Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-28
DEFENSE OF ALASKA
AN IMPORTANT MATTER
Should BE Considered In Prepared
ness Of Present Session
OF Congress.
POSSIBLE DANGERS IN WAR
Coal and Oil Resources May Decide
Whether We Are to- Win or BE
Defeated in Case OF Conflict Will,
Japan.

7 Japan.
. copyright. 1916. by Frank G. Carpen-
teri
cORDONA.. ALASKA. May 2S.-Ths
/ preparedness program of the present
! Congress should include large appropri-
atoms FOR the defense of Alaska. AZ
"A naval base. this territory is a key
| to :he northern Pacific. AS far AS fuel
! for our battlcships is concerned. it
is tn" key 4" our whole Pacific coast.
as we'll az To Hawaii and the Philip
: pines. Indeed. its coal and oil re-
sources may some day decide whether
/ we are 20 have victory or defeat in a
/ war with Japan.
Practically the only good Steaming
coal in our Pacific coast territories lies
! here in Alaska The Asiatic fleet of
the future will need in the neighbor-
hood of 800. 900 tons per annurn. and
| the coaliuu stations OF the Hawaiian
Islands and of the Philippines will be
! supplied from here. II is of enormous
! importance that the harborS near which
the coal lies lie amply protected and
defcnses should hc at once instituted
! for all the approaches to Resurrection
Bay. the terminus of Uncle Sans rail
road. Tina, road leads to the Malta
nuska Goa! fields and the branch line
opening them Will he completed this
year. The coal will come from those
fields to seward. and II Will also go
down tn Anchorage. which is perhaps
l0n miles nearer tho coal beds. Tho
latter port will have 10 he protected
from Cook Inlet. that wide and deep
bay. mp which ships can now sail TO
within seventy-tive miles of our best
naval coal supplies.
Another important harbor is that OF
4 ,l,t Lot tar
1t ia within short distance Of the
Rering River coal fields. which have
great beds of hituminous and anthra-
cite. and also within easy reach or the
Katalla oil fields, the petroleum of
which is said to he as good as that
OF Pennsylvania and cmnently fit for
the making Of gasoline. Indeed. they
are making gasoline there now and
shining II TO Cordova for sale. Cor
dova is also within 600 miles by an
excellent railroad of the hest copper
mines OF the whole world. These are
the famous Eennicott properties. which
are now producing millions OF dollars
worth Of copper a year at cost of
less than 5 cents a pound Copper is
one OF the great necessities OF modern
warfare and any nation that has hold
OF the -Cordova harbor can control all
the copper ii would need In any war
of the future. Moreover. by building
a railroad only thirty eight miles long
Cordova could have access TO some Of
the best coal on the hemisphere and
also to the katalla oil fields. which
would supply it with gasoline. now
the life blood of modern warfare.
.tSIATIC NATIONS WOULD
BENEFIT ny NAVAL BASE
This port, by the fast warships of to-
day. is within less than three days OF
our Puget Sound cities. The shortest
distance is only about 1000 miles; and
japan. for instance. has three dread
noughts Of over $1,000 tons each which
could make that journey in less than
two days. These ships are the Kiri-
shima. the iarvena and the Hi-Ye.
each of which has $4,000 horsepower
and can make twenty-sevcn knots per
hour. Japan is ten or twelve days from
Seattle 1t is much less from Cordova.
and the advantage of any of the Asiatic
nations having a naval base in Alaska
can be easily seen.
have referred to Japan because she
is the only Oriental nation that needs
10 he taken into account at this present
writing. That she should be considered
| find plenty of evidence. EVERYWHERE.
go hear stories Of how the .Tapanese
are spying Alaska. Like the two men
whom Joshua. the son of Nun, sent out
from Shittim to Jericho. they seem To
be going out secretly and using all
sorts Of methods to learn the lay OF
the land. one difference is they are
not tying scarlet strings To the win
dows 10 mark the localities where they
are working, and, as far as possihle
their tracks are kept covered
am told that the Japanese are now
employed in all the fishing stations
along the coast. / saw Il large number
AT ketchikan and in other parts Of
southeastern Alaska. They are to be
found AT all the salmon canneries. and
mere ana there about the mines They
were employed in the BerinG River
coal fields before the government clos
Ell them, and they have worked In All
capacities in the mines AT Kennico,t
and about Cordova. They have aIso
been employed in the oil fields Of IA
taiia. and doubt not they have fun in
formation as to the other oil and Goa,
deposits of the territory
one OF the last Japanese storias I
heard relates 10 II Seattle man who vv,s
operating IN the Rcring coal fields be-
'"re they were closed by the govern
ment. The man had Il cook from Jap,n
whom he called Henry. and whom he
boosted was the hest cook in Alaska
lie was always talking Of ilenry's cana
hllities. lie said he could not ONLY
cook, but could make excellent
sketches. and that he was able to keen
a diary and make all sorts OF notes He
was so reliable and trustworthv that
his employer sent him on all kinds or