— (Eafe —
D. C. WHITFORD. PROPRIETOR
FORMERLY THE SLATER CAFE
Boxes And Tables Reserved For Private
_ Dinner Parties _
IP OPEN DAY AND NIGHT
THE < ITY BAK iY
WE ARE SPECIALISTS IN FINE CAKES AND PASTRY
FOR
Parties and Receptions
Makers of the Famous "Cream Loaf” Bread fi
Sun "Maid" Raisin Bread—A Treat Indeed
Rye Bread Graham Bread
LUNCH ROOM —WHERE YOU GET THOSE EXCELLENT
LUNCHES
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> | SAVE MONEY!
COME TO THE BARGAIN STORE
And see what we have in the line of workmen’s clothing,
beds, mattresses and canvas goods of all kinds, tents and
Bhovels, kitchenware, furniture, stoves, etc. We also
carry a full line of miwors—plate glass and plain.
THE NORTHERN BLOCK
First Street
---rr.-sg^a-rr-ni-aa-atilg
SILK HULL UMBRELLA
Attachable Handle, Gold and Silver-Mounted
New Assortment of
DIAMONDS
£: In All Sizes x
PORTABLE LAMPS
Community and Rogers 1847 Tableware
PAUL BLOEDHORN I
: : PHONE 43 JEWELER ANDiWATCHMAKER x
Fine Job Printing At The Times Office
1 ...!!. 1—iLJL ... 1 __Ji!FJilSL
WALL PAPER
New Patterns in Stock
PHONES 11 and 75
Carter & Bogart
Copper River
and Northwestern Ry.
FOUR TRAINS WEEKLY BETWEEN
CHITINA AND KENNECOTT
Leave Cordova, Second Street Depot, on Mon
days, Thursdays and Saturdays
Leave Chitina for Cordova Sundays, Tuesdays,
Thursdays and Fridays
Leave Chitina for Kennecott Sundays, Tuesdays
and Fridays
Leave Kennecott for Chitina Mondays, Wednes
days, Thursdays and Saturdays
The above schedule subject to change without
notice.
Dining Car in Connection with all Regular
Passenger Trains between Cordova and Chitina.
Freight received and delivered at Cordova
Wharf from !> a. in. to 5 p m., except Sundays.
Tickets on sale at Second Street Depot office
mi ■ hour before departure of trains.
CALEB CORSER Superintendent
D. L. LEATON, Ticket Agent
i
NATIVES OF COPPER
RIVER INTELLIGENT
(Continued from Page Three)
tasteless The shape and nature of
the fruit are very similar to the black i
haw of the States, although it is of j
r yellowish white color. The natives ^
fry it In fat. either of the moose. |
sheep or caribou, at the same time
mashing it well with a stick or spoon,
thus making a very palatable dish,
if one does not see the cook or the
rooking. Their chief vegetable food
Is. however, a peculiar parsnip-shaped
root, hut longer than that vegetable,
which they call chass. The portion
above ground is about six to twelve i
inches, and not unlike a small bunch 1
of willows, while file root is frequently
several feet long. It is never cured,
but is eaten raw. boiled or roasted.
Many miners and prospectors dig this
root and use it extensively in their I
diet.
Kish, rabbits, moose, sheep, caribou,
bears, goats, porcupines, heaver, lynx,
muskrat, geese, ducks ami ptarmigan
and arouse constitute their chief food.
Of these the fish is decidedly the most
important. Rabbits tire next in or-j
der. They have no process of curing i
kh\o that by drying in tlu* sun or
smoking. The fat of the moose is
melted and run Into small intestines, j
while even the blood is saved in the
paunch of the animal. It is of little
importance to them whether thesetj
be cleaned or not. and equally unim-1
porlaut whether or not their meat be
well cooked or not. and in boiling it
is seldom allowed to lie done through, !
