The Topeka state journal., 1898-01-28
Seven Locomotives Are Nearly
Com pleted With Cars
To Convey Provisions Over the
Snow to Dawson.
TO GO OVER THE PASS,
Trip From Dyea to Be Made in
Thirty Days.
Expedition Will Start About
February 10.

Chicago, Ill, Jan. 2S.-George T. Glover,
a Chicago inventor, has solved the prob
lem of getting supplies into the Klondike
region this winter by means of his snow
traction locomotive. Seven of these loco
motives are now building in Chicago and
New York and thirty-twO freight and pas
senger cars will be made at Portland
Ore, for this work. These will start by
February 10 for Dawson City over the
Dalton trail.
The locomotives that are now being
constructed for this KlOndike trip said
Mr.. Glover, viii weigh about eight tons
each-half the weight of the logging To-
comouves. Their capacity will be about
~ IONS burden respectively ma Ihal
an eight ton machine will do the work
quicker and easier. The seven locomo-
ives are now practically ready for ship
ment to Portland, where they will be as
sembled and then shipped, together with
tnlrty-tWo cars; TO Dyea: here they VIII
pc put up and placed in readiness for
the expedition which leaves that point on
teoruary 10. tor Dawson city, IN charge
of Captain Brainard of the United States
army.
strucuon encountered on the first trip.
There is no part of the pass, however,
tnat presentes a grade greater than 90
such grade readily. Each machine will
have steam windlass attached, and by
means Of this the train can easily pull it
self up at a remarkable speed. 1 cal
than IS hours with the first train. The
way once opened, subsequent travel will
Captain Brainard thinks that the trip
to Dawson City will require about so days.
l think 80 days will be more accurate.
Some bridging will doubtless have to be
done, ana parts of the trail opened up by
blasting. However, these things are
readily Obviated
The cost of building and equipping this
train will be less than S35,O00 Each 10
comOtive will cost about $4,000. The pas
6enger and freight cars and their trans
portation to Dyea will not exceed IS, 900.
'On reaching Dawson City, four of the
locomotives will be used in transporting
supplies and passengers to and from the
various points and villages located in the
Klondike gold fields. The others VIII re-
turn and make another trip before the
winter in Alaska is over"
The Snow and Ice Transportation COM
pany, which owns the right to the Glover
locomotives, Will receive % cents pound
for transporting the food supplies for the
United States government to Dawson
City. There will be 150 tons in this ship
ment Mr.. Glover was the first to solve
the problem of getting traction on snow.
He experimental for years and spent
snug fortune in developing and accOmp-
fishing this mechanical result.
The locomotive is very simple in con-
Btruction and principle, consisting of a
boiler, twin engines, driving wheels and
other necessary appurtenances, support
ed in steel frame. The frame rests
upon runners. fore and aft, and the loco
steel beams. The great feature of the
machine is huge traction wheel between
wheel and the wheel is rotated by horse
power ranging from twenty to sixty, gear
ed from five to one up to nine to one.
The heat from the boiler, furnace and the
exhaust steam is utilized in the drum, in
to which it is conveyed through the trun-
Mons By this means the wheel is kept
shaped teeth. 3 by u inches, are set ir-
regularly. The action of the heat from
the cylinder prevents the snow from clog
ging it and at the same time congresses
the snow into a solid mass, thereby Civ
ing sufficient resistance to enable the
teeth to pull train purdened with 200
ton weight.