Page:1902 Encyclopædia Britannica - Volume 25 - A-AUS.pdf/285

 ALASKA 241 south and west, and which has been named the Alaskan river from the north-east, and enters Alaska in about mountains, culminates in lat. 64° N. in the peak of Mt. lat. 65° N. Just above the Arctic circle, near the site M‘Kinley, rising over 20,000 feet. Beyond the Alaskan of old Fort Yukon, it turns to the south-west, passes range and its foothills lie broad river valleys, north-west- through the canyon of the Lower Ramparts, receives ward from which are ranges of comparatively low hills, from the south-east a large tributary, the Tanand; 175 none of which have been recorded as exceeding 3500 feet, miles farther down receives the Koyiikuk river from the and beyond which again stretches the Arctic tundra. northward, bends more to the southward, and in about Much of the rock of North-Western Alaska is volcanic. lat. 62° N. turns again to the north-west and debouches Along the great line of orographic folding indicated by through a vast delta into Bering Sea, south of Norton the Alaskan range and the Aleutian chain numerous Sound. The total length of the unsurveyed Yukon has remarkable volcanic peaks exist, varying in height up to been estimated at 2000 miles; near the delta, in spring, 12,000 feet. Enumerating them from Cook’s Inlet west- one bank is not always visible from the other. It is ward, and omitting all cases of doubtful vulcanicity, the navigable for steamers of light draft nearly to its headmost notable are Redoubt Volcano, Iliamna, Augustin, waters, navigation opening early in June and closing in Olai, Chiginagak, Pavloff, Isanotski (extinct), Shishaldin’ October. In the summer of 1899 thirty-five steamers Akutan, Makushin, Vsevidoff, Atka, Gareloi, and Semiso- were in active service on its waters. North of Bering pochnoi, all of which, with the exception noted, emit Strait a number of rivers fall into the Arctic Sea : of these steam or smoke, or show other evidences of activity. North of the Alaskan range no active volcanoes are at present known. The transverse depressions of the mountainous continental border are occupied by rivers and continued as straits. Thus the Naas river, just south of the boundary, corresponds to the trough of Dixon Entrance and Portland Channel, the Stikine to that of Sumner Strait, the Taku to that of Cross Sound. The summit of the mountains at the head of Lynn Canal, situated about 15 miles from the sea, has an elevation of 2800 feet (White Pass) to 3500 feet (Chilkoot Pass); and here only, on the whole extent of the South-Eastern Alaskan coast, is a clear-cut watershed exhibited between the seaboard and interior drainage. Between the Alexander Archipelago and the peninsula of Alaska but few rivers make their way across the ranges to the sea, chiefly through difficult canyons. The Atna, or Copper river, is the most important of these and reaches London. a *Est»b'$ the sea just east of Prince William Sketch Map of Alaska. Sound. At the head of Cook’s Inlet a considerable valley is drained by the Knik (Fire) and Sushitna rivers. The the most notable are the Selawik, Kowak, and Noatak of latter rises in the Alaskan range. North-westward from Kotzebue Sound; the Meade, Ikpikpung, and Colville of the main axis of this range, especially towards the coast the Arctic coast. The region now known as Alaska was first explored of Bering Sea, a number of large lakes exist, giving rise to rivers of some magnitude. West of Cook’s Inlet, over by the Russian officers Bering and Chirikoff in 1741. the range, Lake Clark and Lake Iliamna feed the Kvichak They visited parts of the coast between Dixon History. river. Another assemblage of many smaller lakes is Entrance and Cape St Elias, and returned along drained by the Nushagak river. Both empty into Bristol the line of the Aleutians. Their expedition was followed Bay. North of Cape Newenham Bering Sea receives by many private vessels manned by traders and trappers. the Kuskokwim, as yet hardly explored, but believed to Spanish expeditions in 1773 and 1775 visited the southhave a length of 450 miles, chiefly through a rather eastern coast and laid a foundation for subsequent terrimountainous country. Next northward, in latitude about torial claims. Cook in 1778 made surveys from which 62° 30', is the enormous delta of the Yukon, the chief the first approximately accurate chart of the coast was river of Alaska and one of the great rivers of the world. published; but it was reserved for Vancouver, in 1793-94, It rises in British Columbia ; the head of the branch called to make the first charts, in the modern sense, of the the Lewes river rising within 30 miles of the coast of Lynn intricate south-eastern coast, which only in recent years Canal. Flowing in a north-westerly direction it cuts the have been superseded by new surveys. Owing to excesses Alaskan range, forming a canyon called the Upper committed by private traders and companies, the trade Ramparts; a little later it receives the famous Klondike and regulation of the Russian possessions was in 1799 S. I. — 31