The Chitina leader., 1912-09-10
MISREPRESENTATION

| is now almost stranded at katalla,
outfitted at Seattle. great secrecy was
maintained. Subsequent events have
served to give the expedition much
publicity throughout the states. A
recent issue of the Post-Intelligen-
Ger contains the following.
With sufficient equipment to make
q dash for the pole or explore hid
den Thibet. a party of thirty-eight
experts, engineers, superintendent
and miners will invade Alaska for
the unromantic purpose of mining
coal back of Katalla. The expedi-
ton is sent by the bureau of mines,
and its movements are shrouded in
government red tape and mystery.
For the last few weeks advance
agents of the expedition have been
collecting an $4,000 outfit in Seat
tie. Outfit and party will be aboard
| the liner Mariposa, of the Alaska
Steamship Company fleet when it
clears from Seattle for Prince Will
liam Sound ports, September l. The
party will be landed at Kayak Island
near Katalla. Its destination is
Trout Creek, on the Cunningham
group of coal claims that have
aroused so much excitement in the
last two or three years. The Cum
bingham group has reverted to the
United States.
To Learn Cost of Mining,
The real purpose of the expedi-
ton, which will be headed by no less
a person than DR.. J. A. Holmes. dir
ector of the bureau of mines, is to
learn whether the coal of Alaska
can be mined. how much it will cost
to mine it and how it can most cas-
lily be handled.
The expedition is one of the evil
dences of the sudden interest the
government has taken in the Alas
kan situation and it's efforts to learn
the truth about the country. The
U. S. S. Maryland was sent North
by the navy department recently to
make coastal and harbor investiga-
tions for the navy, and will prob
ably resume the work after the in
terruption of carrying Secretary
Knox to the Mikado's funeral There
are several smaller expeditions in
the country-one of ten that sailed
by the steamship Alameda, August
8, for the same destination, and one
of six that left Seattle on the Mari
posa, August Is.
ShrOuded in Dark Secrecy.
Due to orders from Washington,
D. c.. the movements of the present
expedition are kept as secret as if
the party was to make a dash into
Germany and carry away the Kais-
er's safe full of crown jewels. With
great circumspection all sorts of
camp equipment, tools and machin-
cry have been collected. Every prin-
cipal of the expedition will be
armed with rifles and shotguns, and
hundreds of rounds of ammunition
have been purchased No step will
be omitted to guard the scientists
from every danger, including Kod-
lax bears and Alaskan mosquitoes.
The bureau of mines has an ap-
preparation of $4,000 to pay for
the experiment. With this sum at
the command, nothing will be spared
to make the equipment complete,
and local firms are busy filling big
orders.
The party itself will include Dir
Holmes, a general manager, sup
erintendent, an assistant superin-
tendent, construction engineer,
two biologists, a foreman. an assist
ant foreman, a doctor, a commissary
sergeant and twenty-eight miners.
Will Sink Shafts.
When the Mariposa lands the ex-
petition on Kayak Island it will
proceed inland to Saltwater Creek,
where camp will be established.
Then, with all due pomp and cere-
mony and the advice of the board
of strategy, shafts will be sunk on
Trout Creek, and Alaska coal will
be solemnly and advisedly removed
from Mother Earth, inspected and
passed upon. When the expedition
comes back it will be prepared to
tell just how easily the coal can be
extracted and what it will cost to
work it.
-o-o-o-
Aar xsv1<. l. l.