The entire entrails of the rabbit are j
boiled, sometimes with the bodies
from which they were taken .and
again with other meat, the vegetable
matter which is not removed forming
an important intiscorbutic flood or
special food is always cooked by the
men, and the refuse of all is given to
the women A buy of five or six years
old has precedence over his mother
at meals. There is no limit to the
quantity of food a hungry native can
consume. A single kind of food must
lie abundant to furnish sufficient
quantities of tin* \ilal elements nec
essary to the system. A much less I
quantity of mixed food satisfies Like
most Indiana, they eat when hungry
without regard to intervals. They are
very fond of tea, and also drink the
liquor in which the food is boiled.
In olden days they made a drink from
a plant called lambklll which Ik used
by nearly all natives and the inhabit
ants of British Columbia and Labra
dor. No special preparation of this
plant is required, not even drying be
fore using. Since tin* white men
( Sine they have picked up all bis vices
and none of his virtues. They are
fond of liquor and consume great
quantities when they can get it.
If they ever possessed any knowl
edge of surgery or medicine it was
not known. The shamans of the
tribe prescribed for the sick and
< barged a good round sum lor doing
so. Their contact with Americans of
late years has taughi them the value
ot the white man's remedies, and they
will take any dose prescrilied if it is
S given by a white man.
Never wore any Indians so devoid
of luxuries as these Copper Utvcr In
dians The wealthiest carry jnly one
to three large kettles, a tea kettle,
a frying pan, several wooden trays of
native manufacture, several knives,
i spoons and a cup or so. In hul few
homes are there any pretexts of fur
niture. t'ntil the advent of the whites
the Indian carried on the trail with
him one or two wooden trays, IBs knife
and possibly a small cup. liis shelter
v as of the scantiest, and he could
stand cold and exposure that would
freeze an animal. No vessel for boil
ing water was used until the advent
! of the Russians, stones being heated
I and dropped into the water until it
| boiled.
Their clothing is generally scanty,
and consists in many cases of cast-off
I garments donated by the whites. They
i wear parkas In winter and sometimes
a shirt made of rabbit skin They
also make a coat and cap of marmot
or squirrel skins, l’acs are greatly
appreciated, and moccasins in dry,
\ cold weather Beads used to be the
only decorations used on wearing ap
parel. Very seldom were porcupine
quills used, as with Indians in the
States.
The unit of measurement with them
is the distance between the tips of the
lingers, arms outstretched. They fre
quently measured timber for canoes
or the length of thongs by this
method. Many of the younger men
are adopting the white man's tools
and ways, but progress Is slow.
In the days of '98 beads and am
munition used to be the medium of
exchange, although In late years the
natives appreciate the value of money
as well as a white man, and will work
as hard to get It.
Their weapons np to the time of
the gold rush were bows and arrows
and cheap, small-bore, muzzle-loading
guns, with very Inferior barrels. At
the present time they use good rifles
and will have none hut the best To
make a bow- formerly they used birch
wood, which was subjected to a pm til
iar process of seasoning. A rough
slab about five feet long was blocked
j out of green birch, with the small
! holt ax. Then a knife was used to
tiring it down to dimensions not ex
! t ceding an inch or an inch and a
: half. This rod was alternately put
into the fire for a few seconds and
then worked down with the knife un
til it nearly attained its final dimen
sions, when 11 was hung up in the
smoke from the lire, where It re
mained several weeks before being
again subjected to the fire and the
knife When finally tempered a bow
one inch by half an inch required a 1
very strong arm to bend it Ramrods,
were made in the same manner,
crooked timber being made straight
by the fire method The natives used I
to pound out copper slugs for use in !
their old guns. They said the cop
per bullets would always break the!
boneu of a moose or bear, while lead
would not. They possess very little;
ingenuity, although their sleds and
implements are neatly made. They
generally live near watercourses and
use boats or a raft made of four logs i
fastened with willow withes.
Kvery member of a native family
owns ou an average of three dogs.
They were a great nuisance to the
white traveler during the gold rush.
As pack animals they are very valu
able to their owners. The natives
force them to carry on their hacks
leads averaging from thirty to thirty-!
five pounds, and they seem willing
and anxious to do their bit.
The chief amusement of the Copper!
