New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-02-23
RAIL ROUTES TO THE YUKON
. REPORT By THE CANADIAN GOVERN
MENT ENGINEER ON THE
FEASIBLE LINES
ovrR THE cyrr.KAT PASS. TIE cHILKooT PASS
IND THE WHIT rAss--A LINE
FROM JUNEAU

FROM JUNEAU
Ottawa. Canada Feb 22-The routes into the
vrkon nv which the gold fields Of the Klon6ike can
49, e,ches are to-day topics OF widespread interest.
- ro,te selected by the Canadian Government for
..e,- Tes!in Lake railway has already been de-
.-,hss in this correspondence but there remain
- o,hers two OF which are better known and are
10 rrinc.pal ga;eways through which the miners
n.vs poured into The Yukon basin. These routes
..ss especial interest to Americans because their
1ooss, outlets In the territory Of the United
c,s,e, and are therefore calculated TO throw the
"a, o. the miners into the hands OF Americans.
NJ Jennings the Canadian engineer. who selected
~. Tesln Lake route. also visited the others. and
- rs report incorporates much interesting informa-
law respecting them Many have heard In a gen.
al way OF the hardshps Of the Chilkoot and White
asses and many a man IS now PREPARING 10 climb
.hoss rugged mountain sides on his way TO what he
ro,es will be his Eldorado. Mr. Jennings tells
,yeh sbou, the nature of the passes and discusses
ne possibility OF a railway in each one.
II al cases the ocean voyage OF the Klondke-
houud traveller would terminate in that arm Of the
ocean that udents the land on the southern coast
:, Alaska and is known the Lynn Canal The
sa6 o, this waterway Is divided into separate bays
n ine:s and from the shores OF these open three
s,.s OF passage over the mountains that divide the
yukon basin from the Pacific slope. The most
western passage is known es the Chiikat Pass.
which crosses the mountains and opens out into the
Dalton trail Mt Jennings discusses the possibility
~. railway up this pass. and then northeast 10 the
Yukon River by way Of The Nordenskold River
distance Of PAS miles. or after striking the
YUKON the tourney northward 10 the gold fields
would be made by boat. In fact. this plan forms
par; Of each proposition. The Yukon River is TO he
utilized
snch road would begin at Chilkat. on Dyea
inlet q; the head O. the Lynn Canal. in Alaska and
would proceed UP the valley OF the Chilkat River
to- distance OF twenty miles, where an elevation
), rs feet above the level would be gained
This is bottom land OF clay alluvial deposit covered
with scrub spruce and alder For the next thirty
miles the valley Of the Klahuns River would be fol-
lowed over a somewhat similar country. In this
section there would ne number OF per cent
gradients but az the hftieth mile the summit would
be reached. From there 10 the seventy-second mile
is the heish, Of land. grass and heather covered
country composed OF earIhy soils mixed with loose
masses OF rocks and powders At Daltons house, on
me ninety-sixth mile the Alseck River is crossed
hy bridge $50 feet in length. From there TO the
Nordens kiold River much heavy work would be met
With Then the course OF the river would be FOL
owed and the valley OF the Yukon gained at
point FIVE miles below the "Five-Finger Rapids
and ffty-seven miles above Fort Seikirk. The
length OF such Z road would be 245 miles, and the
.s,ia ted cost s23 400 per mile total OF s. sSso n
Ire inland or Yukon River terminus would be in
Canadian territory, and the ocean port terminus IN
Alaska
koot Pass Dyea is on the extreme northly end of
the Dyea Inlet Of the Lynn Canal and is OF course,
In Alaska There is good depth OF water in Dyes
Har0or for the largest ocean ships but good land
.ng-place would have 70 be provided. owing 10 the
high tides ana the shallow water inshore at the
head o. the inlet. The distance from Dyea 10 the
summit o. the Chnkoot Pass is fifteen miles. and
the altitude the latler point is 1852 feet above
m Continued along the eastern side OF the valley
on mountain side in heavy rcck and earth work the
sor oops and curvature Another plan would be .
proceed further up The valley ana mae ne oniho
necessary a gradient OF l. per centso steep as 10
Re overcome only by cable line or the use OF q
proceed across broken country 70 Lakes Lindeman
and Bennett and hen TO The 91tet OF Iagsn LakS
Canadian territory. There the road would ter
hnqai i and Yukon to Dawson CIV The length et
a' read would ld.d Be y 81 e costing about s2''
The third route Is thai BY way o. the White
MIS- no rom the Byea met in Alaska In the
Waite Pass the summit Is zsN feei ABOVE sea sea
cordns 10 the engineer. The only feasible way Of
passing through the rugged dehle appears TO BE by
ss41ent from about three niles rom the sea and
winding along the mountain side 10 the LETT where
nss the base Atigr reaching TIE summit, the read
From Lake Bennett the same route would be fol-
lowed as in the l'ne from the Chilkoot Pass. Inc
Hootallnqua River would be reached at point l2s
miles from Skaguay On the sea. The estimated
cost Of this road is S23 300 per mile, or total OF
,s23f0a This line also would begin IN American
territory and terminate in Cana dian.
A line from Juneau. in Alaska, Taku Inlet, 10
the OF Tesn Lake. is also noticed in the re-
port, such line would be Jas miles in length and
COS. s2iG24 per mile. a total OF s34s5.SO. Such
are the features OF the principal entrances into the
valley Of the Yukon, seen by the eyes Of rail-
wav engineer The gate Of each is IN the territory
Of the United States. and no doubt in time one or
more Of them VIII be used in railway construction.
In the spring they will be tramped over by thou
sands o. weary goid-seekers In their arduous jour
in search OF fortune In the gold fields o. Alaska
and the Yukon. .
Mr Jennings supplements his report with some
calculations respecting miners supplies. He gives
the following as the food supply required by one
man for one years maintenance