Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume I.djvu/265

 ALASKA 241 origin, and the same is true of the islands along the coast of Behring sea. So far as known, all the mountains in the country of any consid- erable height are situated below lat. 65 N. There are three important mountain chains: the Coast or St. Elias range, the Eocky moun- tains, and the Alaskan range. In the Coast range, on the North Pacific, are the loftiest peaks and principal volcanoes. Of these Mt. St. Elias is the highest ; its elevation is vari- ously stated at from 16,000 to 17,850 feet, the latter estimate making it the highest mountain in North America. The summit of Mt. Fair- weather, in the same chain, is 14,500 feet above the sea level. E. of the Yukon, the Eocky mountains extend along or near the 64th paral- lel to the basin of the Mackenzie river. The Alaskan range in the S. "W. part of the terri- tory is merely an offshoot of the Eocky moun- tains. There is a long line of low hills near the Arctic coast. The climate of Alaska is by no means so inhospitable as that of correspond- ing latitudes on the eastern coast of North America. In regard both to climate and agri- culture, the territory is naturally divisible into three regions : the Yukon district, comprising all the country N. of the Alaskan mountains ; the Aleutian district, comprising the islands of that name and the peninsula; and the Sitka district, comprising the remainder of the terri- tory. In the Yukon district the mean annual temperature is about 25 F., and the ground remains frozen to within two or three feet of the surface throughout the summer. The amount of rainfall is not accurately known. In winter the ice on the Yukon averages five feet in thickness, and where there is sufficient water it has been known to freeze to a deptb of nine feet. The summer is short, dry, and hot. May, June, and a part of July constitute the pleasant season ; then the rainy weather begins, and lasts till October. The lowest temperature ever recorded in this region was 70 F. The climate of the Aleutian district is wanner, the mean annual temperature being from 36 to 40 F. In a series of observations made at Unalashka, extending over five years, the great- est cold experienced during that time was found to be the zero of Fahrenheit, while the high- est temperature was 77. The average annual rainfall is about 40 inches, distributed among 150 rainy days in each year. January, Febru- ary, and June are the pleasantest months. A still warmer and moister climate is characteris- tic of the Sitka district. The town of Sitka is the rainiest place in the world outside of the tropics. From 60 to 90 inches of rain fall an- nually, and the number of rainy days in each year varies from a mininum of 190 to a maxi- num of 285. The mean annual temperature is 44'07 ; but the average temperature in winter is proportionately much higher than in sum- mer, being only a little below the freezing point; while the excessive rains in summer make that season unduly cold. Ice fit for con- sumption scarcely ever forms at Sitka. The 17 VOL. i. 17 interior of Alaska is well wooded. On the Pa- cific coast, dense forests of the Sitka spruce or white pine (abies Sitkensw) clothe the moun- tain sides both of the islands and the mainland, down to the very water's edge, producing tim- ber of great size and unsurpassed quality. In the same region grows the yellow cedar (G. Nutlcatemis), of great value for boat-building. Hemlock and the balsam fir are also found here. The Aleutian islands are wholly destitute of trees, there being no vegetation on' them larger than a shrub. In the Yukon region, the wood- ed district recedes from the coast, but timber is abundant in the interior, the finest tree which occurs there being the valuable white spruco (abies alba). The birch (betula glandulosa) is also found, and furnishes the only hard wood in this part of the country. Alders, poplars, and several varieties of willow fringe the banks of all the larger streams. The agricultural re- sources of Alaska are practically confined to the Aleutian and Sitka districts. The abun- dant growth of rich perennial grasses in the valley of the Yukon affords excellent fodder for cattle, but no grain has ever been raised .there, and the only vegetables which have suc- ceeded are radishes, turnips, and lettuce. The most fertile land is found at Cook's inlet, on Kadiak island, and among the Aleutians, where good oats, barley, and root crops can be raised without much difficulty. Whether the potato can ever be cultivated successfully in Alaska is doubtful. In the most favored farming dis- tricts the agricultural production can scarcely ever exceed the local demand. Alaskan geol- ogy has been but imperfectly studied, and only a few of the leading facts are known. Ac- cording to William H. Dall, the director of the scientific corps which explored the proposed route for the Eusso- American telegraph line in 1866, the whole of the peninsular portion of Alaska W. of Ion. 150 is gradually rising. Along the Pacific coast glaciers, some of them remarkable for their extent and grandeur, fill the principal mountain gorges, and terminate at the sea in magnificent masses of overhanging ice. The fact that these glaciers are gradually decreasing in size from year to year leads to the inference that the rigor of the climate is slowly mitigating. Hot and mineral springs are found near Sitka, on the Aleutian islands and the neighboring coast, and in other parts of the territory. In the Alexander archipelago fossils of the cretaceous period have been found, but the extent of the formation has not been ascertained. Clay slates and conglomerate occur near Sitka. Crystalline white marble of fine quality has been discovered on Lynn chan- nel and in other portions of the archipelago. Thence northward to Mt. St. Elias granite and metamorphic rocks skirt the coast. In the Aleutian islands the tertiary formation is of considerable extent, and contains coal, lignite, and amber. The best deposit of tertiary coal, so far as known, is on Cook's inlet, where it occurs in two parallel layers, with an estimated