Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-01-19
nEsonRnEs OF ALASKA.
Interesting Lecture by John Muir, Before
the Sacramento Literary Institute.

last evening, upon 1.-The Resources OF
Alaska" There was good audience, and
the lecture, which was replete with interest
throughout, was listened to with most
marked attention. The mountains, streams
and general features of the Territory were
described with familiarity and clearness
which indicated close study and intimate
knowledge of the subject, and which, with
the aid OF maps and diagrams, was brought
to the view Of his hearers in very pleasing
and instructive manner.
He opened his lecture by saying that Alaska
is the most beautiful and the most interest
ing country he ever saw. In all his travels
north and south he had seen nothing to COM
pare with it. Even California, the land of
wonders, with its noble mountains, valleys
and forests and waterfalls, is far beneath it in
grandeur and varied beauty. California has
a majestic mountain range extending 400
miles. Alaska has a loftier range. as pro-
foundly sculptured, extending in this grand
curved line along the coast and out into the
sea a distance of 9, GOO miles. with no material
interruption. The highest summit, that of
Mt. st. Elias, is %, 500 feet above the level
Of the sea.
THE ALEUTIAN GROUP,
Which is part of the Alaska Territory, is
but a continuation of this mountain range,
but at less hight. In this group of islands
there have been between forty and fifty active
volcanoes within the past 100 years, and there
are eleven at the present time.
The Rocky mountains enter the Territory
in the form of irregular spurs and tahle-lands
in the Yukon region, but most is open, rolling
grassy plains, with here and there patches of
pine and spruce and aspen, while toward the
north the ground is quite low, slopi0g to the
Arctic Ocean in lichen and moss-covered bcgs
and moorlands. The southeast portion of the
Territory is heavily wooded.
The lecturer said but little in reference to
the glaciers, as he has previously lectured
here upon that subject, but he remarked that
there are about 100000 glaciers in the Alas
kan Alps. mostly on the Mount St. Elias.
Twenty OF these glaciers are of the first class,
and flow out into the ocean and discharge in
the form of icebergs, with a noise like thun-
der.
THE CLIMATE.
The climate is temperate along the coast,
but inland is so hot in summer that people
travel at night. Just as they do in desert re-
giOns under the tropics. The cold in winter,
back from the coast, is extreme ranging from
co. to 70' below zero The map shows that
this new country is large, and like a large
man with big soul, great, kindly, loving
heart, it is bounteOus in blessing to man and
beast. 1t would make, if divided, 800 States
as large as Rhode Island, 80 as large as Del
aware, and about fifteen the size of Ohio.
As to its latitude, it does not by any means
lay so near the North Pole as is generally con.
sidered not within 1000 miles of it when at
its northmost point, and more than 1000 at
its southwest point. The greater portion
lies within the temperate zone, where man
kind has always reached the best develop
ment of all its powers. The warmest most
portion of Norway is more than
400 miles further north than the southwest
land of Alaska With the exception of
few square miles, the whole of Great Britain
lies to the north of the southwest point in
Alaska. The south extremity of Ireland
comedies almost exactly with that of Alaska.
Yet all those are fertile, kindly countries.
Ireland in particular is specially fertile and
prolific both in what are called crops and
people. There the people, while as near the
North Pole as some portion of Alaska, con-
trive to make themselves heard all over the
world, and under every disadvantage multi
ply and replenish their own country and
every other. Even France, the land Of vines
and wines, has q portion Of its territory lying
as far north as the southermost of the
Aleutian Islands.
ITS PRODUCTS.
All kind of garden vegetables will grow in
Alaska, and many varieties as large as in this
State. Barley and oats will also grow and
mature there, but it will never be an agri-
cultural country. The people will never go
there to raise corn or fruit. A small variety
of apples grow there, but they only attain
size about as large as hickory nuts. Potatoes
grow very large and in abundance. No gen.
eral business, however, will ever be made
there in raising vegetables even, for want of
sufficient level lands. What shonld be the
valleys are covered with water. It IS similar
in this respect to what California would be
if all its great valleys. were inland arms of the
sea.
As to minerals, every year there are dis
cOveries made showing that there is a great
deal of gold in Alaska. It is difficult, how
ever to prospect, as the ground is heavily
covered with moss and conceals the earth's
surface In the interior there is plenty of
water, but it is extremely difficult to carry
provisions. Flour is worth there from S25 to
$40 per hundred pounds, and potatoes are
about the same price. Many good diggings
are found. On the Steekin river mines have
paid very well, say from so TO So per day
per man; some others more and others less.
4 large quartz mill is running near Sitka,
and another 30stamp mill is now being put
up. Some quartz was discovered this season
HniCn YleluS from sNbuO 10 -tOU per tLu. I16
did not think, however, that Alaska would
ever compare at all with Colorado and what
California had been in this respect. The
quality Of the rocks in Alaska is the same as
that found elsewhere upon the coast where
gold exists.
Marble and iron are found there and coal,
but the latter not in large quantities.
The yield of furs alone since the Territory
was acquired by the United States has more
than repaid the amount which was given by
the Government for it. The most important
of the fur. bearing animals is the seal. One
hundred thousand of these have been killed
per year. Next to these are the sea otter.
These skins are worth about 500 each, and
about 1, 100 are killed annually. Deer are very
abundant on all the islands. As high as 1,200
have been killed upon single island. Bears
are very plentiful there, the black, and the
polar bear further north. There are large
numbers of wild white goats and cattle
throughout the Territory. The natives make
their clothing out of hair spun and woven
from the goats.
The waters of Alaska are filed with fish.
There are twelve to fifteen vessels engaged in
cod fishing every year. 1t has been estima-
ted that there are nearly 100 900 square miles
Of c5d-bank waters within the Territory and
upon the coast, mostly in Behring sea, which
is one vast cod.bank. The salmon also are
unlimited, and run up all the many rivers
and streams to spawn. He told of one occa-
sion when he saw so many salmon trying to
90 up a river that it would be no exaggera-
ton to say that there were more salmon than
water in the river. There are about Goo
rivers and streams in which they run to the
upper waters. Herring are also abundantly
found.
The lecturer closed by saying he could but
repeat, that Alaska is one of the most heauti-
full and interesting portions of the United
States possessions. It is the far West of our
country. The Attou Island, which is the
most westerly point of the Alutian group
which are included in the Alaska purchase,
is as much farther west of San Francisco as
that city is west of the most easterly point of
Maine. 1t is the limit of our |" far West"
BREvIrIEs.
Deputy Sheriffs Garrett and Shellars had
full brigade of the chain-gang at work yes