Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-22
TO DAWSON CITY BY RAIL
Capitalists to Build -a-Line to the Gold
Fields,
Congress Asked to Grant a Right of
Way-Feasibility of Plan
Pointed Out.

Mr.. j. M. Underwood of San Francisco
has been in Washington for nearly a week.
comforting with Representative McCleary
of Minnesota and other members of Con-
gress relative to legislation that will pro-
vide right of way for a steam railroad
to the Klondike gold fields.
Mr.. Underwood Is president of the Alaska
Central Railroad Company, whose offices
are in San Francisco. He is one of the
foremost railroad builders, having partici-
pated in the construction of three Of the
Pacific lines, in addition to many of the
smaller roads in the west and northwest.
With favorable legislation by Congress-,
Mr.. Underwood said to Star reporter to-
day. "our company will run it's first steam
locomotive into Dawson City by June To-
1898. We do not ask a bonus from Con-
gress. The stock of our company is owned
principally by New York, Philadelphia and
San Francisco capitalists. The money Is
ready and there is plenty of 1t.
Work of construction on the road would
have been under way long ago had it not
been for our discovery that the general
land laws have never been extended to
Alaska. By the route that we wish to
have in operation by June 49, 1898, we can
land passengers and freight from the near
est tidewater to Dawson City in forty
eight hours, and passengers need mot be
compelled to walk a single rod or carry a
single pound of baggage themselves. This,
of course, is summer route, and would be
practicable only about five months in the
year.
For three years we have had a force
of engineers making surveys in that coun-
try, and we know that we have the best
and most practicable route to the gold
fields. When our first expedition camped
at Dawson City there were only two rotten
pole buildings there. This proposed route
is part rail and part water. Our surveyors
discovered river where the ice breaks up
at least six weeks earlier than in the Yu-
ken and many other streams. We can
reach Dawson City from tidewater of this
river with only 3d. miles of railroad. The
Eext nearest practicable route cannot
reach Dawson City in less than 7GS miles,
Our route has never been mentioned in
the newspapers, and very few outside of
the officers and directors of our company,
and the engineers who made the surveys,
nave seen the maps. l have complete
map, which l have shown to Representa-
tive McCleary. 1t has all the preliminary
locations, and shows the grades as well.
The steepest grade that we encounter is
mel 40 feet long. Part of this tunnel is
through coal.
We also have made surveys for an all
rail route. If the right of way be OBJ
tanned without delay we will give bonds
that trains shall be running through to
Dawson City by the time the rivers freeze
up next fall. This proposed route starts
from the coast, where there Is nothing to-
toS. We "ouio cC NoiiSii uStlHS vi lHlS
route today We're it possible to get the
right of way through Alaska
In the fore part of November our vice
president and one of the directors went
up to Alaska with a sawmil and pile
driver, prepared to begin the work of es-
tabshing dockagei They are waiting now
for Congress TO iegalze'a right of way.
The chief of our engineers directed the
surveys for the Canadian Pacific railroad.
He is one of the best engineers in Amer
lea. He does not hesitate to say that both
of our proposed routes are the only FEAST
bic ones. The construction of either means
gain of a year in the development of the
kiondike country over any other suggested
route" ~