484 



FOREST AND STREAM. 



[Janitabt 20, 1881. 



^ortsmm Eonrist 



THE LO& OF THE FAVORITA-CNO. 3.) 



OROSS SOmil), TOT BTEAITS. 



Port FiiEDKuicK. Aug. IS, 1880. 



YESTERDAY morning, having suctessfullyliccLiaiplished 

 all of the results we had hopitl to attiii'n liv uur visit 

 to the Kootz-nooB, we left Jvot-eo-sok early, cro'ssed Chat- 

 ham Straits and at noon rounded the " bold headland 

 Point Augusta, and entered Croas Sound, through which we 

 made our waj' to tlie westward, and at 8 v. m. ma<^le harbor 

 in the port, which is just to the westward of Point Adolphus, 

 on the southern shore of Cross Sou)id, and is known auion'r 

 the natives as "Kom-tok-kou." 



Our partmg with "Jake" and "Andrew" was a most 

 diplomatic >inc ; each partj lauding the otlier with ' 'assurances 

 of the tiiost profound regard," iu addition to which the two 

 Tyhees gave to us renewals of their promise that llie war l)e- 

 twecn themselves and the Sliekicnes at Fort Wranacl should 

 not be renewed, and we gave to lliem, instead orpromisea, 

 each, one of those valuable comniodiiies, "a paper," in which 

 we certified to the main faets of oiu interview, and informed 

 all future white men that these two chiefs had pledged them- 

 selves to friendly Intercourse with whites; and to Jake, by 

 his own request, we gave a handle to his name, based upon 

 the most important event in his life, namely, his inforced 

 journey to San Fianeisco some eleven years ago, upon- which 

 occasion I had had the opportunity to serve him, and as the 

 trip was in the IT. S. S. Saginaw, he received her name, and 

 in future vrill be known as " Saginaw Jake." 



A few navy buttons, some yellow tape as a suiistitnte for 

 gold liice on the trowser-leg'.s, and "Jamestown" nap rib- 

 hons bound them to ua forever. 



Cross Sound deserves a htlle description. This body of 

 water separates the island of Chichagoff fiom the mainland 

 to the northward, and runs nearly parallel with Peril Straits 

 to the South, and in many respects the two straits are very 

 Bimilar. 



A study of the chsut of this region gives the impression that 

 in some distant period the .southeast coast of Alaskaexiended 

 in an unbroken line, bordered by high hills and mountains, 

 from Mt. Fairweather on the" north, to Cape Fox on the 

 southern extremity. And with this impression a further 

 study of a general chart will include in this unbroken line 

 the western coast of our continent as far south as the Straits 

 of Puf:a and the soutliern terminus of navigation in Pugct 

 Bound, from which point, in latitude 47 deg. N. to Portage 

 Bay in the Chilcat region latitude .it) deg. N., an almost con- 

 tinuous, dee]! and narrow channel, named, as we go north. 

 Puget Sound. Hecate Sirait, Clarence Strait and'Chatham 

 Straits, with mtervenirig short sections with other local names 

 stretches for over a tliou.sand miles, and through which a largo 

 steamer can navigate with safely, and duricTg the entire trip 

 he in smooth water and land locked, except for perhaps in 

 the whole distance about one hrmdred miles when she passes 

 the mouth of straits, which running to the eastward, admit 

 to this great canal the tides of the Pacific, and make i.slands 

 of portions of this peninsula ; of these tlie most impor- 

 tant are, liegiuTiing again at the southward, Juan do Fuca 

 Straits, tiucen Charlotte Sound and Dixon's Entrance. Tlie 

 latlcr (lividca our possessions in Alaska, from British Colum- 

 l)ia ; our southern point, Cape J''ox, being in latitude 54 deg. 

 40 min. north. 



It seems almost certain that once the islands of Baranoff, 

 Kriizofi and Chicagoff were parts of a peninsula nearly two 

 hundred miles in extent to the south, and less than forty 

 miles wide at its base, ending at Cape Ommany on the south, 

 and that throitgii some great convidsions of natirre the strong 

 tides have forced their way through the valleys, turningthem 

 into channels, and the mountain peaks into the Alexander 

 Archipelago. 



