Evening star., 1923-07-08

During President Hardings visit in
Alaska he will see a wonderland, even
IL he gets no farther than the Alaska
of the tourist. When he gets back
into the country he Will find still More
wonders and sec the undeveloped
wealth of an empire, for with its $780,
900 square miles the territory is one
third larger than the Atlantic states
from Maine to Florida
Ninety per cent of the towns and
| mining camps can be reached rapidly
from any part of the world by tele-
graph and telephone. The United
States Navy operates radio stations at
Cordova, Dutch Harbor, Saint George
Saint Paul. Island and Stka. The Sig
nal Corps now operates more than 1000
miles OF wireless, land lines and cable.
II the President should get inland he
will see the Coast Range north Of Cross
Sound, which has twelve peaks that
reaches 1S,024 and Logan 1850 above
the sea. Then there is the Wrangell
group, to the east of Copper River;
which has eight SUBMITS above 10000
feet and Mount Blackburn reaching
16.440 feet above the sea. Then there
Some Of them have faces three miles
across and 300 feet high. The greatest
Ice mass Is the Malaspine glacier on the
southern side of Saint Elias. This has
an area Of about 1,20o square miles.
Bought From Russia.
Remembering Nome is not any nearer
sitka than Boston is to Tampa you get
an ideaa of the territorial empire the
head OF the nation will visit. 1t was
f1fty-six years ago last May that the
United States paid Russia $7.2o0,o 900 for
the territory. Uncle Sam occupied the
territory in the following October.
In the untold wealth of the country
gold, copper, fisheries and many other
elements figure. Perhaps the most i'm
portant of all natural resources, says
Charles Lathrop Pack, president of the
American Tree Association. is the forest
wealth. Its Importance in connection
with the future economic position of the
United States cannot be overestimated,
he says, and its bearing on the news
pulp production cannot be overesti-
mated.
There are two great national forests
that cover 2o,579.74 acres, or about
oh per cent of the total area OF
Alaska" Mr.. Pack points out. THE
larger of these woodlands, the Tongass
National Forest, is estimated to contain
20. 900 900. 900 board feet Of timber ripe
for marketing. Stands of 100. 900 board
feet per acre are not infreQuent.
1900 Miles Of Shore.
This is the Alaskan forest that will
some day be shipping large amounts OF
timber to the states. II has over IL. 00C
miles Of shore line and 80 per cent OF
the usable timber is within two miles
of tidewater. This makes it easy to log
the timber and load the lumber directly
from the forests to the steamers. This
forest is 1900 miles closer to the main
land markets than is the other Alaskan
national forest.
I'm most of the national forests the
rangers ride around their beats or
on horseback The foresters' in the
Tongass use motor boats. They trave
two men to a 35-foot boat, which is
provided with comfortable eating and
sleeping quarters. The rangers live or
the boat all the time. During the sum-
mer they work sixteen to twenty hours
daily. The days are long and the nights
short and they must travel long dis
tances.
THE other big timberrand is the
Chugach National Forest. 1t is d
smaller edition Of the Tongass Forest
It's trees are not so large and the stand
as in the Tongass. Experts estimate
that it contains 1000, ,000.00 board feet
Of lumber. Western hemlock FREEDOM
mates. There is also much spruce,
poplar and birch. Stands of 10000 to
1.-THE lumber of the Chugach National
Forest will play an important part in
the Industrial life of Alaska. Even now