The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-07-29
GENERAL ALGER ON ALASKA.
The Michigan Millionaire Gives Some Inter
esting Facts About that Country.

The Michigan Millionaire Gives Some Inters
esting Facts About that Country.
Detroit Tribune
"A strange thing" said General Alger. last
lis the lack of information among our best
posted people concerning the geography of
Alaska. The steamer on which we took
passage carried one hundred persons, all
on the same mission, namely, sightseeing,
and all equally ignorant of the topography
of the land toward which they were Jour
neylng. Our boat was a small stern wheel
er, and the entire trip was inland that is,
we we. dld not put to sea. The coast is a per
boat picked its way between them the en-
tire distance of 1000 miles from Tacoma to
Sitka. Only in one place, in Queen Char
lotte's sound, did we get glimpse of the
ocean.
During the entire trip the weather was
delightful, On July day at Sitka the
thermometer registered $50 at noon. The
air was, clear and dry, and daylight pre-
vailed almost all the time. There is less
than two hours of actual darkness in the
whole twenty-four. Mrs. Alger threaded a,
needle and did some fine sewing on the
deck of the boat at II o'clock at night with
no other light than that furnished by the
heavens. That would be great country
for courting-a young man could sit it o.
all night Not a drop of rain fell dur
the twelve and half days that View Q
and the first one without rain.
"A remarkable feature of the country is
that there is scarcely an acre of land that
is inhabitable. Alaska is great pipe, and
Sitka, the seat Of government, is situated
about the center of the stem. Of the WASH
interior little is known. but the stem. ex-
tending southwark along the coast is little
more than a mass of islands, rocky and
barren. except for dense growth of cedars.
1t is impossible in all that great country
for q person to secure title to an acre of
land or a stick of timber. 1t all belongs
exclusively to the government. OF course,
in due time that will be rectified as it
should be right away.
"Alaska's mineral resources are immense
and have no doubt will in the future be
extensively developed. We visited the
opposite Juno, and 80 miles from Sitka.
The mine is owned and operated by Senator
Jones, ID. o. Mills and an English syndi-
cate. They are working 2i0 SO0-pound
stamps and turning out j. 400 in gold every
day. There are great many placer mines
that are paying well, and coal has lately
been discovered. The fishing industry has
the lead at present, and the company hav-
ing monopoly of that business has already
paid to the United States government six
seventies of the original purchase price of
the territory.
,"Sitka has population of about 500. in
officers, and four-ffths of this population
are Indians. They are an isolated class of
people, with nothing to do or to do with.
Their only means of communication with
the outside world is by the steamer that
arrives once week with the mail. What
they need is system of cables and this
ought to be furnished at once by the gov
eminent, as no private enterprise can afford
| it. There should also be a government
| steamer at Sitka, and as soon as possible q
| line of steamers plying between San Fran
| cisco and Tacoma and Sitka. A wagon
| road or railroad through such a country is
| utterly out of the question.
II learned at Sitka that Alaska has 10
| total population of $1,000. of which 5000
| are Esquimaux, Il, 900 Indians and three or
| four thousand white persons In the in
| terror the country is not inhabitable Cd ac-
| count of the mosquitoes, which often drive
| bears and other wild beasts to the coast
| during the summer months. Its only value
| to the government is its mineral resources
| and its fisheries"
General Alger found at Sitka Presby-
| terrain chapel and mission school, the latter
having 150 native pupils, representing
| twenty different Indian tribes. There was
| also Greek church, established when the
| Territory was under Russian control. He
| saw no evidences of the immortality that It
| is asserted from some sources exists among
| the inhabitants of these coast towns and
| mining camps 1t was formerly the custom
| of Indian parents to sell their female Off
| spring to the highest bidder. but this prac-
tice has been effectually stopped.