The Cordova daily times., 1921-01-05
SECOND INSTALLMENT

SECOND INSTALLMENT It is impossible to give an accur- ate list of hundreds of vessels that have stranded, foundered,. and been total wrecks in the waters of Alaska during the past 53 years. The records which have been simewhat neglected, especially in the earlier history of this comparatively new possession of the United States, are anything but | complete, but they are sufficiently known to convey to the minds of those who are interested most har- rowing condition that has existed dur ing more than half a century. While 1t should not be understood that all of these disasters have been caused | by lack of proper sailing charts and lack of knowledge of currents, it can be said that the greater portion of the wrecks have been directly due to the lack of accurate nautical information, which can be furnished by proper sur veys
 Accidents to vessels in Alaskan waters have caused the loss of hun dreds of lives and property to value not far from twenty-five millions and which would represent today with the high cost of shipbuilding at least 50 per cent more. It will appeal to many as matter of very poor economy that there is so little protection given to human life and vessel property em- ployed in building up this truly great and remarkable empire of the United States.
 From 1867 to1919 there have been approximately 468 vessels wrecked in Alaskan waters with a loss of about 9S5 lives. Among these vessels were large sailing craft, as we'll as freight and passenger vessels; also some government vessels. When we stop to think for moment of this enormous ] loss, and consider alone that the na- i tional government has suffered the 1 loss of three splendid vessels worth more than a million and a half dol fars or over one-third the total amount appropriated for surveys of Alaska in | 53 years the serious side of the ques- tion is emphasized, especially when we think how much could have been done with this money if it had been applied in surveying the waters of Alaska
 UNsURVEYED WATERS RETARD
 DEVELOPMENT The history of the industrial de- velopment of Alaska shows that, al most without exception, the establish ment of industries and commerce has preceded, rather than followed, the surveys of the locality and that their establishment and development have been greatly retarded and often times entirely suspended by the lack of such surveys. The following cases are given to illustrate these condi tions
 Deposits of excellent marble were discovered in Davidson Inlet, and a company was organized to quarry the rock and ship it to Seattle. However, as the approaches to the quarry were lncompletely surveyed, the steamship companies refused to send their ves- sells there, and, thus denied trans portation, the marble company was helpless.
 Finally, one of the steamship com panies sent one of it's pilots to the locality to report on the feasibility of sending in vessels in advance of com plete surveys. The examination made by this pilot revealed so many un- charted dangers in the approaches that the company demanded a prohi- tive price for permitting its vessels to enter.
 The coast and geodetic survey was appealed to, and survey steamer made and a detailed survey of the harbor and it's approaches. The re- suit of this survey, while confirming the dangers previously reported by the pilot, developed a practical chan nel through them, with the result that large quantities of marble are now being shipped annually to Seat tie
 An outcropping vein of gold quartz was discovered in Khaz bay, on the west coast of Chichagof Island De- velopment work, begun immediately, showed the claim to be a rich one; portions of the uncovered vein showed the claim to be rich one;