The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-04-08
GOING BACK OVER
 THE PIONEER TRAIL Aged Western Man Will Use
 Oxen in Long Trip WILL MAP OUT TRAIL President of Alaska Northern Railway says Coal Mines in Alaska Must
 He Opened Up or Railroad
 Will Not He Built
WILL MAP OUT TRAIL

Srokane. Wash. April 7.-CSpeeial)- Laundering oxen yoked b a battered pairie schooner with it's tar bucket swing ing from the rear axle. will carry Ezra Meeker. a pioneer of the Oregon eoun- try back over the trail. which he and his family ased in making the trip through the wilderness between Kansas City and The Dulles, Ore, 5S years ago. He will be accompanied by W. R. Mardon and Mrs. Mardon and two helpers. the party following the trail eastward by way of Walla Walla. Wash, southwest of Spokane
 Though more chan so years of age Meek CT is endowed with the unconquerable spirit Of the western settler. and is hope ful of carrying out the work of mark ing the trail from east to west in memory of the brave men and women who blazed the way that led to the opening of the Pa cifc empire before his spirit crosses the great divide. He retraced the old trail in 1906. erecting granite memorials in the larger towns and cities, also visiting Pres ident Roosevelt at the White House.
 The purpose of the trip upon which the Meeker party will start within three months is to secure data and other infor- nation necessary to map the trail and to arouse interest in a campaign for funds with which to complete the work. There Is a committee bill before Congress ap- propriating s5o000 to provide granite mon- uments and markers, but a clause re- auires the father of the idea and the various historical societies interested to manifest their sincerity by subscribing whatever money may be necessary in ad- dtion to the appropriation contemplated by the government.
 It is planned to select representative from each historical society in the six locating the overland route and placing the monuments.
 Coal Lands Must Be Opened
 Oscar c. Laberee of Spokane, president of the Alaska Northern Railway company, says in an authorized interview that un- less the coal lands on Metanuska river in Alaska are opened so that fuel can be procured to operate trains, the remaining 3s7 miles of the line to Fairbanks will not tt bulil Ol4l liilillOu uOildlS lldS Dctn expended on the 70 miles of line complet- ed, and the company is ready to do work estimated to cost s20,ooo,o00 if the coal lands are made available. MT. Laberee adds
 People who have already filed on the coal lands cannot get their patents, and the rest of the land has been withdrawn from entry. There are now several bills before Congress, any one of which will make it possible to lease the lands and make coal available. The piece of road now constructed has been in operation un- til January 1. when we had to cease be- cause of lack of coal. What little we could get we paid $1O. 35 a ton for at the southern terminus. Alaska never will be developed unless railroads are built, and railroads cannot operate unless there is legislation making the coal available.
 We shall change the location of part of our terminal property to the head of Resurrection bay two miles from Seward to townsite called Barauof, where we can have ample room. Seward proper is but a neck of land, and there is not enough room for us to develop our ter minals there"
 The Alaska Central railway when it be- gan construction. issued S4,5O0,000 bonds and expended s400O,00O in building It was unable to pay inter~-t these bonds pr raise further funds. .he mortgage was foreclosed by the stockholders and a re- ceiver was appointed by the federal court at Valdez a year ago. A new company was incorporated last November by the bondholders, with MT. Laberee as pres- dent, and the name of the road changed to the Alaska Northern Railway company with a capitalization of S3O,O00 600.
 The road is projected from Seward. on Resurrection bay, 457 miles from Fair