Y ukon Valley N e ws
VOL. II.
KAMI’AUT, ALASKA, WKDNKSDAY, DKCICMHKK 20,
No. 17
LIFE ABOARD
A WHALER
Men Paid Off With $1 When
the Cruise is Over.
Licentiousness of the Captain and
Hardships of the Crew-Diary
of “Shanghaied” Man.
The following excerpts were taken
from the diary of one of the “shang
haied” men who escaped from tlie*
whaler Jeannette, Captain Nenth. last
summer, says the Nome Hold Digger:
Whaling steamer left San Franeiseo
Kith day of March, with crew of lli white
men and ■"» natives, Captain Nenth. Crew
were all seasick, hut were forced to go
aloft, nevertheless. When the Diomede
Islands were reached Captain Nenth
brought forth his trailing whisky, which
was stored in coal oil cans. Captain
Nenth has two Eskimo wives, one at
Diomede Islands and one at East Cape.
He has on hoard at present nine girls,
ranging in age from !t to lli and 17. Be
fore leaving tin* Diomede Islands he had
one of the men go ashore and build a
house for his wife, which he stocked
down with provisions for the winter.
After leaving the Diomede Islands he
headed for East Ca|«e, where he took his
second wife olmard. She had a child
seven years old. which Captain Nenth
claims as his. lie got the wife drunk
and after giving her plenty of w hisky,
with ten sacks of coal and other pro
visions, lie sent her ashore, hut kept the
little hoy. He still has the child with
him and intends taking him to San
Francisco to educate and rear him up as
he would his son. After leaving East
Cape he steamed for Nome, where he
t<m>k on three barrel* ot lupinr, winch he
put in the main hatch. The men liegan
stealing it ami on finding it out lie placed
it on the quarter deck. At Point Sar
gent two hairels were traded • »ff tor
whalebone, ioxskins and other valuable
furs. On the fourth of July eight of the
men were placed in irons and kept there
tw«» days. They tried to desert. One
man tried to desert at the hiomede
Islands, hut was overtaken and captured
by the natives, lie was sent upon the
royal yard |nr live hour* and then put
into the lower hold ten days on sea
biscuits ami water.
At Port Clarence white they were
taking water one man named Clarence
Johnson succeeded in making his c*ca|*e.
The main diet which the forecastle hoys
receive*! consisted mainly of sour bread
and red lieait*, «alt |**rk and salt horse,
white the mttite* sixteen ill all ate aft
in the cabin t l.irenc* Johnson says
"The worst part of the voyage was in
the Pacific, when w* hoy* all green
hands were forced to g«> aloft in fierce
•now‘•tonus t«* take in sail*, with no •nr
t«> «n«>w us how, ami the ioat*s standing
u low cursing ami swearing at ns I can
tmlccd congratulate myself on escaping.
New York Election Contest.
NKW YORK. Dec. 1<S.—Seventeen convictions for
illegal voting have been secured.
Tlu* eount shows over seven thousand votes were
east for Met'Udlan illegally.
The Tammany leaders are lighting for their politi
cal lives.
Moody Wants Rebaters Convicted.
WASHINGTON, Dec. IS.—Loiters an* being sent
by Attorney General Moody to United States attorneys
to secure tbe conviction of all railroad officials guilty
of accepting rebates.
Alaska Territorial Bill.
WASHINGTON, Dec. Id.—A bill providing for ter
ritorial government for Alaska lias been introduced by
(’ongressman Sulzer.
To Shell the Rebels.
ST. PETERSBURG. Dec. IS—The war department
has ordered warships to shell Riga, as it is now in the
hands of the rebels.
Died at Fairbanks.
FAIRBANKS, I),-,-. ID.—Matt Weber died here of
heart failure today. He was worth ten thousand dollars.
The men are paid off with $1 when
they reach San Francisco. A common
pair of cotton mittens on lioard costs $1,
socks *!,*:> for suit of underwear, cap
$2, etc. They make about HOO |ier cent,
mi their slop chest. The Jeannette got
about I,‘HHt pounds of whalelsme from
the natives alon>r the western coast.