River natives, other than eating, is
singing, unassisted by even a tom
tom. AH Join in the songs, which
are led by young men and hoys. They '
frequently sing while eating a meal,
and all their bodies may ho seen sway
ing in unison over a pot of salmon
or bear meat. The children are
taught to sing as soon as they can
talk. Their dances are violent, as in
the cuso of all Indians. They aro
very fond of musical instruments and
spend their money freely for phono
graphs. These Instruments help won
derfully In civilizing the natives and
learning them our language. They
are wonderful imitators, and can take
off Harry Lauder or Harlan and t’ol
lins equally well with Ada Jones or
Melba Their language is markedly
accented, and seldom more than three
words are spoken with the same in
tonation They frequently indulge in
oratorical contests, when a Chinese
chop suey quartet is tame compared
let the noises which emanate from
their dusky throats.
The wife is trealed with very little
respect, and is valued only in pro
portion to her ability to work and
pack She and her children are al
ways loft destitute when the husband
[lies, no matter how wealthy he may
have been. Ills property is distrib
ited among the tribes, and the oldest
son becomes bead of the house.
The Influence of the shamans or
medicine men Is much less among
the Copper Kiver Indians than other
tribes. Old Nicolai, who was very in
Hnential. would never tolerate them,
although ho himself claimed to he
ible to perforin cures for a quid pro j
juo. He wore on his hat a Creek
;ross to which he ascribed his divine j
powers, and had a small quantity ol .
paper and a pencil with which he j
pretended to diagnose his cases. He
was very keen, and a groat friend ol
he white people. He abhorred liquor
ind did all things possible to keep
ils people from obtaining It. Some
if Ills people would Bend the gar
ments of a sick child to Nicolai to
sleep on. believing he could effect a
cure, and the garment was always ac
companied by a in h fur. Tile old
thief had his hunting district which
he never allowed other members *»t
the tribe to trespass on. It is stated
that after his death members of his
tribe broke for Ins hunting grounds,
which comprised tin* best sheep turn*
it. tin district, but some sharp white
men appeared upon tin- mountain
dressed in sheets, which caused tin*
Indians to stampede, believing Nicolai
was angry with them and had re
turned to warn them
A family used t“ be driven into
dependency upon the death of its
head, not only on account of the prop
erty being distributed among the
tribe, hut also from the fact that tho
house was burned. The dead are put
under the ground and the site marked
with a strong fence about three feet
b\ five feet pla ed above There is
no special ceremony attending mar
liage. When a man had gathered a
tew pots and pans he was eligible to
take a wife, and when he met his Into
lie took her by strong arm methods
i> persuasion would not do.
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Shane & Share Mile
Are You in the
$440 Class?
Government reports show that one person
in every ten in the United States nas a Sav
ings Account with an average balance of
about $440.00.
Does your Savings Bank Balance equal this
average?
Or are you one of the nine-tenths who |
have no Savings Account and no money
saved?
If you are one of the latter class we invite
you to open a Savings Account with
The First Bank of
Cordova
REMEMBER WE WILL PAY YOU COMPOUND
INTEREST TWICE A YEAR
L__i
BUCKHECHT
REO. U.S.'. PAT. OFF.
ARMY SHOE
“ I he greatest improvement in footwear
in a generation.” This is what experts
think of the Munson Last—the principle
back of the Buckhccht Army Shoe.
You, too, will like the Buckhccht Shoe.
You will like its comfort, its velvety feel,
its wear-resisting qualities. And you will say:
‘‘Here is a shoe that doesn’t crowd or cramp my
toes. It gives me the comfort and wear I have
a right to expect from my shoes. ?imM«—r«k»ia«M
Always look for our registered trademark— n”'1 o”V-d<wr
BUCKHECHT—stamped on everv pair. It 'mrrh»nia>,
. . . ■ tiUera, miner*. car
1S our mutual protection. aim, farmer*, ranch
er* and mra In e?ery
walk of life.
I .adorned for rlrlllait
wear bjr l . S. Irmj.
M—Uctnr* BUCKINGHAM & HECHT S.n Fr.-ci^o