The San Francisco call., 1898-01-09
STORY ABOUT LOCOMOTIVES.
An Attorneys Improbable Yarn Concerning
 KionJike Relief Trains.

- NEW YORK, Jan. 8.-Six locomo- tives. drawing as many trains over the dizzy heights of the Chilcoot Pass, cut ting their way through deep drifts of mountains and valleys beyond and gliding over the frozen surface of rivers to Dawson City-that is the programme to be attempted in about month, it Is asserted, Uncle Sam hav- ing made a contract with a new trans poTtation concern to carry supplies over the painless wilds of Alaska and Brit ish Columbia to the starving miners in the Klondike Congress has author iZed the sending of a relief expedition to Dawson City, and Secretary Alger has already completed all arrange ments, according to Charles Strauss, attorney, of this city. and made a con- tract with a company which has just been organized to attempt the ingeni- ous feat of reaching the land of gold with trains on runners.
 A company of fifty United States troops. under command of Captain Brainard Is to accompany the trains of the relief expedition. Strauss says positively this enterprise Is to be under taken. Captain Brainard, he declares. Is now in the Puget Sound country, arranging for the departure of the unique expedition which is to carry 150 tons of provisions and supplies for the miners With Captain Brainard in the Northwest, Strauss says is E. G. Rosenneld, general manager of the Snow and lee Transportation Com pany, the concern with which Secre- tary Alger of the War Department has just made Q contract, and which is to furnish six curious engines and thirty five cars that are to carry the supplies. Rosenfeld was in New York and Washington until q week ago, complet- ing the details of the expedition.
 Strauss says the company was organ ized by Joseph Ladue. of Dawson City, with whom Secretary Alger consulted in regard to the most feasible way of getting supplies to the Yukon during the peris of winter. Ladue picked out for his general manager E. J. Rosen- field, who had spent many years in the lumber regions and had built difficult stretches of railroad along the lines of the Denver & Rio Grande and North ern Pacific railroads.
 Secretary Alger, according to an al- legged contract. 8 copy of which was shown to-day by Strauss, agrees to pay AAs transportation of l50 tons of food through more than 600 miles of the most dangerous wilderness in the world. It is guaranteed that the sup plies shall be delivered to the repre- sentatiNes of the Government within seventy days from the date of the de- parture at the head of Lynn Canal, near SkaEuaS.
 The relief expedition of fifty soldiers commanded by Captain Brainard is to accompany the shipment in order to see that it safely reaches its destination. The transportation company in its con- tract agrees to furnish the soldiers with food and shelter during the trip and to give them free transportation to Ekaguay again. The Government in- tends, Strauss says to let the provis- ions go at exactly what they cost in- cluding transportation, and will take good care that nobody gets more than he Is entitled to. It will not be possible for anybody to buy large amount and hold for a rise. The Government, it is alleged. is to pay 20 per cent of the transportation charges after the trip is made over the Chilcoot Pass. which Is the most difficult part of the trip, and thereafter installments are to be paid at the end of every fifty miles of the trip. In case the expedition should break down at any point and the com panv is unable to complete the trip the Government has the power to employ somebody else to take the supplies through and to pay the company only its proportional share of the freight charges. If Captain Brainard Is dis satisfied at any time with the speed that is being made, he will have the power to cancel the contract take pos session of the supplies, and get them through in any way that he sees fit.
 The engines and appliances for the construction of the so-called cars are now being manufactured, and they will be shipped to Portland or Seattle not later than January 20, where they will be assembled" and shipped to Skaguay. Provisions will also be sent t0 this place, the latter being probably secured in Canada. Trains will be ready to start from Skaguay early next month. The engines will resemble those used in the logging region of Lake Superior. Both engines and cars will be on runners. Big cog wheeled rollers which are to furnish the pro- polling power will be used in part, rather than electricity, since an abund- ance of wood can be obtained for fuel It is intended, however, to carry con- siderable oil along for emergency Strauss says there will be an apparatus in front for thawing out the snow as the engines move along. In addition to this there will be a pilot car and snow cutter which will go ahead and clear the way. At the same time 1t will be necessary to employ a large number of men to do the necessary grading and bridging beyond the pass.
 Strauss. who says he represents the company in legal capacity and that he has obtained some concessions from the Canadian Government for the new concern, said to-day that the intention Is, it the first expedition succeeds, to establish a regular winter train serv- ice for taking through provisions and passengers. The troops who accompa- ny the expedition will build fixed sta tons along the way. and when the route Is clear il ought to be possible. he says, to make the trip by train in .l.s ln.-r -