Evening star., 1914-04-19

ways. which are closed by ice for
about three-quarters of the year and
this, as the commission points out. in
country comparable in size, resources
and climate to Norway and Sweden.
With the Paciff. mountain system
separating the ice-free ports on the
south from the great Interior valleys,
the plan to connect tidewater with the
inland region must depend for success
in the first instance upon the existence
of passes through which railroads may
penetrate this formidable barrier to
travel
The report of the Taft commission
describes the various passes which Of
fer desirable routes. Proceeding west
ward the first of these which would de-
velop other than wholly Canadian terri
tory. is now reached and traversed by
the White Pass ard Yukon railway.
Chilkoot pass, almost adjacent, is
higher and not considered feasible for
railway development.
Discussing the other passes, the re-
port says, in part:
The next pass to the westward is
the one which would be used by rail
road route based upon either Pyramid
harbor an arm of Lynn canal. or
Haines, a bay on the west side of Lynn
canal. The road would ascend the Chill
kat river, traverse the broad, fiat divide
between the White and Tanana basins,
and follow the Tanaua valley to Fair
banks. The principal things that mill
tate against it are that it is the longest
of all proposed routes. and that it lies
in foreign territory for nearly half OF its
distance TO Fairbanks.
THE next available pass would be
that used by a route based on Yakutat
bay as it's terminus This road would
run southeasterly for about fifty miles.
to the mouth of Alsex river. and ascend
the AlseX valley. reaching the Pyramid
harbor-Tanana route about 800 miles
from the coast. Consideration of this
route may be passed over with the state
ment that its harbor is Indifferent; that
the resources along its route are. SO far
as known. inferior to those known to
exist along the route from Pyramid
Passing westward the next route 10
access into the interior is afforded by the
great Copper River valley. Three general
routes up the valley of this river have
been proposed: First. from either CordoTa
or Katalla directly up the river. second:
from Valdez across Marshall pass ana
down the Tasnuna to the Copper River
Thompson pass and lesser summit AT
Ernestine. and thence to Copper river al
a point near Copper Center
x ::
Along the first of these routes the Cop
per River and Northwestern railway has
already been constructed to Chtina. 132
miles from Cordova 1t is the longest of
the three routes. The other two routes.
while shorter, have to surmount either an
elevation of 1850 feet at Marshall pass,
or one of 2.75O feet at the Thompson pass.
before the Copper River valley itself is
reached.
THE headwaters of the Copper are
Sc parated by the Alaska range from
the valleys of the White and Tanana
rivers, and there are possibilities that
may be considered for connecting these
valleys with a railroad system lying in
the valley of the Copper river by lines
across the Alaska range through Mea-
tasta and Skolai passes.
THE next available port is Seward. IN
bay. From this town the
Alaska Northern railway has started the
of a railroad which crosses
the Kenai mountains and reaches tide
water at its present terminus on Turna-
gain arm, a branch of Cook inlet. An
extension of this railroad could reach
the Copper river plateau.
The Tanana valley could be reached
either by extension of this line as
outlined or by Susitna river.
from whose upper waters the headwaters
of the Nenana river may be most easily
reached by Broad pass, about 2.lOo feet
high. This road gives promise of allow
ing for connection with the great
basin through one OF the