and -clothing. The destruction of the herds was thus halted by the -government and in 1912 the census revealed two hundred and fifteen -thousand, nine hundred and forty seals. - -From the sale of fox furs and seal skins the government has derived -during the last twenty-five years a direct revenue almost covering the -total purchase price of Alaska. There are approximately twenty thousand -white people in the territory. In China there are four hundred -million. Yet in 1915 the United States trade with Alaska was five -million dollars in excess of the total United States trade with China! - - - - - CHAPTER XIII - - THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD - - -Alaska is a land of scenic splendor. She has scenery as beautiful as -that of Switzerland or New Zealand. From my own cottage doorway I have -seen sunsets which equaled those of Mont Blanc, famed in song and -story, and I have traveled through valleys which in summer rivaled the -celebrated Vale of Chamounix. Whoever it was who selected the Seven -Wonders of the World of which we learned in our school days would have -had to add to the list if he had ever dwelt for any length of time -"north of fifty-three." - -The country boasts some of the greatest wonders of Nature. The Calico -Bluffs on the Yukon are as high as the Washington monument and their -strata look much like agate formations. She has five thousand glaciers -which are giants in comparison with those of the Alps. The Childs -Glacier is as tall as the dome of the capital at Washington. Of the -hundreds of others there are many that are known as "first class" -glaciers. By this is meant that they discharge their contents into the -sea direct. Among them are the LeConte, Dawes, Brown, Sawyer and Taku. -It is the latter which furnishes the bergs that surround the ships -which carry travelers northward through the "Inside" route. From the -deck of the vessel, near Taku Inlet, forty-five glaciers may be -counted. Of these, as you face Taku, Norris glacier stands to the left. -It is unique in that it sends out two seemingly full-grown rivers, one -flowing to north and one to south. Flowers may be seen growing in the -forest glades nearby, and remnants of tree stumps two feet in diameter -reveal that the glacier must once have withdrawn long enough at least -to permit them to grow. Then a change of climate or other natural -action must have pushed the ice forward again to cut them off and grind -them into fragments,--making them a part of the glacial debris. - -Mendenhall Glacier is near Juneau. It is easily reached by automobile -and a delightful experience it is to ride along the highway leading to -it. The road is fringed with masses of wild flowers. Imagine, if you -can, sitting in the shade of a gigantic cottonwood, or spruce, and -eating ice cream made from the milk of cows which now pasture upon the -grass where once the ice stood a thousand feet deep! Mendenhall, -according to the best authorities, is at least twenty-five miles -long,--almost twice the length of the largest glacier the Alps affords. - -The highest mountain peak in Alaska was known to the Russians as -_Bulshaia_ and to the natives of Cook Inlet as _Traleyka_. Both words -signify the "great" or the "high" mountain. The natives of the interior -called it _Denali_, but in 1895 it was named Mt. McKinley. It is twenty -thousand three hundred feet high, exceeded in height only by Aconcogua -of South America and Mt. Everest in Indo-China. It was named by W. A. -Dickey, who saw it from the Susitna River. Later its position and -altitude were determined. Many have attempted to ascend it. In 1912 -Prof. Herschel Parker of Columbia University and Mr. Belmore Browne of -Tacoma, Washington, got within three hundred feet of the summit, and in -1913, Rev. Hudson Stuck, Archdeacon of the Yukon and author of _Ten -Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled_ and _Voyages on the Yukon_, together -with three companions, reached the top. - -Above the recently-created National Park Mt. McKinley towers in -majestic sublimity, the everlasting sentinel, the guardian, as it were, -of the last and loveliest spot on earth which remains as Nature -fashioned it, still untouched by human hands. - -Mt. St. Elias is better known and has been much written about. Its -height is eighteen thousand and twenty-four feet. Mt. Logan is nineteen -thousand five hundred and forty feet. Of the two now-celebrated passes -in the mountains of the Yukon, the Chilkoot and White Pass, the former -is at a height of three thousand one hundred feet and the latter at a -height of twenty-eight hundred feet. It was over these passes that the -gold-seekers of 1898 stampeded into Klondike. - -But the mountains of Alaska, glorious, majestic and awe-inspiring as -they are, are the losers when compared with the greatest of Alaskan -wonders, the volcanoes. Of these, Mt. Katmai, opposite the Island of -Kodiak, the terrific eruption of which in June, 1912, is well -remembered, is most celebrated. At that time a mass of ash and pummice, -the volume of which is estimated at _five cubic miles_, was thrown into -the air. It buried an area about the size of the State of Connecticut -to a depth varying from ten inches to ten feet and smaller amounts of -the ash fell as far as nine hundred miles away. Unquestionably, the -notoriously cold, wet summer which followed the eruption was due to the -fine dust which was thrown into the higher regions of the atmosphere -to such an extent as to have a profound effect upon the weather. At the -time of the eruption I was at sea, on my way from St. Michael to the -States. It was not long until the ash began falling over us, filling -the air and seemingly trying to cover the face of the waters. It got -into our lungs and made them ache. It was not until some time later -that I heard that it was Mt. Katmai which had exploded and that the -eruption was one which would go down in history. There was not, of -course, the enormous loss of life which followed the eruptions of -Vesuvius, Stromboli and Mt. Pelee. But in other respects the explosion -of Mt. Katmai was unique. Kodiak, the town which was buried, was a -hundred miles away. Ash fell as far away as Juneau, Ketchikan and the -Yukon valley, distant respectively six hundred, seven hundred and fifty -and nine hundred miles. - -In the report of the leader of the National Geographic Society's Mt. -Katmai Expedition of 1915-'16, Robert F. Griggs, of the Ohio State -University, is the following paragraph which gives concisely a good -idea of the magnitude of the explosion: - -"Such an eruption of Vesuvius would bury Naples under fifteen feet of -ash. Rome would be covered a foot deep. The sound would be heard at -Paris. Dust from the crater would fall in Brussels and Berlin and the -fumes would be noticeable far beyond Christiana, Norway." - -Yet it was only a little over a year after this eruption that I myself -saw those ash-laden hills covered again with green verdure! The native -blue-top hay was growing right through the ash which had been washed -off the hills and was then covering the land a foot and a half deep. I -was deeply interested in the native method of harvesting this hay. In -the pursuit of agriculture as I understood it I had never encountered -this practice elsewhere. The hay was cut high up on the mountain. It -was done into bundles in fish nets and was then sent tumbling down the -mountain-side to the bottom. There it was picked up and carried off -homeward or else loaded on boats to be shipped elsewhere. - -At the time of the eruption the natives, fortunately for them, were all -away fishing. They were never permitted to return to their mountain. -The government built them a new town and conveyed them thither in a -body, thus establishing them in it. The village was not near the -crater. It was about twenty-five miles away. This is five times as far -distant from the volcano as Pompeii was from Vesuvius or St. Pierre -from Mt. Pelee. - -As has been said, the verdure has returned. Around Kodiak it is -vividly, beautifully green. But the Katmai Valley, once fertile and now -a barren waste, contains what the writer firmly believes to be the most -wonderful and awe-inspiring sight in the whole world. On the second -visit of the Expedition of the National Geographic Society, the -following year, Prof. Griggs explored and named it. He called it "The -Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes"--than which there could be no better -name! - -There are no words in the language capable of giving any definite -impression of the scene. Stretching away as far as the eye can see, -until the valley is lost in the far-distant mountains, lie literally -thousands of small volcanos, replicas in miniature of Katmai, the -Great! From almost every one of them shoots a slender column of steam -which rises steadily and gracefully, sometimes to a height of a -thousand feet before it breaks or even wavers! Words become futile. One -could not exaggerate it if he tried. There would not be an adjective -left in the language when he finished! - -My own view of the valley was hasty, superficial and from a respectful -distance! I can well appreciate, however, what the Expedition endured -in order to give to the world knowledge of this wondrous spot. I -heartily commend to the readers of this volume the report of Prof. -Griggs in the National Geographic Magazine for May, 1917, in which he -relates the experience of himself and his party as they made their way -back and forth, plunging through suffocating vapors, trapping gases for -chemical analysis, making soundings, mapping the course of the valley -and studying the geology of what he calls "the most amazing example of -her processes which Nature has yet revealed to twentieth century -man,--one of Vulcan's melting pots from which the earth was created." -In a tent less than two miles from one of the huge clouds of steam he -slept at night and on one of the large flat stones outside, so hot that -it was a natural stove, the members of the Expedition cooked their -food. - -One gets the best idea of the magnitude of the valley by comparing it -with our Yellowstone Park. The Katmai valley is thirty-two miles long, -about two miles wide and seventy square miles in area. In the -Yellowstone are four thousand hot springs and a hundred geysers -scattered over three thousand square miles. The geysers occur in -isolated basins the total area of which is hardly twenty miles. The -largest one, and it plays but seldom, shoots up a column about three -hundred feet high. Old Faithful, which is the only one the tourist can -ever be sure of seeing in action, is only a hundred feet high. In the -Alaskan valley, however, observe the contrast. _There are thousands of -vents in constant action._ Some of these ascend more than five thousand -feet into the air when conditions are good and when the valley is -wind-swept they creep along the ground for two or three miles! These -vents are not geysers. They are hot springs. Geysers can exist only -when the rock through which they break is sufficiently cool to permit -water to form. It is unlikely therefore that there will ever be geysers -here,--at least not for many centuries. The valley may gradually cool -so as to permit their formation. But it will be ages hence. - -Prof. Griggs is emphatic in his belief that there is nothing known to -mankind with which "The Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes" can be compared. -I agree with him. Would that it were more accessible to the traveler -and that no tourist would return from a sojourn in Alaska without -seeing it! I shall never cease to be grateful that a fortunate -circumstance permitted me to obtain even so small a peep at it. Surely -nothing approaching it has been seen by man upon this earth. The -Expedition report states, among other interesting things, that the -water is so hot that the thermometer would not register it and that the -heat from the stones would char a piece of wood instantly! - -Kilauea, in Hawaii, has always borne the reputation of being king of -volcanoes. It is now dethroned. Mention has already been made of Mt. -Shishaldin, on Unimak Island. As no geographer has ever visited it, -little is known about it. Katmai, however, is unquestionably the -monarch. Not so much in diameter, circumference or area does it exceed -Kilauea. It is in depth. Kilauea's greatest depth is five hundred feet. -Katmai's is thirty-seven hundred feet! - -In an attempt to give some idea of the magnitude of Katmai, I quote -once more from Prof. Griggs' report: - -"If every single structure in New York, Brooklyn, the Bronx and the -other boroughs of Greater New York were gathered together and deposited -in the crater of Mt. Katmai," he says, "the hole that remained would -still be _more than twice as large as that of Kilauea_." The king is -dead. Long live the king--of volcanoes! - -From the glaciers and the mountains of Alaska to the rivers is but a -natural turn. One of the most important factors in the life and -commercial development of a country is, of course, her river -navigation. Alaska has two great gateways to Bering Strait,--the Yukon -and Kuskokwim rivers. Until recently only the Yukon was available for -commercial purposes, but the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey -has announced that at last a channel has been charted through the delta -of the Kuskokwim. This means much. It means that a River of Doubt has -become a River of Promise! - -Because of the latitude at which they enter Bering Sea the Yukon is -navigable for three and a half and the Kuskokwim for four months only. -The entrance of the Yukon is shallow, that of the Kuskokwim tortuous -and not well known. But once inside, an ordinary river boat can -navigate the Yukon to White Horse, in Canada, a distance of twenty-two -hundred miles. In spite of the short seasons the possibilities of using -the river in the development of the valley are apparent and will -suffice for some time to come. Navigation is also fairly good on the -lower Copper River, the Kobuk, and smaller streams. When it comes to -the most winding and tortuous watercourse I have ever encountered, -however,--respectfully I salute the Iditarod! One's supply of -adjectives, however ample under ordinary circumstances, fails him -completely when he attempts to do justice to the crookedness of this -river. It writhes and twists and turns like some huge serpent, and -when it can think of nothing else to do it doubles back on its own -track! To try to follow it would give a man delirium tremens, and like -Tennyson's brook it "goes on forever!" - -The Pacific coast line, including the Aleutian Islands, has many -excellent harbors. With the exception of Cook Inlet, these are open to -navigation from November until June, but the ice pack does not extend -far south of St. Lawrence Island. This part of the coast is almost -without harbors. The Arctic Ocean is open from July to September, -permitting navigation to Alaskan ports. - -There is cable communication between Seattle and certain parts of -southeastern Alaska,--Cordova, Valdez and Seward. Telegraph lines run -from Valdez to Fairbanks and down the Yukon to St. Michael from which -point there is wireless communication with Nome. These are all military -lines. The Navy Department maintains wireless stations at Kodiak and -Unalaska. The War Department has wireless stations at Sitka, Cordova, -Fairbanks, Circle, Eagle and Nulato. There are also private wireless -stations at Iditarod and on Bristol Bay and many of the mining -districts are now provided with telephone lines. - -The United States Government is thoroughly awake to the necessity of -making safe the now-dangerous waters of southern Alaska. They are now -being charted and soon the old title "The Graveyard of the Pacific" -will no longer apply to them. Within the past sixty years three hundred -ships have gone down upon the rocks. Valuable cargoes amounting to -eight million dollars and lives to the number of five hundred have here -been lost. Both to southeast and southwest of Alaska lie many -mountainous islands, and ofttimes the lower half of the mountain will -be lost in the water. Like the submerged lower half of the iceberg -which wrecked the _Titanic_, they lie in wait, seemingly, for the -ignorant or the unwary and rip open the hulls of the ships that venture -too near. - -The light-house service of Alaska leaves much to be desired. The first -buoy was floated in 1884. The first light was put up ten years later. -There are three hundred and twenty-nine aids to navigation now on the -whole Alaskan coast line. These include a hundred and forty lights of -which twenty-eight were placed in 1915. On the much-traveled route from -Icy Strait to Nome, a distance equal to that between New York and -London, there are but three lighthouses! - -There are indications of improvement along this line, however. A first -class light is to be placed on Cape St. Elias. New vessels are being -built for light-house work and for the Coast Survey, but like all great -enterprises, things progress slowly. About one-half of the main -channels of southeastern Alaska have been explored by a wire drag and -as rapidly as the appropriations by Congress will permit the work will -be pushed forward. