The Oskaloosa herald., 1905-09-07
THE LAND OF ALASKA
A ceuniry " Confessions Described
BY Maior Lacey.

" a delirhsul hours tain tha.
ssemei but half ~ long. Maint Lacey
last evening AZ The n. N. q. A. told
~ his recent trip 10 Attacks. Major
laceys talk was Interesting IN every
sentence. and was feplala with hu.
mofuus Illustrations .of his points.
TO begin, according 10 Major In.
wy, Alaska was a study Ia confusion.
The Nastnoes Of the country waH con.
fusion, the usual arrangement upon
tho map was confusing, and the par.
allcis being so closo together, to-
gether with the midnlkht sun, made
q verltablc chaos Of time.
The territory embraces some $780,.
10000 acres OF land and has about
10000 miles Of sea coast, or moro
sea coast than all the rest OF the
United states combined. In making
mis- trip 90 Alaska Major Lacey tray.
elled some 10000 miles.
lie reached tho territory In the day
time, and II was day time during his
entire stay. With daylight during tho
six months OF summer, and with the
parallels so close together that in go
ing cast and west one had TO go a
very short distance 10 mako u great
change in tho time, 80 that ones
watch was forever wrong II ono were
travelling, 1t was elmost q Chinese
puzzle To understand the time. In
the staterooms on tho boat which
Mr.. Lacey used down the Yukon,
there were three shifts OF roomers,
each using the stateroom for eight
hours. It did not make any differ
ence which hours one used tit was
day all the time.
Major Lacey spoke Of the inside
history OF the purchase Of Alaska.
William II. Seward purchased the ter
ritory from Russia In 1867 for ST.
100000, the land being simply worth.
less in the opinion OF the world. Rus
STA had been the only friend 6f the
United States during the days Of tho
rebellion and had protected this ma
tlon with her feet from the interfer.
ence Of other nations. The purchase
Of Alaska was q sort OF indication u
the good will Of the United States
toward Russia.
Since the purchase Of the territory
the revenue from scaling alone has
paid into the government the cost OF
the territory. Aside from this, In an
individual way, Mono has increased
Americas wealth. For instance, $751;
100000. Alaska'B Importance as a
trading interest Ia great. Last year
the territorial exports TO the states
were almost $30,000,000 while from
the United States the Alaskans pur.
chased $11,Gy0,00O worth OF materials.
Major Lacey described his journey
up the coast 10 Skaguay, across the
Great White Pass, where so many
lives we're Lost In the great Klondike
rush, then TO the head waters Of the
Yukon, and down the Yukon TO the
Behrlng sea and TO Nome.
Across the Great White Pass,
where Charley Leighton, Will Yer
non and other oskaloosa boys toilcd
on foot through the snow and leo,
and where hundreds Of lives we're lost
In snowslideg, not ten years ago, Ma
jor Lacey road comfortably In trail.
way train. Down tho Yukon where
the prospcctor used 10 hollow his
own boat and float slowly ON, he tray
eled in a steamer, tbs sIster OF the
Diamond 10 type Of Mississippi river
beats.
Major Ta;w continued In q pleas
ant description Of the country and
the climate % no found H. and Of the
modes of travel and customs OF the
Alaskan territory. He said that the
a & Of men who were nov IN Alaska
gaq a superb e,sga o. is.ows asa re.
fcrred WITH parGonabIe pride 70 the
fact that he nd been taken into their
organization, the "Arctlce Brother
hood"
Major Lacey declared It 10 have
been n delightful experience, and a
trip. for itGeIf, well worth taking,
but declared That no Iowab need re-
greet that he was not in Alaska, for
Iowa was OF itself far more rich. He
declared that the people were capa'
BILE OF self government and that he
hoped that they would loon receive
II at the hands Of the nation.
Il a | q. .