The Sunday telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1914-1927, 1915-04-11
Se0Qrd- z Qirbanks Route For
Federal Railroad IN Alaska
Is Chosen by Administrator
According to the ANNOUNCES
nent of Secretary Lane. |
TO TAP THE C CoAL FIELDS
Most Extensive sFe deraI8 Project
Since Linking East and the
Pacific Coast by Rail.
tnrl lAnsoeIArEn rRKaal

lected for the government railway IN
ALASKA, Secretary Lane announced
late today The property or the Alas
ka Northern Railway Company from
Seward over the first stage Of the
Journey has been purchased for
100000.
The government system. the state
ment adds, viii include 5a 8 s-nfle
branch to tap the Manuska coal
fields. w. q. Edes is designated as
chairman of the Alaskan engineering
commission which will build the road
| by the presidents order. The esti-
mated cost of the entire system ais
given at $26, 500, 900. Congress pro-
vided not to exceed $4,000, ,00O.s
Secretary Lane said the construc-
tion work would be begun at once
Construction will be carried on un-5
der contract. individual contractors
building separate units OF roadway
In one OF the orders signed by the
president the Alaskan commission
was instructed to guard particularly
the health Of the men at4Work and
Ito adopt a system Of compensation
for accidents similar to that enforced
on the Panama canal.
Great Railway Project.
President Wilson'S decision on the
FTVuLS -Ulas% LntH sEu8h%EVVHEAuA6Ag5t
railway through Alaska puts In mo
tion the most extensive governmental
railway project since the linking OF
the East and the Pacific coast by the
trans-continental railway system.
Like the latter, the new project has
the tWo-foId aim of opening the way
for pioneers and settlers in this new
and almost unknown region of vast
virgin resources. and at the same
time providing an outlet for these
resources to reach the seaboard and
the trade routes to the Pacific states
and the Orient.
The new project has the addsds
problem Of climitic cond tions In this
far northern region, It's short seasons
and "a country 1of mountains and gia-
ciers quite dif ifferent from the plains
across which most Of the traps-con-
tinenta1 route stretched. Already
however. the development Of Alaska
has dispelled much of the popular
idea OF a region OF snow and Ice. ana
has disclosed rich and fertile agrI
cultural sections il additiona to he
boundless resources of coal !, copper
and other minerals. and furSbearings
animals. Thus far, private enter
prise has devised the only means Of
penetrating this 1ittle-knoWnE region,
but now for the first time theFsgov
ernment takes hand In the building
and operation OF Ia railway 600
miles long running through the
heart OF the country.
President Wilson had before him
an enormousa amount Of data on Alas
ikas to aid in his decision as to which
OF the two proposed routes from
Prince william sound sto Fairbanks
should be followed. He had no rec
sommendation from the Alaska En-
gineering Commission which made
the investi cation. however. the COM
9missioners confining their report To-
full statement or the facts regard
ing each route.
Many Surveyors Work. q
Since the bill appropriating 81
100000 for the constructfo OF the
line eaWass enacted last year. the com
mission has had hundreds OF men at a
work locating and surveying along
both routes. Addit tiona1 nformatton
iasHit became available and in anticE
ipation OF the beginning OF wore
early In the spring g the commissions
has been making Inquiries as to Il
equipment available on the Panama
canal and on other governmental
tasks and otherwise making ready
to fing a well equipped CONSTRUCTIONS
army into. the northern territory an
soon as the presid dent's decisio ionWas
made known.
Each Of the proposed rout
known as the Cordoya-Fairbanks
route. the other the Seward-FsaiT
banks route econtemp1ate the purs
chasing OF an existing line. The
lay IN electing either Sew
ard on the west shore of Prince ls
liam sound. or Cordova on the east
shore as the Hdewater terminal Of:
the government system.
The two arouSesswer weregapproxinata-
lyst the same length and estimates@p Of
construction cost did notSvary wide-s
ly.5 The issue before the president
probably lay In the price at which tl1oA
existing lines could be obtained
a From 0ordoYa. on the eastern M
shore Of. Prince w liam sound. the s
road. d.controlle ed blythe 81. r. Morgan sS
Company, provides an outlet for COP
per mines at Kennicott and reaches
Chitna, II 80 miles distant, foIIowinE
the west bank OF the Copper river
Not far out Of Cordova the road runs
for miles parallel to the coast line i
and crosses the Sheridan RlaEIefs
flats. Making its way across net
work OF small streams which give
the river an tlet to the sea-
lien finally turns northWard sandspasss
ciers folloWsS the course OF the COP
per river all the way to. .Ghitna where
itsturns# east again TO reach the cpp
ntinued o. psge Issct sE