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV - - THE CITIES OF THE FAR NORTH - - -Of the cities of Alaska the most interesting historically is Sitka. No -one will regret the time spent in visiting this, the former seat of the -Russian territorial government and the stronghold of the Greek Catholic -Church. After the passing of the Russians it became the first capital -of Alaska. It is situate on Baranof Island, facing Sitka Sound. The -climate is mild and out-door life delightful. - -Sitka is beautifully picturesque. The island-laden ocean sweeps to west -of it while on the east the frothing Indian River surges down from its -birthplace in the group of snow-capped mountains known as the Seven -Sisters. In 1799 the Russians established a trading post here and -occupied it until 1804. The old Greek church dating from 1816 still -stands, alongside of a new one called St. Peter's-by-the-Sea, erected -in 1899. The city contains much that is of interest,--a Museum named in -honor of Sheldon Jackson of the Presbyterian Mission. To the influence -of this man Alaska is indebted for her now-thriving reindeer industry. -During the rush to the gold fields in 1898 word was borne to Washington -that the gold-seekers were dying by thousands for lack of food and -proper clothing to protect them from the bitter climate into which, in -their inexperience, they had entered inadequately equipped. In the -effort to aid them the government attempted to send supplies to the -starving camps by reindeer. The plan was not a success and the -government was left with the reindeer on its hands. Dr. Jackson used -his influence with the result that the reindeer were secured for the -Eskimos. - -Sitka has United States Public Schools. It has also a Presbyterian -Industrial Training School for natives. It is the headquarters of the -Agricultural Experiment stations, the Coast Survey Magnetic Base -Station, and is the residence of both the Russian and Episcopal Bishops -of Alaska. - -[Illustration: SITKA, THE OLD RUSSIAN CAPITAL OF ALASKA] - -[Illustration: JUNEAU, THE CAPITAL] - -[Illustration: ESKIMOS OF ST. MICHAEL] - -Juneau, the present capital, is also most picturesquely located. From -the water it seems to be lying on a shelf,--the cliffs of Mt. Juneau to -the rear and the sea in front of it. It is about a hundred miles north -by east of Sitka, on Gastineau Channel, opposite Douglas Island on -which are situate the celebrated Treadwell mines. Juneau is thoroughly -modern as to churches, schools, newspapers, hospitals. It has drainage, -police and fire protection, telephone and telegraph service and -electric light. A small town of sixteen hundred inhabitants in 1910, it -has increased to a thriving city. The ever-increasing population is -fast dotting the lower heights with beautiful and comfortable homes and -down below them the ever-advancing tunnels of the gold-seekers keep -honey-combing the rock-ribbed earth. As one journeys northward he can -see the stamp house of the Treadwell mines, built right into the side -of the precipitous face of the mountain down which a railroad track has -been laid to carry the ore from the tunnels that bore into the heart of -the cliff. - -Ketchikan is a city of commercial importance because of the fishing -industry. It is typical of the settlements along the coast and of the -fishing settlements in particular. It also is located on an island -which gives it many advantages. On one side it has deep water. On the -other side it has mountain, river and lake. Ketchikan is one of the -best places for the visitor to see a "run" during which the salmon -crowd up the river in a struggle so fierce that many of them are killed -in the effort to reach the spawning-grounds. - -The most attractive city of this part of the country is Wrangell, -named for the Russian explorer and naval officer, Baron Ferdinand -Wrangell, wise administrator of affairs connected with the Alaskan -colonies of Russia between 1831 and 1836. During his administration an -observatory was established at Sitka. He it was who exposed the -shameful abuses of the Russian-American Company and prevented the -extension of their charter in 1862. He was an astute and far-sighted -statesman, and realizing the value of Alaska, he bitterly opposed the -sale of the territory to the United States. - -Wrangell, the city named after him, lies on an island of the same name -a hundred and fifty miles southeast of Juneau. The seeker after the -unusual in his travels will find here much to interest and divert him. -To Wrangell the traders still bring the trophies of the chase, making -their journey down the rapidly-flowing Stikine river from the wonderful -Cassiar hunting grounds, famed for their big game. To these grounds -every year flock hunters from all parts of the world to shoot the -mountain sheep, the moose, the bear and the caribou. In Wrangell, also, -one may see the best of what remains of the magnificent totem poles of -Alaska. - -No lover of history, and particularly the history of the native peoples -of the world, can help cherishing a feeling of deep regret when he -sees the approaching decay of these expressions of their inner lives. -As is the case in our own great west, the steam roller of civilization -is passing over what is left of the primitive people, crushing out the -spirit of all that once was and in some cases still is revered by them, -flattening out that which is picturesque and distinctive in them. Who -can look upon the massive-timbered communal houses of the natives of -Alaska, before which were placed the totem poles, bold with their -blazonry of animals, grotesquely carved and gaudily painted,--eagle and -whale, bear, wolf and beaver--without a sigh that soon they, too, will -sail into the past with the caravels of Columbus or ride out of the -plains with the buffalo to return no more? - -Through the long ages the American Indian has worshiped--not the sun, -but the great, _creative spirit_ behind the sun! And he has expressed -that worship in the celebrated Sun Dance, a truly _religious_ ceremony -in which he is now forbidden to indulge by the United States -government! In like manner the natives of the Far North expressed -themselves in totems. To a certain extent they are ancestor worshipers, -as are the Chinese. The totem poles are their expression of their -primitive heraldry. They erected them in front of their rude -dwellings, with a pageantry uncouth, it is true, but in a spirit of -sincerity. - -I am not one of those who would decry the influence and the splendid -service of the missionary. But it is an influence which often works -both ways. Many of the latter can see in these expressions of pride of -ancestry nothing but the most arrant heathenism, so the totem poles of -Alaska are rotting away. And no more are being built. The young natives -are being "educated" out of any respect which hitherto they may justly -have entertained for their forefathers. There is no scorn known to the -human race which is quite so withering as that which the man who does -not know who his grandfather was entertains for the man who does! - -It can not be long until the totem pole will be a thing of the past. -Therefore he who would see them in all their glory must not linger. All -will soon be gone. Here at Wrangell are still some splendid specimens, -perhaps the best the north country now has to offer. - -Skagway may be called the city of romance. Time was when it held the -key which unlocked the gateway of the Promised Land,--that golden -kingdom of the North. It is now a thriving commercial center. The White -Pass railroad begins here, forming a sort of portage by means of which -the two extremes of the country may shake hands with each other. The -railroad itself is short. But it touches the headwaters of the Yukon -with its twenty-five hundred miles of navigation, bearing on its broad -bosom the commerce and the traffic of Klondike, Dawson, and Fairbanks, -to the outlet in Bering Sea. - -But this is not the reason the history of Skagway is romantic. When the -gold rush began in 1896 the landing had to be made at Dyea at the other -end of the Lynn Canal. From here it was necessary to cross the -dangerous Chilkoot Pass, a most hazardous undertaking. One day the word -was passed along that another pass (now known as White Pass) had been -discovered. With a rush like a flock of frightened sheep the gold -seekers turned and went the other way. _In one day_ fifteen thousand -people left Dyea for Dawson and Skagway and in that same length of time -what had formerly been a swamp became a city! - -Abler pens than mine have recorded in novel, poem and play the story of -those eventful days. All know now of the famous (or infamous) gambling -hells with which these places were infested. The spot in Skagway to-day -which most attracts the tourist is the cemetery where lies the body of -"Soapy" Smith. "Soapy" was half-outlaw, half-politician, the "Boss" of -the town, in fact. Skagway was without doubt the wildest and wickedest -place in the world during the reign of "Soapy" Smith. The decent and -sober citizens stood it as long as they could. When they felt, however, -that Skagway had suffered from her evil reputation long enough they -held a meeting and came to a decision! The Sylvester Wharf, now a -half-ruin, has been left standing to mark the spot where the fathers of -the town ran "Soapy" to cover and shot him. - -Dawson, in the Canadian Yukon, had a somewhat similar experience. But -the Northwest Mounted Police came to her assistance and brought order -out of chaos. The fame of Dawson during the gold rush is world-wide. -Her affairs are now in the charge of the Canadian government. There is -also a United States Consulate there. - -The most important and the largest city in Alaska is Fairbanks. It lies -on the Tanana River, practically at the head of navigation. It is the -site of the Fourth Judicial District and of government activities in -the interior of Alaska. Fairbanks is a city of which any country might -be proud, heated by a central steam plant, with schools, churches, -hospitals, newspapers, long-distance telephone and wireless stations. -The electric plant which lights the city also serves the adjacent -mining camps. Fairbanks may be reached all during the year by a stage -service three hundred and fifty-four miles from Valdez and during five -months in summer steamboat service westward to St. Michael, eastward to -Dawson and White Horse, Yukon Territory, is maintained. Reference has -already been made to the progress of this delightful city, its social -life and the kindly spirit of the people. - -As one nears the western coast the cities become few and far between. -Anchorage, on Cook Inlet, Iditarod and Nome are the most important. The -interesting story of Nome is well known. Prospectors were working the -streams for gold when suddenly the yellow dust was found in huge -quantities in the sand along the beach! The first settlement was called -Anvil City and was the usual mushroom affair. Nowhere else in Alaska -was the struggle of the gold-seekers to be compared with those of Nome. -Its exposed position on Norton Sound made it subject to the violent -coast storms. The conditions were unsanitary, the food and fuel supply -a subject of great anxiety, the water supply scanty and the climate -cruel. In the face of all these discouragements, however, the hardy -pioneers fought and conquered. Nome is now a city of some three -thousand, the commercial, judicial and educational center of Seward -Peninsula. It is a fine, courageous little city, compactly built, with -modern improvements and prosperous business houses. A railroad -eighty-five miles long runs to Shelton, but Nome and the adjacent -regions are reached direct only between June and October, the open -season of Bering Sea. - -I always learn with regret of any tourist who takes a trip up the -"Inside" passage and returns by the same route. What can he possibly -know of Alaska? The broad expanse of country which sweeps away to the -north and the west, guarded by the mountains, watered by one of the -mightiest rivers in the world,--of this he knows nothing, for it is a -country which can not be described. It must be seen to be appreciated. -It is this part of Alaska that is Nature's gigantic workshop with a job -in it for any man who asks! Here new cities are yet to be born, new -business enterprises to be established, new farms to be tilled. Here -any man who chooses may have that most prized of all possessions,--a -home of his own! There is room for all! - - - - - CHAPTER XV - - THE NATIVE RACES - - -In speaking of the native races of Alaska it is not my purpose to enter -into the subject except in so far as it belongs to a book of this -character. As was said of the mines, the real student of such subjects -will find (in the journals devoted to ethnology) what definite -information he seeks. Strangely enough, however, a diligent search has -revealed that there is not to be found in any library a book or in any -magazine an article dealing with that most unusual custom which -prevails among the Eskimos,--the trial marriage. Whether this custom -exists among any other natives of the world I do not know. But I think -not. - -The natives of Alaska are of four groups. First, the _Eskimos_, who -dwell in the northern part of the territory in the area near the Arctic -Ocean and Bering Sea. Second, the _Aleut_, a people closely related to -the Eskimos, who are to be found only in the Aleutian Islands and the -mainland adjacent thereto. Third, the _Thlinkits_, who are Indians and -confined to the southeastern section of the country known as the -Panhandle. Fourth, the _Athabaskans_, of the same stock as the American -Indian, who occupy the interior and touch the coast only at Cook Inlet. - -The Thlinkits were once the most civilized and at the same time the -most warlike of the native tribes. When the Russians came they found -them living in well-built log houses and with an organized tribal -system. They are to-day of greater intelligence than any of the other -native tribes and are skilled craftsmen. The Athabaskans, on the other -hand, with the exception of some of the most isolated Eskimo tribes, -are the least civilized. Only those on the coast have any kind of -tribal organization and this is not countenanced by the United States -Government. Like the clansmen of Scotland, they seem to group -themselves in families. The Aleuts were once quite prosperous, expert -in the taking of the sea-otter, a very difficult animal to catch. The -ravages of the Russian fur-traders almost annihilated the native -population. They enslaved them and compelled them to capture the -sea-otters for them. But the latter are now almost extinct and the -Aleuts eke out a precarious existence by fishing and trapping foxes. -They call their habitations _barabaras_ and they