Evening star., 1914-04-19

thorizing the con
e.. IA struction of rail-
e. 10 ~ ways in the terri
IN tory at q cost OF
- %. S35, 100000.
American e n l.
ueering skill will be called on to open the
door to this rich frontier land. In order
that its resources may be exploited for
the benefit of the citizens Of the United
states and mankind in general.
Long neglected, Alaska is coming into
its own Denied rational development
because of Inadequate transportation IA
cilities, this empire Of the north Is. at
last, to be provided with railway lines
extending from tidewater into the vast
interior, which will open up a domain oil
untold natural wealth that is but wait
ing to serve the uses of civilization.
Under adverse conditions Alaska al
ready has contributed to the United
States products worth nearly SJOooUo.oo,
With the building Of railroads there is
little doubt but that the territory Will
pour into the lap of the American peo,
Pile q stream of wealth not only OF goIo
and precious metals. but of fish, agricul.
tural products. meats. 1urs ana coal tnal
will have no compeer-
Fresh from its triumph in building the
Panama canal. the biggest engineering
accomplishment of history. the United
states government will turn its atten-
ton to the Alaska railway project with
every confidence that this undertaking
may be as successfully prosecuted.
1t is estimated that year will be re-
quired for selecting and surveying
routes and that an additional period of
three years will be consumed in build
ing the roads.
Underlying the considerations which
moved Congress to provide for Alaska's
railway development at the expense of
the government is the demand for a
greater gold supply to relieve the con-
slant and enormously increasing de-
nand for credits that must be based
upon gold as the money standard.
To whatever extent it may have
thought the undeveloped resources of
this country justified a federal invest
ment of such magnitude. Congress may
be said to have based its conclusion in
the final analysis on the fact that
Alaska has the gold and that unless
the production this precious metal is
increased the United States in the near
future will have to adopt some other
basis of money.
This view is reflected in a statement
by Senator Key Pittman, chairman of
the Senate committee on territories.
who was one of the most active sup
pector in Alaska from 1897 to 1901 and
probably knows the country better
than any other member of Congress.
III it were not for the possibilities
Of gold production in Alaska" Senator
Pfttman asserts, "our national none
tary system. based entirely on gold.
would be in precarious condition.
This country has got to have gold:
gold is rapidly becoming exhausted
while the demand for it is constantly
increasing.
-"rhe geological survey shows that
running from Fairbanks to Innoko and
Iditarod. a distance of three or four
hundred miles. there is a belt about
half way between the coast and the
Yukon river where gold is found in
nearly every stream. Very few of
these streams have been extensively
prospected because conditions now ex-
isting make it impracticable.
When railroad taps this belt 1t
means that a prospecter can take suff1-
cient supplies in there to last him a.
whole year. 1t means that miner
can take in machinery such as dredges,
drag buckets hydraulic outfits, etc.
that will permit mining of enormous
deposits OF low-grade. ore-bearing
gravel at an immense profit. And 1t is
only by mining lowgrade deposits that
the enormously rich deposits such as
were found at Dawson and at Nome
are discovered
A miner working with his nanus
can take out only about three cubic
yards Of dirt day Under the pres
ent expense of transportation the
gravel would have to go SO cubic
yard to pay expenses.
In California they are making big
profits with dredges on gravel that
goes less than 10 cents to the cubic
Yard In other words. dredges handle
high as 5000 cubic yards a day
while man can handle only three
cubic yards.
grade spots they will be working
enormous areas of low-grade deposits
through tn great interior gold belt.
1t Will mean an enormous increase of
gold production in the United States
and employment at good wages for
many thousands of miners. All kinds
of enterprises will follow.
That's the real reason for the rail-
road; that's the real future of Alaska
| know many of these things from my
own experiences. i have travelled all
the way from Skagway to Nome, a
distance of 1000 miles. and have been
on nearly every big watershed in
Alaska with dog team. Since 1 left
there. in 1901. ] have been longing for
an opportunity to get somewhere where
/ could do something for the develop
ment of that great country"
The plan for building government
railroads in Alaska is based upon
recommendations submitted by a com
mission of engineers appointed by
President Taft in the summer of 1912
to visit the territory and report on
the transportation question. This com
mission consisted of Maj. Jaj J. Nor
sow. Corps of Engineers. L. s. A.
chairman: Alfred Fl. Brooks. United
states Geological Survey. vice chair
man: Leonard NJ. Cox, civil engineer, L
s n, and Colin NJ. InGersoll, consulting
engineer, of New York
After inspecting the southern and
central parts of the territory and