Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-10-23

iftom ne Buhalo Express. October i1tn. ]
Two expeditions have beer exploring
Aia,ka during the past summer that sent
ou' by the New York Times under the ex
refienced leadership Of Lieutenant Frede-
iifk schwatks; the otter, Lieutenant
sioney'. expedition, sent ouI Ia February,
lse5, Nv tie Navy Department. Both Of
lbe.o parties have returned, and The results
81 the'r work are already known.
LieUtfnini schwatka's adventures have
been detailed IN bis elaborate letters 10 the
New York Times. he claims TO have de-
covered great river, heretofore unnamed
and Unmarked on the maps. Bec1nse he
gave 10 this stream the name OF Jones river.
airr The editor Of the Times aud The patron
II tie exhibition. the New YORK Sun has
s0nglt % show that The river was no dis
coNefy, but was known 10 geographeT' a
hincrtd years ago. u may have been
known, bat sch xsfka has certainly made
i beii'r Known. and the attempt to belittle
bis WNk will, we trust, BE- ~ ephcmeral a.
tie motive which prompts Il i unworthy
An attempt 70 climb Mount -. Elias
!ailed only al the edge o. " irapassible ice
caFcsdcs." To have reached the point a
which The explorers found their further
prOJe,s barred was. n Lieutenant Scbwat-
Ia justly ,ays. "a victory wen worth the ex-
petition" Thu. point was some 200 feet
above the lcyel Of The pea, and not less than
G,4C0 feet above the line 81 porpeiu8l snow
Lieutenant >chwafka gives Il a. his Opin-
lou that ihis Is the % Richest climb above
the STOW limit ever made" Lieutenant
SchWaika explored the Jones river Tor only
thirty miles from lie mouth, but thinks that
Il cones from the far and yet unknown in
terror.
While Schwatka has been engaged in ex-
plorng the - Elias region Lieutenant
StoEey's expedition has added something
TO our know ledge ~ The arctic coast 81 our
great Territory. Lieutenant Stoney reports
q the Secretary Of the Navy that be has
"succeeded in exploring srctic Alaska TO
the Arctic ocean," reaching that ocean sixty
miles 70 the eastward Of Point Barrow. II
vas discovered that there was 10 timber
rorth a The Sor,ok river, though spruce.
C. ltonwoOd. and birch were found 40
miles from the mouth OF That stream. In
orc range q mountains within q radius %
Eve miles the party found the beld-waters
q branch ~ the Colyille, The NOrtck, the
Putnam. and a large stream flowing INTO
tLe mighty Yukon.
u = probable that within q few years
Ala-Fa VIII have been pretty thoroughly
explored, especially rs q gold craze is
.Vriuging up. No explorer Knows an in
c,rtive m0Ie powerful than that which
inspires - Cold-huntcr. Reports have
come from the Yukon mines t1at during
TIE past season tley have paid o. high o.
1900 ger IN. II Alaska has great stores
~ gold tru-; Yankee ingenuity aud intre-
pitrtr fCf getting IL out.
This old world j. getting pretty well
searched ont. The hsNta ep0lti0ns which
have not been penetrated bv man are few
indeed. Bui after the explorer comes the
developer. and no man dare undertake 20
~ wbcR the resources - q country are
exhausted. The Yves: " 8, not al ilied up
or found ont hy great deal. There !, an
u'amste frontier. where The civilizations
from the East and from the Pacific slope
vii finally meet, that sin needs men u
nerve and money. The bliitab'c portion.
oi Al1eka are. p-rha--, portion - oar
ultimate fTondeT. Tie spirit Of tie great
5lce'ey sin point. out the way o. western
Opportunity.