Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1886-04-09
EXPLORING ALASKA.
LIEUT.. ALIENS TRIP ACROSS THE
UNKNOWN TERRITORY.
rGath" in Cincinnati Enquirer,

T. Allen, Of the Second cavalry, is calling
attention to the wonders Of our contineut
In which somewhere must lie the resources
Of future development and wealth. The
accounts say that Lieut. Allen has put his
name among the very greatest explorers.
He Travelled 2 0OO or 5000 miles in all He
connected by an overland route our settle
ments on the North Pacific with those on
Behring straits Before he went over this
country we did not know anything about
great river in the north OF Alaska.
THE LIEUTENANT's TRIP.
When you 20 into the North Pacific you
strike the town OF Sitka, comparatively low
on the coast, ami the coast above it forms
grand arch, above which Is an unknown
continent. The great mountain OF st Elias
stands up to the height Of some ID OOJ feet,
like light house TO the dark and icy world
beneath it West OF this mountain, perhaps
100 miles, is the Copper river, on which 10
another mountain called Wrangel This
river is at one OF the deepest points Of inden-
tation on the coat Up this river Allen
went, and then he crossed the great Alaskan
mountain range, which Is the termination
of our ROCKY mountains that are called the
Rockies till they get to the Yukon river.
and west of that river they continue for
about 600 miles, no longer .unning north
and south, but east and west
Crossing them, the young officer went
down their northern side till he came to
the River Tanenah. or Tennah, which up to
1869 had only q traditional existence. and Is
put on the coast survey maps as q supposed
river, only reported by Indians 1t runs
like the rivers OF Oregon, between noun
famous walls AMI emptiss into the great
river Yukon, which has meantime flowed
through the bend Of the Rocky uptains
and turned tn the southwest Along this
river the officer went 400 to sd miles. and
closed hi, journey at Fort St. Michael,
which is on Norton sound, portion Of
Behring's sea.
THE MIGHTY YUKON.
The great Yukon river has been known q
little for seventy-tive years. Posts were
established on it bsfore 1910. Il may be
called the 81. Lawrence river of Alaska,
running west instead of east It rises be-
hind Sitka, flows north through lakes and
cascades, drains a great watershed, and
then goiag through the mountain, turns
south westward and flows into Behring sea,
soma 2OJ miles south Of Behriny straits
This great stream Of Alaska is believed to
be 1880 miles long. Some say it is
fully 1000 miles long and thres.fourths
of it navigable for river steamers
and that on the lower Yukon it is so wide
that one bank is invisible from the other
At places far up the river 1t Is twenty miles
wide. 1t is one of the largest rivers in the
worli-larger than tue Gauges or the ORR
noco-and equal to the Danube or La Plata.
There soma wonderful ocean currents in
Behring sea, which make this north western
coast warE and mild. while all the north
eastern coasts Of America about Newfound-
land and Llbra Tor il like ice. The gulf
stream of the Pacific in these parts is called
by the Chinese the Black Stream; some call
IL the japan current 1t brings q warm,
moist atmosphere, which Is condensed on
the snow peaks OF the coast ranges, and
causes the wonderful rainfall which extenis
along that coast as far south as Oregon.
MOUNTAINS OF ALASKA.
There Is said to be sixty -one volcanic
peaks in Alaska, OF which only ten spit fire
now Mount St Elias Is put down at 10, 900
feet in some Of the reports. Mount Fair
Weather at IA. OO) feet, and the Rsdoubt vol
cano, on the Alaska peninsula, at IL, 900 feet.
The Alaskan mountain range is really the
Rocky mountains joined to the coast range,
as We call it in California The two ranges
run into each other and become identical
North of the great bend OF these mountains
the country seems TO become comparatively
level, SO that the products OF the interior
can DO taken down the yukon river. In this
Yukon valley has been found very differ
emit class ef animals and birds from what
was known to the south.
The superficial area Of Alaska is believed
to be about $4,000 square miles Fifteen
years ago Mr.. Doll, VINO lead the Western
Union Telegraph expedition into Alaska,
said: "The field now opened to America for
exploration AMI discovery is grand The
interior every where in Alaska needs explora-
ton. particularly the great plateau north Of
the Yukon, the valley Of the Kuskoquin and
that Of the Copper river. The Arctic ocean
north Of Behring strait has so far been neg
lected. Wrangers island offers to explorers
q more fruitful field than the we'll -trodden
shores north of Hudson bay"
Alaska Is not 10 be measured only by its
surface. The same range Of Rocky noun.
tains IN which the precious metals have
been found passes by long course through
Alaska, and mining may be one VI the levers
TO raise this unknown country to import
anna