The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-11-14
TIE PASSING IHRONG.

~
rfvaI Of goid-laden miners from tns Yukon
/ hasan over tbs passes win b teisgraphed
from that point - soon ~ they arrive q
me Alaska metropolis. Mr.. Fahey. who
i a old Associated Press operator, has
come 70 the city primarily 20 introduces 4
preumatic boat OF his own invention, but
Be win At the same time endeayor to in-
terest people In the cable scheme. In
talking Of his plans he said:
II procured the Introduction Of bin
IN congress toward the close Of the CIeye-
land administration by Congressman
0peery, OF my own home. In the house. Ia
the senate by Senator Wilson. Of WASH
tngson, but IL was too late for action.
That bill provided for . subsidy, but l
shall make another attempt ct the rat
session and ask no subsidy, a. the i'm.
mense increase Ia business within the
last few months has convinced me that Il
win be paying investment from the
start. When first preached the scheme.
peopie thought Alaska was nothing but 4
land Of ice and snow. but read up ana
made q study Of the country and sattsfled
m7sen OF It's great wealth. and the suisse
auent discoveries have convinced the
whole world
II have studied this system OF . cable
and have satisfied myself that it u quite
practicable to stretch It along the coast.
The charts show the depth Of water not to
be extreme, and We can choose our own
depth. You have not the destructive IN
sects up here that they have on the Mexi-
can coast, where cable 10 In successful
operation. and the cool water will increase
the eoHductiyity of the cable I propose
10 lay il In deep water until we get beyond
British territory and then make IL partly
desp sea and partly land line from the
time We strike the Alaskan coast. / shall
only ask congress for the right to land.
for I believe Ii would be self-supportinx
have secured a petition signed by 100
miners and citizens of Juneau. and shall
look for the support OF the people Of se-
attic. / have procured estimates from
manufacturers Of telegraph cables and
have scheme by which I think il can
l.. stretched from Seattle to Juneau at q
cost OF s3ooG0o
Il stopped az Buffalo and Duluth on my
way West. and found the people ali
through the country interested in the
KIandike and Seattle. ] had the option
Of locating at San Francisco, Seattle, Vic
toria or Vancouver. and chose Seattle. In
coming over the railroad from Duluth
talked 10 nineteen conductors and found
four of them intended going to Alaska
Know two men personally at New Haven
who are going and know of forty others
there, and every town and village will
send It's quota Judging from the tone OF
the replies Of a great many OF the mayors
70 the question as to how many are com
ing from their towns, believe they are
trying to discourage people from coming,
Is they fear m exodus.
THE newspapers ought to advise people
not to come here In the expectation OF
securing employment for the winter. for
many have already done so. and the city Is
already over-suppiied. The towns In the
South would give millions to have the OPP
portunity Seattle has. ! figure that at
least 10000 people will pass through here
In the first i've months Of the new year.
You people here do not begin to appreci-
ate the feeling In the East. The Canadian
Pacific railroad intends to try to oil ert
the New England traffic to Vancouver
and Victoria. That company was the first
to get out special folders on the K1ondike
and the other roads had done nothing to
compete with It when / left
"A number OF false impressions in re-
gard to the Copper river country were dis
PEELED last night by l.. N. Wood, a min
ing engineer from New York. who re-
turned from that section on the Topeka
and Is now resting at the Northern. AL
though he registered from Copper river.
Mr.. Woods first remark to a Post-Intel-
lisencer representative was:
4 have been up Prince William sound.
not UP Copper river. for you cannot get
up there. The river is too swift, there Is
not enough water. there is too much siush
Ice running. there are some bad canyons
70 run through and a high wind blows
down the river. making II dtfncult to man.
age boat among the rocks. There are
Eaeters on the banks OF the river. from
which the lee IL continually breaking
away Into the water and floating down
N great masses. There may be about
TWO weeks when you can get up there. be-
tween the time when the river Ice stops
running out and tina: when the glacier
Ice begins breaking of.
Tho way to get In there Is from Fort
Valdez, IT the extreme northern point OF
ffince William sound. There are three
Of four houses there, but no permanent
residents There were about sixty-five
persons campod there with the intention
Of going over TO Copper river. The
schooner La Ninfa arrived at Eyak. on
sne Sound. on October g. with forty-eixht
men and one woman from San Francisco.
When left there on November they had
hniosded their stuff and were balla2ting
me boat with rocks and were going TO
lake the steamer Salmo TO the head Of
Fart Valdez next day
In going from Fort Valdez TO Copper
river, you cross the Valdez glacier, which
quite easy, and then traverse a nice
simhered foothill country the rest OF the
way 10 Copper river. a distance Of about
lofty miles, In this way you cut of LIS
mites OK the river towards the mouth.
aseh Includes all the worst part OF n,
sha strike IL below the south fork. Here
soe wind blows upstream and there Is not
20 much current. The Indians say that
8 Ter up the river II is rolling foothin
souhsry. I'll ere Is nothing In the talk OF
.ns Stick Indians being hostile. II the men
VIZ 'eavs the sauaws alone they will have
no trouble
4 have been up there seven weeks, hav-
ing gone on the alaska Commercial com
Wass steamer. And have been travelling
sfeand Prince William sound From the
.es' information / could obtain. no gold
has heen brought out OF Copper river and
10 copper ore has been found In place:
way Neat has been brought out. No one
70 mere knows anything Of placer gold
ssihg mought out Some toca tiors have
~ w made around Prince William sound.
sss they are only Just starting 10 pros
~, found some copper and iron sui
.ssae ore on Isatouche island and n Te-
sues village on the mainland. but not
..aeusa work has been done 10 enable one
~ teil whether these claims viii make
'aes. The ere on Latouchs island lies
sVsA nuI most OF Shat I saw Is covered
80 ''"e' ihsfS may De some placer
sesa taefe, but the country has not been
s4psfected. though there have been white
-tsi theFe trading with the Indians
a.. smaH man III gray overcoat walked
80 teadersotn saloon last night and
@ "eagins himself Ia between two de-
sss Oh "schooners." waited patiently
WIN ~, ae wss observed by the bartender.
80 you ever hear OF the Count o. Monte
800! asked the little man.
os L. replied the bartender: well.
.aoasd say. He was TIE greatest >bs-aetar