Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1879-01-24
ISOLATED ALASKA.
Its Great Rivers and Rich Mineral DE.
po>its-.-An nexhanStible Supply of
Cod and salmon.
san Francisco chrelliele. Nv

\ reporter OF the Cimniek called on
William Gouverneur Morris, appointed
special commissioner by the government
TO make an examination OF the condi.
ton Of Alaska, and who is new IN this
city, and was accorded III interview, in
which MIR. Morris outlined briefly some
of the points of his forthcoming report
ON the Territory.
What Is your opinion Of the miner
al wealth Of Alaska ~
Alaska il undoubtedly rich in gold,
silver, copper, iron, piauna, coal, anj
other mines. look for one az the
greatest mining excitementS Of the age
ut no very distant day, all along the
coast islands and those ofthe Alexander
Archipelago. The interior has never
been prospected, owing to the nntavor-
able disposition Of the native tribes, hnt
enough is known TO convince any ono
who has investigated the matter to
satisfy amy reasonable man that rs
rich aurlferous quartz will yet be
brought to light as Nevada has ever pro.
duccd Recently iii the Tcngas
NawowS, near the port Of Wran-
gel, has been I discovered
vein which assays $500 per ton
i'll gold, $SG31 in silver, and GO
per cent. OF copper. This mine is
readily accessible to water navigation,
and fuel is abundant. All along the
coast can besecn outcroppings Of qualt1.
The reason why So little il known of the
mineral wealth is owing to tho fact that
ne man Is safe i'll exploring Alaska.
Maintain strict patrol Ivy guuboat,
enact laws Tor the protection of lite ANA
property, and the punishment of crime,
and this unknown country will have
before il i degree Of uneNamplcd pros
perlty, and discoveries Will be made
which Will aStonish the whole civilized
world. All this have thoroughly dis
cussed, and presented mt length the
reasons which have forced TINS Conclu-
sion upon mo. The mighty Yukon
river, which flows through Central Alas
XIV and dcbouchcs into the sea, thirty
miles wide with its detailed mouths, is
one of the wonders of the world 1t is
as large, il not mighticr in all respects
than the Amazon. 1t drains an enor-
nous belt of gold-producing country.
Streams flow from il i'll large numbers
throughout southeastern Alaska and
INTO British Columbia. Here undoubt.
edlv will be found MS rich placetdig-
gings as were ever found in California
i'll the palmiest days of surface mining.
But before these placer deposits can
be reached ~ worked, il will
be necessary To teach the
interior tribes That the white man must
be permitted 70 pass t. and fro unmo-
Tested. All this can he done and will
be done II the proper policy is adopted
Al present amy investment in Alaska is
attended with very great risk. There
i no law whereby any one can obtain
title To mining or other property. The
prc-empt,on laws Of the United States
are not extended over the territory; in
fact everything is in state Of chaos
and confusion worse COMPOUNDED"
"What of the timber resources?'
"Thcy are valuable and inexhaustbIe
One Of the most valuable woods III all
America for ship-building purposes
grows here, the yellow cedar, The
white spruce Is also abundant. About
two years since II party of San Francisco
spectators attempted to get bill
through congress whereby they would
virtually gohble up the entire island Of
Ken, itch i'll timber and coal. The
chronicle exposed this unhallowed com
binatlon, and | feel assured congress
will never enact the bill. The woods
of Alaska will be of immense value I'M
the future, and her forests should be
sacredly guarded"
What 10 you think Of her fisher
les ?"
"Ihey are simply enormous, but are
i'll the utmost infancy. The run of sll-
mon III the bays and estuarics ammg
the islands il unprecedented, and clal-
lcnges comparison With any portion Of
The civilized globe. II ii not uncm.
mon TO catch 1000 salmon at II sItelc
haul Of the seine. Alaska must hTe-
after supply the world with fish. Al.
ready the catch in the Columbia rger
is decreasing, while The oannerios tlere
are multiply ing. The price Of eery
salmon sold to the Columbia river am
neries is fifty cents per fish, larg or
small, while in Alaska they only cost
from to cents per fish, while hey
are larger, and, 10 my taste, better. The
la?ge king salmon caught at CoQk In.
let will weigh from rs to l25 pounds.
Two Or three of them will I'll. u bfrel.
Attention has been attracted recently
to the canning business Of Alaska, and
last summer two canneries We're dtab.
lished. They have met with gratifying
success. The cod fisheries are m8nili.
cent, and IL Is strange why we Should
pay ~, 100000 for the privilege Of fish
ing upon the banks 81 Newfoundland
when we havethis inexhaustblc surce
of wealth right at our own doors.
- s~@--s tNF i
NEW YORK Tribune: An exceedingly
curious illustration Of the precision
with which the New York postoiIrs ii
conducted ,png NAN \ 60, "a ~ <.