Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-11-11
OUR NORTHERN TERRITORY.
TIE Purchase OF Alaska Not Bad Transae-
tlon, Financially.

profitable investment. On the occasion
Of public dinner given in honor of
William II. Seward, he was asked which
he considered the most important act Of
his life. Without hesitation he replied :
The purchase Of Alaska; but it will
require two generations at least before
it will be appreciated
"The United States paid Russia
| s7,200,000 for the Territory, or less
than two cents per acre. The purchase
at the time QS6) was ridiculed as
Stewards folly as this Russo-America
had been looked upon as the proper
abode Of the Esquimau and his dog, the
Polar bear, and sea-lions, but useless
as the habitation Of civilized man. The
climate, it was believed, was so rigorous
that the quicksilver of the thermometer
stood permanently below zero and the
nights lasted several months-in fine,
that Seward had purchased an immense
iceberg.
sit is singular that so little is gen.
orally known Of country to which
public attention has been called since
Peter the Great annexed it to Russia,
and especially by the people Of this
country, who have owned it for the last
eighteen years. One Of the curious
features of this purchase is the fact that
at the time Of the sale no report was
made of the islands belonging to the
Territory, and which have since proven
the most profitable part Of the bar
gain. These seal islands are rocky
elevations. in area altogether about
the size Of two Missouri counties. The
St. Paul is six miles wide and thirteen
long, the St. George six wide and ten
long. The Government has leased these
islands to the Alaska Commercial Com
pany, and has already received from
this source alone more than two thirds
Of the original purchase-money-to wit,
$j,000,000. The lease runs from 1870
to lS90-twenty years-at a yearly
rental of S55, 900. In addition, the COM
pany pays s2.G2l for every seal-skin it
captures-a sum which, with the re-
newal Of the contract, will probably be
increased and as the number Of seals
slaughtered yearly does not seem to
decrease the supply, this sum, allowing
the number taken to be about one hun
bred thousand, swells the total to a
handsome figure.
"Many suppose that these seals may
be found anywhere along the coast.
This is a mistake, and in a dozen trips
up and down the whole length of the
Bay Of Sitka one may look in vain for
one of these animals. The largest
number are found in the summer season
upon the foggy islands Of St. Paul and
st. George, where they congregate by
the millions. Here the quantity allowed
by law is caught and their skins ship
ped to San Francisco. whence they are
sent to London to be dyed and pre-
pared for the market. These islands
lie at a considerable distance from the
mainland. The st. Paul is l,47 | miles
west of Sitka and 1900 miles north of
San Francisco.
Besides the seal, Alaska contains a
large number of other fur animals, such
as the various species of foxes, the
beaver, the Siberian squirrel, the bear,
wolf, marten, ermine, and otter.
These animals constitute a rich source
of revenue to the country. But it's
revenue is not confined to the fur trade.
Alaska is already celebrated for its
fisheries, although the industry has not
been largely pursued until within
the last few years. The salmon
caught on the coast are very valuable
in the western markets, and are begin
ming to be known in the eastern cities.
The Columba-riyer salmon was long
considered the best, but since the
Alaska salmon have been brought into
competition the Columbus have de-
clined in price. From Dixon's en-
trance, on the southern line, to the
mouth Of the Chilcat river, large SAL
mon dep0ts have been established, from
which thousands of barrels of salmon
ale shipped every year. They are
generally caught with a net. In
one of the dep6ts recently visit
ed it was learned the average yield
was nine hundred to a haul, but as
many as seventeen hundred have been
brought ashore in single drag. The
average weight is seven pounds. Du-
ring the summer season the rivers are
swarming with fish. Large quantities
of Goldfish, trout, and other varieties
are caught. In Killishoo the herring
are used for the manufacture Of oil and
for manure. 1t can be said without
exaggeration that the rivers Of Alaska
contain fish enough to supply the mar
kets of the world for years to come.
1.-The immense forests, for the most
part unexplored, promise to become an
other highly valuable source of trade
for Alaska. Everywhere, from Victoria
to Chilcat and Sitka the ground is COW
cred with fir-trees, the larch, the cy-
press, and the valuable yellow cedar
being most numerous. The mines of
Alaska, especially the gold mines, are
attracting a good deal of attention just
now. For some years mining along the
Sitka river, and in the vicinity of the
Juneau, has been proven profitable.
During the last twelve months great
efforts have been made to exploit the
quartz veins near Sitka, but princi-
pally upon Douglas Island, where
may be seen one of the largest
stamp mills in the world. The Tread
well mine, which has been worked
about three years, runs 100 stampers
and IS conceEtrators day and night. At
present $50 tons Of ore are treated per
day, valued at from IS to s25 per ton.
The quartz is not of the richest quality,
but the cost Of reduction is small, leaving
a handsome profit to the proprietors.
The machines are driven mostly by the
water-power furnished by the mountain
streams, and it is calculated the coat
Of reduction does not exceed also per
ton. The steamer for San Francisco
has raheatadlv shinnad cold hars