■^%. A^ V^c>.\<^^ ■^^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) I 1.0 I.I 1.25 ^ m Hf li ''' itt 2.5 M III 2.2 1.4 1.6 Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, NY. 14580 (716) 872-4503 L

elure. 1 2 3 1 « 2 3 ^ '■* 2 3 ■^~ 4 5 6 32X 1 I ■A 't T I : L'. S. Kevenue Cutter " Bear CnmimmicalmE wift Siberian Deermen. ll''roiii a pluitojfraph by Dr. S. J. Call.] ALASKA AND THE PEINDEER. HY IJEUT. J. C. CASnnrELX.. ^fS.HK landing t T from t li e '^i "^1 I'nited States reve- ' line cutter Brar. at Port Clarence. Alas- ka, d u r i 11 ji the inoiitli of July, i.Sy2, of a herd of iso domesticated reindeer ])urchased in Siberia, toj;ether witli four native vSiberiaii herders, marks the establish- ment of the first herd of the kind on the Western continent. This is an event of more than ordinary imjx.r- taiice. If it is successful it will create throughout Northern and Cen tral Alaska a new food su])])ly in l)lace of the walrus, wliale, fish and fur-bearinj;- land animals that are yearly becoming .scarcer and more difficult to obtain. Kurnislied a better and .surer fiMid sup})ly, the native Ivskimo population now decreasing in numbers may rea- soiialdy be expected to increa.se ; and changing them from mere hunters to herd.sineii will be the fir.st npwani <.ir. - tit __■■_ tioT. thr . intt: • - t.e -.;_.■ mer: - loEw" ' bki,. . pla- - Iktc- ''--<-. ]KTi\y : yearh" in tbt ticJD ■ < say of : I'.v were ;» •; their civilization. With :i.-e and civilization of the xad the general introduc- '-' mesticated reindeer herds : AIa.~ka. the \ast unknown nr northern province can ':,!ily explored. Lines of atron between di.stant .settle- ". he kept open during the ' ;r months and the frigid, . n<-jw comparatively useless -'.-.xt little known region will -vide some means by ;:i feed themselves, has '•jtttn growing more apparent. jii.'ir. there was a large popula- .'jii.-t F'.skimos, whose food ; ;nvc(l from the jmrsuit ■jj walrus and hair seal. -■ Harrow, in 1S28, Captain '■;un m^ 1" 'i#S(,' Virr''*«¥^-?^^1 -i^ ; -Axi ,;i'.-:>. -■ .^*« ■uirn^Biinii HorJ of Domesticated HeinJeer, and Temporary Villase of Siberian Deermen. .schools, he did not fail to observe and implement, and weapons, a u.sed in comment on this difference. "What the manufacture of sleds. I Central was the reason ? " he asked ; and hav- and Northern Alaska are va.st rolling an f ' I ■ 262 ALASKA AND THK RHINDbBR. r i ikA li t#ii^iJ^ pi ^ 1 ■.. ^.r, " , .-^f.-ih^ - !"" ^ . ¥^ '*■■» ^: •'•*'•-■- • ^ f^ ' .ttk,*"-' ■ ^ .**». %& ^ag^^^miffmi *'•' ■' ' * . Bill5»ri^SJS3 ^^•li& #> .-i^^i^. TiMnporary VilLiyt' "f SilHTi.in DetrmiTi, N(irlliwe>t Oi.ist of Siberi.i. plains of moss- and grass-covered laud that are especially adapted hy nature for the grazing of reindeer, and are practically useless for any other pur- pose. In the corresponding regions of Lapland, Arctic Norway, vSweden and Russia are 27,000 people (about the same in number as the Alaskan Eskimos^ supporting themselves and procuring their food and clothing I'rijf. Cliarit!, H. TownsunJ. Naturalist. L'. S. I'ish Coininlssion. largely from their 400, 000 domesticated reindeer, besides paying to their resp2ctive Governments the annual sum of $400,000, or $1 per head, as a tax on their lierds.-'' Also in the cor- responding region of vSiberia, with similar climate and .soil and only forty miles distant at the straits, there are thousands of Tchukchees, Koraksand other tribes of deermen fed and clothed and housed by their herds of tens of thou.sands of domesticated reindeer. With a knowledge of these facts, Dr. Jackson asked Captain llealy, the connnander of the Ihar, who has been for a nund)er of years on the Arctic vStation of the Revenue Cutter vService, if it would not be a practical solution of tile Ivskimo food problem to pur- chase herds of reindeer from the Siberians, trans])ort them across the straits, and, under certain restrictions, introduce llie .system of herding them in Alaska for the benefit of the natives. Captain Healy's an.swer to this (|Uery was that he not only con- sidered the project perfectly feasible, but that he knew of no better one for the amelioration of the condition of the J'lskimos and the ultimate devel- opment of the country. He had recommended the niea.sure in .several of his re])orts to the Treasury De- partment at Washington, and in fact, Prof. Charles H. Town.send, the well- known naturali.st of the United States Fish Connnission, had accompanied an expedition .sent out from the revenue cutter Corwiii in the year I S.Ss for the exploration of a part of •I'aiil 1)11 Ch.-iillti. I„iii(l of tlic MidiiiKht Sim. Vol. 2, pp. 167-ihs. f tht tht to ag; to aiK Al.- *R Conv ernii: ALASKA ANI) TIIK KfKINDKKk. 