Putnam patriot., 1911-08-04

.s.,a =, - " PAotect tne channel.
 .'esoiiu' that the flats extend two or
 siliee miles from the shore. and tsird
 'nat Ice formed in the rivers anteri,,e,
 'he bay and. affected by tidal currents
 may destroy structures pBr uno,, rts
 i'liS and especially a long trestl. bnfl,
 over them. D'i4''
 Ryan Asks For Land
 In December. 1909. Richard S pra.
 representing the Controller Railway
 anu Navigation company. applied 10
 MT. Pinehot. the then forester, for a,
 summation from the Chugach forest
 reservation of tract of land to enabla
 hls company to secure railroad for.
 minais. bunkers, railroad shopS etc
 on the northwest shore of Controller
 pay. This application was referred oy the associate forester to the district forester at Portland. Ore. and by him 10 the forester in Alaska. The result ol these references and the application
 was mat early in 1910 NIT. Graves. who had in the meantime become for. ester reported that there was no ob. lection from the standpoint of forestry interests to the elimination of the trae. indicated or, indeed. of lSOeO acres on the northwest shore of Controller bay.
 The attention of the navy depart. ment was invited by the forestry bu- reau to the proposal to open the shore of controller bay to entry and occupa ton. and inquiry was made whether the navy department desired to use controller bay as reservation and whether # objected to its being opened up. The answer was in the negative
 The matter was considered by the forestry bureau, by the secretary of agneuiture, by the secretary of the in terier and by the general land office and the result was a recommendation 10 me in May, 1910 that an elimina. ton be made of 320 acres with a front age of 160 rods on the northwest shore of Controller bay.
 l considered the whole case in Au- gust, 1910. and directed that the 320 acres, recommended by both depart ments, be eliminated as recommended The question finally came before the cabinet late in October. After full discussion of the matter and after consideration of the law l expressed dissatisfaction with the order because it purported on its face to make the elimination for the benefit of a rail road company of q tract of land which the company could not secure under the statute, for it was a tract 320 acres in one body when only 1G0 acres could be thus acquired In the second place, preferred to make much larger elimination of a tract facing the entire channel and with sufficient room for d terminal railway town.
 I was willing to do this because l found the restrictions in the law suffi eient to prevent the possibility of any monopoly of either the upland or the harbor or channel by the Controller Railway and Navigation company or any other persons or company.
 It had been originally suggested by the forestry bureau that 1S,000 acres might safely be eliminated so far as forestry purposes were concerned, but fear had been expressed by one of the district foresters that such a large elimination would offer an opportunity to the company to use land scrip and acquire title to extensive town sites. and the result of the joint considera- ton of both departments had been the reduction to 320 acres.
 Assumes All Responsibility.
 I wish to be as specific as possible upon this point and to say that l alone am responsible for the enlargement of the proposed elimination from 32O acres to lo,SOO acres and that ] pro posed the change and stated my req sons therefor. and, while both secre- taries cordially concurred in 1t, the suggestion was mine.
 The statement of Mir. Ryan, who had been properly vouched to the forester by two gentlemen whom l know. MT. Chester Lyman and MT. Fred Jen- nings, and who had produced a letter from a reputable financial firm. Probst. Wetzer X Co.,, was that the railway company which be represented had ex- pended more than S75,0OO in making for the construction Of a railway from Controller bay to the coal fields, twenty-five miles away. but that they were obstructed in so doing by the order reserying the Chugach forest reservation, which. covered all of the Controller bay shore. He. as well as Probst, Wetzler x Co. gave every assurance that the Copper River Railway company. owned by Messrs. Morgan and Guggenheim, had no con nection with them and that they were ,npaged in an independent enterprise in good faith to build an independent railroad. Nc evidence to the contrary has been brought to my attention pince.
 Of course it was possible that the owners of the Copper River Railway company might attempt to buy thls railroad when and if it was built IT was possible that Mir. Ryan was act Ing in the interests of the Copper R1v- pr railroad. although l did not believe It.
 Protected by Congress.
 If railroad was to be constructed from Controller bay to the Boring coal fields it was perfectly evident that Cnere must be 6 terminal town on the shore of Controller bay, and l was therefore glad and anxious to throw if open to entry and settlement as one important step in encouraging railroad enterprise. was certain that congress bad nrovided in the statutes affecting the entry and settlement of land ID Alaska limitations which would pre-
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