Yukon Valley News
Issued every Wednesday.
S. E. URETER.Proprietor
Sam J. Callahan.Manager
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\nvKRTisiK<;.—Transient advertisements, $i
per inch for hrst insertion and 50 cents for each
subsequent insertion. Contract advertisements,
to run more than three months, per month:
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EXCHANGES EX THE STA TES
Are requested to pay second-class postage
from Nov. I to June I.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 2, I904.
War between Great Britai 1 and
Russia is deferred at least ft.r a
little while. If peace is not soon
reached between Russia and Japan,
however, it would seem that addi
tional Russian aggression might
force England into hostilities at
almost any time.
Rampart is a larger gold pro
ducer per capita than any camp in
Alaska. A larger proportion of the
population is engaged in bona fide
prospecting than in any other dis
trict. New pay lias been located in
1
more instances, perhaj s, than in
any district where in more pios
pecting has been carried on. Not a
man is idle. If Rampart is not a
good camp, what does it take to
make one ?
Of the several railroads spoken
of to connect the interior of Alaska
with salt water, only one lias been
actually commenced. That one is
headed for the center i f population
and development, and will meet a
paying traffic when it comes. Is it
unreasonable to expect it to be
completed soon ? Advocates of other
routes may advance all the theories
they choose; but the important facts
remain that the Alaska Central is
the only line at ptesent building,
and is aiming for the only point at
present important enough to sustain
it after it is built.
Accor dint, to the nio.-t reliable
figures obtainable, the I'nited States
government ha* derived enough
clear money from Alaska 'to more
than pay } per cent, for three rears
on the cost of constructing and
t'lptipping a railr- ad to the Yukon.
After the lapse of three years the
government might safely be esti
mated to *av< enough annually on
transportation of tnatl and miltrary
supplies to pay j per cent on the
cost, and it is pretty safe to say
with this rate of interest on the
investment guaranteed tor twenty
live years a company could readily
Imt found to undertake the enter
ptise Far greater sums are ex
pended on river aud barls* tm
provemenl schemes in the States
with less benetit to the rotintry’s
(utsarin.
A Few Facts of Interest
From Official Sources
With Regard to Alaska
Alaska contains nearly 6oo,oo<
square miles of territory. This is
greater than the combined area of
California, Oregon, Washington,
Idaho and Montana, and the com
bined territory of all the states east
of the Mississippi river only exceeds
it by 25 or 30 per cent.
Alaska’s seacoast exceeds iti ex
tent that of the United States
proper.
The Yukon river, where it crosses
the British boundary line at Eagle
Ci;y, is but 800 feet above the sea
level, though nearly 1,600 miles
from its mouth.
Alaska since the eesMoti has
yielded in revenues to the general
government nearly $10,000,000, a
sum greater b/ nearly $1,000,000
than the entire expenditure made
in her behalf.
The source of greatest expense
is the United States courts, costing
$1,919,796.46 from 1869 to 1903.
inclusive; tire next greatest is the
maintenance of revenue vessels in
Alaskan waters, which amounts to
$1,332,898.37 (or the same period.
It is estimated that the nation
has been enriched by the fur indus
try to the extent of $52,000,000;
that the value of the ralmotr taken
in the Alaskan fisheries lias been
$50,000,000, and that the output of
gold since 1898 has amounted to
more than $31,000,000.
The production of gold in Alaska
has steadily increased since 1898,
when it amounted to only $2,517,
12 1. In 1899 it was $5,602,012; in
1900, $8,165,456; 2901 .$6,885,700;
1902, $8,345,800.
What is generally termed the
Yukon district may be described as
extending from the international
b lundary line between Alaska and
the British territory, westerly as far
as the Tanana river, a distance of
500 or 600 miles; and from the Yu
kon rivet southwardly to Mentasta
pass This area is estimated to
contain from 80,000 to 100,000
square miles, and is all more or less
gold Irearing.
Koyukuk precinct extends from
the Yukon to the Arctic ocean and
from the Chandeiar river to the
Colville, and is larger than the
combined area <>t the states of New
York. Pennsylvania and New Jer
sey. It h is 11 population of less
than t.ooo, not half of whom are
white.