263 NorlliLTii Alaska, under llit- command of Lieutenant J. C. Caiitwell. He had examined the subject very carefully, and was the first person ever to suj;- gest the scheme. Prof. Townsend's plan* met with the full approval and endorsement of Captain Healy, at that time in conunand of the CorTc/'/i, and was submitted U) the authorities in Wasliington. l»ut Alaska is a hm^ di.stance from headcpiarters and go\- erinnents move slowly. The duties of the revenue cutters in the Arctic were already ,so nudtifarious and exactinj;^ that the Chief of that .service couul not .see his way clear to a successful handling; of so comprehensive a scheme, and the matter was left to ja^row musty with age in the safe .seclusion of a governmental pigeon-hole. When Dr. Jackson finished his duties in the Arctic and returned to Washington, one of his first acts wa.s to place the matter of intro- ducing reindeer into Alaska before Congress, in the form of a bill for aid from the Na- tional Government. In the course of the investigation of the .subject which followed, the project .seemed almost doomed to defeat and failure on account of the objections and adverse criticisms with which it was greeted from a score of sources. Some of the people who did all they could to influence public opinion against the measure, had oidy to e.xpress their views in print in order to show their entire ignorance of the subject. But when George Ketnian, the famou.i Siberian traveler, as- serted that the natives on one side of the straits would never be induced to sell live reindeer to foreigners on account of their deep-rooted supcrst tions, and when Ivan Pctroff, the Alaskan census-taker, declared with equal force that the Ivskimo would never give up his roving hunter's life to become a mere herdsman, and further that liie reindeer it intro- duced would be speedily worried to death and the herds destroyed by native dogs, the Conunittee of Con- gressmen liaving the bill in charge were disheartened, and, although it ])asset - ^ , ^^^~-- h 264 ALASKA AND THK RtlNDKKW. were prominent, and !)}• their efforts the sum of two tliousand dollars was raised ill the course of a few weeks trom private subscriptions for the purpose of starting the work. From the heads of departments in Washing- ton came substantial aid and encouragement. The Sec- retary of vState obtained official leave from the Rus- sian Minister for Dr. Jack- son to visit any part of N. W. Siberia for the jnir- po.se of purchasing reindeer from the natives, and the Secretary of the Treasury furnished transportation to the far-away land on the revenue cutter Bear, and issued instructions to Cap- tain Healy to render all possible aid to Dr. Jackson which would not interfere wiJi the regular duties of the vessel. Ivarly in the spring of 1891 the litiir left San Franci.sco, having on board 1 supply of trade goods, consisting of axes, hatchets, knives, steel traps, cotton cloth, beads, tobacco, flour, molasses, powder, lead and caps, and a few breech- loading fire-arms for the purpose of barter with the Tchuckchee deermen. It is not difficult to imagine the mingled feelings of hope and fear with which the friends of tliis new form of charity waved a last good- bye to the /h'ar as she pas.sed out through the Oolden Gate and once more turned her prow northward toward the Frozen Ocean. It was not until nearh' three months later that the /har, after weeks of battling with the ice, succeeded in approaching close enough to the Siberian .shore to communicate with the natives. A parly (if deermen were found en- camped during the month of August on the shores of Chaun Hay with a herd of a thousand reindeer quietly grazing near a temporary village. Capt. M. A. Htalv. U. S. R. M., CommanJinK U. S. Revenue Cutter ■• Bear." The time for negotiations had ar- rived. With the i)erfect knowledge of the peculiar dispositions of these people, which Captain Healy has acquired by long years of study and close observa- tion, it is not strange that he should now take the utmost precautions to prevent the natives from breaking their promi.se made to him a year before, to sell Dr. Jack.scm a few live reindeer to be taken to Alaska slumld he again visit the country. The natives were invited on board the ship, and allowed to trade their furs as is customary with vir.iting ships, and then a party of the officers visited the shore to partake of the native hos- pitality. It having been decided to kill a reindeer to furni.sh a feast for the visitors, one was selected from the herd and caught by throwing a las.so over its horns. It was then ■n^ ALASKA AND THE REINDEER. 