Two of these valleys are now occupied by Cross Sound and 

 Peril Straits, in both of which the entrance from the Paeific 

 is to the nortlieasl till abom, the centre, then 8. E. to Chatham 

 Straits, In both the tides meet at these centres, and produce 

 violent rapids, whirlpools and eddies, wd the power of these 

 rushing waters is to this day sufficient te wear awa}' anj' re- 

 sistance less firm than solid rock. 



Cross Sound has been but slighth' explored, and still more 

 slightly smveycd. The northern sjiore is described by Prof. 

 Davi.^^on, of the C. Survey, as a ' ' region but slightly explored, 

 but fromevery indication evidently the home of the glaciers." 

 Few keels deeper than those of canoes have furrowed its 

 surface, for even the hardy prospectors and adventurous In- 

 dian traders have been deterred from venturing within its 

 limits, by the reputed dangers to be encountereii. Icebergs 

 and Hoes, eddies, whirlpooFs and dangerous Indians, have all 

 been held prominent iy forward by the Sitka " merchants " to 

 jjrevent a probable competition in trade. 



I know that these dangers have been exaggerated. 

 Tlie western part of the sound is undoubtably an uncom- 

 forlible place for navigation, for here is developed a new 

 feature troui which this portion is justly named ley Straits; 

 for, drifting to and fro with each change of tide, a solemn 

 proce.sgion of icebergs gives a new eharacier to the scenery, 

 and now and then anew and decidedly e.xciting sensation to 

 the mariner, who trusting to the resources of a small Steam- 

 er, ventm'es to intrude upon their domain. 



Twenty feet above the surface, indicates that nine times as 

 many below, the floating islantl is presenting to the under- 

 currents surfaces of resistance of jH'obaljIy greater area than 

 is to us visible, and as in some cases, this ujiper and visible 

 portion was judged at leasl a half-mile square in extent, it 

 la etisy to calculate that, c\'<;n with but slight velocity, the 

 other factor of momentum, viz., weight, was quite suffieient 

 to render a colliding match between us and it, decidedly a 

 one-Bided all'air : aiid owing to their great depth, in com- 

 parison with our own, there can be no certainty as to the di- 

 rection which one of these bergs will steer; drifting quietly 

 lay, on a course which to us bidicates safety, a sudden whirl 

 announces that an imdertow has been encoimtered, and, di- 

 rectly against the surface tide, the monster makes for us ; 

 and then our only reso\ nee is to depend upon the element, 

 which makes it danirerous, as o\ir liope of safely. A berg 

 drawing a hundred feet cannot chase a .steamei' drawing hut 

 eight a great ^'a.vs ^'li''" slioa' water is in the vicinity. 



In sotuo well-slreltered bays many of these bergs and tioes 

 had stranded duringsome unusually high tide and strong wiuil, 

 and Iving well back on the beach, ensiled a most beauliful 

 sight'; the yell'.w sand and black, wiuer-worngi'anite boulders 

 of thetieacb, and the dense green of the evergreen foliage of the 

 forest background formed a iwe contrast of colors, and the 

 forms too, were beautihil ; the ice, varying In solidity, had 

 been penetrated to varying depths by the sim'B xays, and 



while the projecting pinnacles glowedand sparkled like bur- 

 nished silver, the arches and chasms retiected all hues of the 

 rainbow, among which ultra-marine and lapis- lazuli predomi- 

 nated. By moonlight the effect was superb and weird. But 

 a little fancy was required to people these lonelv bays with 

 ice gnomes who had hci-e built a cit\ of crystal. " 



On the summit of the floatina: liergs many sea-fowl perched, 

 and on terraces worn into their sides hair "seals bni^ked, and 

 from these terraces well-worn slides showed where thev had 

 melted with their bodies' warmth, and friction while enjoying 

 their games of coasting. 



