Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1907-09-11
FARMS IN FAR NORTH.

FARMS IN FAR NORTH.
Nearly 100000 Acres of Alaska
Soon to BE Opened.
At distance of some fifty miles
south Of the arctic circle 2,9s0,OO0
acres Of land Will be opened for settlei
ment in Alaska on Sept 30, by recent
order Of the secretary Of the interior.
This great tract has been held in re-
serve for a national forest around Nor
ION bay, but the project was aban-
doned, 30 many were the demands for
entry on land which had been found
more suitable for settlement, says the
New York Tribune. The spring rush
for Alaska overwhelmed steamship &C.
commodations and filed up tho
wharves at Seattle with household
freight, but the order of the secretary
is expected to prolong the rush up to
the approach of winter Alaska has
been in the throes Of general strike
and tie-up, but as usual in such cases
this feature is wearing itself out. These
troubles were caused by the shortage
Of labor In southeastern Alaska, owing
to the activity Of railway building and
the development Of new mines, culnl-
mating In general demand for higher
wages.
Agriculture Is proceeding hand In
hand with the efforts Of government
experiment stations, which are con-
stantly determining what will grow
which heretofore has been exotic to the
soil. So far, all the harder vegetables
have been made to thrive, and in the
large valleys of the Interior expert
ments are being made, with every pros
pect of success, to grow hay, grain and
stock feed capable of maintaining
work animals. The great valley along
the Susltna river in central Alaska,
extending north from Cooks inlet and
Resurrection bay, 1t Is declared, has
mild climate all the year, owing to
the warm currents Of the ocean, and
will grow almost anything that Ii
raised In temperate zones.
Most important to Alaska has been
the improvement Of the transportation
facilities, both On steamship and rail-
way lines In the Susltna valley the
Alaska Central railway last year had
forty-seyen and a half miles Of stand
ard gauge track in operation north
from Seward and Its roadbed In ex-
cellent shape. The series Of tunnels
and heavy grade work for the next
six and half miles were 90 per cent
completed last year and are now about
to be opened. The seven tunnels In
this section are $500 feet long and
with their completion trains will have
flfty-four miles of track. The line
aims for Gairbanks, Monatuska coal
fields and the Yukon, 400 miles north
ward. The Copper River railway had
completed twenty miles Of road from
Cordova and Its grade was done al
most to Copper river at the close of
last season. Much of Its heavy rock
work through the Abercrombie canyon
of the Copper river was completed.
The Tanana Mines railway had In
operation when the snowfall began last
autumn thirty-six miles of road, from
CAenate Gilmore through Fairbanks.
The Copper River and Northwestern
railway had about completed twenty
miles of grading north from Valdez
and surveyors were laying out other
routes, including one from Catalla to
the Kayak coal fields and thence
parallel with the Copper River rail-
way. The Valdez and Yukon railway
had completed Its wharf and office,
laid one mile of standard grade track
and graded part Of Its roadbed. The
Solomon River railway had extended
Its line to Casadepaga and pushed con
struction to reach Council City.
The Nome and Arctic railway had
purchased the Wild Goose railroad and
pushed Its line toward Kougarok. The
Alaska Short Line railway, with ter.
minus at Illiamna bay, proposes to
push on to Nome. Most of these lines
are anxious to build Into the Kayak
coal fields, where coal is plentiful and
of high grade for coking and general
|suse.
/ The permanent white population of
Alaska is now 33,OOO with 5000 nom
ads at work here and there. The in
crease now averages $500 souls a year,
a figure which the coming opening of
lands Is expected to swell materially.
These people shipped to the states last
year $29,S39,2s6 worth of gold, silver,
copper and merchandise in the form of
fish products. Gable. telegraph and
mail connections are being generally
extended and already Alaska Is ambiti-
GUS to become a state.