The Chitina leader., 1911-11-25
SPEAKING OF RAILROADS.

Now that there is strong probability that Congress will
look with favor e coming session measures favorable
the future Development of Alaska the various towns of the
territory beginning to- sit up and take notice And in
cdentay they are picking the particular improvement that
they desire for their Immediate neghborhood In this
ton neighbos over in Seward than pleased with
the expressed intention of the to build them
railroad into the atanuska coal fields and then to operate
that they can supply with coal naval coang station
also to be located at Seward And this idea carried out it
certainly would give that town mighty big boost and de
ervedy and after thinking the matter couple of
weeks the good people of Valdez understand why
abroad should not be built from their town into the coal fields
Che Prospecor has taken subject length and
gures it out in this way:
ga road from Valdez tap the Matanuska field could be
u for little lost and probably less than the Alaska North
I'm could be completed from its northern terminus and
would not necesae the payment of any aside from the
construction cost In such line there is but short section
which would be at all difficult and that is Thompsons pass
Ier for short stretch the cost of building the line would be
expensive but no more so than similar stretches the Copper
river road and after the pass had been negotiated the
ry between that and the coal fields ideal for the
.ailroad builder.
1T might be put forward by those whose personal in
eress at stake that the distance between Valdez and the
oal fields is greater than from other point but such is
lot the AS matter of fact Valdez to the Mat
nuska fields than any other harbor the coast and road
Valdez to tap the entire field would be many miles the
shortest for the coal extend from the Matanuska east
ward unbrken body to the head of the Tazna river and
be admitted that this latter point be reached from
Valdez easier and cheaper than from any other coast town.
The town at the coast terminus of such road will reap
benefit from in the of large increase in
population and consequent greater business Nature has made
Valdez the logical point for the beginning of the road and
facts and figures to demonstrate this easily obtanabe
Properly arranged and presented they will form convincing
argument in support of the claim
"a road from Valdez would not be entirely dependent
upon the coal for tonnage From it's very beginning business
would to through the opening of the gold quartz
mines of the Tekhe valley and those beyond Through the
Tazna and adjacent country other mines would be opened
transportation facilities at hand and the coal would
form but portion of the traffic.
Now this really sounds mighty fine and might wish that
there could be two railroads built by the into the
Matanuska Nay might also say three and include the
from Cordov But there is little probability of the latter
the government and all capitalists to be perfectly vii
ling allow the depsed Alaska Syndicate to chance their
millions in doubtful enterprises in this section of Alaska And
it wouldn't be such surprising announcement if to
hear day that the Syndicate has decided to push their
81 Chit. nf.t.uuohi,
that they could get coal there to haul In event. it
very likely that the Syndicate will be allowed to build into the
Boring fields and that the country at large beginning
to realize that the Syndicate paid pretty high for everything
they have in Alaska they might be willing that they should
have the consideration that other set Of capitalists
would be entitled to- providing of they had the
to invest fifteen twenty million dollars in the territory 1t
really looks though the time at hand when anybody
and everybody who desired to invest in Alaska and assist
it's development would receive square deal