The Alaska daily empire., 1918-11-18
In the Name of Humanity.
(Railway and Marine News. ]

Alaska where in the past years dozens vessels mil lions in property value and numberless lives have found resting place in the icy waters of those sparsely y-lighted and poorly protected shores.
 In the of the Princess Sophia the loss is most appalling, making it the most serious wreck of rec ora on the Pacific. The vessel struck and held for time the rocks, but later broke in two and sank without one survivor In all 343 are said to nave been lost and the monument their final resting place is the unlighted Vanderbilt reef in United States
 A fairly new steel vessel of British build and regis try, worth million; probably another million gold dust in addition those precious human lives, mostly American, many Canadians and others-all lost with a trace left. And possibly it could have been avoided.
 Oh, the pity of it
 Without prejudice and lacking details with nc thought of suggesting criticism of the ships officers does not this teach lesson? Is 1t not the opporunt moment for insisting that something be done to at least minimize the risk of such tragedies in those wa ters of British Columbia and Alaska?
 The route from Seattle to Skagway is, roundly % miles The vessels travel through waters of the State of Washington, then across the open Strait o Juan de Fuca, then for some 500 miles or more through British Columbia, and then for the balance of 500 miles more in the United States waters of Alaska
 For years Congress has been petitoned to build and lighthouses in Alaska. British Co lumbia is much better lighted, but there is fol vast improvement
 Then the rules governing salvage operations are positively awful. Under existing laws both of Canada and the United States American vessel can ho salve wreck in British Columbia waters nor can Canadian vessel do salvage work in American waters Oftentimes it extremely difficult to draw the line between what would be considered by either govern ment as work of humanity and what would infringe on salvage laws. The masters of foreign ships no" place their owners in jeopardy every time the ex tend aid to a ship in distress Canadian or Amerl can coasts. Laws should be changed and at once, ol another and more horrible disaster will be re corded.
 Railway and Marine News in the name of human
 y calls upon the governments of the United States and Canada to remedy this great wrong by at once appointing joint commission to study and report upon
 The coastwise laws
 Lights and aids to navigation.
 The rules of salvage
 The dangerous reefs
 Continuance of geodetic surveys.
 Chartng unknown waters of and pertaining to the of the inside of British Columpla ano Alaska
 Without perjudice to either government, let all coastwse laws in so far as they pertain to naviga tion and safety at sea readjusted and made uni form the peculiar needs exclusively in the inside passage
 in other sections the law should be made to cover this international route exclusively.
 If the salvage rules such that they are menace rather than help, and promote money making on either side the boundary then let this commission recommend permanent international salvage bureau with salvage life-savng stations, SIX Tn hulhpeT between San Juan Islands and Admiralty Island, each station powerful salvage craft to be operated bv and for both governments without unjust charges
 Let the world know why, in the past month, an American vessel, with nearly 300 on board, when Tn dire trouble in British Columbia waters was com Dcllpd nce before her passengers could be transferred to another vessel of the same fleet.
 Let ascertain if it is not fact that in the more recent heartrendng case the wreck being In United States waters the Canadian owners would have had to have permission of the United States before one of it's own vessels could attach line to the wreck, or Canadian salvage weasel could have performed its proper duties
 Think of this citizens of Canada and the United States Let the illustrations each of occurrence in October, 191S prove the in point.
 Nearly TOO human lives in peril in one week. Half of them lost!
 The existing coastwise laws should not in either be allowed to apply to the route specified and its suggested investigation. This refers to naviga- tion and safety first" only.
 Let us forget all the years of salvage overcharges and graft Let any ugly scandal of the past be bur jed in oblivion. But let the commission make it i'm possible for any future overcharge salvage graft to be consummated.
 Admit that the conditions of this route are unique and demand an exclusive law regulating the naviga- tion of ships and their safety at sea and call for an international navigation salvage bureau, without hardship prejudice to the owners, the employees, the passengers the ships of either country Do not allow politics delay the move. Do not permit traffic immigration customs or other important mat interjected into the argument, but hold it down absolutely to the protection of those who must travel back and forth necessarily between the United States and the Canadian territory of Yukon and the United States territory of Alaska the il-treaed step children of those great governments.
 And in the of God and humanity let ap- peal proper authorities of each government to show their promptness and patriotism in getting quick and favorable action.
 Finally may we not plead, in behalf of the hum ureds of dead men, women and children of the thou sands sorrowing in desolate homes from the Arctic Circle to the coast of California
 Let there be light"