The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-12-24
A Glowing Picture Of Alaskn.

ka that summary of tho facts concerning
our hyperborcan Territory, given In paper
read at Washington last spring by the Row.
SHELDON JACKSON, will be interesting be-
You'd doubt The paper was prepared to
direct attention to tho educational needs OF
Alaska, and 1t is one among q rather hctcro-
geneous collection OF essays published by u
Washington bureau which seems to try to
make all the noise 1t can In order to magnify
It's ofIlcc-we mean the Bureau OF Education,
SO called.
A good deal OF the stuff published by that
fussy concern Is rubbish OF the most unms
taxable sort, and in tho pamphlet where we
find the facts about Alaska nearly hundred
pages besides are devoted TO tho report of q
sort of conference and experience meeting at
Washington last March, whercat various
| people, teachers, clergymcn, school superin-
| tendents, school book agents, and others,
| were assembled to discuss educational mat
| tiers, and to advocate pct notions about teach-
| ing and pot schemes for getting money out
| [. the Treasury. There was more or less of
| value in the papers presented, but all that
| could have come out without Government
aid, and been printed where its chances Of
| being read and producing q useful effect
would have been far greater than they are in
| public document chiefly consumed at the
| Junk shops.
| The paper OF DR.. JACKSON on Alaska
would have made a very good magazine ar
ticle with little alteration, especially as it
Is Illustrated with q map and five engrav
| ings besides, the cost OF which would then
have been paid by private publishers. in
| stead OF being put on the people as 1t Is now.
There would DO about as much reason for
| putting on tho Government the expense OF
| printing all the home missionary reports OF
| the various religious denominations as there
Is for including DR.. JACKsoNs plea for cdu-
cation in Alaska in a public document.
| He gives the area OF Alaska at 5so,107
| square miles, but that must be an estimate
only, for we are not aware that there has yet
| been regular survey of tho Territory. 1t
| Is however, q far more extensive country
than most people have any conception Of
For instance, from extreme north to south is
| 400 miles in an air line. From its eastern
boundary to the end OF tho Acutian Islands
is distance OF 1900 miles, or as far as from
Washington to California. Tho island OF
Atlu, at tho end OF tho Acutian chain, is as
far west of San Francisco Us Maine is east.
| A good MANY people have been astonishcd
| when they were asked where Is the centre of
| u limo drawn from the furthest Aast tn the
furthest west Of tho United States territory,
; to find that the true answer is San Francisco.
Alaska is as large as all the New England
| and Middle States, together with Ohio, In
diana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan. Ken
lucky. and tennessee combined, OF Us large
rs all Of tho United States east of the Missis-
sippi River and north of Georgia and the
| Carolinas. That is, it is nearly onc-sixth Of
In ~ hn II,,i, cot, I, h,,
line of $4,000 miles, or two and half times
more than the Atlantic and Pacific coast
lines Of the remaining portion of the Union
The total area OF the islands of Alaska Dr.
JACKSON estimates ut ,2o5 square miles, or
twice as much as that OF the State of Maine
To find our highest mountain, we must 20
to Alaska. There the Coast Range of Cali
fornia and the Rocky Mountain Range of
Colorado and Montana unite to form the
Alaskan Mountains, which extend until they
gradually sink into the Pacific, the highest
peaks visible above the water forming the
Aleutian chain Of islands. In the Alaskan
Range are Mount st. Elias, 1880 feet high;
Mount Cook, 10000 feet; Mount Crillon, 1900;
Mount Fairweather, 1890. These are the
figures OF DR.. JACKSON, though for their ac-
curacy he does not give us his authorities
But the heights are those commonly given
in gazetteers and Biographies Besides its
ordinary mountains, Alaska contains the
great volcanic system OF the United States.
1t is also the great glacier region.
From Butte Inlet to Unimak Pass nearly
every deep gulch has its glacier, some of
which are vastly greater and grander than
any glacier in the Alps" Hot and mineral
springs also abound in Alaska. And, in ad-
dition, 1t contains one of the largest rivers in
the United States. The Yukon River is 70
miles wide across its five mouths and inter-
vening dctas; for the first thousand miles it
is from ono to five miles wide, and, according
to Mr.. ROBERT CAMPBELL of the Hudson's
Bay Fur Company, it is navigable at certain
seasons for nearly 5000 miles, il its tribu-
tary, tho Pelly, be included.
Nearly all. the sealskins used in the markets
OF the world come from two little islands be-
| longing to Alaska. The skins OF the sea otter
are also very valuable, and there are many
| choice land fur-bearing animals. The waters
are wonderfully rich in fish, as oil the OK
plorers OF the region, from Capt. Cook down,
have testified. Besides cod, ALASKA can sup
| ply the world" says DIR. JACKSON, with
salmon, herring. and halibut of the best quail
| ity." 1t Is also "the great reserve lumber re-
| gion OF the United States" There are "thou-
sands of square miles OF yellow cedar, white
spruce. hemlock, and balsam fir that densely
cover the southeastern section Of Alaska"
And, Of course, minerals are plenty and of
| various kinds In SO mountainous region.
AS to climate, Gin general way, it may be
said that inland Alaska has an arctic winter
and tropical summer" At Fort Yukon the
| thermometer often rises above 1902 in sum-
| mer and indicates from 500 to TOO below
zero in winter. Along the immense southern
coast and islands the climate is moist and
warm. On the island Of Unalashka, for in
stance according to the record Of q Greek
priest during five years, the lowest point
reached was zero OF the thermometer, and
tho highest ITO, the average being $40 at in
the morning, 40o at l, and 360 at at night.
AS to climate and weather, 1t is very much
the same us northwestern Scotland, n little
more than half the days being clear or
| Dartlv clear and tho rpst nil rloudv Al