The daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 190?-1908, 1907-02-25
First Standard Gauge Passenger Car
Constructed In Alaska.

OONoAldNACh w FNlaohds
shows what determination and IN.
genuity will do. The tundra is the
name given to the lowlands of Alas.
ka. These lowlands are covered with
age old growths of moss i'm hummocks,
decayed year after year, in natures
process of soil making, TO a depth Of
from one to three ieet with frequent
pools Of water. It was this unstable
ground over which engineers had de-
clared no roadbed could be built to
sustain the heavy cars of a standard
gauge road except at prohibitive cost.
But Mr.. Dickson had convinced himself
that, while this tundra in itself was
not firm enough, IL was only an excres-
cence on a solid foundation of earth,
in some place frozen, and in other
places over a foundation of ice. lie
realized that the ground underneath
this tundra would sustain his tracks.
But the difficulty was in disposing of
the moss and its underlying muck, to
save the enormous cost of handling
and draining It, for unskilled labor
was S4 a day. Concerning one thing,
all the knowing ones" held To the
same opinion-the tracks would have
to be sustained by a heavy underpack-
ing. This would add another item
of great expense, as ordinary planking
was worth $40 to $50 a thousand feet
board measure.
But Mr.. Dickson studied out the
solution. He utilized the moss and
muck-which is of the consistency Of
wet clay-by building them into the
grade (Which at the same time gave
him bitches for drainage on each
side) and then tamping the grade The
action of the long hours Of bot sun
drained and hardened the grade. Then
the tracks were laid and the balasting
done from nearby gravel hiHs.ics.
And the substantial roadbed mai
fected by the winters, is sile~' nroof
of the success of the methods used.
Along the line loaded freight cars in
some places pass over tracks built in
this substantial manner eight or ten
feet above crystal ice This substrat-
um OF ice never melts, in spite of the
very warm days of summer which pre-
vail even here within 100 miles of the
Arctic circle. II is the primeval freeze
that has not thawed since ancient
geologic ages 1t is kept from thaw-
ing by the thick blanket of moss,
muck and gravel lying over it, and
the whole roadbed has proved a firm
foundation for this commercial enter.
prise involving great capital Three
winters have already proved that
there is not the slightest 'heaving'
and that it is az sclid foundation
as that of any railroad in the United
States.
The past four months of work ac-
complished remarkable results. The
camp had increased to 600 men. Eight
miles of standard track were built
and ballasted, and parelleled by a
telephone line; complete railroad
yards were laid out, with switches to
all the supplies, sufficient to build over
forty miles more of the road three
large buildings were erected and oc-
cupied: a complete machine shop was
in operation; everything was left in
order for the next seasons work,
and 600 workmen had been sheltered
and fed without one fatal illness or
accident.
The line is now over 81 miles long,
and the revenue is on a basis that
would bulge the eyes of a traffic man
ager in the States" Freight is car
ried for 81 ton for every mile hauled.
That is about 1875 times as much as
the rate In the States. Passenger
rates are 20 cents a mlle-ten times
the rates on the big lines.