The Alaska citizen., 1916-06-26

The Government Railroad in Al aska What Two Years and Limit ,d Funds Have Accomplished" The article Is by Thomas Riggs, Jr member of the Alaskan Engineerin- commission with headquarters at Fairbanks With the exception of Table 2. telling of the actual con. struction work done on the coast and Table 9 a statement of expen. ditures from all divisions. both ot which are too lengthy 10 print at this time. the article is as follows
 Look first at map of Alaska. The panhandle is a narrow fringe along the sea and does not need a railroad It is served entirely and ". i by water. narro g4ge rail way from Skagway to Whitehorse breaks through the mountains and forms a part of the White Pass and Yukon Route 10 the waters of the Yukon and it's tributaries As far as this article is Concernel, We can eliminate the panhandle. The great balance Of Alaska. approximately one-sixth oI the United States, is without adequate means of transpoI- tation
 From Cordova on the east side of Prince William Sound the Cop per River X Northwestern Railway. standardgage road. runs north ward along the Copper River to Chitina at Mile 131 and then bends eastward for 65 miles and halts against a mountain, but directly under the ore bins of the Bonanza Mill. The marvellous kennecutt cop per mines were the real reasons for construction, although the railroad is now performing the functions Of a common carrier in the develop ment of a wonderful region of min eral resources.
 On the west side of Prince Will liam Sound. q standard gage road, starting life under the name of the Alaska Central Railroad and now called the Alaska Northern Rail road, having it's terminal at Seward, extends northward distance of T milas. In Inc inter0r Ot Alas ka a narrow gage railroad 46 miles long serves the Fairbanks mining dis trIct On the Seward Peninsula two little roads slumber peacefully on the Arctic tundra. A few other short stretches of construction in various parts of the territory serve strictly local demands or are out Of commission entirely.
 So much for railroad transporta- tion in Alaska until the act ap- proved March 12, 1914, put new life into moFibund schemes for the mineral and agricultural develop ment of country so rich in possi- bilities as almost to cause skepti cism.
 In 1912 under authority from con gress, President Taft appointed q commission, consisting of Maj. Jay ! Morrow ,f the Cot,s If ngineers. |. s. A; Alfred H. Brooks, of the |. s. Geological Survey; Leonard NJ Cox Civil Engineer, |. s. N., and Colin NJ. Ingersoll, consulting en- gincer, of New York, to examine into railroad possibilities in Alaska and report on routes which would best serve the development of Al askan resources. Their work was admirably accomplished and an eX- haustiVe and valuable report submit ted
 In May. 1914 President Wilson, advised by Secretary Lane of the Interior Department appointed Will liam C. Edes, chief engineer. North western Pacific Railroad; Lieut. Frederick Mears. superintendent Panama Railroad, and Thomas Riggs Jr., engineer. Alaskan Boundary com mission, commission to make cer tain surveys, estimates and investl- cations on which routes could be definitely selected by the President and railroad constructed, for which purpose congress had au thOriZed a sum not to exceed S35, 900 ,000 The commission was in the field from the latter part of May until November and then re- turned to Washington and submit ted report. Briefly the results accomplished in miles were as shown in Table l.
 Table 1-Mileages Surveyed in 1924 Definite railroad location .. 122 86 Preliminary surveys ....... 875,99 Valuation surveys ...... 70.So Reconnaissance surveys (kus
 kokWIm) ............-... 72b Oo
 1,795 65
 In addition members of the com mission inspected the harbors of Cordoya. Valdez. Portage Bay, Sew ard and Controller Bay; made d careful examination of the Copper River X Northwestern Railway, GOV cred the route between Seward Mat anuska coal fields and Fairbanks and between Fairbanks and the Nenana coal fields via the Panama River flats, visited the Boring River coal fields, covered the route be tween Fairbanks and Valdez and Chitina, and made a detail eXami nation of the survey beWeen Valdez and the Copper River over Marshall Pass.
 For the preliminary work congress had appropriated $1 1000 900. Of this amount the commission expended $393, ,05992, this covering surveying equipment. pack trains and launches, transportation, salaries of fourteen parties, maintenance of headquarters at Ship Creek, compensation of Wea- ther observers at Portage Bay and Ship Creek throughout the winter carctakers of stock and equipment a ship creek and Fairbanks, reduc- tion of field notes, preparation of maps, charts and profiles and the final report.
 For the fiscal year 1915 congress appropriated further sum of S2,- 100000 to start actual construction along A route to be selected by the