The Alaska daily empire., 1918-12-06
Lessons from Wreck.

(Dawson News)
 The loss of the Sophia brings forcbly to mind the necessity of adequate precautions against loss of life in travel.
 It is easy to point to the lessons now, and the magnitude of this particular loss is sufficient to bring marked improvements. Too often it is the case that needed remedies not forthcoming in long-stand- ing matters of neglect or slipshod habit The blame often placed nowhere in particular, but every where in general Seldom is an innovatio inaugurated unless it have behind it the pressure of spontan- eous public demand. Seldom does the public make such demand unless moved by some major loss or striking reverse.
 Long has the coast of Alaska been inadequately provided with lights, buoys and other aids to naviga tion. The meager provision those lines has caused untold wrecks and loss of hundreds of priceless lives and of millions of dollars worth of cargo and ton
 
 l It may be argued on suggestion of more extensive improvements along the route Of navigation that the costs would be enormous. True, the costs would be large but the savings would be equally large. It must be remembered that tens of millions are expended an nually render safe the highways of steel that span continent; that millions go into other public af fairs not nearly vital to the public safety the promotion of empire development and nat1on-buiding the keeping open of safe route to Alaska and Yukon
 The route from Skagway to Seattle is thousand miles, but it is much to ask that every foot of that route be safeguarded with every modern ap pance for the guidance of ships in all kinds of weah CT with the maximum of safety. Many railways are built the continent foot of which there is large expenditure. Every inch of such high way is tamped and ballasted. and surrounded with every form of restriction against ntruders and along the whole route elaborate stations and places of convenience. The rolling stock is equally costly as fleets of steamship lines. And yet steamships supposed travel routes equal in length of the longest railways, and to find their through intricate passages bristling with promontores, and swathed much of the time in impenetrabe fogs and inky darkness. Brave souls tread those passages Navigators and travellers take their lives in their hand in such perilous highways. They venture there to tie the Northand to the center of the continent, tributary the older sections of the nations Ia storehouse whose wealth adds infinitely to the strength and stability of the commonwealths. Of such tribute paying domains the mightiest tons built
 It is not much to ask that, instead of modest sums, thousands be spent annually the Alaska and British Columbia archipelago highway. That route is not there for day. It is there for ali time Every menacing reef that be eliminated every channel that be lighted made safe with sderation at Mean and miserable appropria- tons ill become great nations on such vast and permanent route. To urge that they spend much there they would in building transcontiental rail way of equal mileage is not asking too much. This route, perfected, will not out, will deteriorate it will not fall into disuse because of rival routes It is there for all time. The safer it is made, the despatch and the greater the volume of traffic that will follow. The returns the investment from the sordid viewpoint of gain alone will warrant the making of the fullest i'm provements demanded by safety but beyond the idet of gain is the moral right the people have when vol unteering to live in and develop the Northand They have right to demand of the nation that il them.
 It is encumbent the countries involved to dc possible respect for the development the material resources, and infinitely so, for the sake of safety to the human lives which of incal culabe value to the nation
 Let the governments concerned take up these ters at once and act The Sophia catastrophe stand, ghastly warming Shall it go unheeded?