265 quietly led off to some distance from the rest of the animals and preparations for slaughtering it were made as follows : The family of the owner of the animal seated tiiemselves in a circle around the deer, and while one young man held it securely by the horns another stood near by armed with a large knife ready to give the fatal blow when the proper time had arrived. The head of the family, a patriarchal- looking old man, now advanced, and bowing profoundly toward the East, began a sort of incantation or prayer. This was repeated three times, and at the final ending the native executioner plunged his knife into the heart of the reindeer, and it sank down on the ground almost without a struggle. The old man now advanced and pluck- ing out some of the hair of the dying deer, he moi.stened it with its blood and blew it toward the four points of the compass. The ceremony was brought to an end by a repetition of the prayer uttered, with the face turned toward the East. All the first day of the Beat's A'isit was spent in feasting. Captain Healy provided un- limited quantities of the ship's " hard bread " of which the natives are very fond, and by a judicious distribution of small presents put everj'body in good humor. Ofcour.se the natives knew perfectly well that the special object of the Bear's visit to this partic- ular point was to obtain reindeer alive for tran.sportation to Ala.ska, and sooner or later the subject would be discussed. But as undue haste would undoubtedly have rendered the natives suspicious and intractable, Captaiii Healy made no mention of his desires until the next day. The principal men of the village were then called together by Captain Healy, who told them that the Bear would sail away the next day, but before going Dr. Jackson wished to buy a few live reindeer to take with him to Alaska. He argued to the natives that they had more deer than they could possi- bly u.se, while each year the herds grew larger and had to be driven further for Vol. Ill— 18 pasture ; that there was plenty of good pasture in Alaska, and the deer would be well cared fur, and furthermore, that as nuich would be given for one live reindeer as could be obtained for twenty of their skins. Why not sell Dr. Jackson a few while he was here, and ready to give such good prices for them ? To the.se words of Captain Healy, which were translated to the Siberians, Ran-en-ka, a gray-haired and shrewd old deerman, after a long debate with his comrades, replied that he had listened to Captain Healy and his words w^re true. What he said was good, and the natives all believed him and trusted him because he had always done as he had promised to do with them. Had he not brought pres- ents of guns and flour to the Siberians who found the lost sailor from the whale ship and kept him for two years? And did he not also bring plenty of presents of guns, knives, hatchets, flour and tobacco to the Tchukchees at St. Lawrence Bay who fed the .sailors when their ship was burned ? * Furthermore, had not Captain Healy 's doctor cau.sed the pain in Ran-en-ka's shoulder to go when the Shaman (native doctor) had tried and failed ? Last year, he, Ran-en-ka had promised Captain Healy to let him take away .some reindeer alive, and now he would not run away. There among the herd on shore he owned a hundred. Let Captain Healy and Dr. Jackson choose which ones they wanted, and Ran-en-ka's young men would bring them down and put them into the boat. Ran-en-ka h a d hardly ceased speaking w h e n Katie-cha, another influential native, arose and said he had fifty reindeer. Let Captain Healy take his choice. Others would have Native Boots. followed the • U. S. steamer Koiigets burnert at St . Lawrence Hay in 1882. Officers and crew cared for by natives until resetted. iiir 266 AUSKA AND THE REINDEER. J 5 example of these two liad it been desirable to purchase any more rein- deer at this place, but both Dr. Jack- son and Captain Hcaly thought it more advisable to visit other parts of the coast atid purcha.se a small number of the animals at different .settlements with a view of creating among the deermen a general desire to engage in the traffic. After the first lot of deer had been .safely taken on board the Bear, not the slightest difficulty was experienced in purchasing the animals at any of the settlements visited. It was not the intention of Dr. Jackson, however, to transport a large number of reindeer to Ala.ska the first year, as there were still many points to be con- sidered, and the manner of handling the matter was still in its experimental stage. Among the reasons advanced by some of the would-be experts in rein- deer propagation as to why the animals could never be successfully trans- planted into Alaska, were the .state- ments often repeated that the reindeer would not eat food that was not fresh, or had been handled, and that they could not, for this rea.son and for oth- ers too numerous to mention, endure a sea voyage, and finally that the char- acter of the mossy plains of Siberia was entirely different from that in Alaska, in consequence of which the transported animals would starve. In order to test the correctness of these surmises and opinions it was decided to bring only a very few reindeer over the first year, and to subject these to the hardest conditions for existence that they would probably ever have to en- dure in Ala.ska. In accordance with this idea a band of sixteen reindeer were purchased and tran.sported in the rev- enue cutter Bear, from Siberia to the Aleutian Islands, necessitating a journey by sea of fully a thou.sand miles. They were safely landed on Unalaska Island, and turned loo.se to shift for themselves