resemble the igloos -of the Eskimos. - -It is the latter people that I know best and of whom I would speak -most. There are no Indians in St. Michael. The native people here are -wholly Eskimos, and one has to live among them to realize the moral -descent of a once-fine native race. One must know them in order to -comprehend the height from which they have fallen! In winter they live -in their igloos. And an igloo is a place so unspeakably filthy that one -can scarcely entertain a thought (much less a sight) of it. In summer -they live in tents. Yet----. In spite of their uncleanliness, in spite -of every other argument which may be urged against them, one always -finds himself at the end of his ruminations admitting to himself that, -after all, they are a fine native race! It is a conclusion at which he -never fails to arrive even in the face of appalling evidence. The -conviction will not be downed. - -I have often walked about their summer camps at St. Michael, Nome and -other localities. Always I have found the scene practically the same. -One cannot help being struck with the industry which the Eskimos -display. Every inmate of the tent will be at work! And each is at work -upon something _useful_! Not one of them will be caught idle. The -father usually will be seen carving a piece of ivory, or wood. The -Eskimos are skilled carvers. While President Taft was in office a -magnificent piece was sent him for his desk. It was carved from the -tusk of a walrus by a native. In the tent the mother will be making -_mukluks_, or fur boots, while the older daughter beats out and twists -the caribou sinew into that strong thread with which the furs and boots -are sewed. Let me add that they never come unsewed! The smaller -children will each be engaged in some light task, such as making -curios, or smoothing the first roughness off of the ivory from which -the father, later, will carve something. Every member of the family -will be engaged in producing _something of value_. Wherever one goes -among the Eskimos he will be struck by this admirable trait. - -They are a light-hearted, good-natured people, easily amused. They have -a ready smile for you as you pass them by. Compared with the white man -they are undersized. From my own six-feet-two they seem rather -diminutive to me when I look down upon them, but they are by no means -the dwarfs that people imagine them. The average height of the man is -five-feet-four. Tall Eskimos are not unusual. They are well-built, -graceful in movement and possessed of small hands and feet. The nose -(in some of the tribes) is flat, but in others it is quite the -opposite, and the mouth, although somewhat large, is always filled with -beautiful teeth. Their smile is most attractive. I have seen many -handsome Eskimos,--that is, they would be handsome if they were clean! - -The centaur of old was no more a part of his horse than the Eskimo is a -part of his boat. He is a born navigator,--as aquatic as a duck. He -fashions for himself a small boat of skin in which he practically -encloses himself. These boats are of two kinds and in their -construction the Eskimo reveals his ingenuity. They are cunningly -contrived and cleverly managed. With this primitive craft he performs -all sorts of unbelievable stunts. An expert and daring fisherman is he. -The smaller boat (called a _kayak_) is a sealskin canoe and is a rather -tiny affair. It has circular hatches for one man. The _bidarka_ (or -_bidocky_) will hold two men. But the _baidara_ is made of walrus hide -and will hold from twenty to thirty persons. It will live in a heavy -sea and is taken on long sea voyages. The stranger who travels even a -short distance in one, however, usually does so with his heart in his -mouth most of the time. The fabric belies its looks. It appears so -flimsy as to be dangerous and the water is plainly visible underneath. -But the natives walk boldly about in them. Every step depresses the -skin for two or three inches, but long experience has taught them that -the spot on which they stand will sustain the weight of a ton! I have -actually seen them turn a summersault in the water with one of these -home-made craft and come up smiling! Yet, strange to say, while they -are, apparently, more at home on the water than on the land, few of -them swim. Perhaps it is that the water is too cold. - -Who that has seen these diminutive people venture forth into a -treacherous and perilous sea with naught between them and death but -this tiny home-made boat to do battle with the huge monsters of the -ice-encumbered deep--the whale, the walrus and the seal--can question -their courage? Not I! The Eskimo has made no effort to conquer his -environment. More wisely he has adapted himself to it and constrained -it to his needs. The land of his birth is inhospitable. His environment -is savage. He wrings his sustenance from the land only by powerful -effort, and human nature takes on a new dignity in the life of such -people. Only the sturdiest of creatures, set naked in an Arctic world, -could rise superior to such an environment. - -As for the Eskimo woman,--in youth she is not unattractive, often -quite good-looking, in fact. But I hereby testify that of all the -hideously unattractive and ugly creatures known to the human race the -full-blooded, middle-aged Eskimo woman carries off the palm. As it was -in the beginning, before God said "Let there be light"--she is without -form and void! She ages rapidly. She dresses as do the men, in the -_parka_, a long, loose garment reaching to the knee, made of muskrat -and reindeer skin in winter and of drill in summer, fur-seal boots and -breeches. As the men are nearly always smooth-faced it is often -difficult to tell them apart. They both use tobacco. And they are -nothing if not economical! They chew it until every particle of flavor -has vanished. Then they dry and smoke it! - -A friend of mine, a well-known woman writer who once served the -American Minister to China as personal secretary, one day confided to -me that since the day she left the celestial empire (some fifteen years -ago) she had never seen any dirt worth mentioning! Obviously, she has -never glimpsed the interior of an igloo! With an American Army Officer -of the Medical Corps I once visited one. We were told that it was one -of the cleanest Eskimo villages in Alaska. The saints preserve me from -a visit to the dirtiest one! An igloo is a windowless hut, shut tight -against the air. It is usually crowded with a large family, grossly -clad in skins which are poorly tanned, partly decayed. They are -unspeakably fed, greasy of skin. Refuse of every kind was piled about -the igloo and a recent thaw made the place a mass of liquid filth. - -Of course, the reason for all this is apparent, and in a way -unavoidable. Fuel is scarce and hard to obtain. Therefore, ventilation, -with its waste of heat, would be fatally extravagant. Food is gathered -in summer and stored for winter. When it comes out of storage much of -it is decayed. Crowding is unavoidable and this means filth and -infection. Water is scanty, cleanliness impossible. All this leads to -the prevalence of disease and the disease most prevalent is -tuberculosis. Moreover, this village which we visited has no doctor. -The nearest one is seven miles away. - -Conditions in Alaska, so far as medical relief for the natives is -concerned, are distressing and inexcusable. Year after year, with -persistent regularity, the Sundry Civil Appropriation Committee of the -House strikes out the modest sum of seventy-five thousand dollars -petitioned for by the Board of Education for medical relief work among -the natives of Alaska. In all southeastern Alaska there is but one -hospital for natives,--a Presbyterian institution at Haines. Dr. -Romig, a former Moravian Medical Missionary in the Bristol Bay district -in Bering Sea, gave as an estimate that forty per cent of the Eskimo -population of this district, numbering some seventeen hundred people, -were afflicted with transmissible diseases--chiefly tuberculosis, -syphilis and trachoma. The physical condition of these people is -pitiable in the extreme. Yet the government provides _one_ physician -and a small inadequate infirmary without proper equipment and -maintained in an abandoned schoolhouse! - -Contrast this with what is being done for the Indians of the United -States. For the three hundred thousand there are now employed two -hundred doctors, eighty nurses, seven dentists, seventy field matrons, -and seventy-seven miscellaneous hospital attendants. Also, the -government maintains for the Indians forty-nine hospitals, four -tuberculosis sanitaria with a capacity for caring for a thousand four -hundred and ninety-nine patients! The reason for the striking contrast -between this and the shameful neglect of the Alaskan natives ought to -be found and removed. The present condition is a reproach to us as a -nation. Not only this, it is a menace to the health and safety of the -white people already there and an argument against the coming of -others. - -Much has been said and written of the origin of the Eskimos. There is a -difference of opinion as to whence, originally, they came. My own -belief is that they are of Mongolian origin. A similarity of language -would tend to strengthen this belief. When it comes to a native tongue -I confess that the Eskimo has a peculiarity which is unique and -baffling, more so than I have ever encountered in any other language. I -once got up against this in a manner which took some time to untangle. -As United States Commissioner at St. Michael it was part of my duty to -try offenders against the law. The first time the offender chanced to -be an Eskimo I suddenly discovered that I had troubles of my own. -Apparently his _no_ meant _yes_, and vice versa. I could not understand -it at first, but at last it dawned upon me that although he spoke -brokenly in English he was _thinking_ in his own tongue. For instance, -I would say to him: - -"You did so-and-so, didn't you?" - -"Yes!" he would reply, when I knew very well that he meant to deny it. - -I called in a priest, a man who spoke the native language, from whom I -learned that my surmise was correct. The Eskimo, when he says yes means -"Yes, I did _not_!" When he says no he means "No, I _did_!" There you -are! One has to be mentally cross-eyed in order to get him! - -The Eskimos are very peaceable people except when (in violation of the -law) the white man sells them whisky. It must be acknowledged that the -latter has done little to encourage their uplift. In fact, he is -largely to blame for the demoralized condition of the Eskimo to-day. -One may no longer sell liquor in Alaska, but the mischief, so far as -the natives is concerned, is already done. For a long time there seemed -no way to prevent the furnishing of whisky to the Eskimos. A law might -cover it, it is true. But experience has taught me that if a man is -clever enough and unscrupulous enough he can drive a horse and wagon -through the best law that was ever made! Where there was no saloon the -liquor was furnished the natives in the guise of pay or bribe, and -every man who has lived in Alaska knows how little regard the white man -has had for the sanctity of the native home. Wives and daughters were -constantly dishonored. If the husband or father protested or put up a -fight he was overcome by threats or bribes and given liquor to drink -until what natural good qualities he once possessed disappeared -forever. - -If one would see the native races at their best he must see them as far -as possible from the haunts of the white men. There he will find them -by no means an inferior people. I know of one cannery where every -employee except the superintendent and the bookkeeper is a native, and -one has but to observe their work to be convinced of their capability. -But it seems impossible for them to live near the white people without -both whites and natives starting down hill. From the acquaintance to -the debauchery of the native woman by a certain type of white man is -but a step. It has not been a great many years since the whalers used -to come up from San Francisco to winter in the Arctic and catch whales. -Their first act on arriving was to carry off the native women, take -them aboard the vessels and keep them all winter. In the spring when -they got ready to return they would throw them ashore unceremoniously. -This went on many years but has now been stopped by the government. -Sometimes the white men marry the native women and when they do they -quickly sink to their level. The native man, always imitative of the -white man, in time forsakes the hunting and fishing which once -furnished him an honest living and sooner or later he is to be seen -hanging around the villages, picking up odd jobs. - -Some of the customs of the natives of Alaska (and elsewhere) are both -quaint and startling. When a native guest enters a house neither host -nor guest take notice of each other. The host goes on with his work and -the visitor either assists him or produces some of his own. When he -departs, however, the host says to him: - -"Inuvdluaritse!" (Live well!) - -But they greet the white visitor in smiling friendliness and when he -leaves the host usually says to him: - -"Aporniakinatit!" (Do not hurt thy head!) Presumably this is a warning -against the upper part of the low doorway. - -The Eskimo's idea of hospitality sometimes extends to lengths which are -somewhat appalling and occasionally it requires not a little diplomacy -to refuse them without giving offense. When one gets caught in an -Eskimo village and has to spend the night there it is the commonest of -occurrences for the man of the house to offer him not only the freedom -of his home but his wife as well! Among the natives the interchange of -wives is common. - -And this brings us to that most discussed of all questions,--the -morality (or the lack of it) of the native peoples of the earth. No -matter to what far corner of the world one may journey he will find -this problem the same in all of them. The Eskimo is no exception. -Before the coming of the white man he was utterly godless. He had no -religion, no form of worship, no imagery, no idea of any "happy hunting -ground" hereafter. In many sections this is still true, although they -have been brought under the influence of the church in some localities. - -In St. Michael the natives are not permitted to live in the village, -but their tents dot the hillsides around and during the summer months -the streets are alive with them. Often they come from great distances -with their furs, carved ivory, etc., which they have for sale. Their -winter dwelling, the igloo, is a pit in the ground, roofed over with -logs and sometimes, not always, a window made of fish skin or the -entrail of a walrus. The hut is entered by a kind of ante-chamber in -the top of which is a hole large enough to admit a man. If he chances -to be a large man he sometimes has difficulty in getting through! He -must descend a ladder to a narrow passage or tunnel which leads to the -principal room, often fifteen or twenty feet from the entrance. The -sole furniture of a native residence is a seal-oil lamp which is used -for both heating and cooking. It is lighted in the autumn and burns -incessantly until spring. - -The igloo is usually from six to eight feet high and about thirty feet -in circumference. Often it houses from ten to twenty persons. During -the cold and stormy weather every aperture is closed. How they endure -the odor and the vitiated air is something no white man can understand. -The summer dwellings were formerly constructed above ground and -consisted of light poles roofed over with skins. Now, however, these -have given way to the ordinary tent which is not only cheaper but -preferable for many reasons. - -In almost every village, or native settlement, the visitor will find -the council-house, a much larger hut than the others. It is called a -_kashga_, and is used also as a sort of club where the youths and the -unmarried men of the village