The Alaska prospector., 1903-08-20
An A1l-American Mail Route,

An Al1-American Mail Route.
 Speech of Jas. Fish, Jr. at Senator
 ial Banquet.
 As you are all aware, mail con- tracts are let for a term of four years, and eighteen months ago the Post Office department advertised bids for carrying the mails from Seattle, via Juneau, Sitka, Yakutat, Kayak, Nuchek. Orca, Ellamar and Fort Liscum, to Valdez, the run ming time to be limited between Seattle and Valdez to seven days. This would necessitate putting on considerably faster vessels than have heretofore been employed. The lowest bid submitted was $35, ,000 per annum. The depart ment considered the price excessive and re-advertised, with the result that the contract was awarded to the P. P. & \. Co.,, at a compensa- sion of ;i20,600 per annum. After struggling along for one year, dur ing which the average time con sumed was ten days instead of seven, the department extended the running time to nine days. The distance covered is approximate ly 1640 miles. and as there are nu- merous narrows and shallow places on the route, through which the vessels can only pass at a certain stage of the water, and total ab- sence of lighthouses and other aids to navigation at the entrances to the ports called at, it often happens that vessel must lay over from three 10 fifteen hours to get into port. The distance from Seattle to Valdez direct, via the straits of Juan de Fuca, thence direct to ca pc Hinchinbrook and thence to Valdez is 1907 miles, and a vessel making but ten knots an hour can make this run in about five days, which is one half the time required under the present contract.
 The route from Valdez to Eagle is a short. sure and practical way for transporting Alaska mails to all points along the Yukon and Nome. The time consumed how ever, in landing mails at Valdez, is six days longer than is required to land the mails from Seattle to Skagway. Hence, while the dis tance of overland travel from tide water to Eagle is one hundred miles shorter by way of Valdez, yet the six days lost in ocean trans portation is more than can be made up over the superior all-Am- erican route.
 Last winter the Post Office de- partment had an arrangement with the Canadian government, whereby it was to transport American Alas kan mails through its territory, the United States to pay their pro rata of the expense.
 Now gentlemen, what we wish you to do is to take up with the de- partment, the advisability of dis continuing the despatch of Ameri- can mail through Canadian terri tory, and diverting the money now paid to the Canadian government and awarding the contract to an American steamship company for a direct service twice month from Seattle to Valdez, and a running time not exceeding five days, in addition to the present service. This additional service to be in ef- feet at least from November 1 to April 30, as under present condi- tions during the season of open navigation on the Yukon, the mails can be more expeditiously trans- ported via the Canadian route.
 And now in regard to this wagon road to Eagle l desire to show you that this road can be made a prof. itable investment to the govern ment. Transportation of mail to Eagle now costs $44 900 per annum for twice a month service, May 1 to November 30 and a four times a month service December to April 3o. Tie compensation for carry ing this mail Is absolutely the only revenue that can be derived from