The Nenana daily news. (Nenana, Alaska) 1918-1921, 1919-10-04
Written for The News by w. A. Ryan,


few moments of silence follow, then
Uncle Sam speaks: Almighty and
Omnipotent God. we thank Thee
that Thou hast bestowed upon US
the blessed privilege of once more
restoring a troubled world to per-
manent peace. We ask Thee that
Thou shalt give US the wisdom
rightly to plan and justly to do,
according to Thy will, that which
shall best serve Thee and Thy peo-
pie. Guide US in our family council
this day. We ask it in Thy name.
Amenw
Breakfast follows, and Uncle Sam
at its conclusion speaks:
Woodrow, let US today discuss
what We shall do for Alaska, our
great treasure house in the North,
that it may be unlocked and its
riches brought forth and made to
serve mankind. Have you boys
been considering this matter. and
if you have, what ideas can You ad-
vance to make practical the utiliza-
ton Of its splendid resources?"
Woodrow: ''Well. sir, we have
given much thought TO this matter,
and we have come to the conclusion
that by proper utilization of Alas
ka's great resources we may easily
lift the great burden of debt we
have incurred through this war,
within next generation at least, and
that, too, without unduly taxing the
people.
I'VE have in that great territory
property that, if wisely managed,
should furnish employment for the
energies of the majority of our
boys who have returned from the
war, enrich them. and at the same
time, from the profits to be gained
therefrom, discharge our bonded
debt.
Zone copper mine in Alaska paid
its owners s23,O00,OO0 of profit
last year, besides which it fur
nished sufficient traffic to Alaska's
one operating railroad to enable it
to pay sufficient dividend. This is
but one example of what Alaska's
mineral deposits can do. The ex-
ample could be multiplied. There
are many enormously proftable
mines in operation, but the unde-
veloped resources of that region Of
fer hundreds of like opportunities.
1t is only a question of how best
to handle the situation to bring
about that speedy development
which will result in bringing them
Immediately to the production stage
Brother Franklin K, will you tell
US of your plans?"
Franklin K: CAS- you know, our
railroad has now reached the coal
fields on the Western slope. Pro-
ductivs mines are now in operation
there. This means cheap fuel for
the steamship lines operating on
the Alaskan coast and cheap fuel
for industries along the coast and
on the Western slope. The coal
fields on the Nenana also have been
reached. There the worlds largest
compact body of Ignite can be
made to produce more cheaply than
elsewhere in the world. This lig-
mite lies in immense bodies, so that
it can be mined and delivered at
the track-side by gravity. This lig-
mite must be treated so as to make
lit commercially practicable fuel.
The process of treatment produces
many by-products the recovery OF
which will pay the cost of mining
and treating the material so as to
make it useful as fuel. The gases
that are created by this treatment
may be accumulated in large tanks
and utilized for various purposes.
'First for the generation of cleo
trio power. This power can be
economically employed to operate
our railroad, which can be electri-
fed as the mountain divisions of
one of our great transcontinental
railroads is. The surplus of power
generated can be transmitted to the
sites of Dr0sppetiya riDaS az nofep