congregate. Here matters of importance are -discussed and guests from a distance lodged. The hut is usually about -twenty feet square and ten feet high. - -It was in one of these _kashgas_ that I had what was perhaps the most -interesting experience in connection with the native races that I have -had during the years that I have lived in Alaska. I have come in touch -with the ceremonies of the natives of many corners of the earth, but -this one was unique,--even more so than the celebrated Snake Dance of -the Hopi, of Arizona. I had once been able to befriend a young Eskimo. -In gratitude for the favor he invited me to attend a native festival to -which (he gave me to understand) no white man had ever been admitted. -Whether this meant that no white man had _ever_ been admitted or that -none had seen the ceremony as indulged in by this particular tribe I am -unable to say. Nevertheless I understood that he was attempting to -honor me. I confess that it was with some misgivings that I went, but I -have never been sorry. - -This particular ceremony was known as The Ten Year Festival. Some tribe -from another locality is asked to visit the home tribe and the ceremony -is held during the visit. The visitors this year came from Unalakleet, -bringing large quantities of gifts and many of them going back -empty-handed at the end of the festival. "Potlatching," or trading, is -the favorite occupation of the Eskimos and many a time have I been a -victim. But I usually hastened to "potlatch" whatever I happened to -draw off onto some one else at the earliest possible opportunity! - -In some respects the Ten Year Festival is not unlike the ceremonies of -the American Indians. In the _kashga_, heated to suffocation, the -natives and their visitors foregather. A square hole is cut in the -floor and a sort of shelf, or bench, runs around the sides of the room. -On this bench sit the principal personages of the tribe, their feet -dangling and not infrequently kicking those below them in the face. The -"orchestra" with their tom-toms begin their monotonous drumming. The -medicine man is heard below chanting a weird tribal song and presently -his head appears through the hole in the floor. He comes up, dancing -and singing, both song and chant increasing in intensity as he appears. -The other members of the tribe join the dance and the song. Their -motions become more and more violent. A perspiration which is largely -grease, due to the oil which exudes from their skin, rolls from their -naked bodies as they writhe and lash themselves into a perfect frenzy. -The women join the dance, cavorting about unclothed, just as the men -do. - -The final episode of the ceremony occurs when the medicine man breaks -from the _kashga_ and runs outside in the bitter cold. Of course, -everything is frozen tight, but a hole is cut in the Bay and into the -ice-cold water he plunges, returning to the _kashga_ dripping wet. He -then tells them that he has been in consultation with the Great Spirit, -or whatever it is that they call their ruling power, and that he has -been instructed to tell them that the crops will be good, the furs -plentiful, that they will be successful in catching the walrus and the -seal. - -I have already spoken of the unusual custom of the trial marriage which -exists among the natives of the Far North. So far as I know, it exists -nowhere else,--at least under supervision of the church. But when the -United States purchased Alaska there was a paragraph in the treaty -which read as follows: - -"The inhabitants of the ceded territory, according to their choice, -reserving their natural allegiance, may return to Russia within three -years, but if they should prefer to remain in the ceded territory they, -with the exception of the uncivilized tribes, shall be admitted to the -enjoyments and all the rights, advantages and immunities of citizens of -the United States, and shall be maintained and protected in the full -enjoyment of their liberty, property and religion. The uncivilized -tribes will be subject to such laws and regulations as the United -States may from time to time adopt in regard to aboriginal tribes of -that country." - -The supposition is that the "laws and regulations" were not immediately -forthcoming and that gradually the natives came under the influence of -the Greek Catholic Church. The trial marriage is a blending of the -customs of both of these. - -I presume that there is no other place in the world where the natives -approach more nearly to living in a state of nature than here. This -applies as much to their family life as to their out-door existence. In -former times when the Eskimo man and woman decided that they would like -to wage the war of life together, to combine against their implacable -foes, the cold, the storm and the darkness, they just went ahead and -did it. This was and in many cases still is the beginning and the end -of the subject of marriage with them. The native custom in the olden -days was a somewhat strenuous experience for the bride. It is still -followed, but it has now become a mere ceremony, quaint and -picturesque. The young Eskimo seldom "falls in love." He selects a -wife, usually choosing her for her health and strength. In the olden -days, having picked her out, he would lie in wait for her, seize her by -the hair of her head and drag her off to his igloo, the whole family -following and (apparently) attempting to rescue her. Strangely enough, -his choice was not always the young girl. There was a lively -competition for widows, especially if they were the mothers of sons who -would be able to help bring in the whale and keep the wolf from the -door. - -Of Eskimo morality and civilization there are many degrees. Some of the -tribes as yet untouched by the influence of the missionaries have -moral laws of extreme refinement. And they live up to them! Do you know -of another spot on earth where _both man and woman_ who have proved -guilty of unfaithfulness are meted out the same punishment? I do not. -But the reindeer Koriaks, one of the tribes not far from Nome, place -the greatest stress upon loyalty and chastity of both man and woman, -and the punishment for both, when they transgress the law, is instant -death! - -As to many of the tribes, however, little can be said and that little -is not to their credit. They have no higher conception of life than -that which is wholly animalistic. Through all the long ages, with them -a physical act has been merely a physical act. It has had no moral -significance. And can the idea of untold ages be easily eradicated? -And, after all, are they worse than other people? Comparisons are -odious. But it must be remembered that these natives live out their -lives thus _thinking no evil_! What, then, of the white man, born with -the knowledge of the moral significance which is attached to the -personal relationship and who has permitted himself to become degraded -by the vices of civilization? The native man is _un_moral. The white -man is _im_moral. There is a difference! Moreover, the Scarlet Letter -is not alone for the Hester Prynnes of Old Plymouth. From time -immemorial among some of the tribes of the North the unchaste Eskimo -woman has been forced to wear a sign of her degradation,--a green band -in her hair. However, unlike Hester Prynne, she is given another -chance, albeit an unfair one. If she gives birth to an able-bodied boy -she becomes an object of unusual and sincere respect and her green band -becomes, as it were, a crown. - -Humanity itself, in the Far North, sometimes becomes quite as cold and -frozen as the land itself. But there is one thing which never fails to -thaw it,--children. And any one who lives long in the north country can -not but realize that children are of vital necessity in any -sparsely-settled land. The Reverend Hudson Stuck, to whose admirable -volume, _Voyages on the Yukon_, reference has already been made, -relates a good story bearing on this point. Long residence in Alaska -has taught him much that has never yet been writ in books and has made -of him, although a man of the strictest religious convictions, kindly -tolerant of the frailties of humankind. Above all else, he is -impatient, as we all are, of the non-essentials in education which are -being crammed down the throats of the natives by teachers, often due to -youth and inexperience, while the essentials, the things of real value -to them as individuals and to the country as a whole, are neglected. -The Archdeacon relates that once he visited a Mission where the man in -charge, a youth, with misguided enthusiasm, boasted that there was -neither a half-breed nor an illegitimate child in the village! The -Archdeacon received the information in silence, but after a tour of -inspection he returned to the subject. - -"I see no children at all," he remarked. "Aren't there any?" - -The young man proudly admitted that there were none,--whereupon the -Archdeacon proceeded to shock him. - -"I much prefer half-breed children or even illegitimate children to no -children at all!" he said. "By the grace of God, much may be done with -the half-breed or even the illegitimate child. But in the name of all -that is hopeless and preposterous," he finished, "what can ever be -accomplished in a country where there are _no children at all_?" - -It has always been a matter of real regret to me that the Archdeacon -did not record the answer to his question! - -Just when the custom of the trial marriage in its present form -originated I do not know. That it must have entered with or at least -followed closely in the wake of the Greek Catholic Church is -undeniable. As was the case with the native ceremonies of the American -Indians,--the Sun Dance, the Ghost Dance, the Flute Dance and the Snake -Dance--_religious_ ceremonies, every one of them, exaggerated and -highly-colored reports of which were carried to the government by -over-enthusiastic and sometimes fanatical missionaries and agents with -the result that the government took steps to suppress them, the trial -marriage of the natives of Alaska, while not yet suppressed, now rests -under official displeasure. A part of my duty was to investigate this -subject. I did so--with a result more astonishing to myself than it -could possibly have been to any one else. Like the man of old who went -to the temple to scoff and remained to pray, I issued forth from this -investigation with most of my preconceived theories on the subject -knocked galley-west. Some of my hitherto staunchest principles, if not -quite broken, were so badly bent that I have never yet been able to -hammer them out quite straight again! - -I had it out one day with Father B----, a priest of the Greek Church, a -benevolent and kindly old man who in the early days of his mission -among the Eskimos had cherished a dream of them as a separate -people,--a race apart, who should work out their own salvation with the -_assistance_ (not the _insistence_) of a wisely directed form of -religion. That dream for a while promised to be realized, at least to a -certain extent. But with the coming of the first white men, most of -whom were utterly lawless, he saw his vision fade and finally vanish. -Nevertheless he worked on and the trial marriage is his solution of the -problem. It is a sort of welding of the customs of both the native and -the church. - -There is one point in regard to the custom on which I wish to be -plainly understood. In Alaska it is against the law for an unmarried -man and woman to live together. To say that the custom exists with the -_consent_ of the Church is wholly unfair. Every one who has lived in -such a country as this knows very well that many of the customs as well -as the laws are born of necessity, and the custom of the trial marriage -is unquestionably one of these. It certainly exists with the -_knowledge_ of the Church and its origin undoubtedly lies in this fact: -The parishes over which one priest has jurisdiction lie far apart. A -visit to each of them is possible only about once a year. Without the -Church there would be _no_ marriage, even a belated one. Not -infrequently it happens that a young Eskimo who wishes a wife goes to -the priest and asks his assistance in finding one. The girl may (and -often does) live in one parish and the young man in another. He will -either go to her home or she will go to his. But they can not be -married until the next visit of the priest which is sometimes a whole -year later. - -Before the priest will consent to assist the youth in finding a -suitable companion, however, he makes certain requirements which the -young man must meet. He must build an igloo, furnish it and stock it -with supplies. He must then construct his boat in order that he may -fish and thus make a living for them both. This done he may have his -girl. _Score one in favor of the trial marriage!_ He may _not_ have her -unless he is prepared to house and support her. When his igloo and boat -are complete the young people go to the new home and live together for -one year. At the end of the year, however, they must be married by the -ceremony of the Church. If they do not come to him to be married the -priest seeks them out and forbids them to live together any longer. - -While the idea itself rather sticks in one's throat, the thoughtful man -can not deny that the trial marriage has much to recommend it. They who -have come most closely in touch with it, the missionaries and priests, -say that it is indeed seldom that the couple fail to return at the end -of the year to be married. When they do, it is asserted, there is -usually a reason, and when this reason exists, they claim, it is far -better for them to separate. The year of trial has proved that they are -not suited to each other. If a child has come to them, the mother takes -it and goes back to her people, and both the man and woman may select -another mate and enter into another compact if they desire. But this -seldom happens. - -I argued the question to a finish with Father B----. He could not be -moved from his position and in the end I could but acquiesce in much -that he said. How much better this system is than that which prevails -under the stress of our present day civilization! In the rapid and -feverish life of the cities of the world to-day,--what happens? The -lover and his lass during the period of courtship put forth their whole -stock of attractiveness. Seeing each other periodically it is quite -simple to keep out of sight one's faults and weaknesses. No sooner are -they married than the hitherto concealed frailties begin to appear. -Then----. They realize that there exists a _bond_ between them and more -often than not, like a dog straining at his leash, they endeavor to -find out just how elastic the tie is,--just how far they can strain or -stretch it. First arguments, then differences, then quarrels. Before -they know it the cord snaps. Life is never the same again. Lovers' -quarrels may be made up. Family quarrels never! What then? Nine times -out of ten, for social or economic reasons, they go on living together, -ekeing out an unhappy and often tortured existence. What could be -worse? That which (for lack of a better term to apply to it) we call -the social evil is not confined to the scarlet woman of the streets. It -often exists in the best families of the land! - -Among these people of the Northland, however, it is different. Both the -youth and the maiden know very well that at the end of the year there -is a possibility of either leaving the other. The result of this -knowledge is that from the very first they fall into the habit of -trying to please each other! And it is a habit they seldom outgrow. If -they find that they can _not_ please each other they are privileged to -separate,--in fact, are required to do so. They are not permitted to -remain together quarreling all their lives and ruining the family life -of the children who come to them. This, in my judgment, explains the -light-heartedness of the Eskimos. They are a happy people and the -parents never punish the children. Domesticity