Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-11-14
WONDERFUL ALASKA.
How Stewards Ice Box is Contributing
to the Nations Wealth.

When the treaty for the purchase or
Alaska was negotiated with Russia in
1867 the act met with practically gem
eral opposition from all sources in the
United States. A few far-seeing, al
most prophetic officers of state pre-
dicted a great future of wealth and
Importance for the country, but Con-
gress frothed at the mouth when the
deed of acquisition was laid before 1t
for ratification and the fight was won
by the administration only after en-
countering the most strenuous OPP l.
ton. The price. $7.200,O00, was T. q
out, so the general verdict had it, for a
huge expanse of territory that would
always be a burden to the government.
the idea that it would ever yield dol
lar to the citizens of this country was
actively pooh psphed.
1t is not necessary to dwell on the
history of AlaskaAto tell the story of
the discovery of it's gold and a thou
sand and one other sources of wealth.
A resume of the facts as they are to-
day is sufficient to make this story i'm
pressive and to show that the future of
Alaska has only begun.
In 1867 it imported nothing from and
exported nothing to the United States.
In 1903 it bought from the people of the
United States $9.266.504 worth Of all
kinds of merchandise and sent us sell
| 1677S7 worth of gold, copper. tin, sill
ver fish, furs fertilizers, wool and nu-
merous other products of the country.
In other words, in one year alone it
paid back to us nearly 100000 more
| than the government paid for the terri
| tory in 1867, and added to the actual
| wealth of the United States during the
same period approximately three times
| the amount of the original purchase
price. When the acquisition was made
| it was felt that we had paid S7.20O,000
more than the territory was worth; to-
| day its mineral wealth is unknown but
has been conservatively estimated by
| fairly competent authorities at $780,
| 900 1000, a realization in one item alone
| of considerably more than 1000 per
| cent. on our original Investment. Its
| fur. fish and oil industry is worth not
less than S75000000 or over 1000 per
| cent. more than we paid for the entire
territory. Thirty seven years ago it
| was not believed that Alaska would
Pi'NdCC oily SiOP, Dut oIie VI ISC anu
snow, today as a result of experiments
| conducted by the United States De-
| partment of Agriculture, it is known
| that it has not less than 30O0O.000
| acres Of tillable land, which will be
| worth about $40 an acre when fully
brought under cultivation, adding to
the value of the country $1,000, 0OO, 900.
or 1900 times what it cost us to buy
| the country 81 years ago.
The reiteratiOn of that purchase price
in tables of comparison is a good
thing. 1t shows what harvest we
| have with the expenditure of a handful
| of seed. In 1903 the fish catch of all
| sorts was worth over 100000 and the
| amount Of gold produced nearly SILL
| 100000 Compare those two items
| alone with the original price of Sew
ards ice box" yet 81 years ago had
| anyone asserted that it would produce
| anything having an annual value OF
$4,000 they would have been dubbed
| crazy. And the treasure box of the
| Territory has only been scratched at
that. No one dreamed it's trade would
ever give employment to q single ship.
but it is now one of the greatest stimu-
lants to the shipping trade of the Pa
cific coast, last year over 700 vessels
having cleared from it's several ports.
L e1,< Grck L. ~