TO SEE OURSELVES AS OTHERS SEE US
EMINENT N. Y- JURIST WRITES HIS
IMPRESSIONS OF ALASKA & ALASKANS
0
The following article is taken from
the Iditarod l’ioneer who re-produced
i'. from the Springfield (Mass.) Re
publican. It is from the pen of Roger
Forest an eminent lawyer of Now
York, who has gained distinction at
tiic bar and before "the court of public
opinion," a phase whose authorship lie
is credited with.
Mr. Forest reviews at length the
wondrous beau,Hies of the scenery in
south-eastern Alaska- of which wo
are aware as well as strange c.xiw'i
'ences he encountered on his trip
down the Yukon, and the article,
shorn of its less striking' pa fit graphs
is as follows:
For those, however, who arc strong
and do not mind coarse food, rough
necks and rough treatment, when coun
terbalanced by beautiful scenery and
interesting men, a voyage upon tin
River Yukon is an experience not lo be
regretted. He who has not seen the
Yukon, the Klondike, which empties
into it and ‘.hose who live near the
hanks have not seen Alaska. The Yu
kon flows 2,000 miles or more, out
meandering the Meander river in its
eoils and twists, near one point pass
ing the same hill live times through
a wilderness almost pathless, which
the greater part of the way has remain
ed unchanged since the discovery of
America. The primeval forest on its
hanks has in most places no inhabi
tants except moose, caribou, bear lynx
and other wild animals. Some of these
can bo seen from the boat, upon the
shores or swimming in the water.
Here and there are a few Indian
cabins, or the lodge of a wood -chopper
who supplies the steamers with fuel,
and a few mining camps now almost
empty, and owing Choir present limited
existence principally lo the fin trade.
One ofthese, the town of Circle, was so
named because it was erroneously
though! to be upon the Arctic circle;
which parallel as has since been dis
covered, cuts the river at a point near
the. mission and trading post id' Fort
Yukon, many miles further north, and
is indicated by a white globe painted
upon n sign hoard on tin- shore. Cir
cle was once the largest lent city in
the world, hut its white inhabitants are
now hardly a score. It is said that in
its well-populated eeinetary are the
graves of only two persons who have
died natural deaths; the others buried
there have been shot or committed
suicide. Another town, Ragle, I tie
nearest to the border of Canada, has
now less than ten white families. It
contains a wireless station which is
one of the wonders of the world. It
is said to intercept, til times, mes
sages from the Kiffel tower in i’aris.
The old Alaskans are a sturdy race.
None of the weaklings have survived.
I n tempera net* among them is ran*. In
this they show a striking contrast to
i tie runners of clams and salmon, on
the coast, especially such of those as
have left Washington and Oregon
since those states became dry. Most
of them are celibates who in the long
winters spent in the log cabins in the
woods, practice a monastic chastity.
The lust for gold has quenched every
other passion. Winter after wi tter,
for iiimv than fifteen years, many of
them have gone alum* or with a single
ji;i,",:ii r into the wilderness to search
for mines, ,md returned every spring
with gold sufficient to equal what they
had paid out for tools, dynamite and
provisions. Ihit tiny still continue, in
tin* hope that some day they may strike
a fortune; iindetern r by the fact that
comrades who have died were buried
in pauper's graves. After careful in
quiry I could not find a single case
when* a prospector had retired with a
fortune, or even a competency. as III
result of his discovery.
All the gold was earned away by
shop-keepers, gamblers anti middlemen.
At one time miners had no currency,
but paid for all purchases in gold dust.
As all agent of one of the companies
naively told mo, he always tried to }>••
honest in tlie handling of the scab's,
lint it was impossible that tiny should
he even, and his duty t•» himself re
quired that any doubts be resolved in
favor of his employers. Such profits
as he made in that way wi re entered
in his genial accounts, but the agent
of another e«fmpauy in Xoine kept a
sepeiale .01 •unit of suc h profits, am) it
amounted t«» more than $s..,Ouu in a
single year.
Tiie white women u h ss numerous
than tin men. they are smaller and
more wiry. Since most of them live
a distance of several days from a
physician and physically they are in
ferior to the squaws, they usually
practice race suicide. Hu4 they make
devoted wives. Many who at their
fathers* hollies were ac c ustomed to bo
waited upon, m steam heated apart
ments, live here cheerfully in log
cabins, cooking, washing and making
1 fires, without se rvants. They' are to
! warded by devotion find admiration.
< >hi maids are unknown in Alaska.
Most women have* two or even three
husbands, and a line waiting for any
vacancy that may occur. In one re
spect tfiey have reached advanced
stage of civilization. A woman who
tins sinned in the past, if her life is
respectable, is respected by the others.
