The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-02-10
FOUR SURVEYING PARTIES.
ACTIVE PREP FOR WORK.
on THE YVkoN'S MOUTH.
New Vessels BuiIt for the Purpose
and an EndeaVor Made to Find n
Mouth Open for Deep Water ships.

{ SgrciaI Dlspatch 20 the Post-Inseiligencsr
! WASHINGTON FEB. s.--Capt John T.
Pratt, of the coast and geodetic survey.
VINO Is well known on the Pacific coast.
says that active preparations are already
pelnS made for work IN Alaska the com
ing summer on greater scale shan has
ever before been attempted. The coast
ana seodetc survey viii send out at
least four large parties 10 thar territory
not later than June !. SO that they Will
be ready to go to work by the latter part
/ or that m onth and make as rapid progress
( as possible during the succeeding months
! OF July, August and September Their
experience in the past has taught the
/ coast and geodetic survey people that lit
! tie can be done In Alaska after the close
( OF September.
The four parties which will be ea-
! gagged In survey work in Alaska this wear
( VIII number in the aggregate about one
! hundred men. the greater part of whom
! VIII be ar work at the mouth of the Yu-
( kon river. for which congress has al
ready appropriated the liberal sum OF
100000 in the interests of the future COM
merce OF that great river OF the north.
The men Will he divided into two large
parties and two small parties. One OF
/ the large parties will be aboard the survey
steamer Gedney. which will make sound
ings and deep sea explorations outside Of
( the bar of the Yukon. which, generally
speaking. is lao miles in length along the
/ coast by forty miles III width from the
/ shore towards the sea. Over this vast
extent OF ocean area the survey vessel
/ and lis boats Will roam in the endeavor
! 10 find channel when will admit the
( passage of deep sea vessels from the
/ ocean into the river through one of is
| numerous delta. The second large marty
| Will go TO work on the mouth of the WV
kon. that is. exploring the various branch
! es or the delta. and getting ali possible
information therefrom. one or the two
/ smaller parties will survey the river from
It's mouth up to the British boundary
The other smaller party will be landed az
! Copper river. and in canoes. or possibly
with small launch. will continue the ex-
! pioration of that stream from where Il
I was left off some years ago
Capt. Pratt VIII have charge OF that
! party which will be engaged in surveying
! the mouth OF the Yukon. For this pur-
! pose he viii need 10 have constructed be-
tween now and the middle of jane a small
vessel not more than seventy-fiYe feet in
length, built of the very strongest mate
rial and put together by the best OF work
men. with machinery which will be IN
no danger Of breaking down. This vessel
viii be taken in sections to the mouth
or the Yukon. and there set up her ma
chinery put in and launched TO begin her
important work Capt. Pratt IS somewhat
ut n loss to know where 10 get this vessel
| constructed within the required time. He
| had hoped to get il done in Seattle but
his Investigations have shown him that
a., the ship builders OF that city and vi
! cinity have more work on hand than thew
can turn out before the time when he
! must have his vessel. He now thinks OF
, going into the interior. where good strong
I white oak can be secured, and doing what
has seldom If ever been done before
I build an ocean vessel a thousand or If
| teen hundred miles from the salt water.
I The various parts Will then be shipped %
/ Seattle. and from there sent north. prob
! ably on one of the very first vessels sail
! ing to 81. Michael. The captain who
! Is a constant reader OF the Post-1ntelli-
/ gencer, SAYS there is no question whatever
as to where his party will outfit. Seattle.
IN his opinion. Is the most desirable OUT
I fitting point on the Pacific coast.
Quite a fleet Of government vessels Will
: he in Alaska during the coming summer.
The soast survey steamer Gedney. now
~ San Francisco will l,- one Of the first
% go Her party is already made ND. and
she Will sail as soon as the season is SUI
ficientlv advanced The regular work IT
the coast and reoietic survey. which
( has been carried on ~ the steamer Pat
/ terson. VIII be continued Her working
ground during the summer will re :ha
! passage southeast from Sikh The Pat
. te~scn VIII probably have 70 take the Con
per river expedition and land II az the
mouth of Copper river. with the necessa-
~ canoes % carry on the work there.
The general idea Of Copper river Is that
* is = very rapid stream after one noas
NJ little way from its mouth The rev
suue cutter NcCulloch which Is now on its
way % the Pacific coast through the
Suez canal. will he sert 10 Alaska ana
either the Corwin Or Grant viii also 30.
as the Rear after having been locked 40
in tho ise al winter. win probably he IN
rfxEA
mission steamer Alhatross viii also he
sent - Alaska This summer
About eight Of the hest trained assist
ants Of the coast and geodetfc survey
viii be sent direct from tho department.
n this city 20 take charge - he va~io'is
aartfes ergo god IN the Alasks work Sorre
so1raings 70 &c stated. viii also be made
ia the Vicinity ~ Dvea end Skagway.
Commissioner Hermann. OF TIRE general
land office has refuse9 payment 70 Dep
utv Surveyors Mcpherson and Wvche az
Seattle. for the re-survey OF = portion ~
the southern hounrary ~ The Yakima In
dian reservation This survey was made
some tine ago, and The deputy survey
ors have fust cause for complaint against
the government for NOT having acted upon
r. sooner. C0n1r1fFsiouor Hermann states
tNrt is has not lseD possible % reach fhte
survey FOR exaTnira.i0n during the past
ir October last hut the examiner sn the
feld did mot reach t1is section untn 'he
deep SHOWS and low temperature REM
sferea further examination furraEtteab'e.
Comm!seiSner Hermann refused payment
saving = has been an in@sxihie rule ~
MS office - require an examination ~ al
surveys oefore taking any action thereon.
Ar effort IS being made ~ friends IN
washington state . have Miss I.8lu Asyr-
craft teacher ia the Tr3ian service
now stationed at Fort washakte Wyo.
transferred "a the uew boarding school
az Fort SPOKANE. Miss Ashc-aft his been
stationed for several wears ~ the Pine
R@age agency. South Dakota. ard recent
Is Hzs transferred % Wyoming. The rig
orous winters % that section 10 uof aEre@
with her ard size is very anxious - So
cuge an apo15ntnasu ln Washington. on
. aceolnt ~ so rrf3der climate. Mss Asa-
CRATE 50 said "a be q very capable teach
sr ard would he = valuable addition %
/ fae Srokane scAcos.