St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-09-30
The Proposed Route via Alaska
and Behring Strait.

St Louis GlObe-Democrat.
1t is highly probable that railway
from Spokane Falls to Alaska will be
constructed within the next few years,
said Fl. A. Johnston. Il am ON my wav
home from business trip to Washing
ton territory, and while out there my
attention was called to this project, and
| spent considerable time looking into
it. The movement is i'll its infancy, but
it has the backing of the wealthy men
of the Northwest and of the people
of British Columbia. and | believe
the road will be built. The
idea looks strange and Impracticable at
the first glance, but, as matter of fact,
the obstacles to be encountered in the
construction of such a line would not be
as great as were met with by the Cen
tral Pacific and the Northern Pacific.
1t is proposed to begin the railroad at
Spokane Falls, making that city the
southern and eastern terminus. COM
petent engineers place the total cost at
S1c0.000.0J0. Walter MOberly, engineer
for the government of British Columbia,
has examined the proposed route and
believes the route could be built for less
money per mile than the Canadian Pa
cifc, and would prove profitable.
AS to the route projected. it is nee
esSaTy to explain the physical cOndi-
tons of the country so that the feaSibil-
ity OF the plan may be seen. The Rocky
mountains enter British Columbia in
about the longitude of Salt Lake City,
and trend westward until they Join the
Alaska coast range, breaking IN the
north TN part Of British Columbia into
three parallel ranges. The eastern
range is the Rockies proper. the middle
range is the SelkirkS and the western
the Columbian range. The Columbia
the Rockies and the SelkirkS,
and flows north until it reaches
the eXtr m ty of the latter range,
around which it turns and flows
back south between the Selkirks and
Columbian ranges INTO Washington ter
ritOry. At the point where the Columbia
turns the north end of the SelkiTk range
it receives a strong tributary in the
Canoe river. The road, as projected,
would run along the valleys of the Col
umbia and Canoe. then over the hills to
Tate Cache. ana down along the Frazer
river to Fort George. Thence it would
have to cross a long, but not difficult,
pass. to the valley of the Yukon. down
which it would go to the mouth of that
great river, a distance altogether of
about 5000 miles. The Yukon is Dor
dered most of the way by wide flood
plain and terrace, and construction
along its banks would be simple
''Where would the road get its reve-
nue?' was asked.
''Well, to begin with. it would touch
the famous kOotenaI valley, a splendid
agricultural and embarrassing region.
The people of Spokane Falls have for
some time been figuring on a road
eighty miles to the boundary, to con-
meet with road for which a company
of Canadians and EngliShmen have Sc
cured charter, fOrOm the boundary TO
the Canadian Pacific at Revelstoke, 200
miles further north. The English COM
pany Will commence work this summer,
and their road would form the first
link in the Alaska road This. how
ever. is merely to show that the
Kootenal region is valuable, and that
the Spokane Falls people know it.
There are great many mines and rich
deposits of ore along the Columbia. and
an English company is building a
smelter at RevelstOke to handle them.
Nearly every stream running into the
Columbia carries float gold. The
Canoe river runs through a great fur
and embryo mining region, and from
the Yukon co me gold, furS and timber
and from its mouth the seals. All
along the route of the road is valuable
country either for mining. salmon fish
ing, agriculture. stock raising or tim
ber."
Would not the snow and ice prevent
the operation of such rOad?''
That is apparently the greatest diff
Guilty. ANY one at first would think
that the climate would be an inSur-
mOuntable difficulty, but it is positively
asserted by those who ought to know
that the climate would cause no more
trouble than it does on the Canadian
and Northern Pacific. You know that
the ocean bTeeZeS temper the climate
along the coast, and it is very little
colder in Sitka than it is IN New York.
Now, this road would run west of the
mountains all the way, and the further
north it gets the nearer does it go to
the coast. so that the climate would be
comparatively temperate all the way.
1.-The road would be operated for the
Joint use and benefit of British Column
bia and the United States, and it is pro-
posed to have the province contribute
its proportion of the cost in lands, and
the United States to give its guarantees
for the payment of interest for twenty
years on $50, 200 per mile of the cost.
There is another important point in
connection with this road. The Rus
sian government is now engaged in
building railroad across Siberia and
down the Amoor to its mouth. A road
is also projected from the main line on
the AmoOr into Kamschatka, and TO
some port on Behri1g strait. only a
short distance from the mouth of the
Yukon. This line, in connection with
the Alaska road, would form praeti-
caIlv ail-raif rOTtn from Euronp To the
United States"