Evening journal., 1893-03-06
BY RAIL TO PARIS.
A Scheme to Unite the Conti-
nents BY Iron Ties.
NATURE A VALUABLE ASSISTANT.

Capitalists Demonstrating the Practioa-
bnIty of an idea to Construct an In
ter-ContinentaI Railroad via BehrIng
strait-EIght Islands and POntoOns
Furnish Easy Means of Crossing the
Wide Channel.
NEW YORK. March Ga special dis
patch to the Sun from San Francisco
says John D. Hutchinson, member Of
the party Of engineers who have been
making a survey for an Alaskan rail
way which is to bridge Behring Strait
and connect with Siberian road. is in
Sar Francisco. He says that the enter
prise promises success.
'There were eight engineers in our
party" said Mr.. Hutchinson, "and we
completed the survey from Vancouver,
B. c. to Cape Prince of Wales, the point
of Alaska nearest to Asia. on Behring
Strsit, a distance of 2,346 miles. We
reached that point in the latter part of
last September, and the chief of the
party, Robert Faulkner, keeping with
him one assistant, John Higgins, decided
to remain in camp there for the winter.
The rest of the party returned, and, ex-
cepting myself, are now in Vancouver.
"The project of the railway is the
result of a dinner given in November,
1890, in New York by Henry Clews to
some capitalists. The result was that
within few days fund Of 500, 900 was
raised among the guests Of the evening
for a Typographical survey The engi
neers were engaged and we began work
from Vancouver on June 3. 1891.
Il think the road is in all respects fea-
sible. The route taken through Alaska
and projected beyond into Russia is sub
stantially the same as that which was
taken years ago in surveying the West
ern Union telegraph route. Mr.. Faulk-
ner's report has gone on to Mr. Clews
and his associate capitalists and, having
been intimately associated with Faulkner
during the survey, l can say positively
that his report is favorable. II it meets
with the approval of Mr.. Clews and the
others work will begin on the road at
Vancouver or InRan next August.
Faulkner's estimate Of the average cost
Of the road is $28 900 per mile.
1--WE were required to take the topog.
raphy only as far as Juneau. Up to that
point we found the route a compare
lively regular one. From there we pro.
eeeded on an air line as nearly as posi-
bic, paralleling the coast west of Mount
Fairweather Comparatively easy grades
can be obtained. The worst place that
we found was in crossing the Alaskan
range at what we called Vincent
Pass. But this is not higher than
Stampede Pass on the Northern Pacific.
eve completed the survey to Cape
Prince Of Wales on September "a, and
the next day began taking soundings Of
Behring Strait. According to Faulkner s
estimate the strait at that point is
twenty six and or half miles wide. But
the distance is cut by eight islands.
Across all these spaces except two can
tilever bridges can be constructed. In
those two pontoons would have to be
used, for either distance is FIVE times as
great as the longest span in the Brook
lyn bridge.
There is no quieksand anywhere, and
the bottom Of the strait furnishes a
sound and solid foundation for piers
Nor is there any danger from iceburgs,
for all the large ones are stranded forty
miles up. In one place a stone break
water would have to built to protect
the piers from the smaller bergs
Henry Clews & Co., Drexel, Morgan
& Co., and Isaac Q. Seibert, a Jewish
banker of st. Petersburg and Prague, are
interested in extending the road from
East Cape on the Siber ian shore oi
Behring sea to Sandeluske, the great
Siberian road, distance Of 2.275 miles
There will thus be formed an all-rai
route from Vancouver te sandeluske o.
4,62l miles, which Ill enable Americans
to travel by rail all the way to st
Petersburg and connect there with all tn
rest of Europe and Asia. The road vii
traverse two great river valleys and tai
great wheat lands. The builders expec
to get big grant from Russia, and 70
that reason do not announce the exac
line Of the route"