At about the centre of the sound there extends from the 

 soulheru shore the hold headland of Point Adolphus, and here 

 an off-shrjre ciuTent proves to bo a boundary lino, beyond 

 which llic icebergs seldom venture, and thence to the junc- 

 tion of the flountl with Chatham Straits the dangera from ice 

 are eliminated. But others are substituted, among which, and 

 the most important, is a rocky patch which, nearly a mile 

 square and at low water, projecting from three to live feet 

 above the surface, has failed hitherto to attract the atteiuion 

 of hydrographers, although, from its postion (nearly in the 

 eentreof the junction of the two bodies of water), it is a 

 som-co of great danger to any vessel navigating these seas; for 

 at high water there is on it" a cover of eleven feet, and a 

 stranger, in endeavoring to avoid the possible dangers near 

 the shores by seeking a mid-channel route, would stand a 

 good chance of discovering, liy hitting it : a method of 

 sounding, which from personal experience I can vouch, is a 

 very unpleasant one. Armed with his sextant, compass and 

 lead-line our hydrographer, nndeteri'ed by the violent eddies 

 and tide rips which surrouml it, and by the spray flying over, 

 boldly attacked, capnired and deprived it forever of its 

 greatest power of doing mischief, viz., that of being unknown, 

 for henceforward Hanus Reef— named for its captor — will 

 have a recognized existence. 



The run acro.ss Chatham Straits from Kootznoo would have 

 been devoid of incident— for the day was thick and foggy and 

 no scenery visible— but for <mx overtaking the canoe of our 

 friend Hoonah Dick, in which wore stowed himself and a 



They are bold, enterprising and intelligent, far more so 

 than the Siwashes of Sitka, and until very'lately liave been 

 cla.sscd as "dangerous." So far as I can "judge liy my own 

 intercourse with them, and the testimony of Dick VV'illoutrbby, 

 who has lived among them for some ruouths, and hy that of 

 others who have come cas\ially in contact with them, this is 



SV.'^'^ 



slave, his wife and another woman, three children and a dog. 

 Dick gladly accepted our ofTer of a tow and, stopping for a 

 few minutes, the whole party except the slave, who wasleft 

 to steer the canoe, was transferred to our decks. 



The two women squatteil immediately in the gangway, 

 took out calico thread and needles, and until we arrived some 

 hours later at their village, emyiloyed themselves most indus- 

 triously in manufacturing clothes for the children, who id.so 

 squatted close to them and sat .as still as mice throughont the 

 day, shy at first and timid, as evinced by shrirdiiug closer to 

 the woman as we approached, and l)y rapid winking of their 

 bright eyes, but never by a cry or scream, even when well- 

 meant but rather rode attempt a to fondle them were made by 

 the sailors. Our Chinese cook was to them a source of un- 

 ending wonder. Dick himself soon made friends with all 

 hands and gave to us some quite valuable information in re- 

 gard to the'^inroad of the "Sim-sims" and upon cerlain ille- 

 gid traffic which had been taking place. To me he also gave 

 many items as to the bunting of sea olter and seals, nnd he 

 assured me that " Ivah-hoo-doo-sak," the old chief of the 

 Hoonabs, woidd be very pleased tnat we had come. In spite 

 of all this friendship, Capt. V'anderbib, in giving; the canoe a 

 tow, incurred considerable risk, for had it met with any acci- 

 dent while in tow, the s'eamer, according to Indian law, would 

 be held responsible. 



No accident, however, occurred, that is of any magnitude, 

 to any of them, unless a very little one, which followed my 

 fccdii)g to one of the babies fifteen lumps of white sugar in 

 rar'id succession can lie so termed, 

 rapid succession can tie so termed. 



As we slerimed along, liore and there on the shore (he 

 smoke of a camp-fire indicated the temporary homo of a fam- 

 ily, anil at one jilace ou the eastern shore of Chatham Strait 

 there was quite a village. 



At 3 e. M. we eiUered the harbor of Kom-tok-kou, or, as 

 by the charts, Poit Frederick, and let go our anchor abreast 

 of the princi|)al village of the lloonahs. 



This tribe is one of' the most powerful and warlike of all 

 which inhabit the Alexander Archipelago. They are essen- 

 tially coast Indians, or as termed by Professor Dall, Orra- 

 rians Their villages are scattered among the various skel- 

 tered bays and inlets of Cross Sound, and generally in the 

 immediate vicinity of salmon rivers and halibut banks. 



In winter tln^y all gather into the main village, Kom-tok- 

 kon, on relnrii from crnoe trips, for trading and visiting, to 

 Silka and Wrangel and other places. 



Tlicy ha\-e iilso a summer resort to the northwest of Cape 

 S|iericer, in the vicinity of the lirecdiug ground of sea otters, 

 off Latuya Bay. 



