Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-28
missions and gave him the care OF his

missions and gave him the care OF his
papers.
As time passed on the man. seeing
the fate of his coal property. left Alas
ka IN disgust and came to Seattle to
engage I'm the wholesale Ash business
lie had then no further use for Henry
the cook, and he dismissed him with
the best Of recommendations
Then the Japanese Russian war
| broke out. and the agents OF the Mikado
came 10 the United States to buy food
Tor the army. One OF them came to
/ Seattle to purchase Il large consign-
ment or fish. He was referred to tho
former coal miner. lIc called and
| when he appeared in the Office 10. he
/ was Henry. He was such a good cook
I that he had risen to be one OF the con-
/ hd"ntial agents OF the Japanese gov
eminent. and in the war department. at
Tokyo I doubt not there are maps and
plans Of the Boring River coal fields
which Henry had made
Another instance was given me by
one of tho scientific experts OF the
United states government who had re-
! ceivcd an assignment to go from
/ Juneau 10 seward late one September
not long ago. The cold weather had
. already set in at the west and the man
dreaded tho trip. He did not expect
| 20 have fellow passengers. hut on go
! of the mon upon board was "a Japanese
/ naval attache who had once been sta
| toned in Washington. | shall call the
| man acknowledgements cr toCawa
although that IL not his real name
The scientist asked the lieutenant
/ commander where he was going and
| was told that he was making tho
/ round trip to Scldovia, the farthcst
| point TO which steamers 20 in tho
! winter. II Is fishing station at tho
southwestern end OF the Kcnai PENN
! sula. and the ships going there viist
| Cordova and Seward and all the other
| important points along the coast
Before the steamer left juneau tho
! governor of the territory came down
to the wharf and was introduced to
the Observation-Disclosures He asked
| him where he was going and upon
his replying that he was bound for
Seldovia. wanted to know il he had
yet secured license. The Japanese
was dumfounded. He replied that he
did not know license was required
| by foreigner to travel on American
I vessels going to Alaska. and seemed
greatly relieved when the governor
explained that he meant a license to
hunt for big game. which was the only
| reason he could possibly think that
any ono would care to visit Seldovia
at that time Of the year. The Japa-
/ nese replied that he was making the
trip merely for the sea voyage and
! for pleasure.
/ My scientific friend became fairly
well acquainted with the Japanese dur
! ing the voyage. but not we'll enough
to ask personal questions Tho Japa-
( ncse did not volunteer anything fur
Their as TO his business. hut the scieu-
fist says that he had Il camera with
him and made numerous photographs
! everywhere. He took snapshots OF
every hay and channel and kept a
notebook in which he jotted down
voluminous memoranda in Japanese
| characters. His notebook was evident
ly precious. for 1t was fastened to n
! steel chain. riveted to a leather belt
buckled about his waist. The lieu
tenant commander had the latest
charts Of our Eeodctic survey with
him, and he made notes upon them as
he went. He was prohab bly, getting
case ii might he needed by his navy
at any time in the future.
OIL. FIELDS ARE NOW
OF GREAT IMPORTANCE
BY the recent developments on the
battle fields OF Europe the oil fields of
Alaska have become of enormous i'm
portance Gasoline is an absolute
necessity for modern warfare. II has
to be used In motor car TRANSPORTATION,
and is employed not only for the trans
portation OF men, but also Of ammuni-
ton, food and other supplies to the
battle fields. The advantages OF sup
ply points OF this fuel in the northern
Pacific cannot he overestimated, and
| the oil fields of Alaska may become
or great moment in the international
complications OF the future.
1t is not generally known that Pc
| troleum has been discovered In many
parts of Alaska. In a paper given last
year before the American Institute OF
Mining Engineers Of New York DR. Al
| fred H. Brooks. who Is at the head OF
the geological survey OF Alaska, de-
scribed four localities. all on the Pa
cifc seacoast. where petroleum is seen
ing forth from the earth. There are
probably other deposits Of oil in the
interior. l.. de *. Lef1ingwell who for
years has been exploring the north
coast. found petroleum residus 300
miles north of the Arctic Circle al
most on the coast OF the Arctic Ocean,
and travellers speak Of other possible
oil territories
travelled the other day with n man
who had been exploring in the Alaska
range prior to the time when the coal
beds were withdrawn from entry by
the government He had photographs
or coal veins of enormous thickness
He claims that the coal is OF a high
grade and says that there Is q lake
of petroleum sixty feet long and eiph-
teen feet deep not far from the coal
lie says the oil ooZes out around tho
shores OF the lake. and that he has
taken some of ii to the refneries at
Cleveland. where II was assaycd as
equal to the oil Of Pennsylvania Ac-
cording To his story. he had spent S4.-
600 or $4,000 In investigating these re-
EionS when the Pinchot- Ballinger eN-
citement occurred, and he gave ND all
hope of doing anything with them He
says that the geological experts have
passed within n few miles of the de-
posts. but so far no one but himself
knows just where they are
AS to the oil along the Pacific coast
the katalla hclds are perhaps the best
known. They lie on Controller Raw
Just below the RerinG River coal fields
ana between that coal field and the
sea. They are almost directly north
OF Kayak Island. They cover Il belt
thirty-fvc miles long and from four TO