The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1909-03-25
LETTER FROM ALASKA.
William W. Peck, A Former Thompson
Township Roy, Is In Love With Our
Northern Possessions.
HE HAS BEEN THERE FIVE YEARS.

country-great in territorial ex
tent, great IN the intelligence and
enterprise of lis citizens, and
great in the possibilities of future
development. In the acquisition
of vast territorial limits, we differ
from those nations who have no
better right to the space they oc
cupy on the map, than that Of
conquest-wrestlng the territory
from the rlghtful owners at the
point of the sword. Uncle Sam
Is proud of his large farm of near
ly four million square miles, and
prouder still of the fac5 that he
has from time to time enlarged
his possessions by buying and
paying for the land thus added.
In 1867, when from Russia he
bought Ala, ka, comprising about
a half million of square miles of
territory, for S7,2OO,OOO, he was
the butt of all manner of Jokes
for wanting to monopollze the Ice
business, and getting a country
where a fellow could call on his
sweetheart in the evening, talk
nice things to her for about four
months, and still get home before
daylight. But the little more
than forty years since that time
has shown that our Uncle Samu-
ell was the same shrewd Yankee
in that deal that he was when he
made the Louisiana purchase, or
bought Florida from SPAN.
The cost 10 United States of
Alaska was a little less than a
dollar and half a square mile,
and the gold and silver that it IS
producing, the great beds of coal
that underlie Its hills and valleys,
the immense forests of tim Der
that cover Its vast areas,-all go
to make up a wealth that makes
every citizen of the Country
richer. The following from VIM.
w. Peck, native of Thompson
township will be read with inter-
est by his many friends. William
went to Ketchlkan, Alaska, five
years ago, and from his letter we
may believe that the longer he
stays there, the better he likes
the place. He says: "Ketchikan
is the best city IN Alaska, and in
a few years will be the largest.
When | came here five years ago,
there were no hotels, but all kinds
of gam bling dens, two dance
halls, and, of course, plenty of
saloons; for 1t would seem that
the saloon is the pioneer of Amer.
lean civilization. To day Ketchi-
kan has population of twelve
hundred people and no gambling
places or dance halls. We have
two hotels-one that cost $40, 900,
and the other nearly as much.
We have three churches, two
schools-one for the Indians and
one for the Whites; two general
stores, eleven saloons, a bank, a
wireless telegraph station, saw
mill. a daily newspaper, and-ln
the Ketchikan District, there are
six canneries that each put up
from forty TO eighty thous.
and cases of salmon every sum
mer. The New England Fish
Company is building Cold Stor,
age plant near this place. They
now have four large fishing boats,
and will soon have a steamer run
ming between this place and Sc
attic. They will employ nearly
two hundred men.
There are twelve or fifteen
mines-gold and copper--in the
Ketchikan District-each EN-.
ploylng from thirty to one hun.
dred men, and each Shipping two
or three hundred tons of ore ev-
cry month. ] look for this sum
mer to be the best Ketchikan has
ever seen. There is plenty of
work-wages from three to five
dollars day, We have lots of
rain and snow here but it is the
most healthful country that /
have ever found. You may think
1t gets very cold here In the win.
ter, but 1t doesn't. The ther.
mometer registered one degree
below zero here this winter and