The Washington times., 1915-04-03

continent or buying IL from otn"r Cou.-
tries. This served TO justify good
many conservative statesmen in sup
porting the legislation. The navy de-
termination in favor of the Matanuska
Caol, which comes from the more west
erly field and would be reached by a
branch of the ScWard-FairbankS road.
seems to have pretty nearly determined
also the question of routes.
1t Is expected that the Presidential
decision will favor the Government buy
ing the Alaska Northern, Of which
sevcnty-one miles has been built. This
Is not in good condition, and at present
is only operated to the extent that IL
gaSolenc car makes trips occasionally
i up and down the road. The line would
have to be rebuilt for the Government,
and not unlikely a new tidewatcT ter
| minal would be adopted. 1t has been
found that by boring a two-milc tunnel
| through mountain the line can he
shortened and taken 10 a better water
terminal than it now possesses; and this
| plan may he accepted.
! If this route shall be adorted nv, ,bo
( President. then there will be in hond
tirst. the rebuilding and equippine NJ
the seNenty-one miles of the old Alaska
Northcrn; and after that it's extension
tGo w. mlleS' Im; to Fairbanks The approprta-
tlon Dlll for the present year carries
| only 2.0O,o0 but this is said TO he
] ehough to finance all the oDerations ~
I the coming season: a year later, a big.
ger sum VIII be needed to push the work
at full Clip " "
New Bonanza Strikes,
Meanwhile. with Seattle. Alaska, and
the Northwest generally anxtousl,
awaiting the decision as to routes. etc.
| AldSKa Is coming in almost daily will
new reports of bonanze gold strikes
Nlthin few days wires from the nortI
rave told of wonderful finds at th,
head of the Tolobana river, about sixt,
| miles northwest of FarbaLks Thes,
are placer finds, and reported to cuua
III richness and extent those which. n
Fairbanks, have produced fully 500, COO 90
OF gold since their discovery, and ar
still producing rich returns. The Fair
banks outturn is now about $500 600 .
year, and there is every prospect tha
VIII be holsted to new record leve
bE the development of the recent finds
IN ADDITION to these finds on the Toic
paha, there Is excitement over new dis
coNeries in the Kantishna region. ives
ana ana north of the Mt. Mckinley mour
taln range. This is an old plsc
} country, once more or less worked Owe
1t lies about sixty miles west of ~
route of the Seward Fairbanks raiIroa
llnc. . 1t now develops that hugh bodie
OF ore, carrying from $50 to 500 10 III
ton, have been found and staked out h
engineers and prospectors during ~
past winter. Getting the riches out
this ore requires that transportation !
provided to get heavy machinery INF
the country; but the possibilities, ono
that is accomplished. are the greate,
ever developed in any Alaska regio,
There is excellent coal at hand for pov
er PURPOSES: and in view Of the IA,
that fortunes have been made handlir
lree milling ores containing $3.50 gold
the ton, and refractory ores containir
~, it is manifest that ores with $50
: 800 represent fortunes only dependent {
| the tonnage that can be taken out. TT
, belief il now that immense tonuaE,
are actually i'm sight, and that a ne
era of more gigantic and permanent d.
velopment is about TO open. compare
2 with which the earlier pioneering operi
lions in Alaska will look unimportant.