The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-12-22
ExPERTrNG ALASKA MINES.
How Two Learned Men Spent Sic, 200
of Government Money.


The Alaska Mining Record OF December
II to hand on the City OF Topeka gives a
drubSng TO Or. George Becker. .the gov
ernmsntal geological sharp sent junketinz
to ALASKA last spring TO expert the mineral
resources OF the territory. but his
reports seem TO be in the posses
sion. OF the Eastern press which
is snaking It the basis of extended
artcgss condemnlng Alaska as a mining
country"
II then quotes one Of these derogatory
reports from the Boston Daily Advertiser,
and continues:
The last congress appropriated $1,000 TO
secure reports upon the mines and mineral
resources Of Alaska, and the authorities
commissioned Prof. w n. Dali and Dr.
George Becker to spend the cash. the soT-
ner 10 examine the coal beds. the latter
to devote his attention to the gold deposits.
The party came to Alaska on the Topeka,
arriving May y, passing through TO Sitka,
but taking advantage OF the delay in dis
charging tho steamers heavy cargo TO visit
the Basin. They exported the road IS far
as the Takou mill, and as the weather was
much pleasantsr IN the Topeka's cabins
than In the Basin they came back with
out having stubbed their expert toe against
q single nugget.
AT Sicxa the Pinta was placed at their
disposal, and the junket had fairly begun.
Twenty minutes exporting at killisnoo
satisfied them that the air was chilly, and
that there was nothing In sight They man
aged to see the upper workings OF the
Comet mine at Berner's bay-nothlng fur
ther-and they made another trip to the
Basin, where the snow stlll lying deep
upon the ground did not prevent these ex-
perts seeing that the formation was not
right" and that settled the Basin matter.
''it is said that they went 10 Sum Dunn,
but OF this we are not fully Informed. but
at all events they saw nothing worthy OF
mention
Returning to Sitka, where they found
ex-Gov Swineford. who had arrived on the
same boat with them on another govern
ment junket. they actually saw what has
been regarded as one of the best mines OF
the territory which Is valuable only be-
casse water islpienty." Thence these won
derfulIy endowed gentlemen, who can so
precisely tell where gold Is not, proceeded
TO the westward, and nothing more was
heard OF them until. having gone back
East to draw down the $1,000 the papers
of the Atlantic coast began the publication
OF a series of utterly false articles, ealeu-
lated TO greatly injure Alaskan interests,
each article based upon and quoting the
Becker report
Editor swinehart then goes on TO point
out the mineral wealth actually delved
during the past year. and adds:
And this stream Of yellow wealth, aggre-
eating fun 5000 o0 riss continuously by
under the upturned geological nose. which
percelves nothing but the one regarded as
one OF the most important In the territory
a property which has never produced dol
lar and which no mining man believes 20
be worth a dollar. It's merit from a geologi
cal standpoint lying in the fact that is
ownership is vested in n fellow expert at
the time upon q similar tunket- Having
thus in four months exported a territory
embracing sons 800 900 square miles. Or.
Becker, geologiss. finds the Alaskan gold
fields barely as good as those OF North
Cardinal He may. however. recommend
a coallng station for such trans-Paciic
steamers as may have time and Inclination
10 make a detour Of 1.7e0 miles 10 reach
the station. is Becker . deliberate falsi-
fer. or simply plain. ordinary. every -day
asp