Show ji i NE AlASKA REGION I OPENING THROUGH f I 1 Navigable Channel to River Rivert 1 l t l Discovered Rich in inI I Native Products I 1 W WASHINGTON Jan 25 Official j.-Official Official 1 announcement as made toda today by Sec II I Redfield of ot tho the discovery cr of a aI 1 I practical n channel hannel from the j Bering sea into the mouth month of the Kusk Kusk- im river thus opening the tho second I greatest river in Alaska to commerce I Tho discovery disco was tras ma made e by Captain 1 Lukens of tho coast and Geodetic stirS sur i C vey 1 I In 10 a statement the dis dis- j Secretary R Redfield points out outi i that new steamship ines lines are io to be established cs es to transport tho the commerce i j from the thousand square miles of r vir vir- I J tin gin country in th the valle valley alley I j i rich in mining and agricultural 1 resources Declaring that although it cannot be beI I predicted with certainty what this new j rc region on will ill develop when thoroughly prospected the e secretary YS fJ it is not unreasonable to suppose that the near future will see eee the river of 1 commercial imI importance Ortance comparable with that of the Yukon river The river I says the tho thoi i secretary tary is nine miles wide at its mouth and navigable for over miles mile 1 inland The Teat great submerged ed flats fiat of the delta of this river extend miles out to sea and it was as through h this uncharted un nn I charted delta that the tho surveying steam er Yukon Taken made tho the diE of tho the channel which means meane so o much to tho the commerce of that section lection of Alaska Possibilities of ot River Great The The is is' isona ono one of tho the three great Alaskan rivers emptying into the Berin Bering tea sea which has be been beon on opened to commerce commerce as a result of the charting operations of the coast and 1 survey The mouth month of the Yukon was surveyed in 1898 1808 and in a fo low few years vears that river became one of the gr greatest commercial arteries of Alaska In 1909 and nd 1910 Nushagak bay was charted and not noc the by far th the most dreaded and unknown of these rivers rival will win no longer longes e oe a It menace or a mystery to the tho navi navigator ator who bo has one i of of tho the new charts of lt its entrance about to b issued by bv the tbs survey ur i The of of the Berin Bering sea in the vicinity of ot was started in in 1911 and continued tee Lne following int sumI sum sum- I mere men of ot 1912 1913 and 1913 1013 But it was tras 1 not until the past peat field reason eMOn that a surveying vessel succeeded in tracing i and charting channels through tho the great eRl area of the submerged ed mud fla flats data which 1 make up the delta of tho Survey Under Difficulties J I j Jn makin making the survey Captain Lukens Lu kens ken k na reports b he be took 56 soundings I covering an area of more than j square miles This in in itself is quite an achievement when considered in coni con con- I i with the cu customary tomary bad weather in Alaska and tho the fact that in some iome in in- j stances it was was was' necessary to locate sur sur- j I 1 s by bJ observations on n mountain I Ii peaks teaks more than SIxt sixty miles mlles distant j The whole working season was confined to ei eighty days dars and in JuIT Juh alone J twenty twentynine of these theae days were lost lost on ont t account of the weather r bein being either cither J i bad or not sufficiently sufficiently- clear to see the tho d distant surveying sur marks i U When th the ne new chart showing the newly discovered channel is issued it will be possible for companies comI com I I anies anies to send vessels to the tho Ku I wim and thus initiate the development of 01 the tho latent mining fishing an and agris agri agri- I s cultural resources of that or-that that re region on I Rich Eich in iu Minerals J There arc lar largo large 1 areas of mineral I lands along tho with prom prom- I i prospects of mercury bearing cinnabar cin ciri gold old bearin bearing quartz placer grounds and coal lands nde whoso whose successful success ful mi development only await a reliable means of transportation such as ns is now now- promised by b- the newly nely discovered d chan nel aol II Contiguous to the im val valley ralle ral- ral le ley ler there are arc many tho thousands sands of square miles mItes suitable for tor reindeer grazing azin Cap Captain tam tain Lukens reports that already the small initial government herd has grown oWn until there are aro now no about reindeer Now that better transportation is prom by ships that will use the new channel there is is er e every reason to believe be lie lieve that this country will furnish many thousands of pounds of this excellent ex cx- meat mat for shipment to the United Unit ed States State Like other otner largo argo rivers of this part of Alaska tho has bas a large salmon run ran Captain Lukens states that now reliable transportation is is at hand the canning companies arc aro arranging to extend their operations into this region region re reo re- re gion on but that the event Gent of this indus industry try forecasted until after a year ear of actual fishing Secretary Redfield Bedfield adds that plans are aro bein being made in iii Seattle for the tho construction construction con b by different companies of t two light t draft vessels desi designed ed c especially to take care of the expected develop ment meat of the tho commerce of the Kuko wim river and that still another shipping ship shipping ship ship- pin ping firm has already announced nail ln ings s to tl the tho at tho the opening open open- ing int of navigation in the coming cominio spring |