Los Angeles herald., 1906-06-23
ALASKA GETS HER
STEEL ARTERIES
TERRIToRY'S VAST RESOURCES
BEING OPENED
only Coast Points and Navigable Por-
tions Of Rivers Are Now Ae-
eessible, but Develop
nent Era Is On

Latest advices from the north re-
ceived in Los Angeles show that Alaska
is solving her transportation problem
rapidly
Up to the present time Alaska trans
portation has extended only to coast
points and the navigable portions of
the rivers; therefore the development
has been confined to only those parts
OF the territory adjacent to navigation,
which form only a small part OF the
total.
The vast stretches of country that
lie between the coast and the navigable
parts of the rivers are yet practically
unexplored, and while it is now known
that in many places of this part of
the territory there exist great re-
sources. they are, under existing condi-
tions, unavailable. Railroad construc-
tion is therefore necessary &c form ar
teries for the development of the ter
ritory's interior resources and COM
merce.
The necessity )r railroads in Alaska
has become generally recognized, and
the year 1906 will be one of great activ-
ity in railroad building there.
The Nome-Arctic railroad running
out of Nome in a northerly direction,
has about sixteen miles of railroad
constructed This will sc extended to
about 100 miles into the center of the
Kougarock mining district, with gen.
eral result that the cost transporta-
ton from Nome to the Kougarock will
be reduced by about three-quarters;
in other words, where it now costs
$1OO and takes about one month to
move a given amount of supplies, it
will. when the railroad is completed,
not cost more than $25 and occupy less
than one day to move the same sup
plies the same distance.
The Alaska Central, which has al
ready more than fifty mil IS of well
built road constructed. expects to COM
pete at least fifty miles additional this
year, which will take it through the
unusually he; Wy construction work en-
countered at the head of Cooks Inlet
into the Sustina ALLEY, where con-
struction will be much easier.
The Copper River & Northwestern
railroad was organized in the spring of
1905. President John Rosene has had
large corps of surveyors in the field
ever since that time for the purpose of
locating and constructing a railroad
from Valdez into the Copper river val
ley, and thence via the Nobesna river
to the headwaters of the Tanana, and
0nallY TO Ine 1ukOu IlN6I. Lie lllle
has been definitely surveyed and loca-
ted to Copper Center, a distance of
about 100 miles. Wharves and termi-
nails have been constructed at Valdez
considerable roadbed has been graded
and the three miles of solid rock work,
including a number of tunnels through
the Kenstone canyon, is almost COM
pleted, and it is expected % have al
least forty miles of road in operation
by the end of this year.
Another proposed railroad into the
Copper river district is from Orca on
Cordova bay, via the mouth of the
river. There has been much published
regarding this latter enterprise calcu-
lated to mislead the public. Big head
lines as to how the Canadians have
outwitted the Yankees in Alaska; how
the Canadians ere going to take the
Fairbanks business from he Alaska
Central, and how generally the Yankees
have been foiled Ly the Canadians
1t will take lot of money and long
time to build railroad from Orca by
the way of the mouth of the Copper
river, and thence to Copper Center and
the Tana river. The statement that a
railroad from Orca can take away the
Fairbanks business from the Alaska
Central or even compete with the
Alaska Central in that territory on ar
equal basis, is sheer nonsense anG
would not be published were it not fol
the general Lick of knowledge on the
part of the public regarding the terri
tory