The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1909-07-30
RAILROAD BUILDING IN ALASKA.
Herbert Snow Writes of the Difficult
ties Encountered.
SUNRISE, ALASKA, June %. 1909.

ties Encountered.
SUNRISE, ALASKA, June %, 1909.
EDITOR REPORTER: / wish | might
be able to tell you something of the
country, but there is so much to say in
order to give one an idea of it that |
would not know where to begin. Con-
siderable has been written of it by pen
artists who have, as rule, ignored
facts, and | believe that there are few,
if any, who have not been here who
have a faint understanding of the mag
nitude or geographical location of Alas
ka, it's weather, climatic conditions and
value as an acquisition to the u. S. As
gold producing country it probably
has no equal, and its coal fields are I'M
surpassed. Development of the mining
interests is yet in its infancy, but
enough has been done to warrant the
above assertion. All kinds of climate
may be had, except that which might
be found in a tropical latitude For in
stance, at Seward, on Resurrection Bay,
the mercury has not been lower than
10 degrees below zero since the town
was established. 1t is very pretty
little place and has the finest harbor on
the west coast, except at a narrow neck
through which vessels enter, and any
of our war ships can enter it with
safety, the only trouble being that
there is so great depth of water they
are compelled to anchor nearer shore
than they care to in order to reach bot
tom with an ordinary anchor chain.
/ Then if one wishes real cold weather it
can be found in the interior. / am now
only so miles inland, camped on an arm
of Cook Inlet, called Turnagain Arm, =
the second most treacherous body of
water known (the most being the Bay
of Biscay) This arm is about As miles
long with an average width Of perhaps
eight to ten miles. The tides enter it
through a narrow neck and at that
point the difference in elevation be-
tween high and low tide when the
moon is fulD is As feet. 1t comes in
with roar that can be heard for miles
and we can see it coming in a wall of
water from two to four feet high. This
wave is called the Boar and no small
boat can live in it's path, there being
heavy undertow. 1t often happens
that boat may be anchored in shallow
water when the tide is in; when it goes
out the boat may be left on bar. The
only way to save it or any who may be
with it is to get it active ahead of the
advent of the Boar of the next tide.
Many are drowned who are strangers
to this fact and others who think that
they can meet the Boar with boat and
ride over it. Of course am speaking
of small craft, no large vessels enter
here. We use row boats and two gaso-
line tugs in our work, as the railroad
we are building, the Alaska Central,
skirts Turnagain Arm for many miles,
and we go and come along the line with
the tides, the variation being about Is
feet at this point We have saw mill
three miles from here q am at Kern
Creek, IL miles from Sunrise, the latter
being across the Arm from here) at
Glacier Creek. where we get out TIM
bers for bridges and the work in gen
eral. We then build RATS and tow
them to where they are needed, at high
tide They are then left on the beach
when the tide flows out. We also get
out piling in like manner and can get
any length desired, and have large
territory to select timber from. Our
culverts are built of hewn timber,
chiefly of the spruce variety, as the fir
is not found in this latitude. Concern
ing the railroad, will say that some
four years ago five / believe) com
pany was organized in Chicago, and in
corporated in Montreal, | think, to con-
struct standard guage railroad from
Sunrise to the coal fields, some 200
miles distant This same company or
ganized a construction company (among
themselves) and let contract to them
selves to build the road at prices agreed
upon for the work They made elabor
ate preparations and really made a good
location of the proposed line, but for
some reason not mentioned were soon
in debt to themselves. They then let
the contract to firm who did not do
much work, and three years ago my
brother, A. L. Snow, and his partner
took contract to complete certain
number of miles, which they did, re-
turning the next summer to complete
another section, making SO miles of
completed road prior to 1908. Then the
work was abandoned during the year
1908 on account of financial troubles
and the loss or tying up of money In
vested in the building of certain cleo
trio line in Wisconsin, over which there
has been much litigation in Chicago,
and late in 1908 the court appointed a
receiver, who was soon removed Tor
cause, and successor appointed, who
is now in power. He, by permission of
the court, issued $500, 900 of receivers
certificates and placed some at par, for
the purpose of completing the road to
mile " and repairing the damage Sus-
tanned on the 81 miles already built,
which had not been in operation and
was showed under" so to speak,
bridges washed out by glacial streams
| and tunnels filled with ice and snow,
the object being to protect the road, or
rather to preserve that which has been
built, and at the same time to reach
point where there might be enough
traffic to pay for the operating of the
road and the maintenance of the track
and road bed. However, it was thought
that it might cost more than that soon,
and contractors were afraid to under
take the work My brother and his
| partner, however, have contracted to