The San Francisco call., 1897-09-12
Big RAILWAY PROJECT.
A Company Incorporating to
Build Up the Copper
River.
Surveyors of the Route Say This
Avenue to the Yukon Is
Feasible.

An enterprise is projected in this City
which, if carried ont, will be of vast i'm
portance TO the DEVELOPMENT of Alaska
and the development of the Pacific Coast.
company is organizing ana is to be in
cor rporated under the laws of the Territory
Of Arizona within the next three days,
which has Tor it's pu: pose the construc-
tion of narrow-gauge railroad from tide
water on Prince William Sound up the
valley of the much-talked- OF Copper River,
and thence across the divide to point on
the Yukon River near the boundary line.
The name of the company will be the
Alaska Central Railway Company and
its capital stock $5,000,000.
The promoter of the enterprise is Colonel
John Underwood of this City, and
former ex ensive railroad contractor in
the new States in the Northwest. Asso-
ciated with him. according to Underwood,
are Elijah Smith of New York, the con-
trolling spirit in the Oregon Improve ment
Company, and John W. Cudahy and P.
B. Armour, the Chicago packers. and one
or two local capitalists. AS the Oregon
Improvement Company practically owns
the Pacific Coast Steamship Company
it is believed that the big steam ship COM
pany is much interested in the success OF
the terprise. 1t is said that both
Senator Perkins and Captain Charles
Goodall look on the project with favora-
BILE view, and may take a seat in the
board of directors. Al bert w. Lyser, an
attorney in the Mills building, may also
be a dire ctor.
The len 9Th OF the proposed road will be
Oh hot
The surveys were completed two years ago
| by a prominent railroad engineer VINO
! laid ont the noun famous sections of the
| Great Northern and Northern Pacific, and
| who has pronounced the route practicable
| and one over which railway could be con-
| structed with much less difficulty and
| labor than in he mountainous districts of
Washington, Montana or Idaho.
Il left Juneau three years ago." said
| Underwood, with party OF two engi-
neers, two miners, seventeen Lapps from
| Manitoba and fourteen Indian packers for
| Circle City. Our route was up the Stickeen
| River. Arriving at our destination gave
| orders for survey from Boundary Butte
across the divide to the Copper River
| country. Two routes were sought, one
| with a terminus on Prince William Sound,
| the other to terminate on Cooks Inlet.
| The report of the engineer in charge of
| the first party shows that he proceeded up
| Seventy mile Creek for distance of
twenty eight miles, where fork of Forty
mile Creek was reached. The grades were
! easy and gold quartz was found at every
point tested by the experienced prospec-
TOR who accompanied the party. The
route was then up Forty mile Creek, a
| distance of about fifty miles. to Lake
| Mansfield. Here the country was swampy
and low and many indications OF coal
were found
From that point across the divide to
! Copper River j. about forly-five miles. 1t
may be surprising to the public that grass
was found in this region seven ana eight
/ feet tall and that the report of the en-
gineer declared it a good stock region.
| Oak and fir were found in abundance, and
deer, moose, cariboo and musk OK were
plentiful. A fork of the Tanana WIS
| crossed on the way, from which point the
! Indians declared distance of twenty FIVE
miles southeast there were vast quantities