The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1915-06-19

the United States coast and ge-
odetic survey. Mr.. Riggs was selected because
of his familiarity with the region and account
of the part he took in running the Alaskan-Ca-
madam boundary line, finished but two years ago.
Associated with Mr.. Riggs in the railroad sur
vey Lieut.. Frederick Mears of the United
States army and William c. Edes As a result
or the work done last summer and data previous
~ gathered in the territory by other ex-
petitions of the coast and geodetic survey, the
route to be followed is to run in part along
the Susitna and the Cantwen rivers and through
the foothills OF towering Mount Mckinley. The
experts predict great prosperity for the whole
territory and declare that the ultimate cost of
$268OO,0OO for the system complete will be am
ply compensated for by reason Of the resulting
benefits
Whatever may be the ultimate economic sig
nifcance of this government-owned railroad in
Alaska. there should be question about our
present interest in the work done in running
the preliminary survey and that which will later
follow the steel rails led farther and farth
er northward in that rugged region
From past experience it has been amply es-
tabHshed that surveying in Alaska is apt to be
full OF thrills. First, the open season is a short
one and a great deal Of action has to be crowded
into a brief period by the surveyor. His is mot
the task merely of the explorer who pushes
ahead by the shortest route to his objective but
instead is that Of choosing the easiest gradients
for the Intrusive locomotive, spanning the short
est valleys and bridging the rivers or torrentiaI
streams where the foundations the approaches
be built for the least amount of money com
patible with present strength and durability.
Some of the most towering peaks in North
America are in southern Alaska, and from
their snoW-cIad shoulders In the spring and
mer the waters flow seaward in great volume and
with much violence. Then the stricken timber
is washed down into the flooded channels, and
this wealth of logs rushes onward like veritable
avalanche when the way is clear, or, what is
even more menacing these millions of mighty
sticks jam in some narrow pass, penning up the
waters and themselves until ruptured by the
Then the jam is broken onward tears the
roaring stream and the whirling timber until the
broad reach of wide channels robs the tor
rent of it's turbulent fury.
The surveyors have not only to avoid these
dangers in planning the right of way and the
points for bridging, but their work will demand
that they actually of these streams
when blazing the way for the line. The waters
are icy and the currents swift, while means Of
apt to be woefully scant.
Mr.. Riggs has given some spectacular In
stances of the hazards confronting the civil engi-
neer in that part of the world, and what has been
experienced in the past up there is pretty good
index of the difficulties faced in running the
line inland from the rail head of the existing
road II miles long, which will form the nucleus
of this great government undertaking.
But torrential rivers loaded with millions OF
logs not the only forms OF titanic masses
with which the railroad builder in Alaska has to
count. There are the slow marching but IRE
sistibIy advancing mountains of ice, the glaciers
and some of these have taken possession Of the
very valleys through which the railroad engineer
would preferably choose to lead his line Indeed
the Copper River and Northwestern railroad in
Alaska gives pretty good notion of some of the
difficulties to be faced Sha surveyors and pro-
vided for by the Cover. ut when it comes to
actual construction. That road is 1875 miles long
and yet in that distance there are nearly 275
trestIes bridges, tunnels and fills. Indeed, there
are sections where a mile Of construction has
cost as much as $200,0 900.
There is a steel bridge hanked by two glaciers
that cost a million and a half dollars to build,
and before a bit Of that structure reared
the engineers spent three years IN studying the
peculiarities of those moving mountains of ice
> One Of the most serious phases of Alaskan sur
vey work is the problem OF transportation. As
Mr. Riggs says, There Is food to be carried for
the party, which is a big item. and oats for the
horses At some time during the life of the
Alaskan boundary survey every known form OF
transportation in the North was used. In sum
mer we have been known to adopt the Indian
practice and pack dogs. One year, at the close OF
the season., practically ali our horses had died,
and we journeyed down the White river for q
distance of 100 miles on RATS.
Early one May start was made from White
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