Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-10-15
ALASKA DISCOVERS
WILMINGTON, DEL.
John A. Bader. lust Back From
Juneau, Tells How ii
Was Done

More than little travel-weary from
. casual trip To Alaska and back, John
A. Badcr the well-known builder, reached
town Yesterday, and proceeded to get
into Wilmington harness again. very
much ~ if nothing had happened since
he slipped away on the 18th of September.
But hiS friends and associates IN the
Liberty Spruce and Pulp Co, n VIII
mington Corporation. IN whose interests
he made the trip, feel that the results
he achieved are Of more than 2 little
Importance to the community BY reason
Of the promise they hold Of another
important Wilmington enterprise success
fully launched with gADd augury.
MIX. rApIk's MISSION.
His mission was to investigate the
possibilities Of two special tracts Of
about 1000 acres each, which the
corporation had acquired on tunda
Bav. on tho Inland Passage above JuncAll.
ami 4 thousand miles beyond Seattle.
He had had packed and shipped ahead
ot him a carload Of sawTnill machinery
once employed in Jersey woods to cut up
40 foot short-leaf pine. the ''Orncrye~t
of timber. which machinery is now set
up On the other edge Of the continent
amid ~itku airpianc spruce, $50 10 2Nl
feet high the most valuable soft wood
Ill existence todav-.but that is anticipat-
ing the story,
He figured that if All went we'll the
outflt would TIC Just the thing. if other
wise. II could be sold 10 cover expenses
How he held the steamer TWO DAYS until
the car oi machinery was delivered was
one of the claims he proved to the title
bestowed upon him hy the captain.
later. the only Western man that ever
came out TO this country from the East.
FOUND FINE SPRUCE.
Arrive he eventually did, with his
machinery. which he quickly SCI up,
meanwhila cruising the property for
spruce. with results exceeding expecta-
tions. fclled a dozen trees and got sample
carts two and thrre inch planks with
the bark edges left on; sized up th, OF her
possibilities and after little more than
a week On the spot started on his home
ward trip
At juneau the government inspector
pronounced his samples ot the highest
quality for the grade a d gave him strong
letters to the government purchasing
agent in Portland On he boat he took
orders tor $50. O0O worth OF piles from
a salmon fisheries owner Just trltilng
lengths ot 90 and 10 feet for repairing
the traps, which need replacing every
season: ali al a { O. ID price: and once
in Portland. secured from the Spruce
Production Bureau Purchasing Agent
a contract for a heggarly four million
feet of Arplance Spruce at an average
of about $40 per thousand, for delivery
f. o B. the company wharf by June
80 next And he has from now till then
10 think about doing it-and to do 1t.
OTHER THINGS.
He Is figuring ont other side issues.
as well. along the lines Of pulp timber.
box and barrel shocks. and d dozen
more products which the region offers
the finest Of markets for. and has hitherto
lacked the directing hand 20 produce
and is enthusiastic III the extreme about
the country, with ITS fierce contrasts,
its primitive forests and other natural
wealth.
incidentally. he was able 70 direct
the attention Of those who became inter
e-ted in him, to the facl that the Seattle
juneau steamer on which they travelled
was a Wilmington product, from the
Harlan ways.
While south Eastern Alasks was free