Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-05
BY RAIL TO EUROPE.
The Proposed Route via Alaska and
Behring Strait.

Hson tAs q. Louis olobs-Dsmoersk
s.It h highly probable that railway ffon
SPOKANE Falls 70 Alaska viii be constructed
within the next few years." said Mr. b. 4.
johnston. ~ am on my way home from .
business trip to Warrington territory, and while
out there my attention was called TO this pro-
ject and I spent considerable time looking into
IL The movement Il in ito infancy, but IL has
the backing OF the wealthy men of the north
west and Of the people Of British Columbia,
and believe the road will be built The idea
looks strange and impracticable at the drst
glance, but a. . matter Of fact, the obstacles TO
be encountered In the construction Of such .
line would not be a. great - were met with BY
the Central Pacific and the Northern Pacific.
Falls, making that city the southern and east
ern terminus. Competent engineers place the
total cost 1t e1S0, 000, 900. Mr.. Walter Moberly,
engineer for the government of British Column
bia, has examined the proposed route and be-
heves the route could be built for less money
per mile than the Canadian Pacific and would
prove profitable.
Gas TO the route projected, IL h necessary to
explain the physical conditions Of the country
90 that the feasibility 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 northern part of British
Columbia into three parallel ranges. The
eastern range il the Rockies proper, the middle
range Is the Selkirks, and the western the
Columbian range. The Columbian river rises
In the valley between the Rockies and the
Selkirks, and flows north until it reaches the
extremity OF the latter range, around which it
turns and flows back south between the Sell
kinks and Columbian ranges into Washington
territory. At the point where the Columbia
Turns the north end Of the Selkirk range, it
receives strong tributary in the Canoe river.
The road as projected would run along the
valleys Of the Columbia and Canoe, then. over
the hills from Tate Cache and down along the
Fraser river to Fort George. Thence it would
have to cross long, but not difficult pass, to
the valley Of the Yukon, down which it would 60
TO the mouth OF that great river, q distance al
together OF about 5000 miles. The Yukon is
bordered most Of the way by wide food plain
and terrace, and construction along its banks
would be simple"
.'where would the road get its revenue2" was
asked
swell, to begin with, IL would touch the
famous Kootenai valley, q splendid agricul-
tural and cattle raising region. The people Of
Spokane Falls have for some time been figuring
on q road so miles to the boundary to connect
with Q road for which company Of Canadians
and Englishmen have secured a charter, from
the boundary to the Canadian Pacific at Revel-
stoke, 200 miles further north. The English
company will commence work this summer
and their road would form the first link in the
Alaska road. This, however, ID merely to show
that the Kootenai region Is valuable and that
the Spokane Falls people know it. There are a
great many mines and rich deposits of ore
along the Columbia and an English company
Is building smelter at Revelstoke to handle
them. Nearly every stream running into the
Columbia carries float gold. The Canoe river
runs through great fur and embryo mining
region, and from the Yukon comes gold, furs
and timber, and from Its mouth the seals. All
along the route of the road is valuable country
either for mining, salmon fisheries, agricul-
ture, stock raising or timber"
"Would not the snow and ice prevent the
operation of such a road?"
'This is apparently the greatest difficulty,
Any one at first would think that the climate
would be an insurmountable difficulty but it il
positively asserted by those who ought to know
that the climate would cause no more trouble
than it does on the Northern and Canadian Pa
cifc. You know that the ocean breezes temper
little colder in Sitka than it is in New York
Now, this road would run west of the mount
aims all the way, and the further north it get,
the nearer does IL 60 to the coast, so that the
| climate would be comparatively temperate al
| the way.
1.-THE road would be operated for the join
| use and benefit of British Columbia and tn,
| United States. and it is proposed to have the
province contribute its proportion Of the cos
| in lands and the United States to give its guar
antees for the payment of interest for twenty
years on $50, 900 per mile of the cost.
There is another important point in con
nection with this road. The Russian govern
ment is now engaged in building railroad
across Siberia and down the Amoor to il
| mouth. road is also projected from the
main line on the Amoor into Kamschatka, ant
to some port on Behring's strait, only a shor
distance from the mouth of the Yukon. Thii
line, in connection with the Alaska road, would
form practically all-rsil route from Europe to
the United States"