counts for much among -them. Home is sanctuary from the elements. They have little else,--but -they have each other! The manner in which they are forced to live for -so many months of the year, so closely confined, draws them very -closely together. I question whether what they lack, or what we imagine -they lack, does not matter less than we think. To me it seems that they -miss little of life's essential meaning. They do not have much, it is -true. They are often ill-fed. They are not intellectual. They are not -sentimental. They are just human! And although they may be for months -shut in by the icy blasts of winter they do not complain. Why? Because -no cold can penetrate the inner glow and warmth which is born of an -adequate comradeship! - -The trial marriage permits the indulgence in one of their quaintest of -customs. No Eskimo maiden ever accepts a proposal of marriage. -Indifference to the attention of her admirer is the acme of good form! -I find that "keeping up appearances" is characteristic of humanity -whether the latter dwell on Greenland's icy mountain or India's coral -strand! And propinquity is and ever has been the most prolific parent -of love--at either the North Pole or the Equator. The "force" with -which the Eskimo youth of to-day seizes his bride by the hair to -"drag" her off to his igloo is altogether counterfeit, as is also the -attempt on the part of her family to "rescue" her. It is merely the -indulgence in one of their most ancient customs. - -I have been much among the natives,--especially those who abide on my -island, and because of what I have seen of their family life I am -almost a convert to the system. As a rule the Eskimo makes a good -husband, willing to perform any labor, endure any hardship or suffer -any deprivation in order to procure food for his wife and children. -Many an Arctic man of my acquaintance has died for his family, and I am -often reminded when I think of them of the familiar lines: - - "All love that hath not friendship for its base - Is like a mansion built upon the sand! - Love, to endure life's sorrow and earth's woe, - _Needs friendship's solid masonry below_!" - -It is said that some one once asked Diogynes this question: - -"At what age is it best for a man to marry?" - -With the classical brevity of the Greeks he replied: - -"In youth it is too soon,--in age too late!" - -I disclaim any intention of offering a treatise on the subject of -marriage, but the investigation of this custom of the natives -unquestionably gave me a huge jolt! It turned my thoughts into a -channel which otherwise I might never have had occasion to explore. -Would that I could chart it! If only we could bring ourselves to regard -marriage as a profession and would set ourselves in a business-like way -to excelling in it! Could it in any way detract from its dignity? Or -its sacredness? Surely not. Medicine and surgery are professions. The -Law is a profession, and the Church. Diplomacy, legislation and arms -are professions. Marriage is the greatest of all professions,--and the -most difficult of any to master! One may master to a degree which -may be regarded as little short of perfection the other -professions,--music, art, oratory, etc. What man of to-day has the -conceit to regard himself as a well-nigh perfect husband? - -That the rewards of marriage are incomparable is undeniable. Life's -journey, at best, is lonely. No man can deny that even though his daily -task may take him amidst the crowd he lives the greater part of his -life alone! A dear and close companionship is all that makes life -tolerable. Nothing else ever has, will or can. Fame is a delusion and a -snare. Ambition is a disease. Affectionate companionship and a home are -the only things worth having. Why not build a _home_ instead of a -house? Why not go about the process in a business-like way? Why not -make honor and loyalty fashionable and permit faithlessness to go out -of style? - -One of America's foremost writers declares repeatedly throughout his -excellent novels that judgment has never yet entered into the selection -of a mate,--that sentiment and emotion alone decide the after life of -every couple who are wed. This is, unfortunately, true except in rare -cases. None would care to abolish wholly the electrical current which -flashes between the sexes. And yet----. Marriage entered into from a -sense of duty on both sides is not without its strong argument. He who -undertakes marriage because he regards it as both a duty and a -privilege, or solely from a sense of duty, who either actively or -passively selects a mate for no other reason, is very likely because of -that same sense of duty to fulfill his obligations faithfully and to -behave well. Nothing in all the earth is quite so fine as an active -conscience! For such a man life reserves some of her grandest hours. -The Golden Apples do not grow so far above the heads of any of us that -we can not reach out and gather them if we try! And he who follows the -path of duty will find his own apple quite as luscious and sweet at -the core as that of him who trod the flowery road of personal pleasure! - -I am one of those who hope that with the end of the great World War a -new spirit of tolerance may spread its white wings over all the world -and that sooner or later some of the time-worn social rules and -regulations, archaic because designed for a civilization two thousand -years ago, may be abrogated or at least amended and modified. May the -day come when life shall be individual, when creed and dogma shall be -buried in a grave so deep that there shall be no possibility of a -Resurrection! When that nameless and indefinite thing known as Public -Opinion shall be forced to lower its threatening finger and lose its -power! When all men and all women shall enjoy the privilege of working -out, each for himself and herself, that most potent factor in the human -experience, namely, the personal relationship, and when we shall all -live saner, cleaner, healthier, happier and _more moral_ lives in -consequence! - -Dr. William H. Dall, Paleontologist of the United States Geological -Survey and Honorary Curator of Mollusks at the National Museum at -Washington, D. C., has written the following charming verses about the -natives of Alaska. "Innuit" is the name by which the Eskimo calls -himself and his people from Greenland to Mt. St. Elias. The _topek_ is -the winter house of turf and walrus hide. In the igloo, or snow house, -there is no wood. All Innuit believe in evil spirits which are supposed -to dwell far inland, away from the shores. In times of starvation -Innuit ethics permit a mother to put her baby, when she can no longer -feed it, out in the snow to die. The child's mouth must be stuffed with -mud or grass. Otherwise its spirit will return and be heard crying -about the house at night. - -THE SONG OF THE INNUIT - - O, we are the Innuit people, - Who scatter about the floe - And watch for the puff of the breathing seal - While the whistling breezes blow. - By a silent stroke the ice is broke - And the struggling prey below - With the crimson flood of its spouting blood - Reddens the level snow. - - O, we are the Innuit people, - Who flock to the broken rim - Of the Arctic pack where the walrus lie - In the polar twilight dim. - Far from the shore their surly roar - Rises above the whirl - Of the eager wave, as the Innuit brave - Their flying lances hurl. - - O, we are the Innuit people - Who lie in the topek warm; - While the northern blast flies strong and fast - And fiercely roars the storm; - Recounting the ancient legends - Of fighting, hunting and play, - When our ancestors came from the southland tame - To the glorious Arctic day. - - There is one sits by in silence - With terror in her eyes, - For she hears in dreams the piteous screams - Of a cast-out babe that dies-- - Dies in the snow as the keen winds blow - And the shrieking northers come,-- - On that dreadful day when the starving lay - Alone in her empty home. - - O, we are the Innuit people, - And we lie secure and warm - Where the ghostly folk of the Nunatak - Can never do us harm. - Under the stretching walrus hide - Where at the evening meal - The well-filled bowl cheers every soul - Heaped high with steaming seal. - - The Awful Folk of the Nunatak - Come down in the hail and the snow, - And slash the skin of the kayak thin - To work the hunter woe. - They steal the fish from the next day's dish - And rot the walrus lines-- - But they fade away with the dawning day - As the light of summer shines. - - O, we are the Innuit people - Of the long, bright Arctic day, - When the whalers come and the poppies bloom - And the ice-floe shrinks away; - Afar in the buoyant umiak - We feather our paddle blades - And laugh in the light of the sunshine bright, - Where the white man's schooner trades. - - O, we are the Innuit people - Rosy and brown and gay; - And we shout as we sing of the wrestling ring - Or toss the ball at play. - In frolic chase we oft embrace - The waist of a giggling maid - As she runs on the sand of the Arctic strand - Where the ice-bears bones are laid. - - O, we are the Innuit people, - Content in our northern home; - Where the kayak's prow cuts the curling brow - Of the breakers snowy foam. - The merry Innuit people, - Of the cold, gray Arctic sea, - Where the breathing whale, the Aurora pale - And the snow-white foxes be. - -There is a diversity of opinion as to the ultimate fate of the native -races of the earth. To my mind there is but one answer. Search the wide -world over to-day and where will you find a wilderness? There are none -which the aggressive white man has not penetrated. And wherever the -white man enters the native man begins to disappear. It has always -been so, and it always will be so. - -If only the white man would let them alone! Is it not better to have -the vast Arctic spaces people by a native race than to have it -unpeopled by anybody? The Eskimos live where no one else on earth can -or will live. They are a picturesque and harmless people. In their -struggle for existence they have fought valiantly. Surely they have -earned the right to exist unmolested, earned it bravely. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI - - SOCIAL LIFE IN ALASKA - - -I have more than once been forced to endure the suppressed sympathy of -friends who live in the Interior because of my enforced residence on -St. Michael. It is a sympathy wholly wasted. St. Michael is a bright, -clean little place. There are few mosquitoes,--a fact which in itself -is a recommendation. Although the temperature is sometimes very low, -and although the Arctic winter sends down some terrific blizzards at -times, as a rule the short winter days are bright, still and pleasant. -If one wishes sport it is right at hand on the mainland,--wild geese, -duck, ptarmigan and caribou. There is also salmon fishing. - -As a brilliantly-colored thread is sometimes woven into a piece of -embroidery I find one vivid memory running through the years I have -lived on St. Michael. To me the most wonderful thing in connection with -those years is the transformation which takes place each year on the -day that the first ship anchors in the Bay. Like the Sleeping Beauty of -the fairy tale St. Michael suddenly wakens from her long winter's -sleep. No words can describe that awakening. It must be seen to be -appreciated. - -When the last boat leaves the island in October almost every one who -has been employed there during the summer season returns to the States -as there is nothing for them to do here during the long, dark months. -When the first boat comes in June, however, laden with tourists, -prospectors and business men, they all come back, and the scene which -follows their arrival is one that I have never seen equalled elsewhere. -I have in mind at this writing two good friends, the men who during the -years that I served as United States Commissioner at St. Michael, were -responsible for this transformation. When one remembers that fifty -thousand people passed through the port of St. Michael during the rush -to Nome, it is apparent that theirs was no small task. One of these men -was Mr. A. F. Zipf, Traffic Manager of the Northern Navigation Company. -The other was S. J. Sanguineti, a splendid son of sunny California. -Everything connected with transportation in and out of Alaska was in -the hands of Mr. Zipf, while Mr. Sanguineti had charge of the -provisioning of hotels and boats, the providing of eating and sleeping -accommodations for the many who flocked each summer to the country. - -The efficiency displayed by these two men was a thing to create -admiration and enthusiasm. Because of Mr. Zipf's capability in managing -details, within thirty minutes after the landing every one employed in -St. Michael was in his place. The clerk was behind his counter, or back -of his desk in an office. The cook was in the kitchen and the -laundryman in the laundry. They did not even go first to the rooms -which had been engaged for them. Their baggage was placed therein for -them and within the hour St. Michael fairly teemed with activity. The -men who had just gone to work looked as though they had been there -always. In the same deft manner did Mr. Zipf handle the transfer of -passengers, baggage and freight (enormous in volume) which passed -through the port of St. Michael and went on up the Yukon. Every detail -had been carefully worked out before the landing. - -In these stirring days of our national life I have thought many times -of these two men and wondered that the United States Government has not -sought them out for positions of responsibility. Both would be master -hands in helping to untangle the complicated mass of detail which now -taxes the strength and the ability of our country. Uncle Sam never had -greater need for her men of proved efficiency. - -Social life is not wanting in St. Michael, or in any other community in -Alaska. We have reached a period in our career where we thoroughly -resent being pictured as a collection of wild and lawless mining camps -where faro banks, drinking joints and vigilance committees abound. The -resident of the Outside, unless forewarned, would open his eyes wide if -asked to attend a garden party, or a four o'clock tea, in one of the -larger Alaskan towns. Evening dress after six o'clock is not at all -unusual for both men and women. The women's clubs are very much alive -and engaged in the same activities as those of the States. In fact, one -finds in the various sections of Alaska most of the normal -manifestations of cultured civilization,--the elements which contribute -to the upbuilding of an intelligent, law-abiding commonwealth. - -[Illustration: "SCOTTY" ALLEN AND BALDY] - -[Illustration: GENE DOYLE, ONE OF THE OLDEST MAIL CARRIERS ON SEWARD -PENINSULA. A HERO OF THE TRAIL!] - -[Illustration: COMING IN TO ST. MICHAEL WITH OUR THIRTY-THREE-DOG TEAM -AFTER GOING OUT TO MEET THE MAIL CARRIER] - -[Illustration: DUTCH HARBOR] - -The subject of intemperance in Alaska has been much dwelt upon, and -rightly, for it became such a menace to the future development of the -country that the Alaskans themselves voluntarily did away with it. It -was not forced upon them by any legislation. Formerly liquor played a -great part in the life of the country and in this connection, no matter -what one's convictions may be, it must be acknowledged that there were -extenuating circumstances. The same is true of the men now in the -service in the European War. The soldier who, wounded, has lain on the -battlefield eight or ten hours in a driving rain, or all during a -chill, frosty night, often has to have a stinging hot stimulant if his -life is to be saved. It is not a matter of principle. It is a thing of -necessity. What man is courageous enough to take upon himself the -responsibility of saying that it shall not be given him? He may never -have tasted it before in his life. It was just so with these Alaskan -pioneers,--were they not soldiers, too, the advance guard, as it were, -of a new civilization? They entered into a