Anabasis

Alaska has an area of about 586,000 square miles, considerably more than twice that of Texas, the largest state. It has a population of about 54,000, considerably less than three-quarters of that of Nevada, the least populated state. It is shaped, roughly, like the head of a bull turned upside down, one horn being the Alaska Peninsula, the other what is known as the Panhandle, a strip of territory extending down the Canadian coast. Its population, about half white and half Indian, averages less than one for every ten square miles, and is congregated (as much as it can be said to be congregated) along the Southern coast.

President Harding and his party approached by way of the Panhandle. At Wrangell, in the Panhandle, once a trading post of the Hudson Bay Co., the party was greeted by " thousands of people." The populace presented Mr. and Mrs. Harding with a basket of super-strawberries and a bunch of mammoth peonies. Here, amid totum poles and other emblems of the red men, the President declared that he had come as an " apostle of understanding. That is what the world and the nation most need." Following him the three Secretaries in the party, Work, Wallace and Hoover, also spoke.

Continuing up the Panhandle, the transport Henderson with the President aboard, stopped next at Juneau, capital of the territory. As the transport steamed into the bay, she had planned to fire a few five-inch shells into Taku Glacier, so that the President could witness the great ice precipices crumbling and falling into the sea. Fog settled down, however, and the firing could not be attempted.

The party landed in rain. Autos took them and Governor Bone to the Gubernatorial mansion. From its balcony the President spoke to the dripping crowd. " There must be a lot of Baptists in Juneau," he began. "Sturdy, majestic, stalwart and immovable are truly the only words which describe this wonderland of ours. I am proud of you, citizens of the United States. It is good to know of Alaska, and it is our purpose to know you better and have you know our Government better."

The three Secretaries spoke once more, and Speaker Gillett of the House also contributed a few words. Later a public reception was held.

At 2 a. m. the Henderson sailed once more. Contrary to schedule she put in at Skagway. Skagway is now a village of about 500 inhabitants but once it had 20,000 people and was the starting point of the famous White Horse Trail in the days of the great gold rush to the Yukon. The President went to the chief hotel and delivered a short address, reviewing the history of the town. Mrs. Harding was presented with a bouquet of dahlias, each flower almost a foot in diameter. There the President became a member of the Arctic Brotherhood and took an oath never to maltreat horse or dog.

Thence the Henderson again set out on the open sea, to cross the Gulf of Alaska, from one " horn " to the base of the other. It was not a pleasant passage--lasting two days--amid rain, fog and, toward the end, a stiff wind. The President and other members of the party passed the time as best possible--quoits, movies in the evenings and pipefuls of tobacco. Resurrection Bay, at last. Governor Bone and the party gathered on the upper deck of the transport. With appropriate ceremonies the passage was christened " Harding Gateway to Resurrection Bay." Landing at Seward, and warmly received, the President and his party boarded a special train and proceeded through the Chugach National Forest. The party dined at Tunnel (8 p. m., the sun high in the sky) and then proceeded to Anchorage. At Anchorage (founded 1915) the President declared that it was " the best nine-year-old town I have ever seen." There is a movement on foot to move the territorial Capital from Juneau to some more central city, such as Seward or Anchorage. Both are on deep water. Seward has a fine harbor, but so deep that it is said to be difficult for vessels to anchor securely. Anchorage has the disadvantage of a tide that varies as much as 40 feet, but it is closer to the interior. At Anchorage Mrs. Harding declared: " Oh, I just love the Alaskans! " The next two days were spent traversing the remaining distance to Fairbanks. There were many stops--at Lake Nancy (named after Nancy Lane, daughter of the late Secretary of Interior, Franklin K. Lane, who projected the Alaskan Railroad); at Chickaloon, to view the now inactive U. S. Navy coal mine; at Willow, to allow the President to cover part of a new section house with green paint; at Hurricane Gulch, to inspect the suspension bridge; at Cantwell, to see a herd of 1,000 reindeer; at Tanana Bridge, to let the President drive a golden spike, formally completing the Alaskan Railroad, built by the Government at a cost of $56,000,000.

The last stop was at Fairbanks, furthest terminal of the railroad, 150 miles from the Arctic Circle. When President Harding reached there, he established a new northernmost record for Presidents of the United States. It was the furthest point of his trip and, although not quite in the land of the midnight sun, there was still twilight even in the darkest hours of the night.