The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-03-19

49, Any other
Seattle. March Il. isss.
70 the Editor: The ofi-reiteEatsd boast
~ Canadians that the StiklDe Is the all
F.xnsean route TO the Yukon appears 10
have misied you into giving too ready
srSdeUce 10 a mass OF CHARACTERIZATION
~S,anatiue from prejudice: persons 70 the
.0rcf that that route Is impracticabae and
,,os.esses many disadvantages not found
Al other routes Allow ME to call Jour
ts.ten;lor TO a few facts which you APP
rear 10 have overlooked, going 10 show
shat the term "AIl Canadian" route IL
xErsat misrepresentation: that this route
has no disadvantages not common 10 all
ether routes and has SOHO advantages
40, possessed by others; and that II -
A. much to the interest OF Seattle 10 haFs
ehls route opened up az any other.
TO begin with. the Stikine Is not the
an Canadian route. Article 70. or tHc
treaty. OF 1871, between the United States
and Great Britain reads:
ssrhe navigation Of the rivers Yukon.
Yorcupine and stikine ascending and de-
~cendlng from. to and into the sea, snaH
forever remain free and ursn for the pir-
noses of commerce TO the subjects of her
iarstannic ma tesiy and to the citizens OF
The United States. subject TO any laws
and regulations, OF either country within
i;s own territory. not inconsistent with
ruch privilege OF free navigation"
This stipulation Is similar 10 that under
which vessels Of either nation exercise
Me right OF free navigation On the Column
bja and Kootenay rivers. In practical
operation, 4 In more favorable 10 Amer
lcan than TO Canadian steamers on the
ftikipe. for ocean steamers are or too
deem draft to navigate the river. and
river steamers are OF too light draft To
y safely pass out into the ocean. In conse-
auence all passengers and freight des-
tined for points up the river must he
transferred from ocean TO river steam
ers At Fort wrangei This port being in
American territory. freight from Canadian
points must be transferred In bond
American steamers can transfer their
freight at wrangeI without giving bond
and duty simply has TO be paid or arri-
val ut Gienora; as at Lake Tag.sh, on the
D.ea and Skagway routes.
You have been claiming. apparently.
with good ground that most Of the arti-
eles composing miners outfits are Ameri-
.ean products and that. II the miner out
ats In Canada. the price Is higher In pro-
portion TO the duty. Therefore. he pays
4 duty sooner or later. whether ne outfits
I'm the United States or Canada. This
state OF facts exists az much ON the Sti-
!. kline on the other routes. and renders
IL as economical to outfit in Seattle for the
,GtIkine, az for any other route.
{ One would infer. fram the vociferols
@perristenca with which the Canadan6
i have termed the StlkIne az the all Cana
dian route that they own the whole
river and that no American steamer has
any rights there. have shown that the
vessels Of either nation have equal right.
lind that the advantage Is Ia favor Of the
American boats. But the Canadian boom
ers would lead one to infer that they
alone were awake 10 this fact and the
escoarse Of the Post-Intelligencer errcour-
Agee this delusion On the contrary. at
least half az the twenty steamers now
= built or building. for the navigation of
the stikine. viii be American bottoms.
towned by Americans and sailing under the
4 AMERICAN flag. Any Canadian Will have
TO get up extremely early in the morning
n he wishes 20 get ahead of the most
somnolent American I ever met Il Ill
becomes such stalwart champion OF
American interests az the Post-Intellgen-
Ger Is everywhere considered to allow our
Canadian rivals 10 delude II Into intur-
ing. even unwi,t:ngly. anyone of those
interests
A great cry is made about the dis
couraged miners who have tried to go UP
the St!kins on the Ice and could not
1 travel through slush. or course. they
could not get through. Neither could
those who tried 20 cross the Chiikoot ana
White passes. The mutual denuncia,ions
. OF one another's routes which have been
published by Messrs. George Bracket
and Hugh c. Waiiace-to the great
) praft Of the P.-I., trust-turnsh ample
confirmation OF what you said In an edi-
torial In your issue 81 March Is
II there is any river or trail by which
Alaska or the KiondIke can be entered IN
winter without encountering hardships
and danger. Il has not yet been dIscov-
q .-tsst
Root Passes Is no pleasure trip and travel
Down the lakes and on the river cannot
= Just now he made by persons with heavy
outfits"
II the two gentlemen above mentioned
{ are oniy telling half the truth about one
: anether's trails. neither OF them can
cain any superiority over the St,k,ne az
+ winter route
: The advantages claim for the stikine
are that IL allows n miner 10 ride on \
steamer through The range Of mountains
= over which he must climb + he a,louts
the Dyea or Skagwav routes: that his
land journey Is made through a frt. roll
iHs bunch grass country. instead Of over
precipitous mountain range in constant
transforms; tha; he No sooner lands a.
Hlsnora. after trip 90 thlr.y-six hours
~ net two or three DAYS. from Fort Wran
GEL. than he Is IN Il good cour.r, for
prospecting
= In your issue OF March Il You refer to
The extremely long overland trip from
ieiegraph creek 20 Tesiin lake IN CON
. ,ras' with "the fact that from tide water
70 'ha beginning of fresh water naviea-
tlon on the Yukon Il = hlt thirty p. s.,+s.
mics al The outside" Very true. but that
extremely long overland trip : ruaaa
thtengh he Csss'ar country where. as
earned - Wraurel in Fe's-.,a~v ~
= neFex party struck placer gold on tha
t'ase river ana the Noyes party made a
similar strike On the Blue river a ,rihu
- fary ~ She Dease.
.hat TIP begins enly Ten miles bA'aw
,eesisrh creek and takes one through
.hs S'ikine district. whore as YOU an
nounee IN 'h's mornings pos,-In,e.,tger
VT James y Hayden ir. has struck rich
sIaNe' ana has located quartz lodges sv-
= efas'ng zen In go.a
MS only confirms what Frank cal
nla't" -" ~ NJ Hsyden'< partners to,d
ne a. Fer Vrauxel "a ~ s.s.t..'
'.u'e \ m,ner no sooner lands from me
s'eShef than Re can r~ohtahlv h.sin
prospecting. white On the Dyea ANA Skar
way way routes n muse 80 hundreds Of miles