The l.’HH) jmuiimIs «lit 1 ii*t cost them ov» r
|SOI), and they uret from $•’> to |*» per
p*>umi for if. The men p't nothing for
this. _
Treatment of Frostbite.
Tatiana l*rcss Never nib with snow.
When* tin- idea originated we do tmt
know, hut prolmhW it was ilia tropical
climate. The snow her** hold* such a
low temperature that when oittshle a
dwelling it would have SI* iniieh lieheti
rial result as ji piece of wayon tire. If
the bite i* slight rub for a few minutes
with your hand or mitt If serious the
very l*-»t thitvif that can Is* »h*ne is to
plunge the affected inemlier* into muih*
*tr*»ng spirt tin ms li«pi*T. ami ruh briskly.
Take the greatest care to keep »l«»w n the
temperature **f the Isitl* t»» aftsatt frees*
inn point If spirit* are not available
Use water with ssur care in tlmwina
very «t*»wly l»*»n t Use •t»«*w in thi«
country
Jim Hill’s Plea
For Chinese Labor
Spokane, Wash., Oct. '».—.lames J.
Mill, president of the tireat Northern
railway, in an address here yesterday,
strongly advocated the intiodiiction of
t'hinese lalmr on the Pari tie roast. He
said that the I lilted State.' had no need
to fear the introduction of a few thou
sand laborers. In skilled laU>r was a
necessity for the development of tile
Paeitie coast, and that section of the
I nited State*!* could easily alxtorh 100,Uni
t'hinese la lion rs annually and not !*»•
hurt.
Hill also maintained that th*- intro
duction of stielt la I m »r would not inter
fere with white labor. It would ntereh
dirwt white la Ur into other channels
than the lowest arade *»f mamial em
ploy menI.
t •»ii»intssM*ner * »r* * n left Tatiana la*t
Mon*by. »»n his wu\ home fr*»m Tin
lUrelies, where he ha«l U t n to hold tin
• •ttieial in\*-l»uatii*n of the death »d
*nis lirown. tin the down trip the com
itn»»iom r the mail • wit lit,
and t an n r Palm *«nd there was no
• |Ue<*t»oti hn to |»t« mushing ahibtie*.
MASONS’ BANQUET
ST. JOHN'S EVE
California Kitchen Secured
for the Spread.
Supper to be Prepared by Iverson
for the Pioneer Ball—The
Sacred Concert.
Tin- Rampart Masonic association will
partake of a banquet St. JoIiii’h Eve,
Tuesday, Dee. lifi. Members from the
creeks will lie present ami it is expected
that not less than thirty will be at
table.
The California Kitchen lias been se
cured for the occasion. Final arrange
ments are in the hands of a committee,
who will see to it that nothing is left
undone which will contribute to the
evening's enjoyment.
The Pioneer Supper.
Louis Iverson has been engaged to
prepare the supper for the Pioneer ball,
New Year's.
Mr. Iverson’s well-known ability as
a chef is a guarantee of the success of
that part of the evening’s entertain
ment.
Sacred Concert.
The programme for the sacred concert,
to he given Christmas Eve, will he made
up by the ladies between now and Sat
urday evening.
Everybody is invited and to fail to
will he to miss a rare musical treat.
go
I>n not turret the A. B. dame Christ
inas iii^ht. The liest of music, and re
freshments will lie served.
The Mail.
Carrier John Palm arrived with lower
river and Pa liana mail Friday iittcm-sm.
Fairliauks mail had failed to connect at
Taiiana and there was nothing from that
place and t hetia. Nome pa|>ers of l let.
It pit in.
Carrier Paul S'hull/, arrived Saturday
with nothing "l»nt local and left-over
mail from up the liver. There was a
Ini-apprehension and di-.tp|s>intliielit oil
the part of some w ho thoii).dit the w inter
weekly set vice was already underway.
The first con-itrnment of the regular
Weekly mail ise*)icctvd next Saturday,
three wei ks from Pintle, ami it will lie
due each Saturday thereafter the Iml
ame • t the w inter.
t arils hi are sal-1 t-- le ml no'roils on
eastern slop*- of tile saw tia-tll lioaintuius.
|t. \\ Se-itt lias pstp-iiid his trip to
kairtiaiiks until February.