Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-07
EAlASKA's NEW RAILWAY
OPENS UP GREAT FIELD
and Other Metals win Bc
Made Available.
MINES AND THEIR pROnuCr,oN
What Cheap Coal Means I" Miners.
Queer Features of Work Along
Present ConstruCtion--Labo anu
n Wages, and How Jobs Arc Let.
BY FRANK C. CARPENTER.

I have Just returned from 'ido
long the line Of Uncle Sans rail-
way. The new construction begins
here at the mouth OF shin creek.
q where ocean steamers land their sup
plies In the summer. and Dc road
bed has been graded for about forty
|. miles. Twenty miles OF track have
been already laid. and every thinC Is
In preparation for rapid work as soon
as Congress passes tho bill supply
) ing tho money. The work has been
80 pushed that by last November the
engineers had done what It was sup
{, posed would require ,hc whole winter.
They have made careful surveys OF tho
: route from here 20 Fairbanks. and have
/, covered tho branch lire which goes
4 from Matanus}a Junction 70 the Chick
aloon coal fields. They have gone over
T the Alaska Northern Railway. which
{ Unole Sam bought last year ut q cost
of $780, 900, and have put thirty five
miles Of that road in running condi-
4 ton. They have laid out the extern
sion OF tho Alaska Northern to Anchor
(. age. and. In short. have now planned
{ the whole railway. They have made
careful estimates of the cost Of every
thing connected with it. and have CON
structed contour maps showing the
country on the scale Of one inch to
the mile. They know just what they
have to expect. aud from now on tho
road can be pushed rs rapidly as Con-
gress will furnish the money.
The act providing for government
railroads in Alaska was passed March
IT, 19l4. 1t authorized the operation
and building Of railroads hero to m
extent not 70 exceed 1000 miles and
at cost Of not more than $4,000. 600
1t was on this authorization that the
President bought the Alaska Northern
Railway and decided to extend Il to
Fairbanks, II distance Of Az miles, MT
cost Of something like $4,000. 900.
But Congress Will have TO nppropriat O
the money as needed and the progress
Z OF the work is dependent upon the two
houses at Washington. In 1914, tho
I appropriations amounted TO about ST.
100000. Something like 100000 was
appropriated last year and tho cnci-
neers have asked for 100000 to he
4 spent In 1916. If that Is granted tho
road to Matanuska coal fields can be
completed and the lower portion Of
The extension 10 Fairbanks put into
/; operation this year. Tho road can also
be built from tho Nenana coal fields to
+ rich territory the cheap fuel 1t so
greatly needs
NO RED TATE Is USED
IN HANDLING THIS jon
The total length of the government
railway VIII be under 500 miles, md
the engineers tell me IT can be con.
strncted at an average cost of about
$4,000 per mile. In some places the
cost VIII n
bthcrs II Will be $4,000 or under. ,rhe
road Will cost about the same as the
western end Of the Grand Trunk Pacific
hallway. and Il Will be more expensive
than the Northern Pacific or the PUGET
sonnd Division of the Chicago, Mil
waukee and st. Paul. Tho track is to
be or the standard gauge. with rails
OF seventy pounds to the yard. II Will
be substantially built and OF the most
modern construction.
] like tho way our government cnri-
neers ARC handling their Job. There
Is no rod tape hero at Anchorage and
so far fuss and feathers" are absent
The three engineer commits siouers are
as plain as pipe stems and they tramp
about with the mon and go over tho
Job on foot and on horseback. Never
thcless. William G. Edes. the chairman
tho great roads. 90 the. West Lieuton-
ant Frederick. 4Mears was superintond
Ont Of the railway. nj Panama, and
Thomas RIGGS, Jr.. WAS Mt the time OF
his selection chief Of the boundary
survey. They are all men of practical
experience and arc especially Ntted for
l.fn and work on tho frontier.
have already written of the head
quarters OF the engineer commission
The two-story house put mp for then,
hero at Anchorage would not rent for
more than Sic a month In tho States
The most of the clerks are doing their
work IN tents or log cabins. and tho
Forestry Department OF the govern
rnent IS two-room shack with folding
cots. on which tho clerks slccr 81
night. Tho commissarv building Ia of
logs, and the stables nearby. whore
from nrty To 100 horses arc kept. arc
ct canvas. The MOTEL or Inessro"ln for
the men and government employees g
O. logs. and three meals there arc given
for 81 day. So far ] have to NEE: ~,
Official who puts on any airs Most 81
them 20 about with their pants IN thcir
boots, ard TIE clothes worn by the on
rineer commissioners would hardly
bring tho value Of the wool in ,ha,,
at secondhand store
Everything IS business Tho work
began sixteen DAYS after tic Priest
dent decided THE route. and il has gore
on steadily IS long as tho money ha,
lasted. Fifteen hundred men have been
Of work III" past wear, and soln"ihiuc
less than 1000 arc now on the lob
Mr. w 9 r5dcs the chief cnpl,,co- ia,
had largo experience n cors,ruc,tr
railways IA our Rocky Mountain high.
land. rri II,