The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1911-07-28
MESSAGE ABOUT
CONTROLLER BAY
President Answers Critics Of
His Elimination Order.
The "DICK To DICK" LETTER.

No Trace of II In the Files or Else
Invertebrates p. Taft Never Heard
of Controller Bay Railroad, President
Says, Until Very Recently.
Washington, July 26.-President Taft
today sent TO the senate q 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 to acquire land
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 81 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:
CHUGACH NATIONAL FOREST.
ALASKA.
Under authority of the act Of congress
of June 4, 1897 go Stat, II, Mt "a and 36),
and on tho accommodation of the secre-
tary of agriculture II Is hereby ordered
that the proclamation OF Feb. 20, 1909, en-
larglng the Chugach National forest be
modified to reduce the area of such ma
tlonal forest by eliminating therefrom the
following described tract, containing ap-
proXlmatey 1880 acres of land which
has been found upon examination to be
not chiefly valuable for national forest
purposes:
Beginning at point where the meridian
of longitude 144 degrees minutes west
crosses tho coast line OF Controller bay.
thence north along said meridian line to
the parallel of latitude at 60 degrees 10
minutes north, thence west along said
parallel to n point where the same crosses
the coast line at or near the mouth OF
Boring river and thence along the coast
to the place OF beginning.
Tho tract above described Is hereby re-
stored TO the public domain
WILLIAM II. TAFT.
The White House, Washington, Oct. 2S.
1910
The president declares that the order
does not permit the Controller Bay
Railway and Navigation company to
secure monopoly of the Controller
bay harbor as, under the law, strip
eighty rods wide must be left between
each entry, having a frontage of 100
rods on navigable 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
lie and absolutely prevents any in
dividual or corporation from acquir-
ing monopoly.
In regard to the "Dick to Dick" let
ter, In which there is n reference to
Charles Taft, the president denies that
his brother ever spoke to 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 files of the government.
and he refers to 1t as wicked fab
rication." He declares that his broth
or never heard of Controller bay un-
I'll the president sent him n 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 time 1t was thought that
the water of the bay was too shallow
TO make 1t valuable as a harbor, but
In 1907 n channel was discovered ex-
tending into the bay about seven miles
The tract taken from the forest re-
serve by the presidents order covers
1880 acres in 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
troller bay was included In the Chu-
gach forest reservation in 1000 by
proclamation of President Roosevelt.
The Importance of Controller bay is
that II lies about twenty-five miles
from very valuable coal deposits,
known as the Berlng coal fields. Ka-
ITALIA bay is to the west of Controller
bay and almost Immediately adjoins
Ii. 1t is an open roadstead, upon the
shore of which an attempt was made
by the Neutrality-suspicious. syndicate
90 establish Il railway terminal and
thence to build road to the Boring
coal fields. already mentioned. The
attempt failed for the reason that the
breakwater protecting the terminals
was destroyed by storms and 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 Bering coal fields
and is feasible.
When the channel in the Controller
bay was discovered Mr.. Tlttman, SUI
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
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 poor one and that 1t
would not be as good for naval res
ervation as one already selected, but