The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-03-29
City News
MONEYED MEN LOOK
TO ALASKA MINES
THIRD RAILWAY SOON TO PENE-
TRATE INTERIOR.
New 'Dtggings in Far North Are Fast
Being Opened and Railroad Build
ers Hustle to Get Share Of Freight
Fortunes Being Made Under Arctic
Circle. " ..s ....

Alaska is attracting more attention
since the district became a possession
of the United States. The investing
public has finally become pretty well
satisfied that there are rich deposits
there of gold, copper and Goa, as well
as other natural resources OF import
ance. The great trouble is the lack
of transportation. ~
Rev. D. w. Cram, who writes Valdez
under his name as his place of residence,
on his way from Washington, D. c., to
Alaska, says that the third railroad on
the south shore is already under way.
The first, of course, is the White Pass,
which crosses over into the British ter
ritory twenty-five miles from Ska quay.
The second is the Alaska Central, under
construction from Seward on the east
side of the Kenai peninsula and headed
for Fairbanks. It has over forty miles
Of track laid. The third has been COM
menced at Valdez and grading is under
way up the Lowe river thru the coast
range. Its destination is Fairbanks
on the Tanana, and possibly Eagle City
on the Yukon. Mr.. Rosine, president
nay is understood to be financing this
line. -..
Other Lines Proposed.
Two or three other railroad schemes
are talked about, one Of them to start
from Cordova Bay near the mouth of
the Copper river and follow up that
stream. The promoters of some of
these enterprises have been trying to
secure government aid, but the activity
Of the Alaska Central and the North
western Commercial company, who have
gone, ahead without any government
aid, undertaking to build their roads as
other railroads are built nowadays, has
made it practically impossible for any
| other line to secure help from the gov,
eminent. 1t may be, however, that
the government will find it necessary
in order to carry thru any of these
projects to guarantee securities for a
limited period or provide some other
substantial aid. 49,
The magnets which are drawing these
railroads, says Mr.: Cram, are the i'm
mense deposits Of copper in the Copper
River valley, the new rich diggings on
the Kantishna on the north slope of
Mount Mckinley and the Fairbanks
district in the Tanana valley. Fair
banks IS the biggest gold camp in the
north at present, having now distanced
Dawson in point Of population. 1t is
| oHAPNcoSA
will also exceed that of Dawson durin E
$1S ,ooo,o66. The Kantishna promises e.
as we'll now as the Fairbanks district
altho it is not SO well developed, and
the presence of 10000 or $4,000 people
in the heart of Alaska, mining for gold
is pretty. sure to bring in rail trans
portatlon.1 6eaA T L - '.>. ~
Everything is Prosperous.
Mr.. Cram believes that the Alaska
commercial interests are enjoying better
EProspects just now than ever before
He has lived in Alaska for severa
years, the last year having been spen
north Of the arctic circle at Beetles
the terminus of river transportation OF
the Koyukuk. The upper Koyukuk a
Beetles and Coldfoot has sustained
mining population of three or four hun
dred for several years in spite of tn,
fact that freight for food supplies
diggings there are rich and in the shor
summer season "pan out' so we'll tina
men are justified, in working them
The output of the district ranges from
100000 to $500 900 year, some claim
producing $4,000 to $4,000 each an
one as much as $4,000 net during tn
| last year. It is the most northern
{ gold camp in the world.
Mr.. Cram says the Indians along tn
, demic Of measles which went down tn
, river last year. A similar plagu
3 swept the south coast in 1900 and cal
ried them off by tens of thousands
= The results are not so disastrous alon
) the Yukon, both because the populatio
is sparser and because the whites wer
able to take better care of the native.
f They know nothing of this disease an
e do not take the precautions against e1
e posture necessary to avoid fatal result,
s An interesting feature of Mr.. Cram
4 lection of probably eighty different v.
!, rieties Of wild flowers above the Arcti
circle. edo you know said Mr.. Gran
"there are more varieties Of beautif1
e wild flowers in northern Alaska tina
e there are in California; I presume "
e didn' It get half to be found in the r
t gion Of BEETLES. Mrs. Cram exhauste
: the supply of blotting paper on II
e Koyukuk for the purpose Of preparin
: her collection, and then didn't hay
half enough. The work will, howeve
r Heidemann~ Of Fort Gibbon are carrie
out. Mr.. Heidemann, by the way, W;
formerly resident of st. Peter, I thin
and member Of the Minnesota 1egisl
1 ture sixteen or seventeen years ago. F
: is now in the United States signal ser
), ice attached to the station at Fort Gil
bon on the Yukon river. He made
= large collection Of flowers in that T
gion, and on my report Of what was
be found north Of the Arctic circle, a
70 ranged for leave of absence to visit tt
q upper waters of the Koyukuk duri1
e the coming summer. He promised n
= in consideration Of assistance render,
:, ~ him, to give me a duplicate set of b
y findings. If I get them, they will
If to the University of Minnesota. -