The Hoonabs, according to various estimates, number from 

 five to eight hundred people. I am inclined to believe that 

 the largest estimate is nearest to the truth. Dick told me, 

 "Plenty people, more as Sitkas;" but the Indian ideas of 

 numbers are vugue. 



not a just classification, 



although 



in one rcBpect it lias proved 



advantageous to them, 



lor dete 



■red by ('ear. but few wliitcs 



have as yet vi.siti;d their 



eounlrv. 



and 1 he dtimoralizing clVects 



of whisky and dehauel 



erv, whi 



•h Ihrongh contact with low 



orders of whites have 



Bcrinusly 



lowei ed the /,-./,-.//.■ of the 



Sitka Indians, hav.' no 



as yet : 



liccted ihem. Thev are rO- 



bust and healthy, and ar 





M. expert canoenun and sea 



otter hunter'- of ■,\^ \-\^,. , 



■;i!,-u ,-,M 1 





Such e- rr ; ■ :i ■ •■ , 





' i'Mi] Willi 1 he whites has 



tended i-. :!• ' n- ..--• 





li-. 'f iheni wear. an- style 



of Clotlie. ;; |.| ,-e ■!.: 





■i;:' .19 a huntinL;- or flshiiis 



costume, (jr for a cUtak, and in their main village I noticed 

 one house in which an evident attempt to improve was 

 shown ;\. panel door and two windows, with glass, -were 

 substituted for the round holes which, in purely native arclii- 

 tecture, furnish egress and ingreas. and foi- llie he.ic in ihe roof 

 through wliich ventilation is seeur."d. .'\nd in one canoe 

 which came alongside sat a very goi.d-loolung Klootchman, 

 carrying over her head an alpiica umbrella, and in her arras a 

 light-complexioned, blue-eyed, red-haired baby, and her cos- 

 tume consisted of a cidico dress, shoes and stockini^s and a 



hood. Evidently the tide of civilizat. - _ 



northwestward. 



Kom-lok-kon consists of about twenty-live 1: 

 built of hewn Ioc-j from a f.K>t to eiffht'een ini 



Theonlei- 9.irf:ev ■ ' v-.. I. .n;s are hewn s" fu 

 the a.^e Iha 

 planed. In 



and over in-M fpei m v.irlili, rnv 



At our arrival mnst of the hu- 



occupanls beiny- awav tiuiiiiii!; a 



and deserted, llie villuLa' looked 



advancing 



I'ge houses, 

 lej; square. 

 Ihly with 



flocking home in hope 



were disappointci:!, as 



this trip. They furnish the fur 



it would be thouglittliey ^ 

 ■if hemlocli, ttirec inches thick 

 red the logs. 



sea weie empty, their usual 

 d tishino-, but although quiet 

 lent and "tidy, 

 spread, and those nearest 

 trading, which hopes, how- 

 Irading was permitted upon 

 ofotte " ■ ■ ■ 



inals, and the oil of whales, peirpca; 

 ' ■■ 1 little ■ 



vory. Tie; 

 11 one to four gallon.s. The 

 nal whales, which by re- 

 shfial \vater and are there 



and of some land a 



and widrus, with now and . . 



stowed in bladders, wbieli holtl fri 



whale oil is procured from occasi 



ceding tides get left embayed in 



shot. 



Ivom-tok-kon is just to the westward of Point Adolphus, 

 and the village is on both sides of the land-locked hay. which 

 is quite large "and includes within its boundaries several level 

 places of several acres each in extent, on which are cultivat- 

 ed successfully potatoes, kaif, luruips and r-abhage. These 

 levels are apparently the terminal moraines of ancient gla- 

 ciers, and here ;i« •.|.-n.,>-i, ,..-,, ^.e,,! to be coniposed of rich al- 

 luvial .soil, nceilli' .1 ! viiiii.n tomake vabiatile. 



These vegeini' : ■ i '■ owned in cominon, as at the 



village itself, tlie mi li ', iniekgromid of high hills prevent 



agi-icultm-e, while tiny shieJil from winds. 



Dick invited our ins|)eetion of the internal arrangetuentsof 

 his house, which was one of the largest. He received na 

 most hospitatily, and his wife and children were attu-ed 

 In garments which were elean and tidy as was the house. 



