100 ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 



another in April, to reacli the island by a schooner with the necessary 

 supply, but owing to the ice they were not able to approach near enough 

 even to see the island. 



Early in March the temperature rose, and the weather continued as 

 remarkable for its mildness as the winter had for its severity. Owing 

 to this the people were able to collect driftwood sufficient to meet their 

 necessities, so that there was no real suffering, as must have been had 

 not the spring weather proved unusually warm. This experience dem- 

 onstrates the necessity of having stored on the island by the Alaska 

 Commercial Company, for sale for the use of the natives, a sufficient 

 supply to meet their . necessities before the season is so far advanced 

 as to risk communication being prevented by the ice. The 40 tons pro- 

 vided by the conditions of the lease for gratuitous distribution among 

 the natives was duly delivered to my charge and stored until the 1st of 

 December, when the severity of the cold necessitated its use, from which 

 time a weekly distribution of 80 pounds per week for each family was 

 made, and in this way it served to meet the necessities of the people 

 for cooking their food until the end of March, from which time they 

 were able to collect driftwood enough to serve them until the arrival 

 of the seals and blubber was obtained. There being 80 fires necessary, 

 this 40 tons gives each fire one-half ton of coal for the winter, and this 

 barely serves their necessities for cooking, and they require an addi- 

 tional 40 tons, for sale by the Alaska Commercial Company, to make their 

 families reasonably comfortable. This, for some reason or other, the 

 general agent has been unwilling to furnish, and in my opinion a regu- 

 lation should be established by the honorable Secretary of the Treas- 

 ury requiring that a supply of 40 tons of coal for St. Paul and 20 tons 

 on St. George Island should be provided by the company and sold the 

 natives annually. This, with the 00 tons provided for in the lease, is the 

 smallest possible amount which will render them comfortable; and hav- 

 ing placed them in houses above ground and rendered this a prime 

 necessity, it belongs to them to furnish this supply, for which they are 

 abundantly able and willing to pay. 



The priest and his assistants went to the Island of St. George for a 

 parochial visit in July, to return iti September. The weather not per- 

 mitting the steamer St. Paul to touch there on her return to the islands 

 in September, they were left there until January, when the schooner 

 touched there, laden with coal, on her way to St. Paul, and they 

 embarked on her, but the ice preventing the schooner reaching St. 

 Paul, they were taken to Unalaska and remained there until the 

 arrival of the steamer St. Paul, iu May, when they returned to the 

 island again, together with a party of natives belonging to this island, 

 who had spent the winter at Unalaska. The services and business of 

 the church were in the meantime conducted by the second chief and a 

 deacon. 



The civil affairs of the natives were managed by the two chiefs, with 

 the advice and approval of myself. There was some drunkenness dur- 

 ing the holidays from quas, or beer brewed by fermenting flour with 

 the sugar bought at the store for their tea and coffee, but no quarrels 

 or disturbance arose more than the breaking of a window. This was 

 punished by a fine to pay for the damage aud a prohibition from pur- 

 chasing sugar for a time. 



The school was opened October 2, Miss Juniatte B. Pierce as teacher, 

 and continued to the end of May. At the commencement a full attend- 

 ance was secured, which continued until the holidays in January. 

 From that time it was dilficult to secure a full attendance, from lack of 



