The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-07-17
gravel was laid layer of rock ballast

d
from the foothills.
No bridges were needed along the line.
the streams being of such nature that
they were easily crossed by small timier
trestles. The principal engineering feat
was on section OF the road where tun-
mel about. 400 feet long had to be bored.
The greatest grade along the line Is less
than l per cent.
Extensive harbor facilities for trans
shipment to and from vessels are being
provided at Dickson tSolomon). at which
port the largest craft can approach with
in few hundred yards Of the beach.
Deep water across the bar at the mouth
of the Solomon River Is being secured by
the building OF wing dams and jetties on
both sides of the channel All the build
inSs of the company at Dickson are pro-
vided with hot and cold water, are lighted
by electricity and heated by steam. and
are probab bly, the most substantial in con-
struction yet built In Alaska.
The rolling stock of the road at the
present time comprises complete equip
twenty-three- ton locomotives and several
small construction trains. More than
1900 ties ano over 100 miles of rails were
laid within six months.
CONTINUING THE EXTENSION.
Beginning early In June of the present
year 4 force of thousand men was put
at the work of continuing the extension
OF the road. From the point to which the
line Is now completed il will be carried
northward through Big Hurah, thence up
the Solomon River Valley to the right
branch, and over its divide, dropping into
and crossing Skookum Creek. Thence the
track will be laid along the Fox River
Valley to Council. All OF this road will
ent season.
About s., so 900 has so far been spent on
this railroad, and the quantity OF supplies
and equipment brought north from Seattle
for construction purposes has amounted
to about 10000 tons. OF this there were
l,ooooo0 feet Of timber. Large warehouses
quantities OF staples-hay, flour. sugar,
lumber, bacon and salt-are stored for
convenient distribution along the line.
part OF this railroad project embraces
furnishing to the mining camps along the
road a cheap and efficient telephone serv-
ice. There We're about 30 miles OF copper
wire in the warehouses at Dickson this
these were to be put up early as
weather conditions would permit.
railroad project of even greater i'm
and Solomon is the Alaska Central Rail
road, work on which will not be completed
for another year or more. Trains. how
ever. will be running regu 'arly over the
southern section late this summer. Rookie
feller interests are behind this project.
and the development OF Alaska oil fields
is one of the principal incentives of con-
struction.
The Alaska Central is being built from
Resurrection Bay north and west to Cook
Inlet. and thence in almost a straight line
to Rampant. on the Yukon River. total
distance of about 800 miles. About 100
miles of the road are already practically
completed Steamship service between
Resurrection Bay and North Pacific ports
Will be established during thepresent sum-
mer.
The general manager of the Alaska Cen
trail Railroad Is G. w. Dickinson. who MAS
formerly general manager of the Northern
Pacific and later in the same capacity with
the Seattle Electric Railway Company.
Former Governor John B. McGraw of
Washington is the vice president. F. Au-
Gustus Heinze, the Montana copper mag
nate, is largely interested in the company.
The capital stock Is S0,0Oo,000.
THE ORIGINAL SURVEY.
The original survey for the Alaska Cen
tral was made four years ago. when 1t was
at first proposed to build from Valdez to |
Eagle City. 1t is still probable that a
branch will be constructed to the latter
place. Resurrection Bay was chosen as
the southern terminal because of It's land
Ing facilities, there being at that point a |
landlocked harbor twenty miles in length, |
the water being OF the uniform depth of |
about ten fathoms and free from ice at all |
times Of the year.
Resurrection Bay is very advantageous |
Pacific Coast ports of the United States !,
and SO to the Orient. and it is the pur- |
pose of the railroad company to found |
there a large city. BY the fail of 1904 it is |
-
of more than 5000 persons living at Resur |
rection.
The country through which the Alaska |
Central will run comprises a va ley heav- |
1y timbered, and contains rich gold. cop |
per and other minerals. as well as abun- |
dant beds of coal. It's northern terminus |
Is in the center of the new Tanana gold |
fields. The road will make the interior of |
Alaska accessible at any time of the year, |
and will save from two to four weeks OF |
travel that have heretofore been neces- |
sary. II is claimed by the builders that |
the completion of the road will bring the |
god output OF Alaska from its present |
$35. .O0, 900 a year to Si5o.00C,00o. or even |
more. |
The most ambitious of all Alaskan rail-
way projects is that of the Transala skan |
Railway Company. which was incorpo- |
rated at the department Of the Secretary |
of State at Washington about eight |
months ago. Several European capitalists |
are associated with moneyed men from the |
United States in this enterprise
The Transalaskan Railway will run |
from point on Cook met to Port Clar- |
ence, on Cape Prince of Wales, the point |
where Alaska most nearly approaches to |
Siberia.
Connection will be made there. accord
ing to the plans of the promoters with a |
northern branch to be built from the Rus
sian Governments Transsiberian line A |
line of steamships will connect the Trans
alaskan road with Seattle and the South.
New York Sieepers,