Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1916-01-16
Copyright 1916. by Frank c. Carpenter)
KFTCHIKAN


boat was the steamer Equa-
tor, the tiny craft upon which Robert Louis
Stevenson made his tour through the South
Sea islands, and we had second vessel,
little tug called the Roosevelt to carry the
other end of the wire. 1t takes two boats to
operate the wire drag. They move along on
each side OF the channel and carry with
them, far down under the water, so far that
the deepest ship that sails the course could
not be caught by it, taut strand of tele
phone wire. This wire sweeps the channel.
1t is so balanced by weights and buoys that
it moves through the water as the boats 60
onward until it catches some rock that
reaches above the depth for which it is
gagged The depth we used today was about
SO feet, and our boats steamed slowly along
without striking pinnacle
But before I describe the wonderful
workings OF our coast survey ships let me
give you some idea of the seas of Alaska,
which our department of commerce is trying
to make safe for the hundreds of ships that
go north and south every season. These
waters are sometimes called the graveyard
of the Pacific. They are among the most
dangerous parts of the ocean. Within the
past 90 years 800 vessels have gone down
upon their rocks, and cargoes and lives are
lost every season. | have before me list of
so vessels, ranging in value up to $30OOOO,
which have been sunk since we took posses
sion of the territory, and there are many
others that have suffered great damage, but
have still gone on their way. The Califor
MIA which was lost in 1913, carried down
with her 81 men and cargo of 100000.
The Tahoma, a revenue cutter lost in
1914, was worth quarter of a million dol
lars and within recent years the losses in
property alone are estimated at more than
$8,OO0,00O The loss in lives has been more
than 500 all told
Nevertheless, the travellers increase in
number every season. Last year they were
about $4,000, and they will soon be doubled
and trebled. The cargoes are worth more
from year to year. There are ships now
going by Ketchikan that have each more
than half million dollars worth of copper
ore on board, and single cargoes worth
son. When the new government railroad
from Seward to Fairbanks is completed
there will be caravan of tourists moving
back and forth from Alaska, and the seas
must be made more safe in order that the
territory may be opened to traffic.
Have you any idea of the extent Of the
Alaska coast line? The shores of the terri
tory are washed by three great oceans.
These are the Arctic ocean on the north,
Boring sea on the west and the Pacific on
the south The Aleutian islands, off the
Alaska peninsula, are separated from each
other and the mainland by network of
rocky straits, and much of southwestern and
southeastern Alaska is made up of noun
famous islands that have rocks of all shapes
and sizes The islands are really the tops
of mountains half lost in the waters. They
rise in spires and cathedrals, some of which
are thousands of feet above the water and
others hidden beneath it, lying there con-
cealed and ready to rip open the bulls of
ships as the iceberg ripped the Titanic.
The extent of the Alaska coast, with its
windings, surpasses that of the United
States proper 1t is greater than that of all
our states on the Pacific from Puget sound
to the boundary of Mexico, added to that of
our states on the Atlantic, including the
gulf All told. it is more than 10000 miles
long or longer than the distance around the
world at the equator, and in proportion to its
length it has perhaps more dangers than