On each side of the entrance there was a large luimanface, 

 carved from wood and trimmed with human hair. These 

 faces were upside down and the hair, I learned, grew upon 

 the heads of the waniors who, havmg been slain by Dick, 

 were thus cominemoratt^d. 



The principal industries of the Hoonabs are fishing ajid 

 hunting the sea olter. Their emploj'meiit for the year is 

 about this : 



As earlv in sprimr as the breaking up "f '}■■■ \fr will permit, 

 the canoes galher upon the halitiul Iiaii!--. m: - ' I'jlphus, 

 and there -at limes a hull. Ii-e.leif Ihem uv , ■■- ,_ ued in 

 (i.shing. Tlley do not audn-.r: the h..o!.;, v, meli i - ;i eoniplU 

 cated structure of wood, with an iron spike (shown in cut. 

 and described in your paper of July -30, 1879), is baited with 

 herring, and let sink to the bottom; the inner end of the line 

 is fastened to an inflated bladder, which acts a-s a buoy, the 

 lisherinan holds the bight in his hand and permits the canoe 

 to drift. When a fish i.s hooked, and there is bill little, if 

 an_y, delay between bites, it is if a small one, say of less 



" xide of the canoe, stunned 



he side ; if a large one it is 

 the buoy until exhausted, 

 3cured. 



. weight, and are very de- 

 light on our' easteru banks^ 

 due to my never havl ng eaten 

 ihly caught specimens, as I have of 



'atera is practically iuex- 



eiily is regulated "by the 



id at the risk of being 



■ I- fish-hook you once 



one of my reasons for so 



believing. 



I reached these banks in August, long after the fishing 

 season had ended, but wherever we went our anchor had 

 hardly reached bottom, at one end of our vessel, than a good 

 sized halibut left bottom at the other end, and was soon 

 flomidering on deck, doomed only to lose his Hus, of which 

 we corned down a huge quamily, for when once accustomed 

 to them few articles of H.sh food exceed halibut rims in excel- 

 lence. Upon one of these banks Dick Wiloughhy and I, each 

 will' e ^:iii ■! I" lieir, ,1,-ijT into the boat our eapliues, fished 

 .ij I „r]i;.; I me hour. In Chat period we had lying 



Lii 1 .1 ny-seven fish, which by estimate fell 



vri - liii li . ; I r ;.. ;.;« in weight, we weiatlied several, large 

 and" small, and they ran from 30 to 50 lbs. We Called the 

 averaL>;e forty fiounds. 

 At "tirst I iished with two hooka, but soon had to give that 



than 70 lb 





at 





•e 10 th 



by hcavv blows, ai 



d L' 



lit 



I'd OVPI 



permitted 



to amnsi 



ilsi 



It 



lowm 



when it is 



hauled i 



1, k 



ill 



id and 



Tlie fish 



run fron 



1 at) 



t' 



aiKI II 



licioua. mt 



re so thi 



n a 



e. 



those ' 



That opini 



• M n"-i V 





e\ 



er, hi; i 



of the IJ: ' 



e ' - 





'ir 



shly ca 



those of : 











These I 



l\ .e i 



III 





n thea 



hanstible, 





11] '1 



M. 





demand al 



me. So 



at 





-: ! 



considered 



as con 



pel 



le. 



1 1 



offered as 



a prize 



Pi 





ove yi 



jht of ( 

 cupied in hanliii.L 

 hardly toucli the 

 a bite was fell, 



The water v,"i- fihrir.' i iLilit to ten fathoms deep, imd 



this I . I M :v slight depth and moderate 



i!' : uir-fifihs of ouj- time was oc- 



ii I le- i.-L iitid rebaiting. Tlie sinker would 



itiom when the slight tug which proclaimed 



icb seldom failed to be a profitable one 



AVe were using the onUnary cod fi.sh hook, which I like bet- 



thim the native liook, that is when liiihinL' on a bauk where 



dogtlsbdonol aliouiid ; when lliey are p'enliful the Indian 



hook, on which t.liev cannot faslen tliemselves, is preferable. 



The bait with wliich we cauelit III 



quite two siUnion. wliieh \ve e r 

 iuches. Thc.=-cs;,lnion weproi-M 

 by fishing with hooks attached e ■ 

 •whioh were buoyed, and a line froi 



of not 



:'bv4 



t'oat, 



. r long, 



the buoy to the boat 