near a native vil- lage where there were a half hundred idle dogs, left entirely to their own devices and presumably with no scru- ples about worrying or killing deer. When the deer w»re landed from the ship they were in excellent condition, and although left absolutely unattended and unprovided for over a year, every- one of the litlle band wintered .success- fully, and when seen by the writer in the niunth nf August, 1892, they were in supcrl) condition. While hunt- ing on a .small island in Captain's Bay, a harbor of Unalaska Lslaiid, the writer, accompanied by Captain A. M. Brown, U. vS. A., saw nine of the reindeer ([uietly feeding in a lit- tle glade not a quarter of a mile from the native village of Illiliuk. They were very tame, and allowed us to ap- proach them, and even stroke their sleek sides without tlie slightest evi- dence of uneasiness. When the Bear reached Unalaska early in June last, on her way North, Dr. J ckson, who was again a passen- ger ' . board, was rejoiced to find the reindeer at this place in such good condition, and it was with greatly increased feel ngs of confidence and encouragement that the second sea son's work among the Tchukchees and liskimos of tlie far North was taken up. The space allotted for this article will not permit of a detailed description of this year's work in pur- cha-sing the reindeer required to start an experiirental station on American soil. I.,et it suffice to .say that the northwest coast of .Siberia was again visited by the Bear, and everywhere the vessel touched she was warmly welcomed. Reindeer were offered for sale witlumt re.sers'e by the Tchnk chees, now eager to engage in tlic trade. The news of the sale of tlie small band of deer the previous se.-i son had spread with astonishing quick ne.ss over the country, and seeing that no harm befell their fellow-herds men who first sold deer, the nativt> were all anxious to sell. The prici of reindeer fell mu'er the influence of competition from $10.00 to as low as $4.25, each in a single season, and had it been desirable to purcha.se all tli:U were offered thousands could ha\i been obtained at an average cost m n ALASKA AND THE REINDEER. 267 V - -•'•v. $4. As it was, the lime which the Bear might devote to this special work was limited, and Dr. Jackson was compelled to be .satisfied with the i)urclia.se of 185 choice animals. Of this nnmbcr, 180 were safely landed at I'orl Clarence, just south of Bering Strait, and three were placed on vSt. Taul Ishiiul, one of the Pribylof group, to ascertain tlie possibility of the animals living and l)rceding there. The two remaining animals were killed to furnish a supply of fresh ; ,;,- meat, which at the present time cainiot beootained by ships any- «,,V-' where in this part of Alaska. The history of this great iliilanthropic and economic measure would no' be complete without , , '.ome alhisioi; U) the .nanner in \vliich it is propo '/'I In put the rein- deer .'.'o tlie pos.se.ssion Ci ihc- iCskimos. To one who is anitiaintcd with the roving, improv- ident nature ot these people, it would .seem at first glance inipo.s.sible that they could be brought to a realizing .sense of the important bearing the introduction of reindeer in their midst would, have upon their lives, and the necessity of guarding the valuable herds from destruction. It is more than likely that unless .some system of protection was introduced along nith the deer, they would .soon fall victims either to the rapacity of roving luini.ing parties, or become .scattered and destroyed by dogs or wild animals. Dr. Jackson's long experience as a missionary among the Indians stoou him in good .stead at this juncture. He .saw the necessity of making individual natives more or less responsible for the deer left in their vicinity, and with that end in view a scheme was evolved which, so far as human judgment can foresee, promises to be successful in all its features. [From A Siberian Deerman. I pliotoKraph by Dr. S. J. Call ] 268 ALASliA AND THE REINDEER. On the north shore of Port Clarence, a spacious harbor about seventy-five miles south of Bering Straits, a com- fortable house was erected last sum raer and furnished with all necessary supplies to maintain its occupants for one year. At this station Mr. Minor W. Bruce, a gentleman who has had considerable experience among our western In- dians, accompanied by an- ( 'her white man, has been left in charge. With Mr. Bruce are four Siberian deermen. who, at the .solic- itation of Captain Healy, were induced to leave their homes on the western .side of the straits and give their services to the station for one year. The herd of reindeer will be under the care of the vSiberians and native Eskimos who will be selected from among the brightest and most reliable natives living near the station. The herders are divided into first and second classes. The herders of the first-class are the four Siberians whose business it will be to teach the Eskimos the proper manner of herding and caring for