ALASKA IS BEST
GAME COUNTRY
INTHEWORLD,
SAYS DR. DERBY
MEMBER ROOSEVELT FAMILY RE
TURNS SEWARD FROM HUNT
IN SKILAK REGION
BAG FOUR TROPHIES NEAR HERE
Proposes To Induce Kermit and “Ted
dy” To Come to North with
Him Next Trip.
“For sustained excitement and in
terest, one week ago Sunday, to be
exact, I never experienced such a
grand day in my life, as when we
tracked lour miles thru the snow, a
wounded bear, and with two more
shots, killed him,” exclaimed Dr.
Richard Derby, at the Van Gilder
hotel Saturday, to the Gateway rep
resentative, following his return to
Seward from the Skilak Lake coun
try, Kenai peninsula, where, for
the past five weeks, Dr. Derby, with
Henry Lucas and George Nelson,
guides, has been hunting big game
with rifle and moving picture came
ras. Two brown bear and two sheep
and 2,000 feet of films, moose pic
tures, were secured, but Dr. Derby’s
Alaskan hunt is not yet completed
for he departed Saturday for La
touche,, en route to Montegue Is
land for two -weeks of hunting after
another bear and also for additional
reels of film.
Alaska is the greatest hunting
grounds in the world and my enthus
iasm is perfectly genuine in making
This assertion,” Dr. Derby continued,
“and when I return to your coun
try again, I shall endeavor to bring
back my two brother-in-laws, Kermit
and Teddy Roosevelt.” Dr. Derby’s
wife is the younger of the Roosevelt
sisters, Ethel. They have three chil
drn, all girls, aged two, five and eight
years, and reside at Oyster Bay, N.Y.
Regarding his distinguished broth
er-in-laws, Dr. Derby stated:
‘‘With the trophies of a successful
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hunt for rare specimens in the Tian
Shan Range, Colonel Theodore Roose
velt and his brother, Kermit, with
their Jomes Simpson-Roosevelt-JTield
Museum expedition, arrived at Kash
gar, the principal city of Chinese
Turkestan, on September 28. A wire
less message giving results of the
expedition’s operations was receiv
ed here today.
“The American hunters have col
lected splendid groups of the giant
ibex of the Tian Shan, Papati, the
goitered gazelle, mountain sheep,
bears, Siberian roe and boars. They
also have obtained 600 skins of birds
and small mammals, in which it is
believed several new specimens are
included.
“It is the plan that George K. Cher
rie, noted explorer and ornithologist
of the party, and Cutting, the photo
grapher, shall take the specimens
already obtained and make their way
out of Turkestan by way of Russia.
“The Roosevelt party expects short
ly to leave Kashgar, which is on the
highroads linking Peking, India and
Russia, for the Pamir Range, where
they will hunt the ovis poli, the “Mar
co Polo sheep,’’ believed to be the
original type of all mountain sheep.
“As soon as this hunt is ended the
Roosevelts will return to India by
way of the Hunza Pass, by which
they entered the high tableland of
Central Asia from India. Permission
to traverse the Hunza Pass, which
was refused by the Indian govern
ment on the outward journey, has
now been given for the return by the
Earl of Reading, viceroy of India,
and Sir John B. Wood, British resi- J
dent in Kashmir.’’
Leaving Seward five weeks ago, j
Dr. Derby and party, left direct for
Skilak lake, heading for the adja
cent sheep country. Later, they
hunted in the moose area. The en
tire hunt was successful and fortun
ately, the rainfall which fell quite
frequently came down during the
nights. However, most of the time
the days were so short and over
cast, little camera work was accom
plished. Dr. Derby entered the field
with 5000 feet of film but was only
able to shoot an approximate 2000
feet of it.
One of the sh'eephead specimens
procured measured 36 inches in
length and the second 34 Inches.
While not extra ordinary in size, the
trophies were very good and Dr.
Derby was well pleased with them.
The two brown bears were seven
and one-half feet and six and one
half feet in length. Both were beau
tiful, dark, silky coats, with just a
slight grizzled effdct on the edges.
Dr. Derby used a six point Mann
licher rifle and Henry Lucas a .30
Mauser.
