The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-12-02
THIRDEDITION
3:l5 O'CLOCK.
FROM ALASKA.
Returned Missionary Talks
About the Country.
He Left This City About Four
Years Ago.
Came Home TO Enjoy Thanksgiving
and Interest Capitalists.

About six years ago a poor Providence
printer became converted at the Church
OF the Emanuel, 80 Wey ybosset street, and
four years ago last April went 10 Alaska
as missionary. Today he is back in
Providence as a third owner in seven
gold mines and half owner in an Alaskan
marble quarry which, experts say, judg-
ing from the specimens presented them,
is very valuable. Ii Is neither improb-
able nor impossible that this missionary
may become as rich as Croesus before
many years and a little something about
his good fortune will prove interesting.
His name is T.. Otis Smith. lie was
born in Cincinnati, Ohio. in 1Si9, and
came TO Providence a half-dozen years
ago. lie worked as type setter for J. A.
d r. A. Reid previous to his departure
for Alaska, whittier his wife accompanied
him. They went TO Juneau via the Cam
adian Pacific and thence 10 Sitks, where
they are now located and where Mr..
Smith officiates as an independent mis-
sionary," i. e., self-supporting, by the
publication of the only newspaper in the
capital, called the Alaskan. OF course
things are little different there from
here, the population of Sitka comprising
only one thousand, three hundred per-
sons, 1900 being Indians, 800 Russians.
and 200 whites, IS they are called. There
Is not much need of going into the mis-
sionary features of their lives, a. they have
been explained in print and by lecturers
innumerable times, the principal work
being educational. But the gold mines
are of Importance. They are situated on
the side Of q mountain about five miles
from Sitka and Mr.. Smith discovered
three OF them while he went out TO IN
spect Others. Upon their discovery Mr..
Smith immed lately staked his claims,
the government allowing 100000 feet to
each location, providing the owner does
800 worth of evelopiDg work upon 1t
each year. The names of the mines dis
covered by Mr.. Smith are Providence,
Boston aud Printers Delight. These are
now In the hands of the Alaska Develop
ing & Mining Company, formerly the In
dian River Mining Company, who also
own the Moscow, Peter the Great, st.
Petersburg aud Crown Point mines, and
for joining forces with the company Mr..
Smith received a third interest IN all the
mines. If these properties were located
anywhere near civilization, so TO speak,
ii would be matter of very short space
Of time before their precious contents
were secured, for Mr.. Smith says that
great ledges OF quartz, reeking with
gold, are exposed and il is for the pur-
pose of getting capitalists intere sted
that MIR. Smith is here.
The quartz assays, il is said, from "a
to Sl6 per ton, while that OF the great
Tresdwater mine in Juneau only assays
s235. The formation OF the mountain
where Mr.. Smiths finds are located is as
follow: Diorite, blue slate, slate, serpen-
tine, dlorite, porphyry fine schists,
thick bedded states and red diorite.
The marble which Mr.. Smith found is
about fifty miles this side Of Sitka on the
mainland, and Seattle expert assures
him that is exceedingly valua bic. He dis
covered it while on the journey home
ward and when he returns he will look
after its development.
or the industries i'm that region Mr..
Smith speaks of the fish oil works at
Killisnoo, which are conducted on a
magnificent scale. The fish are so thick
in the streams in that region, where they
go TO spawn, that men in wading across
are frequently Knocked over by them.
When one wants a nice salmon for din
ner 1t Is only necessary TO take cluo and
knock your fish III the heud -Hffd-take @
him home. In the waters around Sitka
the behring's travel in schools so thick
that the Indians have only TO go out in
their dugout canoes and with stick
with nails projecting from its side sweep
herring after herring into the boat with
a swing OF the arm. AS for the climate OF
Sitkn, II must be delight for 1t rains
on 200 TO 300 days every year, and some
tiues its SHOWS. Speaking of the Alaskan
boundary troubles, Mr.. Smith says the
feeling there js that Uncle Sam is moving
pretty slowly and hardly doing as was
hoped. While here, Mr.. Smith is stop
ping at 435 Pine street, at the home of
his father-in-law, Mr.. Iauriston Towne,
the retired manufacturing ieweler.