El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1916-04-29

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, April o.
"A / have come from Sunrise to An
- - chorage. Sunrise is the little
log cabin mining settlement on the
northern end OF the Kenai peninsula.
Anchorage is the frontier town OF
cabins and tents that has grown up at
the mouth Of snip creek. on the main
land at the beginning Of the new con-
struction Of Uncle Sans railroad.
The railway really begins at Seward
at the southern coast Of the Renal
peninsula. but its tracks for 70 miles
will be those OF the alaska Northern,
which Uncle Sam has bought ready
built This runs across the peninsula
10 the head OF Turnagain Arm not far
from Sunrise and there viii be Is or 20
miles to construct from there on TO
Anchorage. The work now under way
IS from Anchorage northward. The
road is to go up Matanuska valley to
the coal fields and northward through
the Susitna valley to Fairbanks, which
as the crow flies, is almost 400 miles
from where 7 am writing.
The Henson for Anchorage.
The reason for Anchorage is the rail-
road construction and it sprang into
being when the president, as Aladdin,
rubbed the rusty old lamp OF congress
and wished for that appropriation Of
S35, 900 900 for railroads in Alaska The
town will be the nearest port to the
Matanuska coal fields, and when navi-
cation I'm Cook inlets open, which is
from five to seven months OF the year,
it will have, perhaps, the bulk Of the
coal trade. For the rest Of the time
it will go on TO Seward. It is for this
reason that the people here expect a
big city at Anchorage. They look for
ward to 1t as a smelling and manufac-
turing center as well as a great COM
maaan al liz
Of II as the financial heart Of Alaska.
Seward People Are Jealous.
The people Of Seward are jealous OF
Anchorage. They claim that their port
viii be the only real city at the south
ern end OF the railroad, for the reason
that Resurrection bay is free Of ice all
the year round and that ships can land
there at any hour OF the year.
All steamers coming TO Anchorage
have TO 90 several hundred miles fury
Their. They must come up Cook inlet.
which is a great bay on the west Of the
peninsula, extending about 200 miles
into the land. The inlet in places Is
upward OF so miles wide, but 70 mar
rows at the northern end. and Is only
a few miles across in KnilS arm, where
Anchorage IS situated. The lower part
Of the inlet owing TO the warm Japan
csc current, is open throughout the
year. The upper part freezes along In
October or November, and for a great
part OF the winter ships cannot come IN.
The place is one Of high tides. The
sea rises from 45 TO O. feet I'm the arms
81 the inlet and II rushes in twice n day
In a wall forming a bore OF somewhat
the same nature as those I'm the Bay OF
Fundy or In the Hoogly river. up which
one goes to Calcutta.
Some Trouble Getting Out.
had some experience with the tide
IN coming from Sunrise to Anchorage.
We had TO leave when the waters were
high and this was not until midnight.
our boat was a launch about IS feet
In length with a 12-horsepower gaso-
line engine taking up the whole Of the
center. There we're bench seats around
the side and only a canvas for cover.
The owner OF the boat was a German
stOrekeeper Of Sunrise and the engineer
was his son, boy OF is. The man re-
fused TO go unless he got at least $40,
but we managed to drum up seven
passengers. consisting Of myself. George
Parks OF the government land office,
and five prospectorR