San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-12-18
ONE WHOLLY THROUGH u. 5.
TERRITORY AND THE 9TH
LR PARTLY so
Thinks Canada Would Cooperate IN
The Humane Work Would On
ly Distribute Provisions to
The Destitute And See
To All Others.

New York, Dec. 1S.-Gen. Miles be-
lieves expeditions should be sent over
both routes TO the Klondike region at
once, in order to have double
chances of one getting there quickly
in case the other is delayed, says a
correspondent of the Tribune at Wash
ington. General Miles has made for
years a special study Of Alaskan al
fairs, having studied the military pro-
lection of the country. During 1866
Alaska. The first was under Lieut..
Frederick Schwatka in 1865, the sec
ond was under Lieutenant Archcom-
bic and the third was under Lieut..
II. T.. Allen.
Lieutenant Archcombie commanded
an expedition in the Copper river val
ley and Lieutenant Allen went up the
Copper river, thence across the divide
and down the Tanino river, thence
to Boring sea. Gen. Miles says:
Il believe that two expeditions
should be sent-one over the Dalton
trail from Dyea to Dawson City, or
Circle City; the other from the mouth
of Copper river to Belle Isle. The
Dalton trail extends on short dis
lance through our territory, being
principally along the upper Yukon
river valley in British Columbia.
Hence to send an expedition by that
route will require the approval of
the Canadian government, and prob
ably the two governments will COOP
crate in this humane enterprise.
We could at least clear the trail and
make the route practicable as far as
it extends within our territory, and
if permission is given by the Canadian
government we could send relief by
that route through British Columbia.
The route from the mouth of the Con-
per river extends entirely through our
own territory, and my opinion is prac-
ticable for sending supplies to the
places already mentioned and to a
point near the boundary line where n
department Of supplies, an asylum
and hospital could be established.
l have therefore recommended that
Congress authorize the sending of two
expeditions with as little delay as pos
sible.
'Of course the sending of a mill
tary escort by water from Puget
Sound to the mouth Of Copper river
and to Chilcoot pass will involve con-
siderable expense. The cost of get
ting food into that remote country.
particularly at this season of
the year, will be necessarily
very great, but it need not be wholly
gratuitous expenditure. Many of the
men that are in suffering condition
have sufficient gold to pay for sup
plies ON receiving them, and gratitous
issues of supplies should be made only
to those who are in destftution. An
important feature Of sending expedi-
tons through the interior, especially
the Copper river route, will be, to
concilliate the natives who are liable
to become hostile, and il possible to
employ them in the government SER
vice. They will be exceedingly use
full as guides and interpreters and
can also be employed in clearing and
blasting the trail, placing land marks.
transporting stores and in many other
ways facilitate the purposes of this
enterprise. If they are not conciIliat-
ed and disturbances should occur
which should render them hostile, an
Indian war might ensue in that terri
tory, which would be the most exoen-
sive Indian war that the government
has ever had to encounter"