There is a fascination about the
Alaskan life which, despite its priva
tions, makes men loath to leave and
eager to return. There is no fear of
starvation nor even destitution. The
rivers and woods supply salmon and
Dream Theater
TONIGHT
A PAWN OF FORTUNE
5 PARTS 5
SUNDAY NIGHT
Rooster Program
MOTHER OF THE SHADOWS
2 Parts
Two Act Comedy
ONLY A WORKING GIRL
PATHE WEEKLY
5000 Feet 5 Reels 5 Reels 5000 Feet
Adm. 25c
■■ -—■-“
/
j \« :uh<>u of moose and eariImhi suflieieixt.
to meet the wants of all. A hole in
the ground males a refrigerator which
will keep meat fresh throughout the
hottest summers, without recourse to
jremmieait. And if a white man is too
lazy to hunt or fish for himself, ha
can always obtain a living from a
squaw and a fish-wheel.
I»uI I lie experience of the old ramp
Id' has given them nn abnormal taste
)
! for canned food. They prefer smoked
* fish to what is fresh. They insist that
1 fresh milk is inferior to condensed.
! When J>\ chance tlie> are served with
a fresh egg they criticize it for the lack
of the flavor to which those fornn i
days have accustomed them.
The of occupation during tl;
long winlei exenings has unde ‘him
1 great leaflets of hunks, USUall.X of a
serious character. 'They are good
J olgists and well x ersed ill other
j branches of natural st ieiu e. Their
I favorite periodical is the lateral's In
gest. I saw in Hie Interior of the
territory no eop\ of a story paper or
of a Police Oazetto. I pon the bar of a
saloon at the junction of the Pohanza
and Mldorado creeks, a few miles aboxe
where ihe Klon^like reeu ves iheii
xvaters I found a copy of Chamber’s
Kneyeloped in. Used b\ 1 h • mil •
set 11 e disputes that a lose under their
potations. Their Mnglish, too. is nn
usiiallx pun1. Slang is almost un
known. but the necessities of a novel
situation have of course led them to
adopt nexx words, unknown in '.he Mast
although some are used elsrXX In re oil
I Pacific coast. \ 1 sourdough" is all
! COMPARATIVE
! TEMPERAIURES
i
Kullowing trc Hu- luwi t rri'ot'iii -'
temperatures for this jimi aud list
Ott 111! 11 i I > S I e llgll.l till lilt' minus
sign In fori- 0 number me ins below
zero.
ll. S. Weather Bureau.
191G 1917
March 1 . .. —11 30
March 2 . —11 30
March 3. —4 32
March 4 . —14 12
March 5. 15 0
March 0. 19 15
March 7. 19 — 8
March S. 17 20
March 9 17 22
March 10. 17 1G
March Jl. —25 8
March 12 . —14 22
March 13 —19 28
March 15. —14 10
March 10 . 8 8
March 17. 0 4
March IS.0 15
March 19. 3 11
March 20. 10 1C
March 21 7 S
March 22 . G — 4
March 2.3. 5 —20
March 21.0 —27
March 25.—18 — 26
March 2G . — 2G —26
March 27 .— 18 - 18
March 28 . 3 — 2
March 29. - 18 9
j March 30. 10 10
FIRE Mil SIGNALS
13. ....SlaUilaI'll Oil Co.
13.Cars tens Cohl Storage
11.J. J. Season Co, oirice
.Hindquarters Saloon
.The Lobby
j 34.l’ionocrs Igloo
35.Catholic Church
31 .Discovery Saloon
33. Yurltey’s Cigar Store
41.opp. Webb's Market
Kngine House, l’hone Main 97.
7 whistles water. 3 fire out
. old Alaskan; a poke, an Knglish word;
a ‘vheerha ku" is a newcomer; a "cy -
• wash” is an India.n his wndr is a
' eorrupl ion of the 1'ieruh Word ‘sa il
{ \ igi'," To ••mush" it to trav. I on foot.
• This i derived from the Trench word
‘mai- in i,” An obedient dog, when told
to "ninsli" will leave the premises.
These dogs .m* magnilieeut. Th< ir
Stork t ront ilia 11 > Strengthening h\ ^
tying tin- sluts in the woods where they
ran he n arhed l*y the wolves alt hough
pM . a li t i* »U.s 11.1 \ • * to he taken to avoid
the jealousy of the she-wolves, who,
w ill kill 'hem if they have the oppoi
tunny. The litter is watched when
old enough to drink water. Those who
| lap with tin ir tongues are preserved;
j Imt tile imps who drink like a Ivors.
‘•a* Well' uie destroyed as |oa wild for ;
list on the s l«i Is.
The f.-• ling of fomradship is s'nm - I
among the pioue. is. Those who die
without a i < ni an- buried by the sur
vivors Any one of them who is liar I (
up i an .11 w a \ s obtain eredit at the
shops and rest ua i a n ts, and public |
opinion is so strong and severe that
them is no doubt of his paying his
<!• I»‘s win n he is able. Hospitality, I
as myself experienced it, at Itarn- l
• I- r extended to .strangers as freely
. m Asia. The spirit of democracy
i stronger than I have seen elsewhere, j
i ”111 ter/’or “boss.” The
n an who pays Ins wages he calls pnrt
:i r. When employed he does what he
eoiisidi rs to be a fair day's work, re .
