The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-09
lNDIANIANS IN ALASKA
THEY ARE TO BE FOUND AT ALMOST
EVERY MINING CAMP.
Interesting Talk with y0Iney II. Hog
gait on the Territory and Its
Legislative Needs.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
WASHINGTON, Dec. S--Two former In
dianians have been in Washington for sew
eral days in the interest OF Alaskan legis-
lation. One is Wilfred B. Hoggatt, for
merly of Boonville and now owner OF the
Jualin mine at Berner's bay, Alaska. The
other is volney T. Hoggatt whose father.
Lucian c. Hoggatt once lived in Lawrence
county. MY father" said Y. T. Hoggatt.
nominated benjamin Harrison for SUI
preme Court reporter in the Republican
convention held in March. 1860. In that con-
vention was w. .. Gresham and Gideon &.
Moody. VINO afterward became United
States Senator from South Dakota"
The Hoggatts are cousins, and V. T. Hog
gait relates an interesting story OF how his
cousin acquired the Jualin mine. He was
stationed In Alaskan waters in the revenue
service" said Mr.. Hoggatt. He is a grad
uate of Annapolis, having been appointed
from the Boonville district. While stationed
at Juneau he saw an old townsman whom
Wilfred had known in his schoolboy days at
Boonyilie-a man VINO no one ever thought
would acquire funds enough to get away
from Indiana. At Juneau the man told Will
fred that he thought he had good quartz
mine. but needed money to prospect 1t.
More through my cousins acquaintance
with the man than anything else. he gave
him a few dollars to buy grub with. The
man came back afterward and wanted more
money, saying he was out of grub. IL AFTER
ward proved that the owner of the mine
was right-that the mine was very rich.
On account OF my cousins kindness TO his
fellow-townsman. the latter gave him a half
interest i'm the mine. which is one Of the
richest quartz mines in the world to-day.
There are Indiana people all over Alas
ka." continued Mr.. Hoggatt. lone of the
best known men in Alaska is Deputy United
States Marshal Nugent, at Nome. He for
merly lived at Bedford Ind. I suppose he
has been rich dozen times. and learn
he has the best prospect of becoming rich
again he ever had. He Is fearless and hon.
est. and these are winning characteristics
In Alaska, as they are everywhere. We
wish We had more men in Alaska like Nu-
gent, for there is no country in the world
I that offers the natural inducements for
capital that Alaska does in transportation.
mining. agriculture and stock-raising. As
illustration, Charles ID. Lanes Wild
Goose narrow-gauge railroad. which runs
from Nome to his Anvil creek placer mine.
distance of four miles. cost sSo.eoo. and
last August the receipts for the month were
$4,000
1.-THE summer of 1901 I met Attorney
Jacoby, of Indianapolis. who was in Alaska
looking after mining interests. He was the
most surprised man in the world when he
learned of some of the great possibilities OF
the country One will find an Indianian
every ten miles all the way from Sitka TO
e Barrow, the most northwesterly por-
t..h of the western hemisphere, from which
point on clear day you can look across
and see Asia.
1.-The discovery of gold on the beach at
Nome in 1899 had the effect of bringing TO
Nome every continuance known to the pro-
life imagination of man by which 10 work
e.. a. in,
Indianians were not among the last in
their ingenuity. While the homestead laws
of the United States all in force in
Alaska one would think at first that we
would desire nothing more from the gov
eminent. There might as well be law
passed granting homesteader 16o acres OF
land in the Pacific ocean, as far as doing
the people of Alaska any good Homestead
laws are no good unless the land is sur
veyed: There is not one mile of survey
land i'm Alaska. What We want is a law
passed that will insure to the pioneer and
road blazer a title to at least $50 acres OF
land if he will go to the unsurveyed land
and mark his location out the ground
with stakes. so that when the public sur
veys are extended over his ground he will
be protected by the law-that Is. the same
as in a mining claim. The honest miner
wants Congress to pass law repeating the
judge-made law which allows one man to
locate by power of attorney whole creeks.
when the law of Congress says that the
locator must discover gold and make his
location in person We also want the
town-site laws repealed, because they are
utterly inapplicabe. We want law where
by titles can be obtained to a town lot
without the aid of town-site trustees. who
get $40 a day and who prolong their per
diem as long as the town-site occupant has
money to-pay the governments appointees.
All the laws passed have been at the in
stance and request of great combinations
of wealth. No legislation-has ever been
urged by the people of Alaska. because
prior TO 1900. when the great boom began.
no one ever dreamed or Alaska having such
possibilities as are now In sight