Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-02
ALL ABOUT ALASKA
Collector Jarvis Talks of Its
Possibilities.
Is A GRAND COUNTRY
PEOPLE IN UNITED STATES
IGNORANT OF IT.
Its Climate Milder Than in Many
States-Good for Agriculture and
Cattle Raising.

D. H. Jarvis, former lieutenant in the
revenue cutter service, and at the present
time collector of customs at Sitka, Alaska,
| is in Washington comforting with treasury
| officials as to matters in his field. Lieuten.
ant Jarvis Is generally recognized as tho
| most thoroughly posted man In the United
| States on Alaska. His assignments in the
revenue cutter service for fifteen years
were continuously in that region. and he
| led the memorable overland expedition that
| took succor to a number of whalers i'm
prisoned in the ice at Point Barrow. in the
| Boring sea. The predicament of these men
was something terrible, and the Treasury
Department started Lieutenant Jarvis with
relief supplies in the early part Of the win
ter Of 1897-9S He reached the men and
furnished them with food and medicines,
and Is the only man who ever undertook
such journey. The customs affairs at
Sitka had been growing worse for a num-
Der Of years and the Treasury Department
put aside his revenue cutter work long
enough to take charge of the government
work at Sitka. He complied with the re-
quest and has brought order out of chaos.
Mr.. Jarvis has charge of supports that are
1000 miles away from Sitka and that re-
quire over thirty days to reach with Off
cial messages.
Ignorance Of the Country.
THE only trouble with Alaska is that
the people Of the United States do not
know what grand country 1t Is" said Mr.
Jarvis to a Star reporter. IA campaign of
education in the United States would add
to the population of Alaska by many thou
sands and would soon make It one of the
great countries of the world. The posi-
hilities Of the territory are beyond compre-
hension. Leaving out mining-for every
badly knows that Alaska Is rich in gold and
silver-the future of the territory will be a
brilliant one Of commerce. cattle raising,
agriculture and fishing. There Is the great
est Ignorance about Alaska. Why. some
Of the rich islands Of the territory are
larger than several Of the small states of
the United States. There Is a coast line
to Alaska Of %, 900 miles. Think Of that
The people in the states associate Alaska
with seals and icebergs, and whenever
Alaska is mentioned that is about the first
and only thing that comes to the mind,
unless it Is something remote about gold
discoveries.
Climate at Sitka.
'tAH this winter at Sitka the thermometer
never went below degrees above zero. 1
believe some one was telling me that the
weather had reached that point number
of times the past winter in Washington. 1t
certainly was way below that at many
places throughout the country. OF course,
future DEVELOPMENT of Alaska so far as
stock raising and agriculture are concern
ed. There are 1000 miles of coast In south
ern Alaska where the temperature is never
below 8 degrees above zero and where 1t Is
as mild in the dead Of winter as in half the
United States. Just think of that. Expert
ments are now being made In many places
as to cattle and sheep raising. Only recent
ly 900 sheep were placed on Dokiah Island,
which is.1OO miles long and sixty wide 1t
Is believed that the sheep will stand the
mild climate well, and that there will be less
feeding of the flock in winter than in many
The grass in spring and summer grows
temptingly green. and cattle and sheep
grow fat and contented. AS to vegetables
there is hardly a place in Alaska where they
will not attain splendid growth. OF course,
the interior Of Alaska, far back from the
coast Is cold, and the summers short, but
there are hundreds and thousands Of the
most fertile valleys in the interior where
vegetables will grow easily. l saw man
at Cape Nome last year making a good liv-
ing selling vegetables he had raised from a
small garden. Cape Nome is a good ways
up the coast too.
Mild Weather Along the Coast.
1.-THE mild weather along the coast is
caused, it is generally supposed, by the
Japanese current. Whatever causes it, how
ever, the coast country is one of the most
desirable spots in the world. and before
many years will swarm with people en-
gagged in cattle and sheep raising. agricul-
ture and commerce. AS to the agricultural
development of the interior I don't know.
except that in the summer any vegetable
that grows may be raised with ease. 1
have known three crops of radishes grown
from the same spot of ground in Alaska in
one summer"
Mr.. Jarvis said that the land laws of
Alaska are now more favorable than ever
before to settlers, and that this will induce
many people to go there. The incentive to
agricultural development will not be great
until sufficient people reach the territory to
afford a market for the things that are