New-York tribune., 1905-04-15

ALASKA AND THE KLoND!AE. BY John "a , Seua-
der McIan. With map and ninety-6wO I.I LqstGa dal
tions from photographs. Octave pp. XVI SSO'
Mcclure Phillips q Co.
Mr.. McIain, the Editor Of ''The Minneapolis
Journal who accompanied the committee OF the
United States Senate its visit to Alaska and
the British gold fields Of the Klondile in 1908,
has written an account Of the trip that is not
only exceedingly entertaining as a book OF
travel, but particularly valuable in its open
minded presentation Of the conditions. POSSIBLE
ities and needs Of the Territory. The committee
entered the gold country at Skagway' going d'-
rect to Dawson thence down The Yukon to St
AlichaeI's-where they boarded the United States
revenue cutter McCulloch-skirting the coast to
Seattle and touching at Nome. the Seal Islands.
Unalaska. Kodiak and Valdez. The people Of
Alaska were not backward In presenting their
grievances or In disclosing their resources TO
their Senatorial visitors. and the author has not
failed to make the most Of the Information
which he enjoyed so exceptional opportunity
Of gathering. The universal complaints well
grounded one. Mr. McLain makes apparent
is the lack Of transportation facilities within the
Territory. No other cause-its remoteness' Its
climate, its Objectionable mining laws or even
it's political ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS so pow
erfully to hamper its commercial development.
In this the United States government has been
far less mindful Of the needs Of the re-
eion than have our Canadian neighbOrs. The
liberal amounts that the Dominion government
has spent In building wagon roads in the KlOn-
dixie have. by reducing freight charges, greatly
lowered the cost OF living in the camps around
Dawson and rendered possible the Introduction
OF labor saving machinery. BY these means
the miners are now able proftably TO handle
properties containing a much lower percentage
OF gold than previously, and, in fact, large
part OF the mining industry now consists in
working the old claims. The boom is over
in Dawson, but its prosperity is kept alive by
the fact that it Is still a distributing centre.
Just little below it, on the river and on Amer
lean territory is Eagle. "a city with future"
its future being dependent on the construction
OF a road or, preferably. railroad to Valdez. on
the coast. Valdez is another city with future
the other end OF Eagles. 1t has about
thousand inhabitants. who nestled uncOn-
cernedly at the foot OF great glacier that comes
down TO within four miles OF the town, and
who are holding griTnly TO 1.-The most prac-
ticable, and perhaps the only available open
all-the-year-round port from which a railroad
can be built from the south coast OF Alaska to
the interior" They got there first and their
principal business just now is waiting for some
thing TO turn up, and they go working at it
without any apprehension about the glacier"
',rransportation-the Key 20 Alaska's Locked
Up Wealth" the author concisely heads one Of
his chapters, and proceeds to show what the
treasure Is that IS awaiting the turn Of the key
Supplies and machinery be landed at all
seasons ar Valdez as eheaply at Juneau
and a railroad 10 Eagle would enable that town
to maintain constant communication with the
outside world. 10 sell goods at a slight
advance over coast prices. and to make
Eagle the metropolis of the Yukon How
much gold there is in Alaska the author
naturally does not venture 20 estimate. There
IS a saying there that "the gold in Alaska is
where you find IT," The recent discovery at
Fairbanks illustrates the truth OF it, Fairbanks
is $50 miles from Dawson and 500 miles from
Nome, while the great Treadwell mines are 700
Investigations ar. McI4ain believes and gives
his reasons for believing. that the business OF
taking gold out OF Alaska has scarcely COM
menced: that il viii yet become a permanent
industry-as permanent as coal mining in
Pennsylyania-and that il will take generations
20 exhaust the mineral wealth OF those mar
vellOusly rich and marvellously extensive gold
fields"
This means that mining must be carried on
IKE other great industries. with the aid OF
capital. organization and machinery and not by
the happen-chance methods OF the prospector
with a shovel and a pan Gold is now found by
sinking shafts 20 a depth OF 1870 feet, for ninety
Eve feet OF which the ground is frozen solid
One great drawback az present. Is lack OF water