El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-04-14

J. distinction D. c. April H.
( w The Alaska railway is stead
lily progressing. over 100
miles Of track are now ready for the
4 rails, So miles Of the track are in op-
Grafton, and by the summer of 1913
1 Pullman cars will be running from
Seward to Fairbanks. At least. this
! is what I am told by ". C. Edes. the
chairman Of the railway commission.
who has been here in Washington
! making preparations for an active
: campaign next summer lust now We
are at the beginning of spring but
Alaska Is still nthe throes Of its win
ter.
The thermometer all along the line
OF the road is bobbing up and down
Z around zero, and a thick coat Of snow
, covers most Of the rightofway The
1 smaller streams are still frozen, the ice
| going down to seven or eight feet from
the sruface and penetrating the beds
underneath The rivers have a coating
OF ice several feet thick and shedding
can be done over the snow and the ice
enormous quantities of railway mate
rails are now being carried into the
ulaces most difficult 20 reach. and a
great deal Of hauling is being done
70 save the expense of building wagon
roads next summer
Working at Both Ends.
During the past year the work OF
construction has gone on at both ends
OF the line. They have been working
along the Alaska Northern from Sew
ard to Anchorage. They have been
building new road from Anchorage.
they have been building a new road
from Anchorage northward. and have
been grading and preapring the route
from Fairbanks andTanana. working
toward the south In addition. parties
Of surveyors have been preparing the
road through the mountains
Cars havee been running on tn
Alaska Northern. and the trains can
now take one across the greater part
OF the kenai peninsula. This section
IS producing a revenue of something
like $500 per month. Further north
about so miles of track have been I'm
operation from Anchorage. and Is miles
Of additional track are ready for the (.
steel rails. The branch to the .AIata- {
nuska coal fields is within / 2 miles of /
being completed It already reaches 4
the coal bearing area, and the govetrn- !
nent has opened mine at Moose creek !
ana IS now shipping coal into Anchor
age All of the coal used on that part /
OF the railroad now comes from Moose /
creek. and Anchorage has a pletifuI 1
supply. The coal is not as good as the
coal. farther inland. but IL
serves the purpose and viii be Of great
value in future railway construction.
First Depot Log Cabin
The first depot on the road has been
built at Anchorage. It is a one-story
log cabin, and tackled upon its walls |
are the first railway time tables These /
give the arrivals and departures on the |
main line and the Matanuska branch. |
On each division there are trains on !
three days of the week only and the [
time made is - miles or less per hour.
The commission IS now publishing a
railroad paper known as the Alaska
Railroad Record. This will appear
weekly and il viii give all information
concerning the branches of railway
in Alaska.
The government has recently estaa-
ished land and Industrial depart
nent in connection with the commits
SION This branch now has jurisdic-
lion over all land matters II VIII
ay out the tOwnsites and sell lie
OTIS at auction, and all inquiries con- I
'erning real estate. mines and devef- /
'pment projects along the line of rhe !
'ailWay should be directed to it The /
read is Andrew Christensen. who wa;
ormerly connected with the general I
and office and had charge of the lani;.
n the territory
In connection. with such Develop 4
nent lively activity is taking place !
long the whole line Of the road
1omesteads are being taken up all
he way from Seward to Fairbanks
There are now about 500 farms IN ,
he Matanuska and Susitna valleys not s
ar from Anchorage. and there are
many new hOmesteads in the Tanana {
alley All Of these farms are being I
perated with view to supplying the 2
peal market and they are raising con- {
iderable product but by no means