I grad less i»f the opinion upon that .sub i
j j* . I of tin- mail who pays him, and no
orders, lllle its or im jolelliell I '■ * all ill (
. dm •• him to do more.
A waiter a' the leading leslaiiian: j
in the eily said, ill the middle of lily
•iippin. "Aimthei gentleman will give I
vmi the rest. I'm going to the < >n . j
lerf.” \ ni an who had had both e.v
pm i'-m es told no- that he would rabicr *
b broke in Alaska t ha ti ha \ e $30000 in j
be I nited .-hides The life is li .. 1
ilu people int r s'l ig, and the eoim •
ti y beautiful. As soon as suit aid.
j moans of ti m. m t.ition exists, tin*
[tiiUiilry should »• o \ e )■ i*i > wd< d wd i
111 oil * visitors tin *i was Switzerland
I it fore the v , "ml iiii'd do enjoy
| t usim ss pros » • n y,
■
Calling Cards at the Nugget Office
._
HOLT’S CASH STORE.
:
Mm. \t to me large Alaska Store,
, first d'M-r east. We are in position
i to till your orders in tiny quantity
I large or small at money saving prices.
Nome largest stoic*.
( Telephone Main 00.
— -
i •
i{ r
I resli Pork j
; 1 i
! , !
Hvery Priday ;
i ? !
• •
! INDEPENDENT MEAT j
MARKET
? W. M. Webb |
fgg u- *- •- s. ■?. ■- *- 3BBBP3»
j J C4RLET0N & COMPANYf
t LANG AND MOORES MER- J
J IT STOVES AND RANGES \
; !
COLE’S HOT BLAST HEAT- ,
; r
* ERS. ;
. ! FULL LINE OF MINING SUP- '
! PLIES AND HARDWARE t
! ;
I 310 Front St. Phone Hain II i
+
Chadder Cheese
30 and 45cts Pr. can
I PfldfK (OID SIORMif (OMPflNY
White 17.
WE ARE PREPARED I
During the past two years we have bought I
heavily in Cotton and Wool staple goods from |
Canvas (iloves to Scotch Wool Underwear and f
are now prepared to furnish our patrons at f
right prices with all the everyday Clothing I
j necessities. I
Slil: WINDOW DISPLAY
P. A. PETERSON SHOE CO.
1 -— ■ . ' .-.-ttf WT- - —=3gj H
.> r.»iw rm^sxm i ■ i ii ■ Bin ——■—— miwm ■i—na—
Coal
Crude Oil Refined Oil
Alaska Lighterage & Commercial (o.
« WWMBMMW——W——————
rvVAVWvVAW/»VVVVWVV/>A ,
I* ELITE I
HOTEL & BATHS |
Reopened unded new manage- j
ment. J > [
Rooms by day, week or month. ]>|
Rates Reasonable. <|J
Steam, Shower and Plain Baths. 4! !
W. R. ANDERSON, Prop. j|l
I ’Ii-. m Blank 171. 1
•AVWA-A'AVvAWVWAiWAV
A VAV>^\WVWAVWWAV^
| MILO'S GAFE
I OPEN DAY AND |
NIGHT j:
N.tt door to PACIFIC COT.D <[
STOItAOK M AUK FT «[
VAW/ZVVVVANSAAWiAVAAA
Chas. W. Reed
Machinist ft Blacksmith
,
liasoline Engines, Hoists
Boilers, Pipe arid Pipe
Fitting*
i i
No. 5 Front St.
» t.l.t.t.t■_ >. .1. ■». t. ». -t. ■«. -«
PT TTT'I I1TT T T f i" i1 VPTTTT l i I T T
+ $
! Preferred Stock J
* +
i Groceries |
I at i
f Moller’s 1
+ +
| Grocery f
T ill Front Hf. I’lionr Main 86. T
+•» ++++++++++ l-+++++*+«M"W"H*
HnomeHI
! COFFEE HOUSE:!
; AND BAKERY
, Recommend its clean and x.hole- <[
’ soma bread and pastry of all <[
» kinds J>
* We cater to family trade. <•
, Orders for entertainments <[
J promptly filled. < |
l Horseshoe ;
[J Ge Hall & Albert Hartman, J
V Proprietors. *
f t
'i PHONE MAIN 112 \
I LEWIS HUNTER RYE AND J
J ATHERTON BOURBON *
> Direct from Bonded Warehouse t
! RAINIER DRAUGHT BEER \
t Finest Brand* of Wines, Liquors '
j and Cigars. t
Ik
i The Daily Nugget
I Job Printing Department
Business Stationery
Cards, Letter Meads, Bill Meads. State- j
merits, Envelopes, Legal Blanks, In
voices, Shipping lags. Special Blanks, j
Society Stationery
Invitations, Announcements, Programs
Cards. Menus j
Posters, Hand Bills j
Circulars, Brochures, Booklets, Pam- j
phlets, Folders, Placards.
WE DELIVER YOUR
PRINTING ON TIME
ADVERTISE IN THE NUGGET
AND GET RESULTS