(continued from page 1)
A pilot flying his piano over the
.upper Matanuska Valloy saw a cow
moose trying desperately to fight
her way out of a glassy depression
in a river bod that sho had fallen
into. The Pish and Y/ildlife Service
sent men to the spot with ropes and
wore able to lasso and draw the a
nimal out of its icy trap, but it
was so near dead that it had to be
sh t. Signs indicated that it had
been trapped on the ice for several
days.
A pair of hunters at Forty Mile,
while hunting for a supply of moat
this past winter, came upon one of
nature's tragedies. They found two
moose that had locked horns in a
desperate death struggle for suprem
acy. One had died of a broken neck
and the other, unable to extricate
himself from his dead adversary,had
died of starvation. A largo griz
zley boar had started to feed upon
the carcasses.
Last May, a moose got his antlers
tangled in the teletype communica
tion system between Fairbanks and
the United States and tied up com
munications for over two hours.
When maintenance men of the Alaska
Communications System, arrived on
the scene, they caught only a fleet
ing glimpse of the moose, who had
extricated himself and was headed
for the more primitive wilds.
The Alaska Railroad takes a heavy
moose toll. It is estimated that
at least 150 moose lose their lives
each winter on the railroad, and
during the winter of 19^9 there
were over 200 of them. There were
six in one day. The moose lope
down the track ahead of the train
and when they get tired, they fall
or lie down, or sometimos charge
the locomotive. Chou I Chou'. Moose
burger.
The moose problem in the Valley
has become serious enough that this
year areas that have been closed
for some time have been opened to
the hunter in order that at least
seventy-five of the males may be
eliminated.
All kinds of contraptions and me
thods have been used to scare the
moose from the railroad, highways,
and hayfields, but mostly to no a
vail. Signal pistols, shotguns,
bells, tincans, smudge pots, barb
ed and electric fences and other
contraptions have been used to
frighten the animals away from
farms and villages. Oscillating
lights, piercing whistles, sirens,
steam and even snov; balling have
failed to drive them from the A
laska Railroad. This winter extent
sivb ■ftork wqs done making turnouts
along the right-of-way but in the
past experiences of this nature,
the moose have just neglected or
refused to uso them.
Mooso killed on tho Alaska Rail
road aro immediately dressed by the
train crews. The Fish and Wildlifo
is notified of moose killed on tho
highways, and in both cases the meat
is turned over to charitable groups
such as hospitals, missions, chil
drens' homes, and sometimes to
schools for cafeteria meals. Wo
also heard of mooso moat killed on
the Alaska Railroad being shipped
to Washington, D.C. this past win
ter, where it was served to tho Na
tional Women1s Press Club.
When the long Alaskan winter fin
ally gives way to spring, and the
snow recede up the mountainsides,
the moose leave the Valley, first
the bulls, then the cov; s with t heir
yearling calves still following af
ter them, to raise another crop of
moose, in peace, quiet, and boun
tous living. Then when September
comes again, the old crop is har
vested by the hunter, and the cycle
goes on.--The Matanuska Valley Roeor
Proclamation, cont.
,rto preserve justice, safeguard do
mestic tranquillity, promote the
general welfare, and glorify the
blessings of liberty"; and
WHEREAS, today, I6J4. years after it
was adopted, the Constitution of the
United States is still the great
hope of Freedom-loving people the
world over;
Now, therefore, I, Ernest Gruen
ing, Governor of the territory of
Alaska, by virtue of the authority
in mo visted, do hereby proclaim
Monday, September 17, 1951 as CON
STITUTIONAL DAY and urge all chur
ches, schools, civic, and patriotic
organizations and all citizens to
arrange and take part in appropri
ate programs to the end that we, the
people who benefit from the Consti
tution, shall have a better under
standing of and greater respect for
the gifts of liberty, equality, and
justice granted us by the Constitu
tion.
Young woman to grocer: Isn't
there some less expensive part of
lettuce than the head?
There are two essentials to hap
piness: something to do and some
one to love.
Common sense is not a common
thing.
He who follows another is always
behind.