Both of the bears were bagged
practically together. At a distance
of about one-iialf mile, Dr. Derby
placed a shot in the first large bear,
which in turn, started for other
climes. It was determined that evi
dent the bear had received a mortal
wound for tracking the beast thru
the recent fall of snow, when it was
noted the amount of blood on the
trail. The following chase of four
hours, took the hunters over the di
vide, thru thick clumps of alders
and soggy marshlands, ending in
a broad, beautiful, park-like country,
free from underbrush. Here, the
brownie came to a halt. At a dis
tance of forty yards, Dr. Derby
placed two more shots into the bear,
which dropped inert for all time.
Shortly after, as the hunters were
trudging along in the same vicinity,
two more bears were encountered,
one shot sufficing for one, but the
other, speeded away too rapidly.
Even so, Dr. Derby sent two shots
after the fast moving target, missing
both times. At another time, both
hunters had their guns slung across
their backs, being particularly occu
pied in taking moving pictures, they
/were astonished to view with much
anxiety, a huge bruin making direct
ly in their direction at a distance
of not more than forty feet, not
yards. It was evident the bear heard
their approach, and thinking a moose
or other game, was getting the jump
on it or them. Both hunters turn
ed simultaneously from off the trail,
unstrapping their guns with the same
movement. Likewise, at the same
time, the charging bear turned off
into the woods, disappearing with
ripidity over the hogback, but not
before Dr. Derby sent tw’o parting
shots after it. The last glimpse of
the bear denoted the fact he was
traveling at express speed on a di
rect line for the North Pole.
After several attempts to shoot
sheep in their natural habitats, high
in the mountains, Dr. Derby, with
the aid of a recent snowfall, which
drove the sheep down to the low
lands, bagged two. Previous to get
ting them, however, he had made
I several long shots but failed to con
nect. The two he did secure were
obtained from fairly close quarters.
The photographing end of the hunt
proved to be more or less disappoint
ing, however, 2000 feet of moose and
other game pictures were secured.
The first day in the mountains, Dr.
Derby just missed snapping a black
bear. He was in splendid range for
a long-range lense shot, but the bear
drew in too close, and by the time
the shorter distance lense was affix
ed to the camera, the bear was gone.
In many cases pictures taken of the
'moose -were shot at a distance of
from 100 to 300 yards.
With reference to his guides, Hen
ry Lucas and George Nelson, Dr.
Derby said both were most capable
hunters and know tiheir business thor
oughly. A word of praise was also
given to Andy Anderson, who resides
on Caribou Island, Skilak Lake, who
acted as cook.
Henry Lucas is accompanying Dr.
Derby on the Montegue Island hunt.
Previous arrangements have been
made with Frank Cunnigham, fox
racher in that district to meet the
party with his gasboat at Latouche.
Mrs. Tom. Haines, Anchorage resi
dent, left Seward Saturday on the |
Yukon for the Valdez court term.
Mrs. Anna Kempfer, accompanied
her husband to Valdez Saturday eve
ning, where they will attend the Val
dez court session.
Mrs. M. Rucker, mother of A. E.
Rucker, Seward attorney, returned
to her home at Valdez Satui'day fol
lowing an extended visit with her
son.
Delia B. Ohase, court stenographer,
who has been staying over in Sew
ard an extra week, departed Satur
day for court headquarters at Val
dez, where a district term convenes
today.
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8 TO OUR PATRONS 1
8 - }
8 The Gateway has just received t
8 its 1925 line of Christinas Card i
8 samples, which may be se*| now 1
8 at this office. Orders will be 1
8 taken for boxes in multiples of 1
8 25, which include envelopes. Al^ l
8 cards will have purchasers namt/t
8 printed neatly in the type con- J
8 forming the text of the greeting. 1
8 If you are interested in Christmas 1
8 Cards and want to see one of the 1
8 finest lines ever brot to Seward I
8 call at this office. 1
88888888888888 8^8 I
The latest Winchester Bolt Actloi
30-Government and .270 caliber rifle
for sale by J. L. Graef. ^ tf
Gas Launch
KENAl
FISHING AND HUNTING
PARTIES CARRIED DOWN
LAKE KENAl FOR THE
DAY OR TRIP. TELE
PHONE ARRANGEMENTS
TO MILE TWENTY *
Louis Bell, owner
4
Alaska Interior Silver
Black Foxes, a limited
number of 1925 pups will
be sold this season. If you
wish good foxes to &tart
your ranch with. Let me
furnish you your breeders
Price $500 per Pair f. o. b.
Kasilof, Alaska
Kasilof Silver Fox f^ancli
Louis Nissen, Prcpr.
Kasilof, Alaska
Practically every business firm
in Seward will be represented in
this magnificent edition.
f
To be published December 5,1925
*