The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1901-12-26
wORLD.GIRDLING RAILWAY.
RENEWED TALK OF A ROAD TO CROSS
BEHRING STRAITS.
Possibilities Of Railroads In Alaska Shown.
Projects for Line 10 Garry People from
New York 10 Paris via Siberia.

L
The successful operation of the
Shagway-White Pass railroad, which
though only few dozen miles long,
has broken the back of the terrible
journey from the Lynn canal to the
headwaters of the Yukon and the pro.
posed invasion Of Alaska by railways
from several widely separated points,
have brought into more or less ser-
Gus discussion again that engineering
air castle, the possibility of railway
line over which one could travel con-
tinuously from New York by way of
Alaska and Behring Strait, Northern
Siberia, the Trans Siberian railroad
and st. Petersburg to Berlin--ln
short, with the exception of the break
made by the Atlantic ocean, world
girdling railway.
The scheme has been talked of off
and on tor twenty five years. Hinton
X. Helper, who won fame before the
Civil war by his book "The Impend-
ing Crisis" is perhaps entitled to the
credit of first broachlng it. His plan
was three-Amerlcas railway, which
was to traverse the length of the
Western Hemisphere from the Straits
of Magellan to Behrng Straits, having
a branch to Hudson bay, and a con.
nection beyond Behring Straits with
line that should cross Asia to join
the railway lines of Europe.
That was long before the days Of
the Trans-Siberian railroad, which
has filled in at least one long stretch
of the dream. Eleven years ago the
late Senator Stanford, of California,
expressed the belefthat within twenty
five years from that time an earth
encirclng railroad would be in exist
ence.
His prediction provoked wide com
ment and considerable derision from
engineering experts and others. The
supposed impassability of Behring
Straits and the difficulty of building
and maintaining road through the
frozen mountainous wastes of Alaska
were pointed out as insuperable OBJ
stacles.
But engineering skill has made
rapid progress within decade, anc
it is significant that the engineering
problems through Alaska and tn,
barrier presented by Behring Straits
are no longer considered the chic
difficulties which the carrying out O
the plan would encounter.
In the first place, the varied char
acter and possibilities of Alaska ar
just beginning to be realized. Furs
gold and fish for many years to com
will undoubtedly be the chief pre-
ducts of the country, but its stores c
coal, copper, silver, lead and iron, it
tremendous and valuable forests, eve
its grazing lands cannot remain Ion
neglected.
-Four railway enterprises are alread
on foot to develop these resources
The Skagway-White Pass road ha
already been mentioned. A preimir
ary reconnaissance for an all-Amer
can route from Valdez on Primo
Wilhelm Sound to Eagle City or som
nearby point on the Yukon was mad
last year. The proposed road woul
pass through the celebrated Cope
river country, which prospectors So
is destined to be one of the create
mineral districts in the world.
Away around to the northward fro
Unalaklik, about sixty miles north
St. Michael on Norton Sound, roa
has already been surveyed along Il
Kaltag river to Its junction with Il
Yukon, following the trail used by Il
Yukon river Indians for many yea
in making the overland journey
the coast of Behring sea. AT prese
Yukon river boats start from
Michael, cover eighty-five miles
ocean travel to the mouth of the fiv
and.thence go up stream.
The proposed road, though or
eighty miles long, would cut off s.
miles of river travel and mean sa
ing of from SIX to eight days In reac
ing the mining region, together wi
a material reduction in the cost
supplies at the mining camps. Sin
the construction and equipment
this eighty-mile line will cost not mu
short of half a million dollars, it
pretty evident that the ultimate e
DEAFNESS CANNOT BE CURED
local applications, as they canr
reach the diseased portion of the (
There is only one way to cure de
ness, and that is by constitutional re
edies. Deafness is caused by an
famed condition of the mucous
ing of the Eustachian tube. WI
L. :. n 1.