The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-03-29

yptE WONDERFUL YUKON RIVER.
Aseo K4ssl o. s~vessy-tus states
- eiss ~ Mssss~kss~fa.-sss s.iae
g ~ N Isvsstsess.

= N&1y coUc&0cd lHAE the UxatpT tUSSe -
~ dno. Many of Our readers can re-
el1lW fhst only few years ago The state
u Warrington was considered out es the
o6tlon - = Iumber market. twas said TO
- far sway, and though this objection
~ - urged agzinst Asaska. siass wiai
Mel11g Il into lire, and this il our sxeslse
- Pubffshing this lecture DR.. Bushnell
4ue several months fn Alaska, travelling
yre much Of the territory.
~ began his lecture By assuring hss
oN1tooes that be was not = professional
t1etureS, but that he had occasionally
1oken upon the subject in hand. with The
HePo 81 adding something 10 the very small
1tQre q general knowledge Of this region.
p1pulsyfy styled Terra Incognita. lie
peoceeded 70 speak Of the three divisions OF
AiAtknr--tbe southern. where tbs miners
md Traders had gore for gold the CEN
IN, where explorers had gone for AL
ymtufe: the northern, or srciie, where they
skod not gone ~ ali Hastily describing
1ho1o Ia general way. he entered upcff
graphic description OF his voyage To Aisska-
1h poxtraiture Of scsncYy amezg the
y 100 ieianis OF Alexandrian archipelago.
~ narrow channels between The rocky Isl
eJ4t1n, the high, overhanglng cliff. fns
waterfalls and cataraess that broke
into spray, which In the sunlight
nsnl IN beauty a thousand Bridal
Vei falls-fhese word pictares were
trnuocendentiy beautiful. In passing he
spoke Of the great Gulf Of Georgia. whose
test surface would float the marine OF the
world: Of yancouves's Island. 5sAop9
&qHare miles In area; OF seymour nasrows.
only go yards In width. which is The great
lba11stfom. By which the American cruiser,
1he 6afAnAc, was swallowed up: and OF
Qaleen Charlotte Sound, where the sailor
ff1f The first time for days cstches \ glimpse
u The open sea- Landing upon the shore.
the speaker asks: Is Alaska great cosln-
Try r. Answering his own question he said
1hat on the average map Of North America
n occupied only m insigniiicantiy small
corner In the far Northwest. but the
foct ~ that Il eomposes ofse-sixth OF
tbe territory OF the United States.
contains six hundred thousand square
M&jioe, u ~ large ~ the states Of New York.
Ohio. Pennsylvania, Indiana. Illinois, Della
wafe. Wisconsin. Michigan and Ill Of New
Engisnd; h equal IN area to all the states
euuth of tho Ohio and east OF the Mississ-
ippi rivers. and would make seventy two
etotes the sixe Of Massachusetts,. 1t Is 400
miles long from north to south. 30 from
enst 10 vest. The western point OF the
mainland, whore Polluk says gravitAtion
shifting turns the other way. Is In Longitude
ms der. west. The extreme western island
II The territory. which Il far 10 the south
WeGt Of Behrng strait. Is 5000 miles west
a San Francisco, or further from this city
than Il Il from the eastern coast OF Maine.
ess<1,x 10 ri ~ A..
oatd that the islands Of the AIexandrian
archipelago were heavily wooded, rich and
productive. and contained many valuable
mjnes. In the Aleutian islands liz the gar
den spot Of Alaska. Pausing here the
speakef described Mount St. Elias and
Mount Eairweathcr. the latter OF which had
reooived IT. name from q storm-driven
sailor. 70 whom Il had appeared a. bea.
con light beautifully the speaker de-
scrfbed the great st. Elias glacier. fifty
NILES long. eight miles wide and loo feet
deep. from which At the waters edge great
fragments tioatsd out upon the waves like
huge crystal ships or magnificent palaces
81 fairy land.
The Yukon river Is the wonder az this
land Of wonders. II il nayigable for 1000
miles. 100 miles of which IL has the
almost fabulous width Of twenty miles. IL
he's over seventy miles OF delta. the depos-
~ Of which are SO great aS to give ground
Tor the opinion Of scientists that in time
Bshring ssrslts win te flied up and tao
continents thus united.
When the purchase OF Alaska was mo-
rosesl hy Secretary Seward. il had been
riiiculcd. the territory being denominaiei
in derision Stewards ice-house.n the
fresidcnt's polar bear range" etc Seven
million two hundred thousand dol.
lars had been paid for il. and
the first year two islands. st. Usorgc
and ST. Paul, had been leased 10
seal fishermen for what amounted 10 rev.
enue 10 che United States of ssi7ua an
nuaiiy. ample interest on the investment.
Tho lease yet continues. Resides this first
source al revenue there are many mines n.
operation. Oae gold mine be visited che
Trendwell mine, en- Douglass Island -ean.
tAinS stratum of gpld hearing quartz afty
iect wide and eight mites long. From This
mine alone Was taken last year s. sssi go
worth ot ORE. and this IL but one OF many
mines IN operation. Resid.s the seal nsh
erles leased. ssen.sso worth Of fish he'd
heen shipned last year. ard IS GO ESQ worth
az fuys. Governor swineforst ex.eoyefnox
I'll the territory. saia that last wear slasks
hal added SIC OF. GO 10 the commerce Of the
United states The fact thst TODAY syn.
dictate could easily NJ found that would
gladly pay xsl0na.sp Gor se~aTsi's -
called Wild speculation. answers AFFIRM
nfivciy the question, docs II nay 80
.sThcre are mountains of marble. said ~
sreaker. s'almo~f eqasl 81 the marble q.
oar own state OF Tennessee, there are ton :