Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-07-04

Fhc actual Condition Of she New Ter
rlsory Faithfully Repersed

TRCrH About ALAskA.
Fhe Actual Csuassass OF she New Ter
rlsery Faithfully Repsrsed.
Saw FRAScrsco. June 14.-Ths pres
SIRE upoa the Executive Departments
NJ the titsvern uent for appointment 70
tae Offices created BY tae Alaska bill
VAS IL be expected. To paople in the
EASTERN States, Alaska is terra fseogsitd,
and il not literally q land OVERLOOKING
With milk and honey. it Is in iusgiua
tion a region in which great fortunes
are 30 be made after the manner and
methods of ths Alaska Commercial
ruuch- needed Provisional Terri orisl
directing nuch attention. 20 the Terri
tory. A fsv observations upon the
actuai condition aud resources of
southeastern Alaska, and the probable
effect OF the neg iegisia.ioz in its favor,
nav perhaps be u.eful.
Although the powers Of the new Gov
eminent extend over the whole of the
vast Territory of Alaska. and over
thousands of square miles which have
n.v-r been trodden bv the foo. of a
white man. their immedi ste application
Is practically limited to the district of
Alaska. which inclades a
strip of the main land thirty miles wide.
beginning at the pirallel of "A deg. 10
min. north latitude, and folio wing the
trend of ths ,ast line - 60 dag. 30 min.
and to the ltlst meridian of west lougi-
tsde. This strip of territory is of little
known value except at one point, viz,
Juiaeau, or rAkou, AS 1t is iadifferently
called. where il situsssd the only white
settlement on ths mainland of South
eastern Alaska. Betvesn this thirty
mile strip Of mainland aud the Pacific
u .e..II, and following the coast llns
northerly and westward lie the numer-
Gus islands of the Alexander Archipel-
ego. which, with their surrounding
waters, are the most valueble OF our
possessions in Southeastern Alaska.
The largest of the 100 islands of the
archipelago are P,ince of Wales, Bar
ouoff, Kon. Admiralty. Kupreanotf. BE.
villo. Gioedo, Chica0Off and Et0lia.
They are all surrounded and indented
by navigable waters. which literally
TEEN with food ish-hslibut, salmon,
God and herring being found in almost
k1Uuio0s oounooho0 ouo AN WAC HsO"sSos
perfection.
The land is covered with dense
growth Of timber, principally yellow
cedar amt superior quality OF spruce
both OF which occasionally grow to di.
mension Of sufficient size to DO worked
into valuable lumber. Trees that are
worth Telling far the mill are, however,
excePtional, and these Whe believe that
in the forests Of the Alaskan islands ~
have Q grand reserve Of timber 70 b
drawn upon when tho forests OF Wash
ingtou Territory aTe exhausted. viii Be
RyisRoasly disapp0intsd. ThFse-fourths
Of the timber Of the Alaskan forests ID
worthless. except fog fuel. The soil
upon the rocky mountain slopee u very
tam, and The larger islands are simply
mountains, rising sheer ~ from the In
land $500, With bat few and small aIoaa
Of Hat % valley land on the margin Of
the hays and rivers. u II 10 unusual
siaht - - patches, covering scores OF
aosoa, Of dead trees. upfOotsd and pros
tPsted BY the wind, while mile Aftes
nile a sanding tres, which have run
up 70 thirty and forty feet In hight, and
dead far lack Of nouFishment, mars the
beauty 81 the mountain scenery - enc
saila past u.
The white settlements IN southeastern
Alaska are fsV in number and soaAt in
residents. Sitka, formerly the capital
Of Russian Amsriea and the headQuar
tsss Of the Russian American Fur Com
psAy, 10 continued a. the AmeTioan cap
isal Of the Territory, though 10 Is iRo0n
vsniently situated upon the Western
shore Of BayonoH-the western island
Of the archipela9o-on harbvr open to
the sWells Of the Pacific Ocean. Il has
10 resources nor industries within or
near the town. Il is of the inland
route of trade and travel. and subsists
solely upon government support in the
shape Of United States ship Of war,
which Ia usually found at anchor in the
harbor. When q naval commander, in
pursuance Of his plain and obvious duty
to visit other settlements in Alaska. de-
parts with his ship from the harsor of
SitkA, howl of indignation and re-
monstrance is heard from the traders
and sal ron keepers, and the old decay
ing town falls back into season of
dulness and inactivity, compared With
which q deserted mining Damp in Cali
fornia is q gay aud lively residence.
Sitka still has among its citizens few
old Russian pensioners, who drag out a
existence, having no occu-
patton and but paltry pittance upon
which to support their useless lives. 1t
has Russian church, with an oliioiat-
ing priest supported by the Russian
Government, aud three or four respect
able bat needy Russian families, and a
aallaotsny Of A /,
wh,t5 men-m!ssioaaries, saloon keep
ers and traders--and nine white women.
Tho nexs best known town Is Fort
Wrangel, on Etolin Island, at ths mouth
OF The StieSeen, the principal river OF
Alaska. Wrsngel has
grown up. eliminated and fallen into
decay since tue purchase OF tho Terri-
tory, IN 1861, when a compIuy of the
Unl;ed st ties army was stationed there
and o custom house established. 1t
soon after was forced into some import
anee by the disc very of gold placer
digeings at Cassiac, British Colu bia.
As these placers could be reached only
by way of the Stickeel River, ell tho
supplies for the miners who Hooked
there from Cariboo and California had
TO pass through Wrauzel. Light
draught steamboats, were sent up from
to ply upon the river, and it
Was NO unusual sighs to SOS two or three
pecan steamers and as many river
in Wrangel harbor, dis
charging and loading cargo. The win
Ter climate at Csssiac bsing very severe,
and the snow and ice interfering with
mining and the transportation Of sup
olies mn tho riyar hund Peda NJ uaipsYa
sams down and vintersd at Wrangel. A