The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1924-08-21
Blackfoot Man is Home
From Visit to Alaska

ed last Friday from a trip to Alaska
They werek guests of the Beneficial
Life Insurance Co., and members Of
a party of seventy. All agents o.
the Beneficial Life who produced
and paid for $100,000.0O of insur
!. ance in the year ending August 1
1924, were entitled to the trip and
Mr.. Jeppson was one of the number
The contest produced for the com
pany more than nine million dol
lars of new business in the year.
Describing his experiences and
Impressions on the trip Mr.. Jepps0n
said:
The south coast of Alaska Is \
submerged mountain range whose
canyons are now deep waterways.
The inner passage traverses these
canyons. It's really trip by steam
er through the tops of the mount
aims. Some sections of this coast
have an annual rainfall of 13 feet,
1856 inches In a year. The shores
and west slope of the mountains are
warm and generally covered by a.
dense growth of timber, vines, wild
| berries, moss and flowers. The
ocean waters vary slightly. only two
| degrees the year around. In many
places great glaciers fill the can
yons and reach down to the coast
| where great blocks of ice are brok-
en- of and floated away with the
tide to make icebergs that fill some
of the channels.
1.-THE waters of the north are full
of salmon, porpoise, whale and seal.
One whale of about 80 feet in length
came up and crossed the path of the
vessel in Queen Charlotte's sound.
1.-THE industries of the country
are principally fishing and hunting.
Millions of cans of salmon leave
there for the rest of the world Much
wealth is produced but it leaves for
are poor.
Douglass, city of $4,000 in
1916 now has only few hundred.
Hundreds of houses are vacant and
have been sold for taxes. Tourists
were offered several houses for one |
dollar but title is still vested in the
territory. At that place great gold
mine flourished until 1917 and
100000 were produced from it.
In that year the bottom of the chan |
mel caved in a thousand feet down |
and flooded the mine. 1t was never |
repaired and the city is being aban-
doned. Juneau, across the channel,
is the capital of the territory and
has a producing mine in operation
now. This place is very prosperous.
One sixth of Alaska's gold comes
from this mine.
alaska is rich in natural wealth
and may support millions of people.
1t is a wonderland of totem poles
and strange people. CuriOs of ivory,
wood and fur, fill every store. 1t is
truly pleasant place to visit and
sportsmen who want to hunt big
game will find it hunters para
disc. 1t is remarkable too for its
beautiful flower and vegetable gar
dens. The party enjoyed visit at
Wrangle, on Sunday. The wife of
the Presbyterian minister kindly
answered many questions and made
the visitors welcome.
"Skagway was once a thriving
city. The infamous outlaw 'Soapy'
Smith made the place famous in the
lays of the gold rush to Klondike.
It was just above Skagway, over the
White Pass where thousands of gold
'ushers tramped to the gold fields
Ind many persisted by the way. The
,lace now is only village. Over the
,ass on Lake Bennett is another de-
erted village. Not soul lives in
he place and its silent empty houses
tand like spectres of another age
o remind one of the hardships and
,rivation men once suffered in a
mad rush for yellow gold.
''In the northwest, Seattle, Taco
ma and Bellingham, Wash, are Q
cities. Everywhere, how I
yer, business is quiet and people {
re complaining of the drouth. Port e
and has suffered more than the Il
tiles of Washington and many for
SITS of fine timber are being de- "
troyed by fires. The Japanese ex-
fusion bill has affected industrial o
onditions also. Perhaps the section
Offering most is British Columbia,
l Canada. The liquor traffic is eat p
lg the vitals. out of that country. 81
he Canadian government is suppos- "
d to own and control the liquor o
usiness but 1t would more truly
ate facts to say the liquor business
WINS and controls the government. v
here are seven government owned 3
quor stores In Vancouver and in 81
lese stores four times as much 81
oney is spent for liquor as for ed II
cation. They spend more than $31 10
1nually for every man, woman and
lid in the province, just for IL A
Tor. In addition to the seven IL
1or stores there are 255 licensed at
ubs, all selling liquor in Vancouv-
;. Taxes have doubled in the three at