The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-01-27
/ RAILROAD TO THE YUKON.
Suggested Route From Cook Inlet
to a Point on the River.
NEEDED FOR ALASKA'S GROWTE
r. y. stone, of This City, Writes m
Able Letter to r. D. Schuyler From
Circle City Would Memorimlixe
Congress I'm Behaf of the Com
eant-Ajl In American Territory.

eant-Au In American Territory.
The importance Of a railroad IN develop
ing tie vlst resczrees of Alaska. iacreaS-
ing re output of the mines. iasurins an
adequate fooG supply to the miners o. the
Yukon and, incidentally. helping TO make
the entire country tributary 10 the Queen
City of Puget sound, Is urged in a letter
received in this city by Frank =. Schuyler
fran p. J. Stone. formerly a citizen OF
Seattle and prominently known through
out the state. The letter Is dated Circle
City. November Is. 1856. and Is one OF the
Ysost able ard suggestive communications
that has ever come out Of the country.
As route he suggests from Prince VIA
Ham sound 70 some point on the Yukon,
within American territory. and advtzes
that the value OF such construction be
Immediately brough. to the attention OF
congress by memorial from the Chamber
OF Commerce.. Mr. Stone is a man OF up-
doubted integrity and Is conservative in his
statements. Ills extended experience il
Alaska would qualify him as the ideal MAJ
10 head an exploration party over the pro-
posed railroad route. He says;
Shortage of Food.
In fnlnIImeat OF promise made TO you
write 10 let you know nay impressions "a
regard TO this country, ard also TO let yoa
know That / am still alive and in the best
OF health and spirits. You OF course ex-
peeted 20 hear from me al Dawson. and
NoGid nave been there now II / had not
run snort OF provisions for the winter.
aspsc4zliy Hour Il could have got aLons
with what ! had. but / had some flour
stolen from me on the route. at Dawso1
every one seemed 10 be short and the
Claim owners would hire no one unless ne
had a tIil winters supply. AS -four read
liz sold for si.ye a pound and / saw no
CERTAIN way 20 make any money j left.
! stayed In Dawson three weeks and dur
sns that time took a good look over the
country was on nearly all the creeks
tsai showed good prospects. and now think
thai what Told you u not far from corr
rect. which s.. that the creeks that had
ALREADY been struck would likely be thu
only ones TO show marvellous wealth. I
am new We'll satisfied that you have al
ready heard the best reports that you VIII
ever hear from thar quarter. You win also
Remember that / predicted that the next
Sfeat strike would not be made there, but
most hkely hundreds OF miles away. This
preGsetion also seems likely 10 DC fulfilled
a. there has been big strike made on the
Ianana. about tao miles west fran here
And II the reports are nor exaggerated
there viii be another kIoudske la that re-
&ioa. There seems 70 be not only gold In
largo masses OF native copper. and IL no
contradictory reports are received /. is
likely that VIII try my fortune out there.
llociSins tn the Tanasa.
Some of the richest claim owners around
mere ara now leaving for that locality. and
seem ttlN of hope and confidence The
srpubie Is IN getting In supplies. a team OF
rafher tlke this eal,nt,v. - ,,aa ~ a,
constant fear Of starvation everything
raad be all right. Ike to be in q country
thai know contains the enormous wealin
9hat this orc does | already feel more
interested in this than have In any other
place that / have ever been. The wealth
of this country Is practically untouched;
enough however. ia known 10 make IL car
tain that by far the richest and most ex-
here. .Munook creek. 10 miles below. has
proved rich. and good reports Of several
others come from us neighborhood. Be
tween here and Forty-Miie there are no
less than six or seven paying creeks that
would have been worked on an extensive
scale had X not been fer the kiondike
Strike. The same may be said Of nearly
all the tributaries OF Birch river. 10 the
west from here. II Is no exasgeration 70
viii pay fl0 day 10 the shovel. all Of
which could be probably worked II pro-
visions we're plenty and wages $ day In
efeaa af Slo. as At present
a Railroad From Cock Inlet.
what this country needs most is a rail-
road from some point on the Yukon in
American territory. 20 Prince Williaa
sound on Cook k.ist. OF course | know
nothing about the COUNTRY To be traverxci
by such a railroad or the engineering dM-
nctsltIes that have "a ie encountered. but
ehink that l. might be safely presumed
that they are not Of se-Ious character.
The mountains in tho northern portion II
this continent are 81 insignificant that the
whole country may be considered one vast
plain. The same may he said Of the north
ern pars or Asia and also af Europe. where
] have travelled explored and pros pnctei
and II would strange. indeed n shR
country between here ana Cook inlet was
an exception 70 every other part az the
wori1 in this high latitude. BEES lies
enough has been found uuf from actual OBJ
esTvati0n 20 make q pretty certain fhat
therc are no serious difficulties. There IS
sufficient timber along the line for all the
purposes of ccustFuction and operation.
and the snowfall r not such as 20 seriously
interfere with railroad traffic. and 80 my
mind = railroad is needed in this country
more than was ever needed rs the whole
history CT rsiiroadlaS throughout the
world.
This country possesses an abundance
OF what all the rest 81 the world needs
and all the reSt of the world possesses
IN abundance what The people are soreiy
fn need OF here. that - sofn~thiHg 20 ear
There never MAS "A winter su this country
when there was suffclsncy of food ana
this winter promises 10 H. a, leass In per
cent. verse than any preceding oae. and
y is more than likely thar next winter VIII
he stlu worse In this respect.
traes Immediate Action.
Prom what can learn u seems lsnnox-
siala that tha supply Of feed can keep
pace with the Increase of population. ana
cannot see hon there san la any doubt
but thas = railroad over the route r4ssn-
yioRei would be taxed 20 It's FnH caNacitx
as The country produces nothing but
gold. and all the necessary comforts and
Injuries Of hfe ard everything else that
may ia wanted must come from without
0ae OF eae Results Of the construction 81
such a railroad wculd be am enormous in
crease IN the production % gold. What
the Fss0li Of this N9a'a be l VIII have "a
leave e. the learned political e-0uonnl AZ :
so consider rs tts heuptiss would Sac toa
numerous and varied sn character Tor vaA
sc nostee b4sf l will oniy mNoti0a shAt A
eonEwstea labor market would h.. relieved
bY the praatahie eHnp4ag ~ some
hundreds uataoesanis OF fsssn IA Suld mtn-
tug and the best market sU the Nor&i
opened up for khc product 81 oar mills
factories aHa farms. and nnt least among
the hfnaasS - - derived from a wnnas ia
CREASE Ia the fsgott,lstfan Of Esssd would hR