ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 105 



season. For their accommodation a suitable lioiise was erected on said 

 island by the Alaska Commercial Company. The cutter subsequently 

 visited the islands respectively on July L'l, September 9, September 

 29, and September 30, finally departing for San Francisco October 9. 

 That no unlawful attempts were made during the season to procure 

 seal skins is without doubt due to the cutter's presence iu these waters. 



The Alaska Commercial Company's schooner General Miller touched 

 here August 11, landing lumber. 



On August 21 the whaling bark Osmanli, of New Bedford, appeared 

 off this island, but did not come to the anchorage. A boat was, how- 

 ever, sent on shore from that vessel with a request to be supplied with 

 a few fresh vegetables, which were furnished by the company's agent. 



On September 29 the steamer St. Paul arrived here from Sau Fran- 

 cisco, bringing additional supplies for winter. Salt and coal were 

 landed at Unalaska for future use at the seal islands. 



Relative to the matter of quas brewing by the natives of this island, 

 I may now report that a wonderful abatement of that evil has been 

 effected, if not its entire suppression. Since October but three offenses 

 in this regard have come to my knowledge, and since February none at 

 all. This has been accomplished mainly by restraining, temporarily, 

 every person who has made quas from the privilege of purchasing at 

 the company's store sugar, molasses, and other articles which enter 

 into the manufacture of said liquor. I have to state, however, that 

 during the early part of the sealing season there was considerable 

 drunkenness and not a little violence and disorder, chiefly on the part 

 of the young men. Through intemperance, one man, two women, and 

 a girl lost their lives the same night, having been suffocated by the 

 burning of the wall paper of a room in which they lay intoxicated. 



In connection with this subject, I beg to refer as briefly as possible to 

 the removal from the island in June last of a young Russian named 

 ]Sicholas Krukoff". About that time a most disgraceful drunken debauch 

 occurred on the island, which was participated in by as many as thirty 

 persons, men and women, and wiiich finally led to a severe aftray 

 among a party of young men, with whom appeared said Krukoff as 

 an active belligerent, although he, himself, was not intoxicated at the 

 time. Before peace could be restored on that occasion I was compelled 

 to incarcerate Krukoff', together with four other persons, in one of the 

 company's warehouses over night, to accomplish which act it was found 

 necessary to call in the aid of the native chief and the company's agent. 



Afiairs of this nature had become of frequent occurrence, and the one 

 in question was of a character especially flagrant and shameful. I 

 could not, therefore, but regard it as my duty to take some further 

 action looking to the punishment of the guilty parties and to prevent, 

 if possible, a repetition of a like scene in the future. With such end in 

 view I invited to my ofQce the native chieis and elders of the people, 

 together with the resident Greek Catholic priest, and 1 impressed upon 

 these persons that it was a duty they owed to the community to take 

 an interest in this matter and to assist the Treasury agent :n preserv- 

 ing peace and order in the village. After a long and earnest conversa- 

 tion relative to this subject, in which a very becoming interest and 

 responsibility was manifested by all present, they agreed in the punish- 

 ment of the man Krukoff', who.se oti'ense, in their minds, was greatly 

 aggravated by the fact that he was not intoxicated at the time of said 

 disturbance, while the rest were under the influence of liquor and could 

 not be held responsible for their actions. They further charged that he 

 had always been a prominent ringleader in affairs of a like nature 



