The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1911-07-29
MESSAGE ABOUT
CONTROLLER BAY
President Answers Critics OF
His Elimination Order.
THE "DlCK TO DICK" LETTER.

No Trace Of II In the Files or Else
where-charles p. Taft Never Heard
of Controller Bay Railroad, President
Says, Until Very Recently.
Washington, July 26.-President TAFT
today sent 10 the senate message
concerning the Controller bay affair
and the reduction Of the area OF the
Chugach national forest reserve TO per
NIT the Controller Bay Railway and
Navigation company 70 acquire lana
ON the bay TO be used as terminals
for railway line to the Boring coal
fields. twenty-five miles away. The
message is In response TO resolution
PASSED by the senate June p last
which asked 70. copies OF all depart
mental orders, maps, surveys. letters.
reports and official documents in the
case. Copies Of these documents ae-
company the message.
The executive order of Oct. %. 1910.
referred TO In the resolution was in the
terms following:
CHUGACH NATIONAL FOREST.
ALASKA.
Under authority Of the act OF congress
OF June 4. 1887 90 Stat, II. at 81 ana 81,
and on the recommendation Of the secre-
tsry Of agriculture It Is hereby ordered
that. the proclamation OF Feb. 3 1919. en-
larging the Chugach National forest be
modified TO reduce the area OF such na-
tional forest by eliminating therefrom the
following described tract, containing APP
Iroximately 1850 acres OF land. which
has been found upon examination TO be
not chiefly valuable for national forest
purposes:
Beginning at a point where the meridian
Of longitude IA degrees minutes west
crosses the coast line Of Controller bay.
tmence north along said meridian line TO
tie parallel OF latitude AT Gu degrees 10
minutes north. thence west along said
parallel 10 a point where the same crosses
The coast line al or near the mouth OF
Eering river and thence along the coast
to the place Of beginning
The tract above described Is hereby re-
stored to the public domain.
WILLIAM X. TAFT.
The White House. Washington. oct. ..
1910 :
The president declares that the order
does not permit the Controller Bay
Railway and Navigation company 10
secure a monopoly Of the Controller
bay harbOr as. under the law. a strip
eighty rods wide must be left between
each entry. having frontage OF lGO
rods on nayigable water. The law also
Keeps the control OF the shore. which
Includes the flats lying between high
water and low water. under the d.
rectiOn OF congress. This provision,
says Mr. Taft. fully protects the pub
Nc and absolutely prevents any in
dividual or corporation from acquir-
ing a monopoly.
In regard 10 the "Dick to Dick let
ter. in which there is a reference 10
Charles Taft. the president denies that
his brother ever spoke 10 him con
corning Controller bay. Richard :. /
Ryan or any grant in Alaska. He says
that the letter I'm question cannot be
found in the files Of the government T.
and be refers TO IL as a wicked fab I
ricatiOn." He declares that his broth /
or never heard Of Controller bay I'M /
Ill the president sent him cablegram
regarding the subject
Possible Harbor In Controller Bay.
The message describes the location /.
OF Controller bay, which was original /
ly included In the Chugach forest re-
serve. For a time 1t was thought that /
the water OF the bay was too shallow /
10 make 1t valuable as a harbor. but |
In 1907 a channel was discovered ex
tending into the bay about seven miles /,
The tract taken from the forest re-
serve by the presidents order covers /
Il. 800 acres in a triangular form. the /
side along Controller bay being be-
tween six and seven miles long which |
covers the channel mentioned
The presidents message then says:
All the territory surrounding Con- |
troner bay was included In the Chu- /
zach forest reservation in 1909 by a /
proclamation Of President Roosevelt /
The importance Of Controller bay is /
that 1t lies about twenty-five miles
from very valuable coal deposits. /
known as the Boring coal fields. ka- /
ITALIA bay is to the west Of Controller /
bay and almost Immediately adJOins |
II. II is an open roadStead. upon the /
shore of which an attempt was made /
by the Inorganic uggenheim syndicate
to establish a railway terminal and /
thence to build a road to the Boring
coal fields. already mentioned The
attempt failed for the reason that the
breakwater protecting the terminals
was destroyed by storms ard the
terminals became impracticable. Some
fifty miles or more farther west Of
Katalla bay Is the mouth Of the Cop
per river. where there is an excellent
harbOr. on which Is the town OF Cor
dova. There the Copper River rail
road. owned by the Morgan Guggen-
helm interests. has its terminals. and
the line runs TO the northeast along
the Copper river and has nearly reach
ed certain rich copper mines in the in
terror. A branch from this main line
Is projected to the Boring coal fields
and Is feasible
When the channel in the Controller
bay was discovered Mr.. Tittman. su-
perintendent OF the coast survey. as
shown by his letter In the record. was
OF opinion that 1t was Of great value
and ought to be maintained as a ma
cIP1n Y0nr C1rnptS