the animals, and they will receive in payment for their services fift>" dol- lars per annum each, with board, shelter and a sufficient quantity of native clothing free. The second- class herders, twelve in number, will be under the in.strnction of the Siberians while on duty with the herd, and will receive in pay m e n their board, food and clothing as long as they remain in the employ of the Service. Each of the first-class Sibe- rian herders will have under his immediate charge and instruction, at all times, three of the native Eskimos, the sec- ond-clafe.5 herders, The watches are so arranged that the herd will never be left unattended by less than four men. In case of sickness of either of the Siberians, his place will be tem- porarily filled by a rearrangement of the hours of watch, each of the other Siberians taking his proportionate share of the work until their comrade returns to duty. Mr. Bruce is empow- ered to employ additional native help if it is necessary, and to discharge any Native Deer-skin Clothinp;. Alaskan SleJ. one found lacking in interest, insub- ordinate or otherwise unfitted for the work, but he is especially charged to act in all cases of needed discipline with the utmost leniency consistent with a firm administration of iustice. Dr. Jackson concludes his in.structions to the superintendent of the station in these words : ' ' The Siberians being away from their homes and friends among a strange, and at times, jealous and sus- picious people, need your especial care and protection. Take pains to make them feel that you have a fatherly interest in their welfare. I hope their treatment will be .such that they will choo.se to remain permanently in our service." The course of instruction of native Eskimos is at present designed to con- tinue two years. If at the end of that time they have proved diligent and capable, each of them will be given a herd of ten reindeer as a .start in life. Tlie natives in the vicinity of the sta- tion have been warned, and have prom ised to keep their dogs away from the deer herds ; and while no difficulty is expected in this quarter, it is perfectly understood, on both sides, that any strange dogs found molesting the dec will he shot down, and the owner will be suitably remunerated for his loss. Contrary to the generally expres.sed opinion, the Eiikimos hail with delight the introduction of the reindeer, and ALASKA AND THE REINDEER. 269 without exception are only awaiting the time when reindeer will be plenti- ful enough in Alaska, to kill their dogs and substitute the deer as a means of transportation. Many of the natives have begged to be supplied with small bands of imported reindeer which they will herd themselves. But as one or two failures of such private enterprises would doubtless cause the Eskimos to lose faith in the work of the .station, it has been decided to delay any more general introduction ot the animals until the knowledge of the proper quarters are located in the center of the mining district of central Alaska. We have now .seen how and why the domesticated reindeer were purchased, where they have been landed in Alaska and where the next station will most likely be established. Now let us briefly glance at the country into which it is propo.sed to introduce this new factor of existence, which is des- tined to have an influence in its devel- opment, utterly beyond the compre- hension of the public of the United States, whose knowledge of Alaska is 3ur ' **Sii,£t Siberian Deermen Brought to Alaslats and for fuel, and it abounds with game. Sur- rounded by a rapidly increasing white population, many of the natives find ready employment at remunerative wages, and the summer tourists, gazing for the first time on these " untutored children of nature, " peddling their stock of San Francisco-made curios, fall ready victims to their wiles. Back of this narrow strip of country, sepa- rating it from Cfreater Alaska on Ww. north, rugged ranges of ice-covered mountains set their cold shoulders against the sky, and oppose an almost impassable barrier to the explorer. What is beyond ? Following the lead of salt water through narrow channels and into deep fiords as far north as a ship may go, a few hardy explorers and pros- pecting miners have reached the head of Lynn Channel, and from thence found their way over the mountains through the Chilcat, or Chilcoot passes and £0 reached the headwaters of the mighty Yukon. But the effort to reach this point has been so great that further endeavors to explore the un- known interior with no other means of transportation than those available in the past, have invariably met with defeat and .sometimes resulted in death. If we draw a line from east to west through the mountain range which separates the headwaters of the Yukon from salt water on the south, that portion of the great territory of Alaska lying north of this line, with its western shores washed by the waters of Bering Sea and stretching away northward to the Arctic Ocean, occupies an area equal to the com- bined areas of all the New England and Middle States, together with Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. Here is a coun- try of undulating, moss-covered plains, diversified here and there by forests of spruce and pine, white birch and cedar trees, with warm valleys clothed in verdure and sheltered from the cold winds by low ranges of mountains, none more than 3,000 feet high. We.stward from the junction of llu Tan-nen-nah and the Yukon rive's tn Bering Sea, and northward to the Arctic Ocean, the country is, so far Earrings. tion must ( food the make day. ALASKA AND THE REINDEER. 