The Alaska prospector., 1908-05-21

supplies that had been cached. To disprove this statement, we had to send lawyer all the way to the Philippines to take the testimony of Major Abercrombie, and he testified that no food supplies had been left behind by him. That fact alone weighed tons of evidence, and if the case had been tried before a fair judge we would not have been beaten. The judge simply refused to hear the testimony we had obtained, because, according to his views, it came to late. He held that we had had our day in court.
 1.-The Chairman. So that you lost the Bonanza property?
 "Mr. Barrinn. Yes, sir: and the whole thing cost us about S25O, ,OOO. Now you will see the difficulty of go- ing to law in Alaska.
 MT. Reynolds. Before what judge was this tried?
 "Mr. Barring It was before judge Wickersham, The governor said yesterday that he did not think that anybody wanted to build railroad beyond the copper region. Of course, we can not build beyond the copper | region unless we get help. We be- lcve, in fact we know, that all that vast country between the Panama and the 1uk on is a gold country. That means that there would be rush of people and plenty of traffic into that section as quick as the road is built whithin 30 miles of the edge, and such q road would certainly pay as far as it is built. Tho White Pass Railroad had no more freight at the beginning of operations than we would have and probably not as much. 'The Chairman. But that road had d passenger traffic.
 Business in Sight 'Mr. Barring. Why would not our road have large passenger traffic? Travellers pay now S15O for seat in a stage to go into the interior as far as | Fairbanks.
 "Mr. Houston. From what point do they pay that?
 "Mr. Barring. They pay that to go from Valdez to Fairbanks.
 "Mr. Higgins. How long does it take to make the trip?
 "Mr. Barring. They go about 30 miles day and it takes about seven days.
 MT. Andrews. Some people go on dog slcds.
 MT. Houston. How many trips do they make?
 "Mr. Barring. They make two trips q week?
 ''The Chairman, Two trips each way?
 MT. Barring. Yes, sir: those stages bring as high as $1, ,OOO, GOO in gold each week. Every stage coming in brings some gold. l say that q road built to the interior would pay from it's very inception. The moment 1t got beyond the mountains every mile ot it would pay, because pros pcctors have good deal of difficulty now in getting in. It now costs to get freight on top of the mountains about $50 ton, unless there is a large quantity on which freight contract can be made. You have literally got to drag it into the interior, and you can get up to the mountain only by relays, That takes time. The traffic begins mainly in February and March when the trail is literally black with people, horses, dOgsleds and hand slcds.
 Afraid of Freeze-out
 "1 believe that is about all I want to say on the subject. All we want this committee to do is to consider the Lowering bill favorably. What we need is help, little practical help. We do not care who builds the railroad, provided it is built for pub lie use and opens up the whole coun- try and not only certain regions where the railroad people control things. We have certainly nothing against the Guggenheims, and they may build the road if they desire, if it does not mean a freeze-out to other independent interests. It was the understrapper that we ran afoul of. believe that the Guggenheims are as honest as other suuare-dealinp people, and ] do not believe they know everything that has been done and labelled with their name.
 '"The Chairman. Is it not gener- ally assumed that the Guggenheims