New Britain herald., 1924-08-27
WAY MAKE NAVAL
 | BASE IN ALASKA
World Flight Shows Stewards Folly Has Strategic Value

Washington, D, C., Aug, sf,-slnes the United states army aiFmen flew along the Aleutian island chain and emphasized what naNigatoEs have known all along-that the shortest way across the Paeife is by the Great Circle route" near Alaska- there has been a growing reeegni' ton of the need of a naval base m Alaskan waters. GerdoHa, most fe' gently mentioned as possible se' lection, is described in a bulletin from the Washington, D, C, head quarters of the National Geographic society, as "a sort of American Kirk wall, since it has Alaska's seapa Flow at it's door,"
 "cordoya is on eordoNa bay a deep, eommodious, weli-proieetea harbor itself" says the bulletin. "kut that is only the beginning of harpof facilities, Just around an Island cor ner Is orea Bay, also an exeeilen. haven; and orea is a vestibnle 10 Prince William Sound, Alaskas Ssapa Flow.
 Prince William sound
 Alaska,s "Scnpa Flow"
 "Here is a huge anchorage. bnl- warked from the Pacific by isiahas' dotted with others. and with its mar gins opening up into great fJorhs whieh spread out in every direction like the tentacles of an octopus Many nayies could float in the open waters of Prince William sound; or if unusual weather conditions brought rough water even beyond us island bulwark. could ma shus' peaceful havens In Its fjords or De- hind its high islands,
 "Prince William Sound can pc oriented by the fact that It's waters form the extreme northeastern cor ner of. the Pacific ocean. The ocean. ward line of Aiaska's pan-handle' extends roughly in a straight line 10 the northwest, and this line Is con- tinued to the innermost part or pr,nce William Sound. There the corner is formed, and the general oi- rection of the coastline veers oit a' right angles to extend into the A'as- ka Peninsula and sweep off along the A,eutians toward Asia. A group or islands has fenced this corner OH and made a huge deep-water sounu out of it.
 Built By Copper
 "The town of Cordoya has not yet reached its majority, but 1t has ne- come the modest metropolis Of the Prince William Sound region though several of its competitors are well over a score of years old. Unlike most Alaskan towns, Cordova was made by copper. not gold. It IS the port for the rich copper mines or the Copper river and the coast ter minus of the Copper river ana Northwestern railway, the first raii- road of considerable length to De built in Alaska. The town Is not at the mouth of the Copper river' being situated some 20 miles farther west along the coast. Ihe rl'er ue yelops a broad marshy delta, whose coast Is without harbor sites.
 "The need of Alaska for railroads was dramatically illustrated by the situation In the Copper river valley Vastly rich copper mines existed POD miles up the valley, but even pure copper nuggets Gone weighing three tons was discovered) could not be brought out save at a cost greater than their value. The first train from the mines in 1911 carried 25o,- 900 tons of ore to Cordova; and In one week in 1916 the port shipped ore worth more than seven million dollars-about the price paid to Russian by the United States in 1887 for the entire territory.
 Harbors Open Year Round
 "Cordova and Valdez, its neigh boring competing port, are two of the very few survivals of the Span- ish names given to Alaskan places by early Spanish navigators. For though it is not generally known