Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-01-30
copyright 1915. by Frank G. Carpenter)
PRINCE RUPERT, British Columt

Ml III lM to Alaska | sailed north
IN 49, W from Seattle. 1t is the chief
NI&SRSz port OF the Pacific north
west, and all of our steam
ers that go northward start there. The city
has seven transcontinental railways over
which goods destined for the far north,
come from all parts of the United States
and it's business with Alaska is greater than
that OF any other port 1t is the bank the
department store and the barn Of the terri
tory AS to the banking, it handled in 1914,
something like $2S,000,00O of Alaskan ex-
ports and imports, and as to its department
store business the goods sent north were Of
every description, and they sold for more
than $l4,6O0,OO0. AS to Seattle being the
barn of Alaska, it shipped there that year
SILL 900 worth of oats, and a quarter OF
million dollars worth of hay and other feed,
while its shipments of flour were almost as
much.
Seattle has one OF the finest harbors OF
the world 1t has % wharves and docks
with frontage of IS miles. 1t has eleva-
tors which will store four million bushels OF
Irgrain and flour mills with a daily capacity OF
1000 barrels. Among its many steamers are
Il lines that go to Alaska and five others
that ply along the ports of British Columbia.
Seattle has such close connections with
Alaska that its merchants and bankers look
upon the territory as one OF their suburbs,
and they have an efficient department of
their chamber Of commerce known as the
Alaska bureau, which is devoted to the de-
velopment of the resources and to the fur
thering of the interests of all things Alaskan.
The second water gate to Alaska is Van
couver, at the end of the Canadian Pacific
railway on Puget sound. That port has also
the Great Northern and the Northern Pa
ci6c railways, which carry our goods there
in bond to be shipped to Alaska, and it will
in short time have also the Grand Trunk
hPacifc railway, which is to build southwark
to Vancouver The Chicago. Milwaukee
and Puget Sound railway is planning a
branch into Canada and in time there will be
six transcontinental roads using Vancouver
as one of their western terminals.
AS to the steamers, there are now only
two lines that go from Vancouver north
ward These are the Crank Trunk Pacific
and the Canadian Pacific, both lines being
owned by the railroads of the same names.
The Grand Trunk Pacific has its present
terminus at Prince Rupert and its business
is entirely in the Canadian waters. The
!. Canadian Pacific steamers stop also at all
the ports of southeastern Alaska, and they
carry freight and passengers to Skagway to
be taken by the White Pass railway over the
Coast range to White Horse and thence
sent down the Yukon river to the Klondke
and on into interior Alaska The Alaskan
business of Vancouver is bagatelle in com
parison with that of Seattle. It's chief trade
is with the Yukon territory and especially
with Dawson to which city almost $4,000,
900 worth of Canadian goods are shipped
every year.
The third and last water gate to Alaska
is Prince Rupert, the new terminal of the
Grand Trunk Pacific railway. This is the
farthest north of all the doors to our terri
tory, being in fact only 40 miles south of tn,
international boundary. 1t took me les
than six hours to come here by ship from
Ketchikan. and a fast ocean steamer coult
go in two hours from here to Dixon En-
\ trance or the Portland canal, where Alask,
begins
Prince Rupert is more than 500 mile
north of Vancouver, and more than COZ
miles north of Seattle. 1t is about two day
nearer Alaska by rail than any other port
and its people think it offers by far the bes
route from the eastern and southern part
of our continent to the United States of thu
far north.
| have Just had talk with the mayor o
Prince Rupert. He claims that his city j
two DAYS nearer Alaska by steamer thai
any of the Puget sound ports, and says tina