bleak and practically -unknown land where Nature frowned savagely upon them on every hand. The -half-starved, half-frozen, not-sufficiently-clad follower of the trail -had to keep life in him some way while he made those first long, hard -journeys through a practically unpeopled land. It was not always -possible to have fire. So his flask was often his salvation. But liquor -came to be the curse of Alaska and now the country, of its own -volition, has gone "bone-dry." The only business which has now no -chance of succeeding in Alaska is the saloon. - -Not a great while ago an Alaskan Carrie Nation broke forth from the -ranks of patient and long-suffering women and did some effective work. -She lived at _Mile Twenty-three and a Half_, the other name of which -village is _Roosevelt_. It is a station between Seward and Anchorage on -the new government railroad. Her real name is Mrs. Dabney and she does -not in the least enjoy being regarded as the prototype of her -belligerent sister from Kansas, U. S. A. In fact, her method is -different from the original Carrie. She does not harangue on the -subject, neither does she go forth with an ax and smash saloons. Her -way is just to remark quietly that "she won't stand for it!" - -Anchorage was a tiny village until they began building the railroad. -Then before anyone knew it it became a bustling town of eight thousand. -The government made it a prohibition town, announcing that drinking -among the employees would not be tolerated and that liquor should not -be sold at the road houses. Now, having had some experience in this -line, I am convinced that nowhere else in the world (with the possible -exception of the Foreign Legion) can so many different types of men be -found as in a railroad construction gang or a lumber camp! And there -were all kinds at _Mile Twenty-three and a Half_! - -Mrs. Dabney was a fine housekeeper and cook. She saw no reason why she -should not make the best of her ability in this line so she established -herself in a square log house and often fed from seventy-five to a -hundred men a day and gave sleeping quarters to as many as the house -would accommodate. As has been said, she let it be known that there -would be no drinking because "she just wouldn't stand for it!" - -The Fourth of July came along, however, and about twenty-five of the -men decided that they would celebrate the event. They proceeded to -collect the ingredients for said celebration, a part of which consisted -of a demijohn and several bottles of whisky. While they were in the -midst of their hilarity,--enter Mrs. Dabney! She ordered the "boss" -(who, by the way, was her employer!) to his room. In fact she escorted -him thither and locked him in after telling him to go to bed. Then she -went back down stairs, gathered up the bottles and the demijohn and -threw them into Lake Kenai. When she returned she said quietly that she -had no intention of cleaning up after a lot of drunken men, that the -government had forbidden drinking and that not one of them could ever -come to her table again. The men departed without argument. The next -day, however, headed by the "boss," they returned. They stated in the -outset that they had not come to ask her to take them back but merely -to express their regret,--that she was quite right in refusing to be -bothered with a crowd of men who would not obey the law. - -This act is characteristic of Alaskan men. I know no corner of the -earth where a good woman is held in higher esteem. The men themselves -are often unconscious of this characteristic, but it crops out in their -little mannerisms. For instance, there are two ways of addressing a -woman in Alaska. As one writer has already expressed it, "We call one -kind of woman by her first name and don't know that she has any other. -But the other kind of woman,--we call her _Mrs._! And we don't know -whether she has a first name or not!" - -It was so with this woman. Neither miner, traveler, trader, workman nor -wayfarer ever thinks of calling her other than Mrs. Dabney. But my -experience is that there is no straighter way to a woman's heart than a -manly and sincere apology! So, in this case, when she said quietly to -the men that she had tried to give them good, clean food to eat and a -comfortable place to sleep, that all she asked of them was that they -obey the rules and not make her work more difficult or more -disagreeable than was necessary, she made friends of those men forever. -They respected her because they realized that she herself respected -the law and stood for its enforcement. Finally she permitted them to -return, but she ended the interview by saying: - -"You needn't think you can fool me, either. Any time one of you brings -whisky into this house I can find it. More than that," she finished, -"B---- says to-morrow is his birthday and he's going to celebrate. But -he ain't,--even if he _is_ the Mayor of Roosevelt!" - -The men of Alaska, while they admit that the free use of liquor was -once almost a necessity in the country, see no reason why it should be -so now. Civilization has brought with it other and better means of -keeping warm and in good spirits. Like many another thing of this -twentieth century it has outlived its usefulness. There are comfortable -homes in all the populated sections of Alaska now,--homes where one -sees just what he would find anywhere else in the world. Social -intercourse and family life are the same here as elsewhere. There is -tennis. There is golf. There are music and dancing, and a "chummy" -feeling seems to possess all the occupants of the land. There is a -general impression that life in a thinly-populated country is not -conducive to sociability. I have never found it so. There is a _bon -camaraderie_ in Alaska that I have found nowhere else in the world. -Perhaps it is of a brand not to be found except in the far spaces of -the universe! - -There is one Great Day in Alaska,--the day when the ice goes out of the -Bay in the spring! There is something about the sight and sound of -_flowing_ water which moves one strangely after nine long months of the -"still" cold. One relaxes unconsciously from a tenseness which until -that moment he has not realized has possessed him and in this -connection I would relate a bit of personal experience. - -Life here, as elsewhere, seems to take on new meaning in the -springtime. Merry boating or sailing parties are one of the favorite -amusements of the Alaskan summer. One evening,--it was the day that the -ice went out of the Bay,--I made one of a jolly party which went -sailing. The presence of an Army Post always adds to the social life of -any community, large or small, and stationed at St. Michael at this -time was an officer whose heroism and self-control saved the lives of -all but two of our party of eight. Captain Peter Lind was in charge of -the boat. We had known him long as an able seaman and therefore put -ourselves and our ladies into his keeping without the least thought of -possible disaster. From the Fort were two officers, Lieutenants Wood -and Pickering. The other members of the party were Dr. and Mrs. -McMillan, Mr. and Mrs. Bromfield and myself. When we were well out from -shore the boat suddenly capsized. Before we realized that anything was -happening we were in the water. The water was very cold, but the men -were good swimmers, and we managed to get a hold on the capsized boat. -We were all clinging to it when without the slightest warning over it -went again. The hour that followed was one which no member of that -little party will ever forget. Captain Lind disappeared. But the -magnificent cool-headedness of Lieutenant Wood caused the rest of us to -put up a stiff fight and resolve to die game if we had to. Finally -after a battle which reduced the strongest of us to utter exhaustion we -had the satisfaction of seeing six of our little party safely ashore. -Mrs. Bromfield and Captain Lind were lost. And the getting to land was -by no means the least thrilling part of the experience. The Eskimos on -the shore heard our calls, and although their little boats had not been -used all winter and were in need of repairs, they launched them quickly -and came to our aid. The boat in which I came in took water badly. But -one sturdy little Eskimo baled industriously while the other rowed. - -I once heard an old Frenchman singing a song about the wind in the -springtime. It ran like this: - - "Le vent que traverse la montagne - M'a rendu fou!" - - (The wind which crosses the mountain - Has driven me mad!) - -Each member of our little party realized that Captain Lind could not -have been himself at the moment of our disaster. The winter had been -very severe and I have frequently wondered whether the sight of the Bay -which for so long had been solid ice and had then so quickly melted -into beautiful, sparkling, _moving_ water,--just as a lovely woman -sometimes gives way suddenly to tears,--had not been the strongest -element in his sudden mental undoing. - -Civilization follows the flag wherever it goes. Army men are splendid -the world over, a fact formerly realized by the few but which is now -being driven home to the many by the great war. And the Army women----. -They are such "good fellows!" They, too, go with the flag to make a -home for their soldier husbands. And they care not a whit whether they -follow them into the sands of the desert or over the Arctic snows! - -I can not leave the story of St. Michael without reference to Gene -Doyle, the oldest mail carrier in our part of the country. Have you -ever thought what it means to be a mail carrier in Alaska? These men -are the real heroes of the trails. Over in the Canadian Yukon they -tolerate no such inhumane treatment of men. There no man may take out a -horse or a dog if the mercury registers lower than forty-five below -zero unless it is a case of life or death and even then one must get -permission from the Northwest Mounted Police. But the American mail man -_must_ go,--or lose his job! Many a time has Doyle set forth with the -temperature at sixty below, and you may rest assured that if he did not -show up on schedule time we made ready our sleds and went out to meet -him! There is no resident of Alaska who is not in sympathy with the -Rev. Hudson Stuck who has more than once expressed an ardent longing to -serve as Postmaster General for just one week! - - - - - CHAPTER XVII - - THE PRIZE OF THE PACIFIC - - -Aside from our interests which are now bound up in the great war there -is no problem confronting the United States which is so vital as that -of Alaska and the Pacific Coast. Separated as she is from the -motherland by a foreign country, the shipping to and from Alaska is the -most important thing to be considered. True, two of her river systems -furnish five thousand miles of navigable water, but in winter they are -choked with ice and the country is as yet painfully short on railroads! -The Pacific Ocean is the great problem of the American people to-day -and Alaska is the prize beyond compute of the Pacific Coast. - -It is high time that the American people and the United States -Government as well rubbed their eyes and awakened to a fact long known -to the few of us who have been on guard. The cards were shuffled some -time ago and are just lying, waiting to be dealt in the greatest game -that has ever been played! Before the war we used to hear much talk -about the "control of the seas." How many of us realized what that -expression meant? The war has opened our eyes. Who is it that has the -shuffled cards lying ready? Who is it that _wants_ the Pacific? The -answer is ready and instant. _Japan!_ - -Every school boy knows that the United States owns the Aleutian -Islands. He knows also that they stretch all the way across to Asia and -separate Bering Sea from the Pacific. In this group of Islands is one -which has an ice-free front. It is called Dutch Harbor. It would prove -an excellent base, if properly fortified, in the control of the Pacific -Ocean. Out of our hands Dutch Harbor would be just as effective a -barrier _against_ us as Gibraltar now is against Spain! In time of war -a naval enemy would have a good chance of beating us to Dutch Harbor -and accomplishing what we, with a lack of foresight have failed to -do,--bar the way to Alaska to us forever after. - -Why the seriousness of this has not been realized by the government is -inexplainable. Alaska is our most valuable possession. It is not mere -womanish fear which forces us to recognize that we are in danger of -losing her. There can be no question that in the event of a struggle -for the possession of the Pacific the fate of Alaska will be exactly -that which befell Korea in the Manchurian war of a decade or two ago. -Nor is this all. Who can sit still at this very moment and see the Japs -pushing eastward through Siberia without apprehension? - -A hostile fleet in Dutch Harbor and Alaska will fall of her own weight! -The distance to Dutch Harbor is just the same from Yokohama as it is -from San Francisco! Dutch Harbor is to us what Gibraltar was to Spain -in the days of the Armada. Shall we, like Spain, fail to realize her -value until too late? If so, our experience can not be other than that -which befell her. The tremendous significance of our failure to make -Dutch Harbor impregnable and impassable will one day stun us. But the -great war has forced us into doing what long ago we should have done -without being forced. We are feverishly building ships. If we get our -great fleet in order, and if we do it _first_, then it may be that the -shuffled cards may never be dealt. There may be no game. There are -those who never play unless they see the way open to win! - -We have another strategic point also. This is Rugged Island, lying in -Resurrection Bay. This Bay was so named by the Russians who discovered -it on the anniversary of Our Lord's Resurrection. Rugged Island is an -easy point of attack and the government has recently appropriated -seven hundred thousand dollars to fortify it. - -No comedy of AEschylus ever equaled a proposition put forth in Congress -not long ago by the Hon. Frank O. Smith of Maryland. Under the -astounding and absurd title of _Eugenic Peace_ he proposed that in the -interest of world peace the United States should cede to Canada the -southern part of Alaska, known as the Panhandle! This section shuts off -a large region of Canada from the sea. - -Strangely enough, the proposition secured the support of a number of -eminent men (not one of whom, however, had ever been to Alaska) but to -one who lives here it is the limit and pinnacle of absurdity. First of -all, the business affairs of the people living here are conducted -almost wholly with Seattle and San Francisco. Would they consent to -such a change? Never! Their business would be paralyzed if turned over -to Canada, thereby necessitating the payment of a tariff on their -exports. Just think what such a proposition would entail. Fully -one-third of the salmon fisheries of the world are in the Panhandle! -One of the largest gold mines in the world (the Treadwell, on Douglas -Island) is located here. Great forests of timber (to cut which has -been forbidden by the government) cover a large part of the area in -question. Here, also, are Juneau, the capital of Alaska; Sitka, the -ancient Russian capital; Ketchikan, Wrangell, and many other fishing -and trading towns containing more than half the permanent population of -the whole of Alaska! Why not present Canada with the northern peninsula -of Michigan, or the tip of the State of Washington? - -There is no doubt that Canada would be glad to arrange things so that -her traffic with the Yukon might be carried on without the payment of -tariff duties. Well, there is a remedy, but it does not lie in the -transfer of territory. It lies in reciprocity of trade,--if not -reciprocity, then _free_ trade to and from the Yukon and Skagway, its -natural seaport. But the idea of ceding the whole country in order to -accommodate the residents in the much less important part of the Yukon -is a proposition