371 as known, of the same general character. There are in this region between 300,000 and 400,000 square miles of comparatively level moss- and grass-covered plains, dotted by innumerable lakes and drained by hundreds of rivers, forming an ideal grazing country for countless herds of reindeer. At the present time this vast terri- tory is terra incogtiita except from reports furnished by the native". The difficulties of travel and transportation have been so great in the past that it has remained unexplored. It is impossible to make any progress over the soft, spongy iundra during the summer, and during the winter montlis, the distances between the few scattered .settlements are st) great that dog teams are inadeqnate for pur- poses of travel by sleds. According to the most reliable census, there are in this portion of Alaska between 20,000 and 25,000 natives. It is to these people, gradually but certainly being exterminated by starvation, and in this region so little known, that the importation and propagation of the domesticated reindeer will opan up a new and prosperous future. In order to appreciate the full significance of the new scheme and its influence on the future development of Alaska, it will only be necessary to state the relative working efficiency of a dog team and that of a reindeer team. A dog team, in addi- tion to the ordinary load on the sled, must carry its own supply of food for the trip. Under the best conditions, dogs can make about forty miles per day, carrying a weight of Holstlns in a Reindeer on Board the " Bear." IVttun a pbotog.apb by Assistant Eng^ineer, A. L,. Broadbent, U. 8. B. SC] -,T-~Tia:gCTP 'IM'IMI II— IB M 272 ALASKA AND THE REINDEER. li .; ( V ' \ a ■ s h : ■^^ about fifty pounds for each dog em- ployed. Under like conditions each reindeer will carry a weight of one hundred and fifty pounds, and the team will easily cover one hundred and fifty miles a day. Besides, the reindeer's only food is the moss and lichens which grow everywhere and can be obtained by the animals at all seasons of the year without difficulty. Dogs, and especially the breed of dogs at present -sed by the Alaskan natives, are quarrelsome, become fret- ful and unmanageable when tired, and frequently are dangerous to their owners on account of attacks of hydro- phobia. The reindeer, on the other hand, are the most tractable and docile beasts of burden known to man. The initial steps in this humane measure have already been taken, and success for its larger development demonstrated by private aid. It now rests with the Government tocarr>'on the good work and extend the .:ystem to its legitimate limits.* If it is a .sound public policy to bore artesian wells and build water-storage reser- voirs by which thousands of arid acres can be reclaimed from barren- ness and made fruitful, it is equally a ♦ A bill is now pendiiiR before the House of Repre- sentatives, hnving passed the Senate last year, appro- priating the sum of $15,000 for the establishment of experimental stations in Alaska for the propagatioa of reindeer. sound public policy to stock the plains of Alaska with herds of domes- ticated reindeer, and cause those va.st, dreary, desolate and now useless regions to minister to the wealth, happiness, comfort and well-being of man. W th the establishment of reindeer stations at Point Barrow, Point Hope, Port Clarence and on the Yuknn River next year, it will be possible to send a letter from St. Michaels, at the mouth of the Yukon, to the Refuge station at Point Barrow in mid winter, and receive an answer in less than three weeks ; and with the extension of the system by the establishment of relay stations at three points on the coast south of St. Michaels, a Christ- mas greeting can be sent from San Franci.sco by way of Kodiak Lsland and across the Alaskan peninsula to the most northern point on the West- ern Continent — Point Barrow — in less than thirty days. When one stops to consider that the same point is at present closed to communication by ice during ten months of the year, and that there are .seasons, even during the two months that it is free from ice. when neither news nor relief may reach the weary watchers and toilers in this remote field, any project which has for its end the lifting of their bur- dens, will be hailed with joy by ever>' true lover of mankind. lit th»r« l» 41 f—mT' M 1 - 9 „■