TRANSPORTATION AND COMMERCE. The south ern coast of Alaska has numerous excellent har bors, which are accessible the year round, as far north as Sitka and Juneau. The bays of the farther coast (except. Valdez) become filled with bergs from glaciers and pack-ice in winter, thus closing the head of Cook's Inlet and compelling the people of Sunrise City to travel to Resurrec tion Harbor, on the south side of Kenai Penin sula, in order to take ship most of the year. It. would seem as though these people might eas ily pass from Turnagain Aria across the narrow isthmus to Prince William Sound, and so effect a great saving of distance; but Morey learned in 1899 that the crags and glaciers which consti tute that neck of land were practically uncross able, except on sledges or snow-shoes in winter. when the adjacent harbors are useless. The harbors of the Aleutian Islands are open all winter, but drifting ice packs hnd freezes along the shores of the Bering Sea closing the bays early in November; after which St. Michael's Island, Nome, and all other ports of that coast are closed until the ice comes out of the Yukon and dissolves in the sea. This rarely happens before June 15, after which that river is navigable for about three months, Sep tember 15 being the latest date when it is consid ered safe to leave Eagle City for the last out ward trip. (See YITKON RIVER.) There are few safe harbors along this coast, where the water is exceedingly shallow for a long distance from shore, and the deltoid rive•-mouths are obstructed by bars; and at St. Michaels, Anvils, Nome, and other settlements vessels must anchor in the offing and load and unload by means of lighters, with constant readiness to steam away from storms, so that expansive delays are likely.
All the traffic of the Yukon River is by way of the island and port of St. Michaels, some fie miles from the Yukon mouth, long ago estab lished as a fur-trading station. Here ocean steamers land and receive passengers and cargoes during the open season, which are there trans ferred to and from the river-boats. These are flat-bottomed, stern-wheeled steamboats, the larg est of which may draw four feet of water; the distance to the eastern boundary of Alaska (Eagle City) is about 1500 miles. and sufficient boats are in service to fill the needs of traffic, and afford a- regular and constant means of transportation between the upper river and the coast. where regularly sailing steamers ply be
tween Nome or St. Michaels and Victoria, B. C., or Seattle or San Francisco. There is also more irregular. but frequent communication between Sitka and all the places of call along the south coast and the Aleutian archipelago. Steamer com munication between Sitka, Skagway, Juneau, or Fort Wrangel. and either Vancouver or Victoria, B. C., or the ports of Puget Sound or California, is almost daily in summer awl at frequent inter vals in winter. From Skagway a railroad crosses White Pass to Whiteho•s-e Rapids, where pas sengers and freight are transferred to the steam boats of the upper Yukon lines, by which the journey is continued to Dawson. Thus, in sum mer regular and comfortable means of access are open to all parts of the Yukon Valley. The White Pass Railroad is operated as continuously the winter as the weather permits, and travel and the carriage of mails continue more or less regularly by means of public stages and private dog-sledges. Several other railway routes have been sketched out, and a wagon road lies been built from Port Valdez to the Copper River.
Telegraph Lincs.—The Canadian Government has constructed a telegraph line from the summit of White Pass, continuing a line from Skagway, down the I ukon Valley to the boundary, where it connects with an American telegraph line from that point (Eagle City) to Valdez. A telegraph cable is in operation between St. Michaels and Nome, and an overland line is building from Nome. via Eaton (reindeer station), Nulato, and other landings along the Yukon. to Eagle City. The foreign trade of Alaska has been steadily increasing. There are no statistics of the com merce between Alaska, and the ports of the united States, inasmuch as it is administered as a customs district. The foreign commerce for the year ending June 30, 1901, shows that the imports of merchandise for that year amount ed to $558,000. and the exports of merchandise to of which $2,018,000 was domestic merchandise. The imports of gold amounted to $15,g16,000, of which a large part was the prod net of the Yukon district in Canada which through Alaska for exportation. One hundred and eighty-six American and one hun dred and twenty-seven foreign vessels entered Alaskan ports during the year.