about which it is difficult to be serious! What a joke -the United States would be playing upon herself! - -For a long time after the historic days of "Fifty-four forty or fight" -there was much argument over the boundary of Alaska. It culminated in -1898, however, in the decision of the Lord Chief Justice of England, -Lord Alverstane, that the contention of the American members of the -Commission (Elihu Root, Henry Cabot Lodge and Ex-Senator Turner) was -correct and should be sustained. This decision gave to the United -States complete control of the seacoast and all the bays and channels -opening into it. And it is a control it behooves us to keep! But the -greatest need of Alaska to-day is a railroad running _into_ the country -by means of which troops could be sent from the United States. This -road would have to run through Canada, and here again is a problem for -the statesmen of our country to ponder over _and solve_! - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII - - ALASKA AND THE WAR - - -A wireless message flashed the news to Alaska that our country had -entered the war. The effect was the usual one,--the one to which we in -Alaska have become accustomed. It aroused a patriotism which was both -ideal and practical. It is said that the man who went farthest to serve -his colors was a man from Iditarod. A man with his dog team drove by -his dwelling and told him the news. Like Israel Putnam of Revolutionary -fame who left his team standing in the field where he was ploughing and -went to join the Minute Men, so this man laid aside his work and -journeyed a thousand miles on a dog sled to enlist! - -Every line of industrial, engineering, mining, agricultural and fishing -activity immediately was speeded to the top notch of energy and -production. The coal output increased from fifty thousand to a hundred -thousand tons. Fish food products jumped from twenty to forty-two -million dollars. There was an increase of twenty-two million pounds of -canned salmon shipped to the United States over the output of 1917. - -The people of Alaska are hardy. They are patriotic. They are energetic -and practical. They understand fully what war means. They know that -although far removed from the scene of activity they are called upon to -help win the war just as much as if they were fighting in the trenches. -They know that the greatest good they can do their country is to feed -her fighting men. So they went about it in a business-like manner. The -result is that theirs is a practical, _organized_ patriotic -cooperation. Many of the pioneer gold seekers are now transformed into -farmers. The potato crop for this year is two thousand tons,--only one -item, but a significant one. - -The Alaskan women, as always, came straight to the front. With that -practical knowledge born of residence in such a country as Alaska they -eliminated the sentimental and went to work at those things which -America asks and expects of her women. Mrs. Thomas J. Donahoe, of -Valdez, who is also President of the Federation of Women's Clubs, was -appointed Chairman of the Woman's Committee of the Council of National -Defense, and the Red Cross is represented and practically managed in -almost every locality in the territory. When the first Liberty Loan -was floated the response of Alaska was instant and generous and the -same is true of the succeeding loans. - -In connection with the part Alaska is playing in the great struggle I -revert once more to the subject of the dogs. Our hearts were touched -when we learned that they, too, had been awarded the _Croix de Guerre_ -by the French Government, the Cross having been sent to Mrs. Esther -Birdsall Darling who owned and sold many of them to France. "Scotty" -Allen took them over and left them there to do their "bit." - -It was a French Reserve Officer, a mining engineer, Lieutenant Rene -Haas, who first called the attention of the French Government to the -services which could be rendered by the dogs. Mrs. Darling, good -patriot that she is and ever ready to promote the cause of the Allies, -promptly offered the best that the Darling-Allen kennels afforded. -Lieutenant Haas was commissioned to select them. He chose twenty-five -of the youngest, swiftest and best bred of these kennels. Then, -supported enthusiastically by Captain Moufflet, who also knew the -possibilities of the Alaskan dog service, the interest of their -superior officers was aroused and Lieutenant Haas was ordered to go to -Nome, there to select and purchase a hundred or more suitable for duty -in the Vosges. "Scotty" Allen was persuaded to go to France with the -dog contingent and the number was augmented by others from Canada and -Labrador. When he and Lieutenant Haas sailed they had four hundred and -fifty splendid dogs with them,--half a regiment! All were successfully -delivered at the front where they have rendered distinguished and -valuable service. - -He would indeed be dead to emotion who could read the report which came -with the _Croix de Guerre_ and which was sent from headquarters on the -French frontier to far-away Alaska. We all knew that the dogs would -meet emergencies boldly, no matter what the circumstances, the -conditions or the weather. One specific incident which will be a part -of Alaska's written history when the war is over serves to emphasize -and justify our faith in them. - -From a lonely post out on the frontier in the French Alps came to -headquarters a most urgent call for help. They were out of ammunition -and the situation was most critical. True to their reputation for valor -the French were holding the post, fighting against heavy odds, each man -saying in his heart the little sentence which has become the slogan of -the French army and the prayer of every man, woman and child in -France,--"_They shall not pass!_" To hold the post longer, however, -meant that ammunition _must_ be forthcoming at once. A terrific -blizzard was in progress. The trails were dangerous, almost obliterated -in places. Trucks and horses were of no avail. But there were the -dogs,--Alaska's heroes. To them France turned in her emergency. The -sleds were quickly loaded. The Malamuts fell to harness instantly on -command. Lieutenant Haas was ready for his perilous journey. A crack of -the whip, an encouraging shout to the dogs and they were off. For four -days and four nights they kept their steady gait. Up and down -precipitous mountain-sides, over treacherous trails and across the -snow-buried expanse, most of the time under shell fire from the enemy, -they went quietly, steadily on. Lieutenant Haas acknowledged that the -dogs seemed to realize quite as clearly as he did himself the necessity -of haste and a cool head, that they had in their eyes the "do-or-die" -look which he had so often seen in the eyes of his men. And every one -who knows anything about them knows how much victory means to a -Malamut. - -On the morning of the fifth day, just at dawn, they reached the -post,--one more instance of a dramatic arrival in the nick of time. The -ammunition was now completely exhausted. One needs not a vivid -imagination to hear in fancy the ringing cheers which greeted them. A -pronounced trait of the Alaskan dog is glory in victory, mourning in -defeat. This has been observed many times in the races,--the downcast, -dejected air of the dogs that fail, the brisk and happy attitude of -those that win. So in this instance, the cheers and the Cross were but -episodes. The victory was the thing! - -The French Government acknowledges that the dogs are quite as valuable -as any other branch of the service and those that made this hard and -perilous trip are to be painted and hung in the War Museum in Paris. - -Mrs. Darling and "Scotty" are and have every reason to be proud of -their dogs. In the din of battle and the precariousness of life on the -frontier they doubtless miss their owners' kindness and attention. But -the sympathies of the latter go with them wherever they go. Lieutenant -Haas declares that these dogs have a "college education" and can be -trusted to do their work intelligently and fearlessly. When the time -comes for the history of the Great World War to be written, may the -deeds of the dogs of Nome who played no less courageous and conspicuous -a part than did her men be fittingly inscribed therein! - - - - - CHAPTER XIX - - ALASKAN WRITERS - - -In addition to her gold and copper, her furs and her fish, Alaska has -produced a crop of writers of more or less importance. By far the -truest exponent of the life of the country is Robert Service whose _The -Spell of the Yukon_ surely breathes the spirit of the land. Service is -now an army surgeon in the European war and his latest volume _Rhymes -of a Red Cross Man_ has added to the reputation he justly enjoys -because of the verse which went before it. This little volume is -dedicated to the memory of his brother, Lieutenant Albert Service, -killed in action, and the _Foreword_ with which the collection opens is -well worth quoting: - - "I've tinkered at my bits of rhymes - In weary, woeful, waiting times; - In doleful hours of battle din - Ere yet they brought the wounded in! - Through vigils by the fateful night, - In lousy barns by candle light; - In dug-outs, sagging and aflood, - On stretchers stiff and bleared with blood; - By ragged grove, by ruined road, - By hearths accurst where Love abode; - By broken altars, blackened shrines-- - I've tinkered at my bits of rhymes! - - "I've solaced me with scraps of song - The desolated ways along; - Through sickly fields all shrapnel-sown - And meadows reaped by death alone; - By blazing cross and splintered spire, - By headless Virgin in the mire; - By gardens gashed amid their bloom, - By gutted grave, by shattered tomb; - Beside the dying and the dead, - Where rockets green and rockets red - In trembling pools of poising light, - With flowers of flame festoon the night. - Ah me! By what dark ways of wrong - I've cheered my heart with scraps of song! - - "So here's my sheaf of war-won verse, - And some is bad, and some is worse. - And if at times I curse a bit, - You needn't read that part of it! - For through it all, like horror, runs - The red resentment of the guns! - And you yourself would mutter when - You took the things that once were men - And sped them through that zone of hate - To where the dripping surgeons wait! - You'd wonder, too, if, in God's sight, - War ever, _ever_ can be right!" - -Service is essentially a poet. His novel, _The Trail of Ninety-eight_, -well,--we have forgiven him! It is lurid melodrama and certainly adds -nothing to his literary reputation. But none can read _The Spell of the -Yukon_ without breathing deeply! - - "There's a land where the mountains are nameless - And the rivers all run God knows where! - There are lives that are erring and aimless - And deaths that just hang by a hair! - There are hardships that nobody reckons, - There are valleys unpeopled and still! - There's a land--oh, it beckons and beckons! - I want to go back--and I will!" - -[Illustration: REV. HUDSON STUCK, ARCHDEACON OF THE YUKON, PREACHING -WITH INDIAN AND ESKIMO INTERPRETERS] - -[Illustration: INTERIOR OF GREEK CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ST. MICHAEL BUILT -IN 1837] - -[Illustration: FINE OLD NATIONAL HOUSE WITH TOTEM POLES NEAR WRANGELL] - -I have already said that the true story of the Klondike stampede has -never been written and perhaps never will be. A great deal was put out -under the guise of literature, but it was mere journalistic stuff. It -will not endure and should not. Jack London was in Klondike. And he was -a born story-teller. He should have written something quite worth while -of those stirring days with all the wealth of material which lay about -him. But the best he did was _The Call of the Wild_ and in it he -indulged his love for the romantic to such an extent that you find -yourself wondering whether dogs are real dogs and his men real men -until in the end you conclude that they are not! His white men are like -characters on the stage. And if there are any Indians in Alaska such -as he portrayed I have never encountered them. They are absurdly untrue -to life. Furthermore, the brutal side of life seems to have had undue -attraction for London. It is true that it did exist. But it was not the -whole of life in Alaska, by any means, and one sickens of it after -continuous reading about it. Rex Beach's stories, _The Spoilers_ and -_The Silver Horde_ (by far his best, in my judgment), are good and -typical of the life of the period. Yet one can not read them without a -feeling that they, too, leave much to be desired. - -The wit, the pathos, the comedies, the tragedies, the sordidness, the -heroism of those days! Whose pen could delineate the characters of -those who wrought them or adequately describe the country as it -was,--and is! It would take the combined genius of a Poe, a Kipling and -a Bret Harte to do justice to the subject. Richard Harding Davis was -preparing to go to Klondike. Had he carried out his intention it might -have been different. But one morning he picked up the morning paper and -read therein that the _Maine_ had been blown up in Havana harbor. He -changed his mind! - -I am convinced that the best tales of the land have never been put on -paper. These are the stories related at the road-houses, or in the -rooms of the Arctic Brotherhood or some similar gathering-place by -those who took part in them. And they usually come out quite by -accident. The participant thinks there is nothing wonderful about them. -Some grizzled miner,--Service calls them "the silent men who _do_ -things,"--will suddenly begin talking, and sometimes the story he tells -will beat any that has ever yet found its way into print. Why has no -one ever written a steamboat story? Or a tale of the Arctic -Brotherhood? There are material and local color galore for such. - -Nearly all Alaskans are familiar with the writings of Samuel Clarke -Dunham. He has occasionally burst into verse, and he has a dry humor -which is exhilarating. I have already quoted from one of his best known -effusions concerning the tundra. Tracking about in the wet Russian moss -is often calculated to extract (not painlessly) about ninety per cent -of one's enthusiasm! So one day Dunham broke forth in a poem which -began thus: - - "I've traversed the toe-twisting tundra - Where reindeer root round for their feed!" etc. - -Would that there were some way of gathering together the fugitive -stories and poems, replete with wit and humor, with pathos and tragedy, -which are a part of Alaska's unwritten history! Many a time have I -been guilty of hanging around a road-house, saloon or "joint" of some -kind for no reason on earth except that I knew I should hear a good -story or two from some wandering wayfarer who had just come in off the -trail. And at such times I have often recalled the familiar song -(peculiarly true to life in Alaska) the chorus of which runs: - - "Sometimes you're glad, - Sometimes you're sad, - When you play in the game of life!" - -I have heard in these miners' gatherings tales of tragedies almost -unbelievable, comedies which would furnish excellent vehicles for the -talents of Charlie Chaplin and not a few love stories worthy of a -Dickens, a Hugo or a Tolstoi. But they were no sooner told than -forgotten as no one was at hand to record them. - -I well recall an evening when I joined a group who sat smoking beside a -stove in one of the road-houses. There was conversation, but one -usually loquacious individual sat silently and smoked his pipe. -Whenever he had appeared there before he had always been accompanied by -an older man. They seemed inseparable companions. I had a feeling that -something tragic had happened and that he would relate it before the -evening was over. So I decided to "stick around." Presently some one -asked him where his partner was. He did not reply immediately, but -presently took his pipe from between his teeth and speaking in the -vernacular of the country said: - -"He won't be here no more." - -"You mean----?" - -"Yep." - -We were all interested immediately but forebore to ask questions. -Presently he went on. - -"We were just comin' along the trail. His foot slipped an' down he went -into the crevasse. I hollered down, an' I heerd him answer. So I -climbed down as far as I could, an' I could see him, an' talk to him. -His face was jammed right in the ice an' was already freezin'. We -couldn't do nothin' but just look at each other. Then he says, 'You -might as well go on!' An' I says, 'I'm damned ef I do!' I untied the -packs an' got all the rope we had, but it wouldn't reach him. 