The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-02-11
AN ARCTIC RAILROAD.
Sweden and Norway Will Extend
1t Over the Mountains to Carry
Iron Ore
Iron Ore.

From the New York Sun.
Their is a great deal Of iron in Swc-.
den and some of the largest mines are
north of the Artic circle. This is why
there is railroad in the Artic regions,
the most northern railroad in the world
and also why the road whose northern
terminus is now forty-four miles north
| Of the Artic circle is to be extended
further north until it penetrates the
Artic region ! 80 miles.
The iron ore found along the Baltic
coast of Sweden contains a little too
| much phosphorus to be easily reduced,
ard it is going to Germany by the hun
dreds of thousands of tons to be
smelted. Sweden has no coal to smelt
it with, and so she sells most of the ore
rather than import coal and make iron
and its manufactures. There is a good
demand for Swedish iron for it is
unsurpassed for the manufacture Of
tolo steel, bicycle spokes, harness
| mountings, horseshoe nails and many
other things.
One of the most famous centre5 of
iron mining in Sweden Is at Gollivara,
north of the Artic circle. 1t has appar-
emily an ineXhaustible supply of ore
built from Lulea, on the Gulf of Bot
hnia, to bring the ore out of the coun-
try. The orc cost at Lulea about 50 a
ton, and the freight to Stettin or West
phalia is higher than the cost Of the
ore because the vessels carrying it
have to go north in ballast.
The Gcllvar railroad has not been
a first rate success, for the reason
nf IA Clt1f Of
Bothnia is open for navigation only Il
! little moro than a third of the year
In other words. the ore can be shipped
out Of the country only about four ana
! a half months in the season. The noun
| tains to the west cut off the bcnefcent
| influence of the Gule Stream drift,
which keeps The fiords of Norway open
the year around. Artic conditions pre-
vail on the east side OF the mountains
and the result is n very short shipping
season.
So the governments of Norway and
! Sweden have decided to extend the
railroad to the northwest through the
mountains to OfOten ford on the At.
! lantic coast, where vessels may enter in
! any month Of the year ard load I'D
| with the ore brought from Sweden. It
| Will be the only Arctic railroad in the
| world. The present northern terminus
! at GClliNara H. forty-Cour miles north
| Of the ArtiC circle. The western ter
minus ut Ofotcn will be 100 miles north
| Of the Artic circle, but though much
| further north it will be in a temperate
winter climate when everything to the
! east Of the mountains is in the grasp
of the frost king
Norway has appropriated nearly s5,-
100000 to build the part Of the road
| lying in her territory and Sweden has
made a grant of about IS, 900 600 to con-
! struct her part Of the work The en-
ginecring difficulties will not be great,
! though several tunnels Of considerable
| length will be required According to
the contracts the road is to be in COM
plete running order over the entire dis
/ tance by October !. 1902. The govern
monts, after building the road, will
| turn it over to the company that owns
/ the mines. The company is to pay all
| the running expenses and repairs and
| turn over annually to the two govern
| mcnts percentage on the amounts
! expended i'm building the line.
! OF course it will not he possible to
! advance the road building on tho
| Swedish side during the winter months.
! The plan, therefore, is to work on the
| tunnels during the winter, and when
| summer comes push the work with all
| possible speedin the Open.When the road
| is completed ii is expected TO snip out
! 5000 tons year and 10 place it in
! England for $3.50 a ton. There is a
! growing demand for Swedish ore i'm that
/ country to take the place of the Span
! ish ores which arc growing scarce and
more difficult "a obtain
There will BE- 2 greater array Of snow
| sheds on the swedish portI N Of the
road than are to be found even on the
/ Canadian Pacific in tho Rockies and
! Selkirks. All the most eXrosed parts
of the line will he thus protected and
the snCwplough will be relied upon to
| keep the rest of the track Clear