Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1890-11-04
GILPIN'S SCHEME
To Build a Railroad Through the
Wilds Of Alaska,
Thus Connecting the Old and
New Worlds,

AFohouhceu Dy some 10 he q EchntDle
one--A Juneau letter Says the Future
win See 1t Accomplishod--D Drawbacks
in Bridging the straits--A Tunnel the
Only Way to DO 1t.
DENVER, Nov. "A letter from
Juneau, Alaska, says; The project of
Ex-Governor Gilpin, Of Colorado, to
build il line of railway through the
wilds Of Alaska to Cope Prince Of
Wales, to connect with the Russian rail.
way system through Siberia, thus link.
ing the old ana the new world will.
railroad is feasible one, and the fu
tnle win see it accomplished,
ona Great 0bstacic.
But there is giant obstacle iAsti.e
way of an unbroken line connecting the
two Ilemispheres, and that is Behring
straits. MIR. Gilpin's proposition II to
bridge these straits, which is all we'll
enouah in theory but quite different
1 thing in practice AT considerable ex-
pense the straits can undoubtedly be
! bridged, as an island lies midway be-
! tween the Asiatic and American shores;
the distance is not great and the water
| shallow, the government charts show
ing he greatest depth to be only thirty
two I,hhoms
But could bridge be built high
enough to allow towering icebergs to
| pas Nnder ity' And with strength to
withstand the great ice foes that are
yeaiy swept down the rough straits
from the Arctic ocean, The current
sweeps through the narrow straits from
one great sea into another very swift
and stroEg, and great icebergs would
be bCrne against the bridge, its piers
and ahGtments with force that neither
steel stringers nor mason work could
stana against
A Tunnel the Best Plan.
Capt Emeiy, Of the United States
ship Ihetis, stated the only practical
means Of crossing these straits at all
seusoi j. by tunneling under them.
The Rugged oast Line.
Tie character of the coast line of
of lasha is such that railway building
alonB it would encounter obstacles al
mcsi ~ great as the ice foes in Behring
straits The mountains are rugged and
pres lices sheer into the sea and run
back to attitudes OF from COO to nearly
20,d0 feet, and the crest OF the range Il
capHcd with eternal snow and ice.
Eveiy canyon is an inlet from the sea
which, octopus-iike, seems to cling with
mighty arms to the mountains for sup
port
Thus channels are nayigable for the
largest ships, and curious as ID may
seem, great steamships glide up these
narrow canyons, with barely passage
room on either side for miles, and come
to anchor directly under the towering
ice-capped peaks, In the very heart OF
the coast range, where the waters Of
tic sea end in these canyons, comes in
the arm Of Il glacier, with surface
like an angry sea, cracked in every di-
rection.
The Interior.
Through tine interior Of Alaska, rather
than along the coast, lies the route for
Governor Gilpins railroad the
head waters OF the Stickeen and down
the great valley of the Youkon. In the
main this route would be through a
rolling country until the lower reaches
Of the loulson were reached, where the
country becomes almost fiat, swampy
and frozen. The road would probably
follow be Youkon as far lis Nilslato.
where il would leave that stream and
strike nearly due west 10 Cape Prince
Of Wales.
AlaslSa's Resources.
Tie resources Of the country that the
line would pass through have vet to be
learned and tested but there is every
promise that 1t is rich in mineral and
coal. u is fine grazing country and
from tho rolling hills and prairies thou
sands of tons OF wild hay could be cut,
and although the summer season is
ghC 1T, iock-raising might be made q
profitable industry. The Yukon and
its tributaries swarm with salmon Of
the 6rest quality, and railroad would
undoubtedly open out a great salmon
fishing industry.
Agriculture.
AS to the country's agricultural quail
ificatioa5 this has yet to be proven, al
though iit some Of the posts along the
river 6ne gardens Of vegetables have
been raised Although the season for
maturing agricultural products is short
in months, 1t is very warm, and during
the longest days Of the year the sun
docs not set, and crops would mature
rapidly.
~ Mines.
Many miner, who have spent both
winter and subnmer in that section say
that vast country. has great future be-
fore it, and what it needs to open IL UP
and offer permanent and proftabss
homes 10 thousands Of American people
is Governor Gilpin's railroad.
ATTEMPTED SALOON ROBBERY.