The Nome nugget., 1903-10-04
WIRE LINEt)
 IN ALASKA Governments New Tele- graph System. TO JOIN THE GABLE: : The Only Missing Link is Be. tween Nome and St.
 Michael.
TO JOIN THE GABLE:

In the district of Alaska since July, e19OO, the government has constructed 1,6l9 miles of land telegraph and 121 miles of cable. Within few days work will be started by the cable ship Burnside, on l,050-mile cable line te.ween Seattle and Juneau; 266- mile line from Stka to Juneau, and a connecting line of about 150 miles join ing the Sitka line with the Seattle Juneau system. All of this work will be completed this fall, when there will be cable and land telegraph lines from the North Pacific coast shore to every important point in Alaska, footing up an aggregate of 3,200 miles, says the Seattle P. l. of Sept. 12.
 But at this, the work of putting the rich northern district in quick touch with the outside world is not to be stopped. Another year, and it may be almost definitely stated, the govern ment will begin the construction of C cable between Valdez and Sitka, which will make the United States northern territory independent, in it's tclegraphic communication with the world, of any of the Canadian lines.
 At the present time this is not the case, nor will it be with the compile tion of the cable now laying, except from the Lynn canal district. Although the western part of the district is liter ally webbed with V res in all the i'm portant sections, the only outlet is by way of Eagle, on the upper Yukon, at the eastern border of the northern ter rritory of the United States. Here con- nnection must be made with the Cana dian lines to Dawson, and thence either via Ashcroft to Vancouver, B. C., or over the lines of the White Pass s, Yukon wires to Skasway.
 From the latter point, after the com pletion of the cable, messages will be handled by it and a share of the Cana dian mileage cut off, which, it is eX pected, will be the means of greatly reducing the present expensive tolls. At the present time, however, and until the cable is finished, the only r exit from the land wires of the North is byway of Vancouver.
 From the remote western parts the tolls at the present time arc so high as to preclude the general use of the lines in a business way. This is due to the fact that all through messages must pass over the Canadian system, where nearly two-thirds of the present charges are absorbed. With the completion Of the work the department has laid out for this year, these rates from Nome and other points in the territory will be materially reduced, so as to permit rof greater commercial use b the lines.
 At the present time there are forty two land telegraph offices in the dis trict of Alaska. They are as follows, beginning from the west: Nome, Fort Davis, Safety Harbor, St. Michael, Golsovia, Unalaklik, Old Woman, Kal- tag, Nulato, Koyukuk. Grimkop, Lou den, Melozi, Korkrines Briches, Fort Gibbon, Rampant, Cessna, Baker, Glen, Tolavava, Neanna, Cinema, Fairbanks, Salcha, Goodpasturo, Central, Summit, Ketchumstock, Fort Liscum, Valdez, 1Saina, Teikhell, Tonsina Copper Cen ter, Christochina, Mentaska Pass, Tan aana Crossing, North Fork, Fort Egg bert, Skagway, Haines Mission, Ju- neau, Sitka and Seattle the latder two to be placed in operation as soon as the cable is completed.
 At each of these offices there is sta- tioned an operator, and through them the districts of Nome and the lower Yukon to Rampant on the upper Yu- .,kon, the entire Tanana and a greater ,poroion of the Copperriver are covered. This takes in the entire settled portion ,Of the far North, each port of which is at the present time in direct communi- cation with all parts of the globe.
 With the system thus far advanced, the necessity was apparent for a cutoff aine'to join Rampant, on the Yukon, .@ith Baker, on the Panama line, and