'I'll go -git some more rope,' I says to him, but I knowed it'd be too late. 'Go -on!' he says. 'Don't let the dark git you out here. You can't do -nothin' fer me!' I knowed he was right. But I hated like hell to leave -him. I'd 'a stayed ef it'd done any good. But it wouldn't. To-day I got -some more rope an' went back. But----. The ice down where he was had -opened again an' I could see straight down fer two hundred feet. He -wuzn't there!" - -Nobody said anything. He took a few more puffs from his pipe. Then he -got up and went out. - -I have more than once mentioned the Reverend Hudson Stuck, Archdeacon -of the Yukon, author, missionary and first white man to ascend Mt. -McKinley. The Archdeacon is known and loved by all who know him, not -only for his services but because of his personality and his -adaptability to the needs and conditions of the land in which he lives. -His books, _The Ascent of Denali_, _Ten Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled_ -and _Voyages on the Yukon_, are excellent reading, good examples of -Alaskan literature and history. The Archdeacon has a sense of humor -which makes friends for him wherever he goes, and one evening Gene -Doyle, the oldest mail-carrier in our part of Alaska, a hardened -traveler of the trails, blew in with a good story. Gene was a sourdough -of the most pronounced type. He had wintered many times in Alaska. - -When two people meet on the trails each is warned of the other's -approach by the actions of the dogs. First the leader and then the rest -of the team will begin to bristle and cut antics of various kinds. The -usual salutation in Alaska is not "How are you?" or "Hello!" as might -be the case elsewhere. Instead we call out: "How are the trails ahead?" -On this occasion Doyle knew by the actions of his dogs that he was -about to meet another team. There was a storm in progress and neither -man could see the driver of the other team. Doyle had had a -particularly difficult day's trip and was a bit out of temper when the -driver of the other team thus accosted him: - -"Friend, how are the trails ahead?" - -"They are the G---- d---- dest, blank, blank, blankety-blankedest I've -ever seen in Alaska!" Doyle replied. "How are they your way?" - -"The same!" was the somewhat emphatic response of the gentleman. It was -the Archdeacon! - -As I have already said, weather which in lower latitudes would promptly -convert one into an icicle has little effect upon one who understands -how to prepare for it. With hands and feet warmly protected, with -winter underwear and wind-proof outer clothes one can comfortably and -successfully "weather the weather!" It is no uncommon experience, -however, to meet a man on the trail who sings out to you: - -"I say, old fellow,--your nose is frozen!" - -"Thanks!" you respond. "So is yours!" - -Each will then blissfully apply a little snow to the disabled member -and proceed on his way. But there is one other thing which should be -rigorously guarded against as it is a painful and distressing -experience. This is snow-blindness. The glare on the snow causes the -film of the eye to become a water blister, which takes three or four -days to heal. One of my most poignant recollections is a three days' -siege of snow-blindness, during which I lay helpless in a hut while an -old squaw put wet tea leaves on my eyes. Never again! - -I have heard that from the fighting men of the allied armies now in -Europe have come back some exquisite verse,--such verse as one could -not reasonably expect from men of their youth and previous environment. -The same may be said of much of the verse of Alaska. The poems of -Service and Dunham are well known. But alas, the bulk of the others -never saw the light of day in print! - -As has been said, however, Alaska is a land of contrasts. Not every one -gets the same impression of the same thing! To prove it I quote a poem -written by one of the many who did not find in Alaska just what they -came to seek. The writer of the verses below was the steward on the -_Susie_,--one of the boats which plied the Yukon during the gold rush. -Evidently his claim proved worthless, or something else went wrong. For -he has thus expressed himself: - - AN IMPRESSION OF ALASKA - - The Devil in hell, we are told, was chained. - Thousands of years he thus remained, - But he did not complain nor did he groan. - He decided to have a hell of his own - Where he could torment the souls of men - Without being chained in a sulphur pen! - So he asked the Lord if He had any land - In a clime cool enough for a Devil to stand. - The Lord said: "Yes--but it's not much use. - It's called Alaska. It's cold as the deuce. - In fact, old boy, the place is so bare - I fear you could not make a good hell there!" - - But the Devil said he could not see why; - He knew his business. He'd like to try. - So the bargain was made, the deed was given, - And the Devil took his departure from heaven. - - He next appeared in the far, far North, - Exploring Alaska to learn its worth; - And he said from McKinley as he looked at the truck, - "I got it for nothing,--but still I'm stuck!" - - But, oh,--it was fine to be out in the cold! - The wind blew a gale, but the Devil grew bold, - And thus on the mountain height he planned: - "I'll make of Alaska the home of the damned! - A different place from the old-fashioned hell, - Where each soul burns in a brimstone cell. - I'll use every means a wise Devil need - To make a good hell. You bet I'll succeed!" - - First he filled the air with millions of gnats. - Then he spread the Yukon all over the Flats, - Set a line of volcanos from Unimak Pass, - And covered the soil with tundra grass. - He made six months' night--when 'twas sixty below, - A howling wind and a pelting snow! - And six months' day--with a spell now and then - Too hot for the Devil and all of his men! - Brought hungry wolves and dogs by the pack - Whose yells send chills right down your back, - And as you "mush" o'er the bleak expanse - The North Wind blows holes in your pants! - - But of all the pests the imp could devise - The Yukon mosquitoes bear off the prize. - They've a rattler's bite, a scorpion's sting, - And they measure six inches from wing to wing! - The Devil said when he fashioned these: - "One of 'em is worse than a thousand fleas!" - - Then, over the mountain and rolling plain - Where the dew falls soft and there's plenty of rain - He grew flowers and berries. 'Twas just a bluff! - The Devil knows how to peddle his stuff! - And to prove how well he knew the game - He next proceeded to salt his claim. - - He put gold nuggets in all the streams - To lure men on in dreams! In dreams! - He hid them deep in the glacial ice, - As a glittering city hides its vice! - Then he bade Dame Rumor spread the news - Throughout all the world to its motley crews - That there was gold in piles and piles, - Of every color and in all styles! - Then he grinned a grim, sardonic grin, - And said: "Now watch the fools rush in! - They'll fight for gold. They'll steal and slay! - But in the end _I'm_ the one they'll pay!" - - 'Tis a fine hell this that the Devil owns! - Its trails are marked with frozen bones; - The wild winds moan over bleak chaparral; - 'Tis a hell of a place he chose for his hell! - - And now you know, should anyone ask you, - What kind of a place is our Alaska! - -I am convinced that the Alaskans, whether they realize it or not, are -poetic and imaginative. All over the country one finds the quaintest of -names that have been bestowed upon the various localities by some -follower of the trail, prospector, or other traveler. In one's -journeyings he will come upon settlements bearing such names as Sunset, -Paystreak, Anchorage and Fortymile. There are also the "Isles of God's -Mercy" where Henry Hudson found shelter on his last voyage, "Anxiety -Point" and "Return Reef" of Sir John Franklin, that Sir Galahad of -explorers whose Eskimo name means "the man who does not molest our -women." In Bank's Land is "Mercy Bay" and there is also the "Thank God" -harbor so named by poor Hall on the _Polaris_. - -So, if one could but gather them together, the poems and songs and -pretty names of Alaska, each a part of her real history, it might make -a column about three miles long, but--it would be mighty interesting -reading! - -One has but to glance at the map to see the similarity of the Alaskan -coast to that of Norway. Will not the day come when her fiords and -mountains, her Northern Lights and Midnight Sun will be as famed in -song and story as those of Norway? Surely it will! - - - - - CONCLUSION - - -In concluding this volume I am reminded of two stories, both of which -seem applicable to the subject. One of the quaintest and most -interesting characters I ever ran across was a French-Canadian, Captain -of one of the boats which plied the Yukon during the summer and in the -winter stayed at St. Michael. One day the river, or the boat, or both, -behaved badly. So he sang out: - -"T'row over the anch'!" - -"But, Capitaine," expostulated a sailor, "ze anch' she have no chain on -her!" - -The Captain glared at him wrathfully. - -"T'row her over any way!" he bawled. "She may help some!" - -The second story concerns this same gentleman. When the mail service -was established at St. Michael he was told that all he had to do if he -wanted a letter was to go up to the window and ask for it. Never having -had a letter he thought he would like the experience. So he went and -demanded one. The postmaster asked his name. - -"Pierre LeGros," he said. - -"How do you spell it?" asked the man inside. - -This was a poser. Pierre's knowledge did not extend to orthography. But -he was nothing if not adaptable. He eyed the man balefully for a moment -and the expression on his face was worth a fortune. It changed slowly -from interest to scorn. He straightened himself up as proudly as a king -and remarked without the slightest trace of temper: - -"Vell,--eef you no can spell Pierre LeGros zen I zink yo' better sell -your damn' post-of_fees_!" - -The first of these stories is illustrative of my motive in writing this -book. So desirous am I that all men may know our _Land of Tomorrow_ as -she really is that I have tried to set forth her advantages and her -opportunities which lie on every hand only waiting to be grasped. -Therefore I hope _she may help some_! Also, I feel that wisdom and -thoughtfulness on the part of our government will be necessary in order -to protect Alaska. And she must be protected because she can not yet -protect herself. If we can not protect her, keep her safe from invasion -by a foreign enemy, then again I am one with Pierre LeGros. We had -better sell her! - -I am not so pessimistic as to think that such a thing will happen, -however. The United States seldom fails to do the right thing at the -right time. Alaska is the first country peopled by a race which has -back of it the spirit and the traditions of democracy! It is the last -great fertile and temperate land on which western civilization may take -a fresh start. The democracy which now exists in Alaska is of the very -best brand. It is that of a country which, critical of her own -mistakes, is capable of showing the world what she has learned from -experience. The distilled experience of America and of the whole world -is hers to draw upon. There is no excuse for a repetition of any of the -blunders the motherland may have made during the days of her youth and -her inexperience. - -That the government realizes all this is evident. It was made plain -when after a long struggle she saved Alaska's resources from monopoly. -Now the problem is to _make sure_ that whatever is done in the way of -economical development, of building railroads, town sites, schools, -public buildings, establishing home government and promoting industrial -and agricultural possibilities, shall be done in the right -way,--sanely, harmoniously, permanently. Statesmen must be trained for -this work and it is a trust which any statesman ought to hold sacred. -To build a new civilization! How splendid a task at which to spend -one's working years! Alaska is America's opportunity. - -So long as the United States owns Alaska (and may it be always!) she is -wealthy. She bought fabulous riches in 1867 for two cents an acre! With -a mere handful of adventurous spirits, with no railroads to speak of, -Alaska has already shown what she can do. With good transportation, -with thriving, teeming, hustling, heavily populated cities,--what will -the future reveal? _Read the answer in the history of the American -people!_ - -Time was when the Great West lured all men. Now it is the Great North! -The West, that once fabled land of the bad man, the gold mine, the gun -fighter and similar attractions, has vanished from our scheme. If there -is now a spot in the West which has not passed into the hands of -private management, rest assured that it is a spot where nothing but -sage brush and jack rabbits will thrive! But the Great North is -waiting! And calling! The last frontier! The only territory under the -Stars and Stripes where the man without capital has yet a reasonable -chance of reaping the reward of his labors. And the North is waiting -and calling for _you_! - -As I write the closing pages of this book I find that I myself am once -more hearing--the Voice! Is it the same Voice which called me to the -Northland some ten years ago? I think so. And never before have I heard -it in tones so distinct, so insistent. I have been somewhat critical -(justly so, I feel) of the indifference of the government toward the -present and future needs of Alaska. But----. Only a few hours ago I -donned the most _comfortable_ suit of clothes I have ever worn, namely, -the uniform of the good old U. S. A. I am for peace,--just so long as -there is no legitimate reason for war. But Germany can not step on the -tail of my Uncle Sam's coat with impunity! - -Would that I were able to put into words a fitting tribute to the -staunch friends among whom I have come and gone under almost every -conceivable circumstance and condition! To form friendships such as -these, cemented by events which can not occur elsewhere, is well worth -living for. Whenever my mind reverts to this subject I recall a little -stanza which expresses my thoughts far better than I can voice them -myself. So, to my friends, the Alaskans, I can only say: - - "I have eaten your bread and your salt; - I have drunk of your water and wine; - The deaths you have died I have watched beside, - And the lives that you lived were mine!" - - - - -Transcriber notes: - -Some words were broken up due to line endings. As they only occur once -in the book it's not absolutely clear if they should be hyphenated or -not. This concerns the following words: - -snow-slides, playwright, omnipresent, half-politician, sourdough; - -The following corrections have been made: - -p. 129 "There is one noticable thing about the conditions" noticable -changed to noticeable - -p. 169 "reached direct only betwen June and October" betwen changed to -between - -p. 203 "several bottles of whiskey" whiskey changed to whisky - -p. 208 "passengers, bagbage and freight" bagbage changed to -baggage - -p. 215 "unconscious of this characteristice" characteristice -changed to characteristic - -p. 228 "'Don't let the dark git you out -here. You can't do nothin' fer me!" added ' after me! - -p. 228 "But----" added . - -Illustrations moved to paragraph breaks. 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