, 1888-01-12
ALASKA.

Thomas r. Reed of Maine. the Re-
publican leader in the lower house of
congress, has an interesting paper
concerning Alaska in the current
number of the Forth american Re-
UjeW
Alaska comprises moro than 550,-
0G0 square miles That portion of
the province north of the valley
drained by the Yukon, and lying for
the most part beyond the Artic cir
Gle has about 5000 Esquimaux inhab-
itants, who will not survive long the
present disappearance of the walrus
and the whale. In the great valley
OF the Yukon are a hundred villages,
half on the river banks and a fifth
on the delta, containing 6S10 people
all savages save ninteen whites and
cighteen half-bred5. The Yukon i.
1000 milo long, seven miles wide
from its mouth, and pour into the
Behring sea volume of water one
third greater than the Mississippi de
livers into the gulf of Mexico. The
lower valley of the Kuskokvin river
lying beyond the mountains toward
the Yukon delta supports popala-
of about 5000. all saVages save three
white men. To the southeast Is the
kodiac division, with coast stretch-
ing from the Shumaquin islands to
Mount ST Elias. This division in
cludes KOdia island. The population
is 1852, one to every 16 square
miles, with nearly thousand whites
and 'half~breeds. To the westward,
stretching out towards Asia, is long
line Of treeless islands with popuIa-
ton of 2461, one to overy 6 square
miles, who in the seal fisheries and
in the pursuit OF the fox and sea OF
ter are the most pIofitably employed
of all of the natives of Alaska. This
population includes 50 whites, 479
half-breeds and the 800 inhabitants
of the Pribylof islands in Behring
sea, which are the breeding grounds
cf tho fur seal. From two of these
islands, st. George, containing SO
square miles, and st. Paul, 27 square
miles, comes all the direct revenue of
the United States from its purchase
of S7,200,000 and that revenue of
over 100000 pays q fair interest On
our investment. To these islands
every year come more than 4,755,000
seals. One hundred thousand of the
young male ones are yearly killed
and their skins shipped to London.
The remaining division of Alaska is
the SItka region, already becoming
well known to tourists. 1t has a pop
ulation of 1000 indians and 1884
whites and half-breeds. The Indians
are willing to work, and appreciate
regulBr wages. The scenery is so
Wild and wonderful that Mr.. Reed
describes it as superior to that OF
Switzerland or Norway. The voyage
thither through 1000 miles of water
that seems Ike an inland sea is made
in comfortable steamers. Juneau is
growing fast into an attractive vii
lage, and Sitka is already Il beautiful
town. Wrangel is described as an
Indian village uncontamiRated by
civilization; that Is, nasty and IN
clean" The Youkon river is not
open to navigation until July and
closes at the end of September, but
in the Sitka division, between SO and
60 degrees of northern latitude, the
thermometer III fifty years has never
been under 4 deg. below zero and
never but once has gone to 81 deg.
above. The mean of all these years
was 43 deg. and 2S min. In 1887 the
first snow did not fall in Sitka until
January 16, but the summer is not
warm. The native population in-
cludes 1857 Esquimo indians, 24I7
Aleus and II, ,4S9 Indians. The i'm
ports are yearly 10000 barrels of
flour, 5000 cases of hard bread, 1858
chests of tea, 346S barrels of sugar
aud about 10000 pounds of tobacco,
with an equal value of dry goods.
The resources of Alaska are at pres
ent fHrs, fish and minerals. Six thou
sand sea otter skins are taken annu-
ally on the southern coast, the bea
yer extends throughout the cast in
terror. and the fur trade has dobled
since American occupation. The SAL
mon are SO numerous that, with rea-
sonable restriction, one-fourth could
support the nat YES and the rest sup
ply the world. There are deep sea
fisheries of cod and halibut far ex-
ceeding in quantity and ease of ac-
cess, the fisheries on tho Atlantic
coast.
The greatest stamp mill for pound
ing gold ont of rock, is on Douglas
island, in Alaskan archipelago. This
mill now numbers 120. stamps, and
the owners have already begun the
work of doubling its capacity The
gold bearing rock vein is 800 feet
wide. There is little gold TO the ton,
but there is plenty Of rock and the
process of extraction is not costly.
The vein stretches for miles the
whole length of the island. Water
power is used, but steam power is at
hand in ease of drouth. Coal has
been found in several places The
forests of Alaska will some day be
a source of wealth when the timber
of Oregon and Washington has been
much diminished.