Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-10-24
FELEGRAMS TO THE STAR
ALAsKAN MINERAL WEALTH.
Lieut. Abercrombie's Observations 4
the EaP-On Country.

Ise,,s ahercrOmbfe,s Observations I'm
the Ear-On Country.
sr Ioup Oct 24-In 1856 Lieut.. w. r. Aber-
crombie OF the United states Army, acting under
INSTRUCTIONS from the War Department, made a
Geographical survey OF considerable portion OF
AlasSa The party consisted Of six white men
and forty EsQuimaux and AleutianS They spent
nearly all OF one year In traversing the interior
and emerged early In october on the coast line
In the report OF the expedition made TO the War
Department the valuable mineral resources Of the
were discussed at much length The War Ds
partment suppressed the report, and It has never
The young oficer was yesterday q guest M the
Southern Hotel, and gave q Globe Democro, re-
porter an interesting narrative OF his adventures
"our expedition TO Alaska said the lieutenant
was 70 the northeast portion We Travelled by
the copper river and White river districts inst IN
soe OF the Arctic circle, where the cold rs Intense
ssvrs.s below ,e OCCASIONALLY being as low as 20
year Is out-of-door labor possible Our burmese
was only 70 make Typographical survey, but Such
were mentioned In my report to the War DeOart.
neht, ana because its publication would nrecin
nrobah,r rI S Ol mining prospectors, who would
report was suppressed. The land is fabuously rich
IN copper and the superficial Investigations was
~ W max showed that gold and silver abounded
The White River. a stream 100 yards wide. Is
copper beds Big Chunks or eSpp running Sver the
the hills and along the streams and MANY OF the
utensils or the natives are made from coppsr which
Is mixed with silver. Free gold was found along
nearly all OF the streams We panned In MANY
places, and sometimes got so much gold that i es-
tina,ed that from SO TO $50 would reward a day1,
WORK VI course this rich country Is not now easily
eccessloie Inere Is no vegetation I'm that hiVh
iattuue, and pack animals cannot exist there: &C
eorulngy the transportation must be done by men
On 100. or Win siedgeS As We made our surveys
oOwluers, where the Ice and snow had melted and
gone, ofsnt particles OF native gold gistening in
sucn quantity as TO quickly attract attention. /
nave picked up by the side OF the glaciers pieces
TUCK winch looked Ike iron ore, In part OF mealy
aOrmation, ana showing nlaments OF pure gold.
The ln1ians showed US galena and there Is no
uouot That silver In abundance could be found
.nrre- Ihere are at least LOCO miles SQUARE In
Alaska which has never yet been explored by white
people, anu what the mineral resources OF this vast
unknown tract may be can only be cOnjectured by
the astonishing stories OF the natives"
What method would you suggest OF opening
tnls rlch country TO American miners?' was asked.
y would suggest replied Lieut.. AbercIombIe
that another expedition De sent out by the War
department TO enter Alaska at Cooks Inlet, where
pieces ol good quality OF anthracite coal In possess
SION Oh The natives. They made Jewelry from IL.
Ine expedition might then follow the course OF
the Scheuneta River, broad and sluggish stream,
which rises behind the northern spurs OF the
ROCK Mountains In the undiscovered portion OF
mineral wealth would reward the enterprise on
douglas Island, just above Sltka senator Jones, OF
nevada and a company OF capitalists are taking
out between s7O,0O0 and $4,000 in gold every
month, put they put 100000 worth of machinery
on the ground before an ounce OF gold was realized
put Dig. wel-capitalzed enterprises can not be un-
successful"