The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-11-11
MAKE GOOD PROGRESS
ON II. S. RAILROAD
Report That Alaska Tells of Satisfactory
Result of Work, Many Miles of
Track Having Been
Laid.

Seward. Alaska. Nov ll.-William c.
Edes, chairman of the Alaskan engineer
ing commission, who recently returned
from Anchorage, reports excellent prog
ress on the construction OF the United
States railroad.
Fifty-nne miles OF track have been
laid from Anchorage. With the II miles
of the old Alaska Northern railway that
are now in operation to Kearn Creek,
there have been completed 1870 miles OF
the 40 that will connect Seward and
Fairbanks. The track 50 far laid from
Anchorage consists of six miles south to-
ward Seward; 80 miles of main line
northward to Fairbanks. and Is miles
on the Matanuska branch into the Mata-
nuska coal fields.
The right of way has been cleared
from Potter creek, on Turnagain arm, To
Kings river in the Matanuska coal field,
distance of II miles and on the main
line from Matanuska to the Little Susit-
ma river. Rails will be laid this fall as
far as Kings river, on the Nationalist
branch, distance of GO miles from
Anchorage, and to Wassilla on the main
line approximately 10 miles from Mata-
nuska. On the main line in the Susitna
valley, between Montana creek and In
dian river, a distance of 50 miles, the
right of way is 20 per cent cleared and
number OF grading contracts have been
let Grading of the right of way will
proceed in this section from Talkeetna
to Willow creek, and north TO Broad
pass. At Willow creek il will connect
with the work under the Matanuska dis
trict and at Broad pass with the work
from the Nenana division.
Rails will be laid in the near future as !
far as Potter creek, which is Is miles !
southeast of Anchorage on Turnagain !
arm, and from which point the rock !
work on Turnagain arm will be attacked (
during the winter.
For the week ending Sept. ., 3,56s men
were employed on the Anchorage di- /
vision, which includes commission en-
ployes, statiOnmen and laborers. the Au-
gust payroll being 25s,330, 600
The population of Anchorage, which is
the main construction base on the rail
road, is between 1000 and 5000 At |
the junction of the Matanus-
ka branch with the main line, a town
site was recently surveyed by the gov
eminent and a town is now in course Of
development There is also a small town
ut Moose creek. about 50 miles from
Anchorage. where the first mine on the
railroad is in operation. At Wassilla,
he name of the town where the railroad
'rosses the Knik Willow creek wagon
Dad, several people are gathering. Was
,illa will be the distributing point for
reight and supplies for the Willow creek
mining district. The government is TAX
ng immediate steps to survey small
ownsites at these places.
The railroad north and south from ,
Anchorage passes through and develops
large agricultural country There are
low between 500 and 600 homesteaders
long the line of the railroad in this sec f,
ion, and the agricultural land is being f,
apidly developed. The homesteaders are {
IMPLYING a considerable portion of the :
oodstufTs for the railroad employees and F,
ther people in that section of the coun- !
~. Recently the Alaskan engineering !
contracted for 400 tons. or :
yer $4,000 bushels. of potatoes with the I
iatanuska farmers. Products are being q
auled by the farmers to Matanuska d
nd shipped over the railroad to Anchor :.
&c and other points along the line =
here is still room for large number
( homesteaders in the vicinity Of the
abroad, and the government hopes to p
neourage farmers from the states to n
1me to Alaska and take mp homesteads I
! the territory tributary to the railroad n
! order to develop the agricultural lands j
D that the country may some day in ;
be near future be self supporting. "