The Alaska citizen., 1911-01-23
0NE CUCCENHE|M
 CRAB Is EXPOSED

from the SttTeiaTy to the delegate, reference Was made to bIll that had been introduced in the senate by senator Clark of Wyoming. to authorize the Copper River d North western road to maintain and oper- ate wharf at Orca Inlet. and for other purposes. The bill, with the objections made to it by the del. gate Is printed herewith.
 A oIu tu authorize the Copper River
 & Nor hWt tS eru railway company to
 maintain and operate q wharf in
 UrCa Inlet. in the District of
 Alaska. and for other purposes.
 Bt it enacted by the senate and house of rcprcS, ,nta,ives oI the United states of America in con gress assembled, That the Copper River and Northwestern Railway company. corp. ration organized anu ,Nisting under the laws of the State of Nevada. successor in inter est to the Copper River Railway company. be. and is hereby. au- thorlzed to maintain. use. and oper- ate for railway and all other neces- sary and proper purposes the wharf in OrCa Inlet or COrdova Bay. in the District Cf Alaska, and the railway and roadway approaches thereto from the mainland. constructed at Three Tree Point by the said Cop per River Railway company at the terminus of its line, as shown on its map of definite location. which was approved by the seCIetary of the in terror Cn October tw,nty-nine. nine teen hundred and seven; and a right of way on, through. and over the tide and shore lands of the United States. ill the District of Alaska, 10 the extent of one hun dred feet on each side of the cen ter line of its road as constructed, is hereby granted and confirmed to the said Copper River and North western Railway company. successor in interest of the Copper River Railway company. and its successors and assigns. from a point begin ming at the said wharf or dock so constructed by the Copper River Railway company. at C.rdova on the east shore of OrCa Inlet, or CordOya Bay. Alaska. to a point designated as Mile Twenty-Five on the map of amended definite location of the Copper River Railway filed in the Juneau land office. December 12th. 1908: Provided, I hat nothing herein contained shall Le held to affect other than the public waters and lands Of the United States. nor shall any private rights 10 lands and ap- puran, C thereto that may lawfully exist under the public-land and mineral laws of the United States applicable to the District of Alaska ha effected hereby.
 Sec. ?. That the right to alter, amend. or repeal this act is hereby expressly reserved.
 House of Representatives, Wash ington. December 19, 1910.
 Hon. Wm P. Frye, chairman of
 Committee on Commerce, United
 States senate:
 Sir-I respectfully call your at tention to Senate bill 9163, intro duced Decem ember s, 1910, by Senator Clark, of Wyoming, by request, and referred to the committee on com merCe.
 Upon inquiry I find that the bill has leon refcrr"-, to the va .."- parlIrcnr. NIiCh nas alreadS M.ade favrr ,ble Tel ort thereon; lrat it has also Teen referred to the interior department, and that re port from that departmen: will be filed with your committee tomorrow.
 This bill is a re-draft of Senate bill S797. introduced by Senator Clark by request, on June 21 last, and referred to the committee Cn territories.
 A Gale ate ;i' [ the territCrE of Alaska, I wish to present some ob- jections to the passage of this bill, and 10 suggest to your committee certain facts which are not of record so that you may fairly have the whole situation before you
 CD While the bill purports, upon its face, to protect other private rights. vet l am persuaded that its effect will be to take away from citizens of Alaska who have no knowledge of it's introduction rights which are now in process of litiga tion in the United States district court in Alaska, and in the laud of fee and interior department. The bill not only gives to the Copper River Railway company authority to maintain, use and operate for rail road and all other necessary and proper purposes the wharf mention ed therein, and the railway and roadway approaches thereto from the mainland, but it grants to the railway 100 feet on each side of the center line of the same, from a point beginning at the said wharf to Mile p on their line of road This is a congressional grant of tide and shore lands of the Unit ed States" fer 200 feet in width for 9 miles. An examination of the maps mentioned in the act will show that it is a grant of tide and shore lands in front of the town of Cordo- va, and for a mile beyond. Their railroad is built along the tide line, above high tide, and between the shore lands and the tide lands Of the United States. Over a DOT tion of this distance the railroad is built on piles, and at the north ern and farther end they have erect ed and maintained long wharf on piles for the purpose of reaching deep water. Parallel to the railroad they have built wagon road from the wharf back to the shore lands and thence by roadway into the town of Cordova. For more than half a mile these structures-the railway and wagon road-are i'm mediately in front of property claim ed by other people, whose ingress and egress between their land and the sea is thus cut off. At Three Tree Point there are several quartz