The herald., 1898-01-27
CANADIAN
CONTRACT
CONCLUDED
For a Road Giving Access
to Dawson
TO BE READY BY SEPTEMBER
AND THE WORK WILL BEGIN AT
ONCE
TO BE READY BY SEPTEMBER
AND THE WORK WILL BEGIN AT
ONCE
Without Waiting for the Railroad
Thousands Take Steamer Passage
for Ports in Alaska
The Herald.

| The Herald.
OTTAWA, Ont, Jan. 26.-W. Macken-
zie and D. Mann, we'll known contract
| ors, have entered into contract with
the Dominion government for building
railway from a point near Telegraph
creek, at the headwaters of the Stickeen
river, to Tesla lake, so as to connect with
navigation at Dawson City. The exact
point the railway will start from has not
yet been decided upon, but it will be
somewhere near Glenora or Telegraph
creek The length of the road will be
about 100 miles, passing through an un-
dulating country where railway con-
struction will be comparatively easy.
Exact details of the bargain are not
yet officially given out, but it is under
stood that the contractors will get
block of land as subsidy, and there will
be no cash subsidy. The road will be re-
ouired to be constructed so as to permit
of sending supplies into the Yukon
before next winter sets in. This means
it must be in operation by September
next
The contractors announce that they
intend purchasing material and sup
plies at once and will before many days
have between 500 and 1000 men at work.
According to the number of applica-
tions on file,, there will be at least forty
bills presented at the ensuing session
of parliament, which meets next week,
seeking charters for railway construc-
ton in the Yukon.
| Over seventy letters We're received at
the interior department yesterday for
the privilege lof cutting timber on lots
of five square miles in the Yukon dis
trict, and upwards of fifty applications
were also received for dredging for gold
in the rivers of that country.
RELIEF SUPPLIES
| PORTLAND, Or, Jan. 26.-(By Asso-
ciated Press) General Merriam, com
mandng the department of the Colum
| bia today chartered a steamboat to
convey the supplies and baggage of the
Alaska relief expedition from Vancou-
yer barracks to this city, from which
point they will be shipped to Dyea by the
steamer George w. Elder on February
1st. Most of the pack animals and pack
ers have been sent to Seattle. From
| there they will go by steamer to Dyea.
DUTIES RENTED
| WASHINGTON, Jan. 26.-The War De-
partment has been in correspondence
with Canadian officers at Toronto with
the gratifying results that the Canadian
government has consented to admit free
of restrictions all supplies brought into
the Klondike region by the United States
government relief expedition. The free
admission of supplies is strictly limited
to the government expeditions but there
is no inhibition upon the sale of the
food supplies taken in by such of the
miners as can pay for them.
THREE GREAT CROWDS
SEATTLE, WASH, Jan. 26.-Three
crowded steamers sailed for Dyea and
Skaguay within a few hours of each
other today. Five hundred people left
this city for the north and from other
sound ports combined almost as many
again are booked by the three vessels.
making the departures for Alaska from
Puget sound in one day nearly 1000. The
Clara Nevada made her initial voyage
and carried 100 first-class and sixty-five
|
The steamer City of Seattle sailed with
fifty-eight first-class and $50 second
class passengers. Her bookings at other
sound ports will swell the number to
about 600.
The Utopia sailed this afternoon with
over 100 passengers.
The steamer City of Topeka is sched-
uled to sail tomorrow morning at
o'clock for Juneau and Sitka, and before
she leaves the sound will have over 200
passengers, a majority from this city.
Her accommodations were sold some
time in advance.
THE CABINS FILLED
| TACOMA, Wash. JAN 26.-The steam
er City of Seattle sailed today for
Alaska, carrying 600 passengers.
! ALASKAN RATES
CHICAGO, Jan. 26.-General passen-
ger agents of the Western Passenger as
sociation and representatives of the five
lines of the Central Passenger associa-
tion met today to consider the question
of through rates to Alaska. The five
roads of the latter organization agreed
with those of the Western Passenger as
sociation in adopting resolution to the
effect that all the eastern connections
| Oh the lines Represented III the meeting
Immediately adopt through rates to
points in Alaska and in the Northwest
Territory, which will accord with the
same through rates as are used by the
Canadian Pacific through Port Arthur.
the rates to be made by using the lowest
through rate to the Pacific coast basing
point. plus the steamer rates to Alaska.
These rates are to be applied through
San Francisco and points north of that
city. The divisions are to be made on
the basis Of pro rata per rate. The five
lroads of the Central Passenger associa-