154 ALASKA AND ITS MINERAL RESOURCES 



By this route one travels by steamer from Juneau 18 miles up 

 the Taku inlet to the foot of a large glacier, which is often very 

 dangerous to boats, even at a distance of several miles, by rea- 

 son of the ice masses that break off from it ; then by boat 60 

 miles up the Taku river to the head of canoe navigation. The 

 portage which follows is for the first 20 miles through the canyon- 

 like valley of an eastern branch, then for 50 miles in broad val- 

 le} r s of the upper Taku, 3,500 to 5,000 feet above sea-level. For 

 the last 15 miles the route is in the densely wooded valleys of 

 Teslin lake, among many small ponds. This route is said to be 

 not impracticable for a railroad, and a charter for one has al- 

 ready been granted by the Canadian government. Its merits, 

 however, have not yet been thoroughly tested. Both this and 

 the Stikine route have the undoubted advantage of avoiding the 

 dangerous White Horse rapids. 



The Copper River route. — This, the only land route within 

 American territory, would strike inland from near the mouth of 

 the Copper river and follow a general northeasterly course to- 

 ward the Klondike, thus crossing a great mountain range whose 

 rough topography and many glaciers that fill the valleys and 

 passes render general travel difficult. Orca, the only settlement 

 on the coast near by, which is 50 miles beyond the mouth of 

 Copper river and 700 miles from Sitka, had in 1897 a population 

 of 22 whites ; it is the first post-office west of Sitka. According 

 to reports of natives, confirmed by Lieutenant Allen, who crossed 

 over to the Xanana in 1885, the better way is to start inland 

 from Valdes inlet, on Prince William sound, and, crossing the 

 Valdes glacier, strike Copper river 180 miles above its mouth, 

 thus avoiding the gorge and the most dangerous rapids. From 

 the Copper River basin an advisable route would seem to be over 

 the Scoloi pass and down White river ; but from observations 

 made by Hayes it appears that the pass, which has an elevation 

 of over 5,000 feet, is occupied by a glacier 300 to 400 feet thick, 

 and that White river abounds in rapids too rough for a loaded 

 boat. I. C. Russell, who visited the Mount St Elias region in 

 1890 and 1891, reports a mountainous region to the northward 

 occupied by huge glaciers. This region is to be explored during 

 the coming summer by parties sent out by the War Department. 



GEOLOGICAL SKETCH 



Original or Vein Deposits 



At present, so far as known, it is only in the coastal region that 

 deep mining is being carried on in gold-bearing veins. Here it 



