The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-08-02
THE USES OF ALASKA.

ket which frozen Alaska" offers the
producers and manufacturers of tn
United States.
Commercial Alaska in 1907 is tbs
title of a monograph just issued by the
Treasury Bureau of Statistics. In i
are presented some striking figure!
| about this (until recently little explor'
ed and little understood territory of the
United States. By reason OF the app l.
cation OF modern systems of trave
and transporta ton. Alaska Is now af
accessible as Arizona Three days OF
travel by modern ocean steamers from
Seattle, among the islands and along
1 the coast which forms the southeast
ern extension of Alaska, lands the
| traveller at Skagway; twelve hours by
| rail over the mountains carries him to
| the head waters of the Yukon where
| comfortable and well equipped river
steamers carry him to the gold field of
| central Alaska or down the Yukon riv-
er which ia navigable for more than
1000 miles at this season Of the year
From the mouth of the Yukon another
comparatively short trip. by steamer,
carries him to Cape Nome-the latest
and greatest of the gold fields of Alas
ka-
Gold, fish and furs are, according to
this monograph. the principal indus
tries of Alaska at the present time and
they send to the United States Is mill
lion dollars worth of their products.
millions of gold. 8 millions of fish,
chiefly salmon, and the remainder furs.
The cost of Alaska was $4,000 The
revenue which the government has de-
rived from 1t since its purchase
amounts to over nine million dollars,
twice as much every year as it cost.
The total value of the products of
Alaska brought to the United States
since It's purchase Is according to the
best estimates that the Bureau of Sta
tistics is able to make) about $50, 900 900, |
of which fifty millions is precious met
ais, fifty millions products of the fisher |
les, chiefly salmon. and fifty million |
more furs, chiefly seal fur. Probably fif- |
ty million dollars of American capital
are invested in Alaskan industries and
business enterprises, including trans |
portation systems. In the salmon fish
cries alone, the companies engaged |
have a capitalization of twenty-five |
million dollars and the value of their
plants. including vessels, Is given at
twelve million dollars. In the mining
industries there are large investments
the great quartz mill at Juneau being
the largest quartz stamp mill in the
world. while several other quartz mills
represent large investments. With the
inflow OF capital, the development of
systems. and the gold
has come the building up
IF towns and the development of cities
with modern conveniences of life.
Nome City, which Is located but a COM
paratively short distance from the
Arctic circle, has now a population of
over $4,000; postal facilities have been
80 extended that the number of post
,ffices is now about 60, and mails are
,eing regularly delivered north of the
Arctic circle. Il
Agricultural possibilities in Alaska
nave. until within recent period, been
L
he country was explored, however,
Ind it's conditions OF climate and soil !
studied, its natural products observed, I
Ind experiments made with various 4
lasses of agricultural productions, it
became apparent that the agricultural
possibilities of the country, and espe-
tally of the south and southeast,
-ile- he alt t.,
apan current, were of considerable I
in view of the practicable |
ty of furnishing at least a part of the S
God supply of the population which
he varied resources of Alaska seem {
likely to sustain and make permanent. !
'hese observations and experiments S
cad those who have participated in I
hem to the belief that vegetables in
reat variety can be produced all along t
he southern coast and in the valley a
t the Yukon, and by some the posi- L
ility OF the successful production OF S
Theat and oats is strongly supported. 4
he grasses for the support of cattle U
re abundant, and the experiment with t
We stock thus far justifies the belief | g
hat this feature of the food require II
1ents OF Alaska may be furnished by
he development of stock farms in the
outhern sections. In the north vast I
reas are covered with a moss similar Il
} that upon which the reindeer thrives f
/ other parts of the Arctic regions, I
nd in view OF this fact the introduce 81
on OF reindeer from Siberia was be- Il
un few years since and has proved c.
successful, about 5000 now il
eing distributed through northwest 1t
laska, and the experiment has ad- U
anced sufficiently to justify the con- Of
dent belief that the reindeer will Il
thin a few years prove an important Il
allure I'm furnishing both the trans S,
ortation and food supply of northern al
I'D northwestern Alaska. N
The gross area of Alaska is. accord 81
g to the 1900 census, $50, so4 The gov m
nor Of Alaska in a recent report d.
ates that this is equal to the COM
ned area of the twenty States of
aine NaU 4