The Cordova daily times. [volume] (Cordova, Alaska) 1914-1947, 1919-01-14
SIBERIA NOT
ALLURINC TO
OLD TIMERS

Siberia is alluring to many mining
capitalists. of course" said X. NJ.
/ Courtney. secretary Of the AnchOrag"
Chamber Of Commerce. to a Seattle
Times reporter. but | want to tell
them and all concerned that Alaska
Is likewise a gigantic treasure field.
close to home, and under the Stars
and Stripes, with present oppOrtuni-
ties begging for attention never
equaled in the history of the world.
For example. the Cache Creek sec
ton of the Yentna district. more than
one hundred miles square, carries pay
with gold prospects beyond cstima-
! ton.
wagon roads should be built at
once from points on the government
railroad to open up the mining Coun-
| try. These roads are easy to con
struct If the work is concentrated in
| one single department or bureau of
/ the government. Several divisions are
supplied now with funds. but the work
is not co-ordinatcd and as consc-
/ qu"ncc little is done"
"ConEross should at once apprOpri.
ate $25O.oOo for tn" building of the
/ first wagon roads this year This sum
would build a road to Cache creek
and complete the Willow creek road
/ 1t would put good trail into the Iron
! ,fr.,r Il ,it,.,
3 work on other roads and trails fur
/ Their north. and probably of equal i'm
portance
The Ohio creek district, forty miles
northeast of Talkectna. is in the pros
peCting stage. but the miners can not
obtain supplies on account Of lack of
roads. A road is needed badly into
/ the Valdez creek camp. 1t is now
necessary to take supplies 80 miles
from tid"water. by tn" building Of
iorty-tiEe miles of wagon road from
tn" railroad to this camp. all supplies
could be obtained at low cost a great
| deal OF hydraulic mining is being done
there now, despite adverse conditions
J
ana on" outfit has taken in lot of
machinery
Rallroad construction is going on
well. but tn" tributary country must
have further transportation. From
Willow creek it is seventeen miles to
the quartz district The great camp
can not be developed without this
wagon road. The Cache creek coun. |
try. forty miles from the railroad has
produced, despite handicaps. more
than million and a half since IL was
opened in 1905. Grub and supplies
are transported on pack horses at a
cost of % cents per pound
"A heavy piece of steel was needed
when the dredges stopped work. and
had to be dragged forty miles over
tn" rough country. The old hand
method Of pick and shovel and sluicc
boxes still prevails largely. A dredge !
installed in 1916 by the Cache Creek
Dredging Company. 1t is operated by
steam obtained from a coal mine on
the company's own property An cleo.
trio plant is to be installed at the
coal mine at an expense of $4,000.
but on account OF lack of Transports
ton the property may not be operated
in 1919.
Seattle should give all possible sup
port to tn" need of wagon roads and
help Alaska obtain the funds and de
Velop the working program. The re.
suits would astonish the world The
building OF these feeders to the rail.
road would also provide employment
for large numbers of men. thus sta
bilizing labor and wage conditions in
the Northland. and provide work
throughout the year"
tpf, Of ~