South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1915-04-09
BEGIN IN JUNE ON
alaska RAILWAY
Congress at Recent Session
Makes 100000 Avail
able For Work = Chitlna-
Fairbanks Route Most Likely.

WASHINGTON, April 9.-WOrk on
the government railroad in Alaska
will begin early in July The con-
gress at its recent session made avail
able s2.OOO,O0O for construction work
during the next fiscal year. The total
amount that may be expended in the
road building in the territory is $35.-
100000. The president is now await
ing the return Of Sec'y Lane of the
interior department before annOunc-
ing the route by which the govern
ment will reach Fairbanks, the in
terror territorial city which promises
TO be TO Alaska what Chicago Is 10
the United States The place Is named
for Charles w. Fairbanks of Indiana.
There are excellent reasons for be
lieving that the president has selected
the route which leads from COrdoVa
by way of Chitina TO Fairbanks.
road built over this route would con-
meet tideWater on the Pacific ocean
with the two great inland waterways,
the Yukon and the KuskOkWim rivers,
and as well as with the Tana river, a
tributary Of the Yukon, which flows
through a wonderful valley awaiting
TO choose between this route and a
second proposed route which leads
from Seward around Cook inlet to the
Iditarod and thence to Fairbanks. The
first named route would connect with
the Boring coal field and the second
with the Matanuska coal fields. he
Gently argument put forth tn sup
port Of the second route is that new
and rich gold deposits have been found
! a of IT,
distant from the proposed Cook inlet
route.
May Follow Recommendations.
If il shall turn out that the president
has determined on the COrdOva-Chit-
ina Fairbanks route he will have fol-
lowed the recommendation made by
commission appointed during the lat
ter part of the Taft administration to
conduct an examination into the trans
portation questions in the territory.
That commission. which was made up
| OF Maj. Jay j. Morrow, corps of engin-
GERS, L. S. A; Alfred II. Brooks. geOl-
ogist in charge of division of Alaskan
mineral resources. geological survey;
Leonard NJ. Cox, civil engineer in the
United States navy, and Colin NJ. In
gersoll, a consulting railroad engineer
from New York. found that the Cor
dova-C hitina- Fairbanks route would
provide the best trunk line to the Yu
kon and Tanana waters; Cd Because
COrdova has distinct advantages as a
habOr: CD because this route requires
the shortest actual amount Of con-
struction, but chiefly CD because the
better grades possibly on this route
would give the lowest freight rates to
the Tanana valley. This commission
made the sO-called Cook inlet route
second choice, but held that il was not
comparable with the other route.
Must Buy Another Road.
A decision that the governments
road shall go by way Of COrdOva and
Chitina to Fairbanks Will involve the
purchase by the government of the
Copper River and Northwestern rail-
road. which is now constructed from
Cordova to Chitina and thence up the
Chitina river. This road is about 100
miles in length. 1t is what is known
as the MOrgOn- Guggenheim road. It's
owners some two months ago made TO
the government formal proposal to
sell it, It's purchase by the government
would leave 313 miles Of road to be
constructed in order to connect Cor
dova with Fairbanks Thus the total
length of the government road would
be a little over 500 miles The Nor
gan-Guggenheim syndicate has been
anxious TO get rid of this road for sew
eral years, and the understanding is
the syndicate has made what is looked
upon as a reasonable proposition to
the secretary of the interior.
The object of building a road will
be the same whether the COrdOva-
| Chitina- Fairbanks route is selected or
the Cook inlet-Fair roulette
opening up for interior Alaska with
it's untold riches. The greatest coal
| field in Alaska is in the Tanana val
ley some so miles south of Fairbanks.
I L .Tserwa ..r.1
vey relate that the coal veins in this
field are exposed and are from so to
100 feet thick, six or seven successive
veins one upon another. A road TO
Fairbanks. it is asserted will also
/ open up the rich copper deposits, and
agents of the agricultural depart
ment, who have studied the soil and
! the climate in the interior of the ter
ritory. predict wonderful things in an
agricultural way. 1t may turn out of
course. that the amount of natural
resources in the interior country of
which Fairbanks is the center has
/ been overestimated, but in any event
( the storehOuse whatever it may turn
/ out to be, is naturally to be unlock
/ ed.
To Begin Work Soon.
The interior department has al
ready made tentative arrangements to
/
ton Just as soon as the money ap-
| propriated by the congress is avail
able. Just what these arrangements
/ are have not as vet been announced.
/ because the president in picking the
route must also decide whether the
road is TO be built by contract or
whether it will be constructed under
/ the direct eye of the government. the
supervising being left TO army engi-
neerS, as was the case with the
Panama canal. During recent weeks
/ the president has listened TO argu-
ments in favor Of each plan. 1t has
been suggested that a great deal of
/ the machinery used in the cOnstruc-
| ton OF the Panama canal might be
employed on this railroad job but so
| far as known no plans looking TO the
transfer Of the machinery from
Panama TO the territory have been
worked out. The road is to remain
the property OF the government after
its completion. but under the legisla-
ton the president may lease il for
operation if he shall deem that TO be