The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-04
WELCOME YANKEES
Our Siberian Neighbors Across Ben
ring Straits Are Friendly to
Americans.

Member of American Syndicate Tells
Of Vast Resources of That
Region.
There are imitless possibilities in
| northeastern Siberia for those who have
the energy and the courage to exploit that
district, and the time will soon come when
American enterprise will have SO, far. dis
covered the immense wealth of that COM
paratively unknown country as to have
| effected a commercial union between Rus
STA and the United States. without having
had recourse to anything but the law OF
| supply and demand.
| This is the opinion of r. A. Brown of
| Duluth, who has just finished a journey OF
II, 600 miles as a member of the Ferdinand
w. Peck party of Chicago, and who is in
terested with Mr.. Peck and his friends In
the extensive Northeastern Siberian Con-
cession, which is controlled and Is being
developed by the Northwestern CONNER
cial company Of Seattle.
Mr.. Brown and Ferdinand w. Peck, for
merly United States commissioner to the
Paris exposition, and his brother Clarence
I. Peck. both Of Chicago, arrived in Min
| neapolis Thursday night, the Chicago gen.
tlemen continuing their journey east after
stopping here but a few hours. The party
went west from Minneapolis July and
| during the two months which have
elapsed they have been as far east as III
degrees and 80 minutes and as far north as
70 degrees. The total distance travelled
Of the journey, they were 200 miles north
of the arctic circle, which was crossed by
the party six times during its journey.
The Northwestern Commercial company
Is headed by John Rosene, capitalist
whose operations are world wide, and In
it's list of stockholders are the names Of
the president Of the Wabash railroad, Jas.
Ramsey; B. F.. Yoakunl president Of the
Frisco system; A. M. Marshall, president
| Of the MARSHALL Wells Hardware company
of Duluth; Herbert L. Griggs, president Of
| the Bank of New York; Lyman J. Gage,
president of the United States Trust COM
pany; Thomas L. Greenough, the Spokane
capitalist and Count Constantine Pod
horski of st. Petersburg.
This company, which was organized
about three years ago, has concession
from the Russian government giving It
control Of 100000 square miles territory In
that part Of Siberia, including the Tchu-
kotsk peninsula, just across the Behr1ng
strait from Nome and the enormously rich
Seward peninsula, which is but fifty miles
! distant It is the pioneer American COM
pany in Siberia and If the plans laid out
and the hopes entertained by the pro-
meters are realized it will mean the
opening up of an immense market Tor
lAn1e r1Can prOOuCCS.
ID. Persons who have not travelled that far
northern country have no conception of
. the enormous wealth which has not yet
been touched there" said Mr.. Brown this
morning. In the Seward peninsula, which
is just behind Nome, there will be an out
: put of $7,000,000 in gold this year and
firmly believe that this will be increased
a to $50, 900, 900 year within ten years.
Back in the districts which have not
, yet been staked the creeks and river beds
: are full Of gold which will begin to come
Into the market within a few years.
have seen those who knew nothing ABOUT
mining take out small fortunes while
watched them. One of them named
Caribou BILL with a hand rocker, took
out s., DOG in two hours on Anvil creek
= within five miles Of Nome.
"And as for other resources, the famous
: revenue cutter, corWin,,t which our party
chartered, coaled from the banks at Point
= Lisbon, north Of the Arctic circle and got
100 tons directly from the veins, which
in some cases run sixteen feet thick, y.
"But Alaska Is only equal to the native
q and undeveloped wealth of the Siberian
q peninsula. just across the straits. The
a forty-two miles of water did not stop the
q gold deposits, and I saw the Russians
Il working the creeks and finding, the golc
81 under conditions very similar, to- those II
Il Alaska. = 49, - . 10 = -: =. -, :
81 but gold is not the only thing Siberia
abounds in. Immense deposits of high
81 grade graphite and tin and probably thu
= largest body Of coal in the world at Baron
q kopft bay are only some of the resource!
81 which are awaiting American enterprise
~ To the trading stations already estab
= lished by the Northwestern Commercial
IA company are brought furs from a distance
\ of over 1000 miles.
cat one of the buildings owned by tn
n company the rooms are filled ceiling higl
with polar bear skins, blue foxes, ermin
y and sable. All these furs are acquire'
Il from the natives by trade, as the native
r do not understand money and will no
Is take It. It is the first time In my lif
ID that T ever saw American money re
e fused. They do want -four, tho
y "But the commercial invasion Of tn
~ country has already begun. When w
- were exploring the interior we arrived a
a Russian mining camp, hungry and with
Ia out provisions. In a poor tent In tina
camp we were given by a Russian mine
a lunch of American crackers and Ham
mond's canned roast beef! So, you SCI
81 we are not the only ones. &
~ IT know from personal experience ths
. while the Russian government may NJ
=. have tIfe kindest of feeling toward tn
| commercial invasion Of this territory b
other nations, it does welcome America
| investment and American enterprise.
Count Constantine Podhorski, the go'
t ernor Of the Tchukotsk peninsula, at
dinner given us, expressed repeatedly h
admiration for American enterprise ar
energy. He frequently said that durir
his administration too many American
: could not come to help build up the gre
Siberian peninsula.
up. 'The counts courtesies were unbound
~ and the party will long remember OF
dinner In particular, which consisted
ire entirely Russian courses, including rel
s eIc deer chops and roasts, served with Ru
sian vodki and champagne and Russis
cigarets. He is as familiar with 'Chica
- and New York as he is with the Russis
empire and his peculiar position with t
Russian government makes his declar
1 lions Of arnity almost official.
During the dinner he spoke Of MINI
!, \ apolis as one Of the most beautiful citi
The had ever seem
.The opening up Of Siberia thru t
use of American capital means the d
. velopment Of an immense Siberia
American trade, the company now havi
five ships In Its trade between Sibel
and the United States.
. .sThe friendship Of the Russian COVER
nm ment to American enterprise cannot
doubted. That this friendship will CO
tinue as it is at present, none Of us W
are intimately connected with the stu
ton and conditions can doubt"