Alma record., 1911-07-27

terror. A branch from this main line
Is projected to the Bering coal fields
and is feasible.
When the channel In the Controller
bay was discovered Mr.. Tittman. SUI.
perintendent of the coast survey. as
shown by his letter in the record. was
of opinion that it was of great value
and ought to be maintained as a ma
val reservation because of its proxim-
ity to the coal fields His letter was
submitted by the secretary of COM
merce and labor to the secretary OF
the interior, who invited the comment
of the director of the geological sur
vey. That officer replied that the
harbor was q poor one and that it
would not be as good for naval res
ervatiOn as one already selected. but
that he thought that private capital
ought TO be encouraged to construct a
railway from the channel over the
mud fats to the shore and thence to
the coal fields.
Captain Pillsbury of the army en-
gineers in a report in the record made
In 1907 mentions three possible ob1ec.
tions to Controller bay-irst. that the
surrounding islands may prove to be so
low as not fully to protect the channel;
second. that the fats extend two or
three miles from the shore. and, third.
that ice formed in the rivers entering
the bay and. affected by tidal currents.
may destroy structures put upon the
Aot tc ial lnnu trostla ht1fls
over them.
Ryan Asks For Land.
In December, 1909. Richard S. Ryan.
representing the Controller Railway
and Navigation company. applied to
Mr.. Pinchot. the then forester. for an
elimination from the Chugach forest
reservation of a tract of land to enable
his company to secure railroad ter
minals. bunkers. railroad shops. etc,
on the northwest shore of Controller
bay. This application was referred
by the associate forester to the district
forester at Portland Ore, and by him
to the forester in Alaska. The result
of these references and the application
was that early in 1910 Mr.. Graves.
who had in the meantime become for
ester. reported that there was no OBJ
lection from the standpoint of forestry
interests to the eliminati ton of the tract
indicated or, indeed. of $4,000 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 a reservation and
whether it objected to it's being opened
up. The answer was in the negative.
The matter was considered by the
forestry bureau, by the secretary Of
agriculture, by the secretary of the in.
terror and by the general land office,
to me in May. 1910. that an elimina-
ton be made of 800 acres with front
age of $50 rods on the northwest shore
Of Controller bay.
| considered the whole case in Au
gust, 1910, and directed that the $50
acres, recommended by both depar'
ments. be eliminated as recommended.
The question finally came before the
cabinet late in October After a full
discussion of the matter and after a
consideration of the law | expressed
dissatisfaction with the order because
It purported on its face to make the
elimination for the benefit of a rail
,Nf trn Of Il nd xrrnf oh,
the company could not secure under
the statute, for it was a tract 800
acres in one body when only 100 acres
could be thus acquired In the second
place, preferred 10 make much
larger elimination of tract facing
the entire channel and with sufficient
room for a terminal railway town.
was willing to DO this because
found the restrictions i'm the law sufi
cient 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 hy
the forestry bureau that $4,000 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 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 consdera-
ton Of both departments had been the
reduction to 800 acres
Assumes All Responsibility.
I wish to be as specific as possible
upon this point and to say that alone
am responsible for the enlargement
of the proposed elimination from 800
acres to 1880 acres and that | pro
posed the change and stated my rea-
sons therefor. and. while both secre
taries cordially concurred in it. the
suggestion was mine
The statement of Mr.. Ryan. who had
been properly vouched TO the forester
by two gentlemen whom | know. Mr.