Tin wnrit utrii'l min in the
worUI !•» on* h* mil l>*
thought ilrjul
Mm. MutUKtoKwin *ot|
i'iin I* '«< Htnl fivr mouth* 4
vm on the I’mnetr
People of the interior will not
fail to appreciate the increased mail
facilities afforded this part of Alaska
by the inauguration of the route
from Valdez to Tanana. It is hoped
the new service will relieve the
pressure on the Yukon river route
so that second-class mail will arrive
during the winter. The new ser
vice might be improved, however,
by changing the run between Fair
banks and Tanana so as to cross
over via Eureka creek to Rampart,
and thence down the Yukon to
Tanana, instead of following the
Tanana river all the way. as it does
at present. The route via Rampart
is not only about thirty-five miles
shorter, but has the advantage of a
trail kept open by much travel and
extends through a country not so
isolated as the lower Tanana. In
cidentally, it would facilitate com
munication between Rampart and
all parts of the Yukon river and
Chena and Fairbanks.
W. W. CROCKETT’S
A. n. INIXIATION
[ Published by Request.]
Bulletin Oct. 26, 1904, A. B. Hall.
Crockett enters ring at 9 p. in.
9:30 p. tn.—Crockett shakes hands all
around.
Round 1—Crockett peeled ready for
action.
Round 2—Crockett dives for slop-buck
et. Gets fish head with right.
Round 3—Crockett staggers and falls
to floor.
Round 4— Saved by preacher.
Round 5—Jack Nelson lands on poste
rior.
Round 6—Crockett very groggy.
Round 7—Crockett almost out. Re
vived by Nelson’s judicious use of con
tents of slop-bucket.
Round 8—Crocket conies up a little
stronger, but is immediately put out by a
terrific swing from preacher. A few mo
ments after being counted out by Judge
Green he regains consciousness and sadly
but weakly murmurs, "Roys, have a
drink.’’
Terrific applause.
'I'M A X K H(I VINO
(JETS NOVELTIES
Messrs. C. B. Wilkerson and
Roliert K. Wright, from Thanks
giving, spent a few days in camp
last week and returned on Sun
day. Just before navigation closed
a fine camera, with all the latest
improvements, arrived tor Mr. Wil
kerson, and he proposes to take a
good many pictures this winter.
The instrument is well adapted to
taking landscape views, and Mr.
Wilkerson intends to photograph
some of the winter scenery.
At the same time a fine Edison
phonograph arrived for Mr Wright,
with a numlier of popular records
and a few blanks, on which he will
record some of the sound* peculiar
to the eountrv songs «f the na
lives, etc.
He*tde* being of much interest u
people on the creek*, the two in
GKOKGK A. SALISBURY,
Attorney and Counsellor,
Rampart, Alaska
LOUIS K. PRATT,
Attorney at Law,
Fairbanks, Alaska
J. LIXULEV GREEN, "
Lawyer.
Office at the Courthouse.
OFFICE OF
Commissioner and Recorder
Rooms i and 2, Courthouse
THE
HEETER
TANANA, ALASKA
S. E. HEETER, ED FERGUSON,
PROPRIETOR MANAGER
FI It ST-Cl, ASS
Wines, Liquors and Cigars
Heeler’s Pack Train
Leaves for Glen Every
Five Days.
Freighting and Packing
T'o and From All
the Creeks.
Good Teams. Good Service
D. M. MCQUESTEN
READY FOR
RUSH ORDERS
DRV WOOD and FREIGHTING
struments will be the means of
affording pleasant entertainment to
outside jieople when Messrs. Wil
kerstm and Wright visit the States.
A gentleman who left Nome the
first of September says a company
is thoroughly prospecting all the
ground lying between Pexter and
Anvil creeks, preparatory to work
ing it by bvdraultcs. I)rop drills
were used in prospecting and gave
satisfaction.
Charles Steeples, owner of the
steamer l»usky Ihamond, which
made a trip from Nome to Fair
banks in September, has gone trom
Fairbanks to Tatiana and will pro
ceed to Nt me over the he alter the
treeaeup.
California has produced over
$i. ytxt.ono.iMHi in gold since t SpH,
the principal pot <d whnh came
trom placers