The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1898-02-02
ROUTES TO The YUKON.
Plans for building, v~r,vu- Railroads
60 the GotflFfslss

Plans for railroads. 40fhe Yukon goid
fields are now mush ~ ne fsre. Most
Of item are British or Canadian. for
obvious reasons. The Dominion Par
lament at It's session this month vii
he confronted by a dozen or more ap-
plicatious for charters 90 build rail-
roads 90 the kiOndike. and VIII doubt
less b. kept busy for tim with con-
sidering the various schemes and 1udg-
ing their comparative merits. some %
tfese proposals are for reads from The
Canadian Pacific Line. up through
British Columbia TO the Klondike.
Probably az least one such viii On tims
BE- built, for all the way IL would run
through region Of considerable
wealth. and perhaps Of mineral riches
rivailing those Of the KIOHdike But
the distance by such "a route To tn.
Klondike Is so great-fulIy a thousand
miles-as TO rule all such schemes out
Of consideration for immediate use.
Years may elapse before one of them
can be realized. The present demand
Is for short line. from the head Of
coast navigation, which may be i'm Op-
Grafton within the present years.
For such roads there are numerous
proposals. One is for "A road through
White Pass. Indeed, a British cOmpa-
ny is said to have secured q charter for
it. The route. from the head Of Lynn
Canal 10 the Yukon, is only fifty-two
miles long, through a country partly
heavily timbered, partly barren and
rocky The highest elevation is $500
feet. The engineering difficulties OF
such q road will be coasidera BILE but
not insupeTa bic. That is the route
most used last year by overland gold
seekers, and along its rugged prec!pices
now lie the bones of thousands upon
thousands of horses. and of hOw many
men one fears TO guess, lost in the
mad race for riches.
Another route is that from Taku In
let. east Of Juneau, for which a charter
has also been granted. II is about one
hundred and eleven miles long. with an
extreme elevation OF 100 feet. Its en-
gineering difficulties are not so great.
probably as those of White Pass, but
Taku IElet is reported to be a much
more dangerous biz Of water 10 nayi-
gate than Lynn Canal
The Canadian Pacific Company is
said t. .e planning a road by way OF
the Stickeen River. 10 would require
about one hundred and fifty miles of
railroad building through a particu-
larry easy country. and would include
long stretches OF navigation on i esin
Lake and HOOtalinqua River. BY this
route the distance from Victoria To
Dawson City is sixteen hundred miles.
all except one hundred and fifty miles
by water a fourth route is thai from
Dyea through ChilkO"t Pass. starting,
like the White PassB from Lynn
Canal. IL is the Old-established indian
route. and is partly easy. partly difl-
cult The first few miles present no
more difficulties than "A level turnpike.
After that the railroad would have 10
be- hung for distance along the walls
of n canyon. For some miles. too. the
gradient would be very steep. ms
route makes use Of many miles 81 wa
ter. 4 nth route. and a third from
LYNN Canal. IL that Of the Dalton trail
IL is longer than the others. but pre-
sents fewer engineering difficulties. AMI
has "a better harbor.