ALASKA. 



According to the report of the Governor of 

 Alaska, there were 12 small mills operating in 

 southeastern Alaska in 1899. These only manu- 

 factured lumber for use in the Territory. The 

 prices charged in Sitka were: Rough lumber, $13 

 a thousand; flooring and rustic, $20 a thousand; 

 selected boat lumber, $25 a thousand; and clear 

 cedar, $50 a thousand. Most of the lumber and 

 timbers used in the great mining enterprises and 

 in the rapid building up of Dyea and Skagway, 

 and -in the construction of the White Pass Rail- 

 way, were imported from Puget Sound. Nearly all 

 the timber taken in southeastern Alaska has been 

 put in the water by hand loggers, and has hardly 

 ever been more than 300 feet from salt water. 



During the year many men who went prospect- 

 ing upon the Koyukuk, Tanana, and other Yukon 

 tributaries, and who were reduced to their last 

 dollar, found that they could maintain themselves 

 by cutting cord-wood to supply the steamboats. 

 They obtained $7 and $8 a cord, and some offered 

 their wood at $5 a cord on the last trips of the 

 steamers. This they did without molestation 

 from the Government officials except in one or 

 two instances. The wood was cut chiefly from 

 dead trees, and it was far better to use it on 

 the steamboats than to let it rot on the ground. 



Military, Railways, Telegraphs, etc. Alas- 

 ka was erected into a separate military depart- 

 ment in January, 1900, and placed under the com- 

 mand of Col. George M. Randall, of the Eighth 

 United States Infantry. The headquarters of the 

 department was at St. Michael, where the mili- 

 tary reservation embraces the territory included 

 in a circle described by a hundred-mile radius 

 from the flagstaff at that place as a center. Troops 

 are also stationed at Fort Wrangel, Skagway, 

 Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet, Cape Nome, 

 St. Michael, Fort Gibbon, Rampart, Circle, and 

 Fort Egbert, near Eagle City. The Department of 

 Alaska was discontinued, Sept. 15, 1901, by an 

 order issued July 25, and merged into the De- 

 partment of Columbia, Gen. Randall, with his 

 personal and departmental staff proceeding to 

 Vancouver Barracks to take command of the 

 latter department. 



In Skagway, Juneau, and Douglas companies 

 of militia have been organized, and in 1899 Mr. 

 F. D. Kelsey, of Juneau, a member of the Alaska 

 bar, who is experienced as an officer of the 

 National Guard of Oregon, was appointed adju- 

 tant-general with the rank of colonel. 



Major Francis Greene, of the signal corps, is 

 in charge of the construction of the military tele- 

 graph line from Nome and St. Michael, via Eaton 

 and Nulato, to Eagle City, in the Upper Yukon 

 valley. At Eagle the line will connect with an- 

 other to Valdez, on Prince William Sound, and 

 with the Canadian line via Dawson to Skagway. 

 Between Nome and St. Michael a cable has been 

 laid and is in successful operation. The laying 

 of the cable from Juneau to Skagway, the first 

 link in the system that is to connect Seattle and 

 Skagway, was completed in November, 1901. 



With Col. P. H. Ray, for two years in charge 

 of the meteorological station at Port Barrow and 

 afterward in command of the troops on the Yu- 

 kon, originated the plan for a road into central 

 and northern Alaska by way of Valdez and Eagle 

 City. 



The progress on these important works is indi- 

 cated by tl^e following reports, the first from the 

 annual report of Gen. A. W. Greely, chief signal 

 officer of the United States army, issued in Octo- 

 ber, 1901. and the second from the annual report 

 of Gen. George M. Randall, commanding the De- 

 partment of Alaska: 



" It is not generally understood that the Alaska 

 telegraph systems, while placing all the Alaskan 

 posts in connection with the commanding general 

 of the department when completed, would not af- 

 ford means of communication with any other part 

 of the world. To increase the value of the Alas- 

 kan system, the chief signal officer of the army 

 conferred with the authorities of the Canadian 

 Government at Toronto with a view to the exten- 

 sion of the existing Canadian telegraph lines and 

 the establishment of cooperation in telegraphic 

 work between the Alaskan and Canadian sys- 

 tems. 



" The Canadian Government courteously placed 

 in conference with the chief signal officer of the 

 army Mr. J. B. Charleson, assistant superintend- 

 ent of public works in the Yukon district, who 

 was charged with the extension of the Canadian 

 telegraph line from Quesnelle to Atlin. The Cana- 

 dian authorities had the longer line to construct, 

 but they performed their work with such expedi- 

 tion that, on May 5, 1901, the telegraph line was 

 completed between Dawson and Fort Egbert, thus 

 bringing the upper part of American territory on 

 the Upper Yukon in direct telegraphic communi- 

 cation with Skagway, whence by steamer news 

 could reach Washington, or any other part of the 

 world, in four days under ordinary conditions. 

 On Sept. 24, 1901, telegraphic communication was 

 established between Fort Egbert and the Upper 

 Yukon region, via United States military tele- 

 graph and Canadian land lines, and messages were 

 exchanged between the commanding officers at 

 Fort Egbert, Skagway, and the authorities in 

 Washington." 



" The total length of telegraph-line constructed 

 up to date aggregates about 400 miles. The work 

 is being pushed along the Yukon river above 

 Nulato, and by the close of navigation in Septem- 

 ber it is hoped that there will be telegraphic com- 

 munication between this point (St. Michael) and 

 Fort Gibbon, a distance by the line of 420 miles. 



"The work upon the ' transalaskan military 

 road ' under Capt. W. R. Abercrombie, Second In- 

 fantry, acting engineer officer of the department, 

 was prosecuted with energy and under trying con- 

 ditions. The latest information from Capt. Aber- 

 crombie is to the effect that the crossing of the 

 Tanana will be reached by next November." 



The report of Capt. Bingham, chief quarter- 

 master under Gen. Randall, shows an expendi- 

 ture during the year for army transportation of 

 $185,744.74; for barracks and quarters, $49,- 

 233.28; regular supplies, $4,517.20. Capt. Aber- 

 crombie expended for military roads and bridges 

 $63,840. 



The only railway in operation in the Territory 

 is the short Yukon and White Pass Railway, 

 opened for traffic between Skagway and Lake Ben- 

 nett, over the White pass, in July, 1899. In the 

 days of the Klondike craze in 1897 it was a dif- 

 ficult task and took many days to get over this 

 pass with an animal and pack, and some men and 

 many animals perished in the attempt. The 

 transportation of freight cost as much as 40 

 cents a pound. Now the trip across is one of com- 

 fort and pleasure, and freight is carried for 3 

 cents a pound. The laying of this line presented 

 many engineering difficulties, especially for the 

 first 20 miles. The scenery is magnificent, and 

 the trip is now added to the tourist routes. The 

 road connects at Lake Bennett with boats for 

 Dawson and the Yukon valley. 



Several routes for an " all-American road " into 

 the interior of Alaska have been suggested, chief 

 of which are the Valdez-Eagle route following the 

 line of the new military road, and a line from 



