The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1877-01-17
Ship-Building Project.

''der tne tile of "a bill granting
tue Alaska ship bg.laiug aud Lumber
company tie rr.h. - oceapy aqa pur-
fai>e certain !tads Ia ne Terr.t-ry e
Aiaska uPo9 paving the Goverum ut
price therefor. representative Piper
has Introduced a measure q: pecunlary
consequence - number Of San Fran
cisco merchants and Il considerable in
terest t. the public /. appears that
Aessrs II Il. TicAeior. Vim I. Col
man. Calvin Page. Matthew Turner. ]
. Hlimer!ius. I l.. Barker. William
HAr!iug. John NJ Park and II II Ba
coi'. bang convinced tina, there Is no
send reason Why foreign ship owners
sao'iii absorb toe greater portion of the
t"eLty q tweuty-Juc million dollars
peF annum which California ravs n.
freight money IN her exports OF gram
ana imports II other articles, but that
on the contrary, the city Of san Fran
cisco, ny reason OF ~ position, facilities
anu trade. ought 10 Own one Of the
largest merchant fleets III the world
have formed the above named coupanv
ana sent an exploring party TO Alaska
70 ma some points where sh:p-builiing
c"u4d be carried on proiitably; and
having found suitable place where
there Is plenty otthe right SOFT oftimbe
they no" want 70 purchase the proper
" to-"it, The Island Of kou. in the Al
e~andcr Archipelago. lying cast and
south Of Sitka
lhe bill proposes To allow him TO /
take possession of the island which is /
thirty miles long aud from one to nine /
miles wide and TO purchase the same,
except such parcels as the Government
may reserve for public uses, upon pay
ment to the United States of 81 % per
acre for each acre purchased, such pur-
chase 70 be made from time to time aud
IN such quantities as may be required.
lhe Company Is also 10 have the pri-
Vilege OF purchasing timber lands
upon the shores and iniets of the ada,
cent waters of Christian and Prince
Frederick Sounds. and Chatham, Duke
,f Clarence and kekon Straits; sur
'eys to be made at the request of the
J"mpany upon It's advancing the ex-
oeuscs
The rights of purchase are to he
granted upon the condition that the
Company shall, within two years Of
he passage of this act, and the es-
adjustment NJ necessary of such
measures for protection against hos
lie Indians rs will secure SAID grantees :
n the enjoyment of the privilege
,efeby granted, and construct on said
siaud OF kou ut least one ship, no.
ess than 200 tons burden, and there
fter maintain q ship-yard and vigor-
usiy prosecute ship building" The
representative Of the Company, George
:. Whitney. who is here to promote
and is Of no value Tor cultivation or
nhabi,ancy, aud consequently could =
.ot be acquired under the homestead e
II .emption laws, if those laws
we're extended to Alaska; aud
hat, even III that case. the quantity of
and purchased under those laws would l
Dc inadequate.
The statement is also made, on the
OF the Company, that the Is
and Of kou has 10 advantages overany
,ther equal area for a distance Of 200
niles radiating from that vicinity; put
Deing the smallest natural division OF
and, II was thought there might bc less
objection to the idea of its purchase;
md another reason for is selection is
found III the fact that a military post
established there could command and
control the Indians. whose settlements
.Nteui from, the Chilcat river to the
Stickeen.
Although the Company. IN an arSa-
mcut transmitted with the bill, says,
the immense forests that everywhere
abound on the coast. through fifteen
parallels Of latitude. fortunately make
/ impossible that anything like mo-
nopoly ot ship-tsmbcr and ship-huiIi
ing could be established" 1t is, never
the!ess noticeable ,ha, the bill does not
propose 10 give thc privilege Of pur-
chase a,d the claim for protection 10
any other citizens than such as now be-
long 10. or may acquire rights from the
aforesaid "Ala.ka Shil~oail ling and
Lumber Company
The biil is now IL the hands oi the
House Committee on Public Lands.