The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-01
CHEAP RATES TO HECOAST
Efforts to Make Roads Withdraw
Them Is a Failure.
RAILROADS IN ALASKA
Portions of Two Lines Completed Dur
ing the Year--H A. Parker Will
Be General Manager of the
Rock Island System.

The Western Passenger association
committee, which has been lahoring with
the Northern Pacific and Great North
ern in an effort to get them to with
draw their excursion rates to the Pa
cific coast, has met with failure, and
has gone back to Chicago to report
that fact to the association. The result
is that cheap rates to the coast are as
sured for some time at least A North
ern Pacific circular was received in
Butte yesterday announcing that the
road will sell excursion tickets from
all points on it's line to San Francisco
on May Is, 49, II and IS, and in addi-
| ton to these dates they will sell tickets
| to Seattle on May 25, IS, q and 2s,- on
account of the National Baptist socie-
| ties anniversaries. On account Of the
| Educational association, this road will
| sell tickets to Los Angeles, Seattle ana
Portland from June 25 to July 8.
| Round-trip and oneWay tickets to Min
| nesota points, North and South Dakota
| Montana, Idaho, Oregon and Washing
ton will be on sale March Z and q.
These tickets will be sold at practically
half-fare
| The Union Pacific has met the North
ern Pacific and Great Northern with a
series of excursion dates to the Pacific
coast at the lowest first-class fare for
| the round trip, plus S. Tickets over
| this line will be on sale March 7 and q,
| April and IS and May and &c. How
| ever, the privileges are not as liberal
| as those offered by the northern lines,
and tickets for these excursions will not
be sold beyond points in Idaho.
| The year 1898 has been remarkable
| in that it has brought the completion
of portions of two railroads into the
Klondke. The White Pass & Yukon
took it's place in official railroad guides
several weeks ago, and now 'All aboard
for White Pass and the klondike'
greets the ear Of the gold seeker at the
| Alaskan city of Skaguay. Work was
| begun about six months ago, and a
one time from 1000 to 1000 men were
employed. The gold fever, however.
made it difficult to hold The men at SO
| prosaic an employment. The grade on
the first 20 miles. which carries the line
from Skaguay to the summit of the
mountain pass and the International
| boundary line is very steep, being in
| places as great as four feet of ascent
in a hundred of length. This is about
| twice as heavy as the limit of the East
| ern trunk lines over the Alleghenies.
There was much heavy work required,
including dhree long and deep rock cuts
| and two short tunnels From the sum
NIT of the pass the road is being built
as rapidly as possible. a bout q miles
| farther to Lake Bennett whence there
is passage by water at some seasons of
the year into the Yukon, and thence
| to Dawson City and the gold fields.
Surveyors are in the field locating the
line from Lake Bennett direct to Fort
Sekirk in the heart of the Klondke
region, about IT'S miles more. But this
/ portion will be over a country which is
4 but gently rolling, and so presents
but comparatively few difficulties. 1t
i is also proposed to build a branch of
| some So miles to sAtlin City, which will
| give access to the recently opened Attn
Lake gold district. OF course, railroad
building in the klondike country is eX-
pensive. and the rate for carriage cor
respondingly high. The fare to the sum
nit from Skaguay is placed at 81. A
! hundred pounds of freight is carried the
same distance for about 50, or a thou
sand times the rate charged by our
| Eastern roads. These prices seem high
from our home point of view, but no
man who has attempted to get thou
sand pounds of outfit up the trail on
his own back considers the charges at
somewhat peculiar construction is to be
| opened soon into the klondike. The
Chilcoot Railroad & Transportation
company has built a steam road of or
binary construction from Dyea, Alaska
at the head of Lynn canal, and only a
4 few miles from Skaguay. 1t runs to
/ Canyon City. eight miles. and from that
point an aerial galloway seven miles
long, carries passengers and goods
through Dyea Canyon and over Chill
/ c0Ot Pass to Center Lake, whence, wat
er connection is made to Lake Bennett
and to the Yukon river. The cable
| road is suspended on standards set at
intervals, and rises $500 feet in the first
four miles.
Mr. Truesdale goes to the Lackawan
ma road to-day and H. A. Parker will
| assume the duties of general manager
| of the Rock Island system. Mr.. Par
ker has been in the continuous service
| of the Rock Island road since 1866, with
the exception of one period of less than
two years He was born at Du Plessis,
N. Y. in 1s41. and began his railroad
| career as chairman on the Rock Island
in 1866 Two years later he was APP
pointed a divisional engineer. During
part of 1868 and 1869 he was resident
engineer of the Fort Wayne, Jackson &
Saginaw railway. but speedily returned
to the Rock Island road, with which he
has since remained. From 1869 until
1873 Mr.. Parker was engaged as extern
sion and divisional engineer of the Os-
kaloosa and Knoxville division. For
the next nine years he was divisional
engineer of the Illinois division and
from 1885 to 1889 vice-president and chief
engineer of the Chicago, Kansas & Ne
braska railway. part of the Rock Island
system. In 1889 he became assistant to
the president, and little later was
elected third vice-president of the COM
pany. Two years ago he became sec
ond vice president.
As was anticipated the duties of the
position of general manager. now per-
formed by Mr.. Truesdale, will be divid-
ed. Mr. Parker will have charge of all
operating matters, for which his long
experience in engineering affairs has
we'll prepared him. Freight and passen-
senger traffic reports and matters which
formerly went to the general manager