The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1911-07-28

No Trace o. II In the Files Or Else
INVERTEBRATES p. Taft Nsver Heard
Of Controller Bay Railroad, President
Says, Until Very Recently.
Washington. July President Taft
today sent to the senate message
concerning the Controller bay affair
and the reduction of the area of the
Chugach national forest reserve to per-
init the Controller Bay Railway and
Navigation company to acquire land
on the bay 10 be used as terminals
for railway line to the Beiing coal
fields. twenty-five miles away. The
message is in response to resolution
passed by the senate June q last,
which asked for copies Of all depart
mental orders, maps. surveys. letters.
reports and official documents in the
case. Copies of these documents ac-
company the message.
The executive order OF Oct. %. 1910.
referred to in the resolution was in the
terms following:
mn CHUGAcH NATIONAL FOREST.
ALASKA.
Under authority OF the act Of congress
OF June 4. 1887 co Stat. II. at "a and -.
and on the Recommendation of the secre-
t1ry Of agriculture IL II hereby ordered
that the proclamation OF Feb. g. 1909. en-
iarging the Chueach National forest BE-
modified 10 reduce the area Of such ma
2 tional forest by eliminating therefrom the
following described tract. con.sining APP
proximaSely 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.
thence north along said meridian line TO
Z the parallel OF latitude at 60 degrees 10
minutes north. thence west along said
parallel 20 a point where the same crosses
the coast line at or near the mouth Of
Berlng river and thence along the coast
) 10 the plxcD uf beginning. - r is a q
I The tract above described is hereby re-
. stored 20 the public domain
n WILLIAM II. TAFT.
Y The White House. washington. Oct. Is
/ isla
The president declares. that the order
!, 1oes not permit the Controller Bay
\ Railway and Navigation company to
\ secure a monopoly of the Controller
bay harbor as. under the law. a strip
! eighty rods vide must be left between
each entry, karine frontage Of 100
/. rods on navigsbie water. The isw also
keeps the eoutroi of the shore, which
. includes he 6sss lying between high
water and low water. under the d.
rection OF congress. This provision.
says SIR. Taft. fully protects the pub
lie and absolutely prevents any in
cividual or corporation from acquir-
Ing monopoly.
In regard 10 the Dick 70 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 S.
Ryan or any grant in ALASKA. He says
that the letter in question cannot be
found IN the fles Of the government.
and be refers 10 II as a wicked fab
ricatie~- He declares that bis broth.
er never heard Of Controller bay un.
IN the president sent him a cablegram
regarding the subject
Possible hsrbor In Controller Bay.
The message describes the location
OF Controller hay. which was original
~ included In the chugach forest re
serve For time II was thought that
the water Of the bay was too Shallow
20 make II 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 Govern
1850 acres in q 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
froller bay was Included 10 the Chu
zach forest reservation In 1909 by .
proclamation Of President Roosevelt
The importance Of Controller bay i,
that Il lies about twenty-five miles
from very valuable coal deposits
known as the Bering coal fields. Ka
talla bay IL 20 the west OF Controller
bay and almost immediately adioini
A. II Is an open rDadstead. upon ID.
shore Uf which an attempt was mad
By the Morgan-Guggenheim syndicat,
70 establish a railway terminal ans
thence 90 build q road 10 the BERN,
coal fields. already mentioned. Tn,
attempt failed for the reason that fb,
breakwater protecting the TERMINAL
was destroyed By storms and IN
terminals became impraeticable. Som
nifty miles Or more farther west d
KstsIla bay u the mouth Of the Cop
per river. where there r. an excelIeni
harbor. on which Il the town Of Cor
doya. There the Copper River rail
road. owned by the Morgan -Guggen
helm interests. has ifs terminals. snt
the line runs 10 the northeast aion.
the Copper river snd has nearly reach
ri certain rich copper mines IN the In
terror. A branch from this main IN.
n projected 70 the Bering coal 1eldi
and IL feasible.
When the channel In the controlie,
bay was discovered Mr. TIttman. ~
peripfendenf Of the coast survey. ri
shown by bis letter IN the record. wal
Of opinion that n was Of crest vain.
"a ~x~kx A. - ..xfrs.f..ss - . ~.