The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1902-10-31
In FROZEN ALASKA.
Rich Opportunities for StOckmen IN
That Country.
Agricultural Possibilities Of the
Region Have Been FOund to Far
suPpass ExDectationS-Goad,
Fish and FurA.

A million dollars a month is the es
innate made by the bureau of stats
tics of the present value of the mar
ket which frozen Alaska" offers the
producers and manufacturers of the
United States, states special to the
St. Louis Globe-Democrat
Commercial Alaska in 1901" is the
title of monograph just issued By
the treasury bureau of statistics. Ii
it are presented some striking figures
about this (until recently little' ex'
plored and little understood territory
of the United States. BY reason OF
the application of modern systems OF
travel and transportation, Alaska Is
now as accessible as Arizona. Three
days of travel by modern ocean steam
ers from Seattle among the islands and
along the coast which forms the
soatheastern extension of Alaska lands
the traveller at Skaguay; 12 hours by
rail over the mountains, carries him
to the headwaters of the Yukon, where
comfortable and well-equipped river
steamers carry him to the gold field of
central Alaska or down the Yukon
river, which is 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
Alaska.
Gold, fish and furs are, according to
this monograph, the principal indus
try of Alaska at the present time, and
they send to the United States $15,000,-
900 worth OF their products, $4,000, 900
Of gold, $e,0OO,OOO Of fish, chiefly sal
mon, and the remainder furs.
The cost of Alaska was $7,200,000.
The revenue which the government has
derived from it since it's purchase
amounts to over $9,000,0O0 and the
value of the products are now twice
as much every year as it cost. The
total value of the products of Alaska
brought to the United States since its
purchase is according to the best es-
Inmates that the bureau of statistics
is able to make) about $150,0O0,O0O,
of which $50,00O,000 is precious
metals, $50,OOO,0OO products of the fish
cries, chiefly salmon, and $50,OO0,0O0
more furs, chiefly seal furs.
Probably $50, 900, 900 of Americancap-
ital is invested in Alaskan industries
and business enterprises, including
transportation systems. In the sal
mon fisheries alone the companies en-
gagged have capitalization of s22,000,-
900, and the value of their plants, in
cluding vessels, is given at $12,000,000.
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 in
vestments. With the inflow of cap
ital, the development of transporta-
tion systems, and the gold discoveries,
has come the building up of towns and
the development of cities with modern
conveniences of life.
Nome City, which is located but a
comparatively short distance south of
the arctic circle, has now population
Of over 10000; postal facilities have
been so extended that the number of
post offices is now about so, and mails
are being regularly delivered north of
the arctic circle.
Agricultural possibilities in Alaska
have, until within recent period, been
considered of but slight Importance.
AS the country was explored, how
ever, and its conditions of climate and
soil studied, its natural products OBJ
served, and experiments made with
various classes of agricultural produc-
lions, it became apparent that the ag-
ricultural possibilities of the country,
md especially of the south and SOUTH
east, where the climate is modified by
the Japan current, were of consider
able Importance in view of the prac-
ticability of furnishing at least a
part of the food supply of the popula-
tion which the varied resources of
Alaska seem likely to sustain and make
permanent. These observations and
experiments lead those who have par
ticipated in them to the belief that
vegetables in great variety can be pro-
duced all along the southern coast and
in the valley of the Yukon, and by
some the possibility of the successful
production OF wheat and oats is strong
ly supported.
The grasses for the support of cattle
are abundant, and the experiment
with live stock thus far justify the
belief that this feature of the food re-
quirements of Alaska may be furnished
by the development of stock '-rms in
the southern sections. In the north
vast areas are covered with a moss
similar to that upon which the rein
deer thriyes in other parts of the are
tic regions, and in view of this fact
the introduction of reindeer from ST.
IBERIA was begun few years since and
has proved extremely successful,
about 5000 now being distributed
through northwest Alaska, and the ex-
pertinent has advanced sufficiently to
justify the confident belief that the
reindeer will within few years prove
an important feature in furnishing
both the transportation and food sup
ply of northern and northwestern
Alaska.
The gross area of Alaska is, accord
ing to the 1900 census. 59O,sO4.
The Governor of Alaska in a re-
cent report states that this is
equal to the combined area of the 20
states, of Maine, New Hampshire, Ver-
mont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island.
Connecticut, New York, New Jersey.
Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland.
Virginia, West Virginia, North Caro-
lima, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida,
alabama, Mississippi Ana Tennessee.
His Life in Peril.
81 just seemed to have gone all 10