The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-02

from thirty to forty days to accomplish
the trip. Besides the government re-
lief, the company who have the con-
tract will take in $50 tons Of provisions
on their own responsibility. In the
government party there will be Capt.
Brainerd, several other officers and
about fifty soldiers. The transporta-
ton company will take $50 men, and
the entire party and provisions will be
conveyed upon thirty-two cars The
cars are on runners and are hauled by
six double traction snow locomotives.
One engine will be used as pilot,
travelling ahead of the main party to
break the road and pack the snow.
The expedition will leave Seattle some
time during the latter part of this
month.
This, in sort, Is the feat the Alaska
Snow and Transportation company in
tends to accomplish, not only to trans
port the government relief, but to es-
tablish q permanent line of transporta-
ton between the gold country and the
seaboard.
Secretary of War Alger is satisfied
that this can be done, as the locomo-
tives have been used in his lumber
camps on the Michigan peninsula for
number Of years and have proved
very satisfactory, but how they will
work in Alaska on the Yukon river
cannot be foretold. The plan Is to
make the trip from Dyea to the Yu-
kon river either by the White pass or
the Chilkat pass. After the trip
across the mountains is made, they will
proceed up the Yukon river. The Chill
kat pass is not the same as the Chill
koot pass, being the most direct route
to the Yukon, by way Of Dyea. The
government has been figuring upon
getting the relief to Dawson City by
the LIST Of March, and the original in
tention was to use reindeer in the
transportation of the provisions, but
this has been practically abandond,
partly because of the scarcity Of the
animal, and also because Of the scar
city of the moss upon which reindeer
live, south of the Arctic circle. This
moss grows in abundance north Of the
circle, but very little Is to be found
south Of it. The government now has
two courses, either to use Montana
range horses in getting the provisions
over the mountains and the long trail
to Klondike or to use the snow trains
as proposed by the transportation
company.
Capt. Brainerd and Mr.. Robinson will
be in Seattle in few days, when the
work of preparing the expedition will
begin. The transportation company
will begin work soon on working
model Of the locomotive and train by
Which 1t is proposed to accomplish the
Journey. A test will be made soon
after their completion which will take
but short time, and If successful the
transportation company will pro
of It's contract with the govern
ment. If the test proves salts
factory contracts will be Immediately
let by the transportation company for
the necessary engines and parapher-
MALTA for the trip, and a start will be
| made by February 1 at the latest. If
the plan proves to be impracticabIe the
government will resort to the use of
the Montana horses, and the expedi-
ton will necessarily be delayed ten or
fifteen days later. Arrangements are
now being made in the East for a large
amount of the material necessary for
the undertaking, although contracts for
all the provisions have not as yet been
let by the government The supplies
are to be delivered at Dyea, and when
Capt. Brainerd and his soldiers arrive
everything will be in readiness for the
journey. The transportation company
is also busily at work purchasing
machinery in the East for it's und.-r-
taking, and it has full confidence
in the practicability of the scheme.
The government relief will amount TO
250,000 pounds of provisions, while the
transportation company will take in
100000 pounds, making total of $50 900
pounds which is to be pulled a distance
of 900 or more miles by snow locomo-
tives.
This scheme would seem to be a
dream to many unfamiliar with the
working of the proposed engine and
cars, but a study of the accompanying
plan of the engine will give the readers
OF the G o b e small idea of the
scheme and they can judge for them
selves.
The provisions taken into the Klon-