The morning call., 1892-08-31
IT IS ALAND OF PROMISE.
The Possibilities of Far-off
Alaska.
AGRICULTURAL PROSPECTS.
w. Il. Eastland Gives Glowing Description OF
the Resources Of the North Country.
The Coal Fields.

w. ii. Eastland, president OF the Alaska
Coal Company, who has just returned from
Alaska, gives glowing description OF the
resources OF that country.
L entertained the idea that it was a cold.
bleak and desolate country" he said to
CALL reporter yesterday, ''but my! wasn't
L astonished? To tell you the truth, / be-
ileYe That Alaska Is as fertile as the prairieS
and VIII yet be turned to account as a great
agricultural country. just think of wild
timothy growing to the height of seven
Ieet and more, and the climate-well, / pre-
Ter IL TO many, nay most parts Of the East.
where thousands OF people are coDtented
with their lot and prosperous to an unusual
degree L may be mistaken, but believe
that the time will come when Alaskan
cereals VIII figure in the grain markets OF
the world. There is everything in Alaska
TO make people happy-eoal, timber, gold,
silver, game and very healthful climate,
although the winters are cold. One pecu-
llarity that excited my interest was the
presence OF snow and glaciers on one side
OF valley, while on the other the flowers
were In bloom and the atmosphere very
warm. The distance. too, might not be
over hall mile This Is of course due to
the Tact that in the frozen places the sun did
not shed its rays. Now, while l do not adj
wise people to rush off and begin farming in
Alaska, still can tell you that not small
part OF the wealth of that unknown land
VIII some day proceed from its agricultural
Glass;"
There Is plenty of coal in Alaska" said
a leading city-front coal merchant to a re-
porter yesterday after reading The CALLS
exclusive report of the Alaskan coal fields.
but, pursued the merchant cautiously,
Il don't see how the new venture Of the
Alaska Coal Company can be made to pay.
1 have heard that Mr.. Eastland has returned
highly elated with the enterprise, and that
all the cargo of coal on the Alex Mcneil
mad been secured beforehand by merch ants
here at So ton. / have also been told that
a monthly eoai-steamer is 70 be run by the
company to Cooks Inlet.
Let rs see. OF course the possession of
eoa fields near the coast would be of great
advantage TO the Territory. In fact the
prosperity of Alaska depends on the devel-
opment OF its mineral resources and Its
fisheries, because there is no field there for
agricultural work.
The difficulty seems TO me to be this Il:
Vessels bringing in coal from New South
Wales ports will carry Ii for 50 so a ton,
[ because they are sure of getting q cargo
back. But IL a vessel comes down here with
coal from Alaska. however, plentiful the
stun may be up there, she has TO return in
ballast, because all the supplies needed for
the canneries and the few river stations are
carried up by the supply vessels of other cor
poratlons. Then. too, British Columbia
| coal can be brought down here in four days
from Departure Bay, but l notice that it
| takes twenty days or more to get down from
| Cooks Inlet. Add TO this that the Meme
has been away since April getting these 1400
tons Of coal. and l don't see where the
proposition assumes a commercial aspect
And you must not forget that in the winter
season. say four or FIVE months in the year,
the supply will be altogether cut off.
Goal Is brought around the Horn for
s. 70 ton on ships that 60 back with
wheat l don't believe a ship bound to
sail in ballast could bring down coal from
Alaska in competition with these figures.
However, it Is good thing that we have
found coal on the Pacific coast of the
United States a. last. There is none in
Central America. and in the event of a war
we would be shut off from British Columbia
and Australia. Just TO that extent il is a
good thing TO have coal mines in ALASKA.
But as a purely business enterprise l don't
think Alaska coal will pav"