The Cordova daily times., 1915-10-23
CORDOVA'S FINE HARBOR.

There is arbor in the world more completely handbook ed than Corova and few easier to protect from foreign enemv while the anchorage is of the best It IS estimated by the Coast and Geodec Survey that 100 vessels be anchored adequate depth of water in Cordova Bay and have 4OOyard swing to each vessel Because of this large ~ of anchorage and because COrdova Bay is free from the prevailing defect of Alaskan habos of having too great depth of water is considered by mariners of the best harbors of all our coast line.
 To bring the Boring coal to Corova at dewaer it must hauled about 30 miles further than to Controller Bay but III bringing copper Controller Bay must also be hauled 30 miles further than Corova The coal tonnage for the re ucon copper only onefh of the tonnage hence all the advantage is with Cordova against Controller Bay even though possible to make arbor at the latter point, and to protect it from invasion.
 With this spendidy euipped broadgauge railroad run ring the rich Copper River country nearly 2OO miles, what IS the matter with section of Alaska? Why 1t necessary for the government engage in still another railway enter prise in this etoy One sutces for the three ques- ons and that is that the conservaons stop ped the development of the country by withdrawing the coal and oil and tmebr lands which everybody knows are of vital mportance only to the development ot the country put of business after 1t has developed mat condition still exists opposing the Alaska Northern Railroad enterprise extending from Seward into interior 1t is needed but private capital should be encouraged to develop Alaska Has it been? Let the facts answer.
 When the construction of the Copper River and North western Railway the Alaska Northern Railway the Panama Valley Railway and several other enterprises were begun the same laws prevailed under which every other section ot the Initod States was developed Without warning all the coal timber and oil lands withdrawn and their prohibited If H ~ that this was done in 906 and before the roads were fully cOnStructed but II was DeleNeu to pe p'l withdrawal and not dreamed that the men that had mace locations in good faith of coal and oil would be refused patents nt long after the had expended millions thelr con srcton learned that secret agents Of the gov ercnt were employed spy the claim holders and harss them in every conceivable way to the end that their cs De confscated Many claim hOders who had spent hons nds of dollars much $5OOOOO in the develop ent of their properties arrested and tried for fraud But notwithstanding the great power the government Wes in snch matters not one of these has been convicted Nevertheless their claims have been cancelled and the money invested lost
 In all Alaska there been but three coal tracts gone n atont Two of these one of Admiralty Island in southeastern Alaska and the other 4Oacre tract Cook Inlet are Ignite of poor quality and of no commercial vaue The third is 160acre tract located in the Berlng River field which if said contains no coal but originally taken up for tppe and bunker sites The government still
 retains in its treasury thousands of dollars paid to it at the rate cf $1O an for lands located upon-Leshes weekly