The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-01-29

Washington, Jan. ->-TH. r.- s.
partment has made publ. PAL. ..-..-...
report from Captain ". b.. A.a-.-,..
bic. Second infantry. who e.ru4-z..
the Copper river explorue .sr.Fs..-
in Alaska last season The chief -..-.
treated in the report is th.. rat.-.- ....
of the great trans-Atlargr ~H-s--
route from Port VALDEZ. Alaska DID,. d..
EgDert, ON the Yukon. Will. .rr.--
on this work the officer NIL. .r.---.
to take note of the mineral r.-.rr... 4.
the country, of its adaptab.-r-- rr-..
rICulture and stock RAISING and ~
fuel and food products Tor man ---
beast
Captain AbercT0mbie arrived ~ II.
dez on the 21st of April a u.r-r ..
old railroad and trail builder. u.-.
lected by Captain Abar.nmnI. and
they started from Nall-z .u An4- p.
and proceeded To- the mouth u E.-
stone conyan. The harHH~ 90 E4r5.-
owing to the proximity of Ia. Tar7-...
current, is accessible at .lL seasons NJ
the year to ships of any sz.. .v-a-.
about a mile and a half at It's head
terminal is a narrow s.r.u nj r-f
three-QuaTteTs of a mile broad. extend.
ing IN the lower river som. five mil.
and south of Il small stream Fa---
from Robe lake. There Is u-4.rs-.r-
a nominal grade up the valley. rass--
through keystone canyon with a-f
nary canyon work, and emerging .-
the foot plain of the inner ranvar.f..
sin
From that point there are f-a feast
BILE routes, ore east Of Marshall r-a
at the elevation of 400 fees. .a. .--
the Tasuuna 10 the c,pFa. ..tal Sal.
ley, the other turning north. .rs--
the mountain range and Thompson
pass. $500 feet high. theme. EFEn -r.
Teithell River valley. through The
swampy pass at the head of the Kr.a
thence down the TOnsiua into the C.--
per River valley.
Easy to Build Railroad
Captain Abercrumbie believes Thai
the future for a railroad through Hs
section Of Alaska is very prom a-
owing TO the presence of large zu-as.s
heavily mineraliZed copper deposits
the development of which. De says u-
dOubtedly VIII yield a local tonnage F
great volume. He states that Jhg r-E-
unity of tie and bridge timber and %.
absence of any great engineering fee
lures would render Tai.l gd ra-s.r.-
ton a Comparatively clsy problem
Mr Edward Gillette. q member OF Or.
expedition. contributes All important
chapter to the report on the feasibility
Of establishing a practical --a.
route UP the Copper River valley B.
draws q comparison between TIDE rr.
from Seattle To- SilEEWay. with rha Te.-
dez route % the advantage OF Oh. H-.
ter. He shows that Nlii. jH. #.-.sH..
from Seattle 90 SS4@Vay Is f.u-H a.
as against 1.259 miles from Seattle If
Valdez. the difference Is practically HL-|
set by the Euimpeded passage us she.
outside route. The vessels are H"t r--
CURED 90 pass through some Hr ws
or waite ,1-sirss=-sl A5- E----5-.s -Hu.-.E
and Valdez is much nearer tT. center
of Alaska, SkagWay being zu ul.,
nearer by railroad To The Forty u-s
country. Insurance rates ODD Jar U~.
route are also double those uu The .g.-
side route.
Necessity of Two Lines.
Mr.. Gillette believes that the dags-
opment of the country iu the future
probably viii necessitate the aHu~rTl--
ton of both lines from the northern
end of the KeystOu- canyon thr.g-a
Thompson pass and by Marshall pass.
He recommends that the lin. Boz cole
stTuCted on a three-fo0t gauge. iE Oh.
interest Of economy and rapidly .
construction. arguing that the marrow
gauge would finally meet The needs .-
the country.
The report makes a comparison OF.
the projected Valdez road and The .z-
isting railroad from SEaEway .r-
White pass to Lake Bennett showing
that the maximum grades .-. -l.
les that the current Iaiu. IS less ami
that the Valdez highest elevation IS
fully 300 feet less than White Dds.
road The SnoWslides from wli.l --.
White pass suffers can ba practical.
eliminated from the VALDEZ route Do
the peculiar formation of the COUNT.
and the careful placing of the .He-
Within United States.
The point is also made that rl. rl
jected route would be entirely #I
the United States territory. lie t1
the probable cost at SOB. $500. ur So.
per mile. the estimate being from ..
30 per cent higher than rates H "
United States A direct line from t-
dez to Port Egbert. on Oh. 1Hs
would be 80 miles long and eI| n-
would afford all the diversion raElI-
for the line. The report refers F." -
trade of central Alaska as au ural
quantity. but dWeils at length upon .
reputation the country has .. --
ing vast deposits of copper .'..
The report says the soil is rrHaH. ..
that vegetables and hay can u. Ti.-
that there is plenty of timber. #H. .
hardy farmers from Norway "
den would farm as successfully
Copper River valley as I'D their
country. The country H.- ..a
coal Of good quality ami marble
I riOuS Colors.
Ready to Make Concessions