Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1903-11-06
FUTURE OF ALASKA.
Prospect Of Its Becoming a Great
Farming District.
II II Believed the Country VIII Ne
Capable Of Supporting 10000
900 Persons In Sem sAAing
Like Comf0rt.

Some idea Of the future OF Amska
and it's almost boundless resources 10
given by Harrington Emerson In the
Engineering Magazine. Mr.. Emerson
believes that Alaska con support
population OF 10000, 900 personsin in COM
fort and that at no distant day It
will be one Of the worlds richest min
ing and farming districts. The ideas
OF this explorer are expressed in part
as follows:
The Yukon, the fourth largest river
in the world, navigable for more than
1000 miles above its mouth and run
ming in great semi-circle from south
eastern to northwestern Alaska, forms
a natural highway. All this was
known long ago; but II was not known
that the interior contained 100 900
square miles OF farming lands and al
most limitless areas OF the richest
mineral lands in the world. II is In
this unsubdued country that thou
sands OF miles OF railroad must be
built. that great areas will open for
settlement. absorbing and keeping
busy 100000 workers az fast az they
choose TO go.
ut is, however. not the agricultural
resources that will Immediately at
trnct the largest influx Of population
and capital. About 140 miles from
Valdez in the Chittyna valley are very
great copper deposits, which during
the last season have been visited by
many experts. Some Of the ores run
s5per cent. copper, and there are many
thousand tons in sight assaying IS per
cent.
"A great mountain slide has occurred
in this region revealing, IL il claimed,
as much as 40000,0OO tons OF high
grade copper ores. Valdez bay and the
low pass north Of it are the American
gateways to the Yukon valley, and al
ready railroad has been surveyed and
partly graded to the interior, for the
copper, though II can be qunrred like
the iron ores Of Lake Superior, with
out railroad will remain worthless.
The railroad itself il assured an un~
limited tonnage. II 10 The shortest
line to Dawson and the Yukon valley,
and what is of more Importance, il
can carry supplies delivered at VAL
dez from sailing vessels or deep draft
ocean steamers in all the months Of
the year, with only one break Of bulk
at Valdez, and also reach the deep
navigable Yukon and the Koyukuk a
month earlier than by the Yukon
mouth, which is closed by Behrng
sea ice until July
'As shown In the history of tho
White Pass railroad. the ingoing traf.
fc would in itself be sufficient to war;
rant railroad. but from Dawson the
only export is gold. about 70 tons q
year, while this road will not only car
ry all the United States governments
troops and supplies, for which many
hundred thousand dollars are spent,
but II will have the unlimited out
bound tonnage Of high-g copper
ores, which, with freight rate Of two
dollars ton from Valdez to the smell.
ters Of Puget sound will scarcely be
treated in the interior,
IT is not too much TO expect that
improvement In transportation facili-
ties alone will convert central Alaska
into as clofely populated and prosv
porous region as Colorado, az the
Black Hills, Of South Dakota, as the
rich mining region of British Colum~
bia."