Ashland tidings. [volume] (Ashland, Or.) 1876-1919, 1914-07-13
Alaskan Railroad
Attracts Vining

Bob Vining-proprietor of the Vim
ing Theatre at Ashland Monday
for San Francisco, expecting to ship
from there to Alaska to look after his
big wholesale business and theatre at
Fairbanks. He may come back
through here by rail and ship from
Seattle, but the probabilities are that
he will 90 direct to Alaska by water
from San Francisco and not return to
Ashland until the middle of Novem-
ber. Vining says Southern Oregon is
too hot for a man who has spent
nearly a score of years in the heart
of Alaska and he yearns to get back
up there and slide into his moose
hide underwear" He also is much
interested in the boom that will fol-
low the railroad building about to
begin in our northern territory.
AS an Alaskan wholesaler Vining
knows something of the difficulties of
| sportation-Alaska having today
less than 500 miles of railway in nine
disconnected systems, less than 1000
miles of wagon road, 600 miles of
winter sled roads, and less than 1000
miles of trails, with 5000 miles OF
important navigable waterways which
are closed by ice for about three
quarters of the year. And this in
country comparable in size, resources
and climate to Norway and Sweden.
1t is believed the government will
build two lines in Alaska, one con-
Meeting the valley of the Yukon with
tidewater, and the other devoted to
the valleys of the Kuskokwim and
Susitna The best available route for
the first railway system is that which
leads from Cordova by way of Chitina
to Fairbanks, and the best available
route for the second road is that
which leads from Seward around Cook
Inlet to the Iditarod., The first line
would be connected with the Behring
coal field, and the second line would
tap the Matanuska coal field. Event
ually the two systems will be tied to-
gether and branch and local lines will
be constructed as the country devel
ops.
Whatever the route selected, rail
road construction in Alaska will al
~ ford countless opportunities for thu
display of mans ability to triumph
over nature. No matter what pass il
selected for the route over the noun
tains, it means that the steel tracks
must ascend to an altitude of abou
1000 feet, and there will be tunnelint
through solid rock. Snow sheds will
have to be constructed to prevent tn
blocking of the lines in winter b
slides of snow, and powerful rotar
snow plows such as are in use in tn
}. Rockies will have to be provided il
: abundance. On the White Pass Rail
way, which is at present the principa
!. line in Alaska, rotary snow plows ar
= required from November until tn
latter part of April.
Mr.. Vining says this government
managed standard gauge railroad
opening up a hitherto isolated regior
will do what no other influence coul
accomplish for the speedy settlemer
of a rich and promising domain. Thi
new rail system upon which the pres
dent is authorized to expend any SUI
that may be necessary up to $50, 900
6 600 will be fully 1000 miles
length-an extent of steel-tracke
highway which drops hint as to no
IS big Alaska really is.
One of he chief expectations
. connection with the new railroad
/ Alaska is that it win save Uncle Sal
&c millions of dollars in providing col
for our warships on the Pacific.
~ the matter stands at present the on
81 naval coal on the Pacific coast
America is in Alaska. The navy no
!. consumes 100, 900 tons of coal We;
t. on the Pacific, but in the event
war the consumption would jump
200, 900 tons per month. Even whe
the Panama Canal is completed al
s. freight rates are cut in half tn
would mean an outlay of more ths
$9,O0O,OO0 a year in time of war fl
N transporting coal from the Atlant
coast.