Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-04-25
ALASKA RAILROAD
65 PER CENT BUILT
Rails Laid on 200 of its 500 Miles;
War May Delay Lines
Completion.

Washington Aprl al olotiuVhoh
of the Alaskan railway Is beng matcrlaiiy
.le}avcd hv the war. and completion WIZ
he deferred indefinitely beyond the 1919
ar 1000 date originally projected for It
While more than 5000 men were en-
ploycd in the field during 1917, a force
of nerhaps > 600 IS all that can hc MAN
tanned through the summer OF 1918,
and though the siO,0o0 900 undertaking
stands al a stage G5 per cent toward
rnp.ction. the remainder may take
nuch longer 10 construct shan has the
two-thirls So far built.
\ linking up Of gaps IN the coaS'ai
section. and the pushing of mann raii-
heads some 80 or ~ additional miles
toward the interior Is the tmt OF con,
strnction which the COMMISSIONERS leCI
certain that the shortage ot men. matFrIa'e
and shipping will allow them To attain
That will hc Alaska : share OF the
inevitable sacrifice war cntaiiS, Saiu
W,lI,am & Tdcs. chairman OF the Alaskan
Er.enccrlng Comm. m.SSIon, discussing tSt-
,,al.S and uncertainties connected with
~, cntcrpriS., Although some OF the
Jrl.,v would have inirrvcned even under
1ornml conditions.
During the last two seasons, We nave
practicallv completed the coaS'ai S'''i"hS
IT th, unc. aionc winch W. were cnahCd
fr.r>oart conditions 80 work Stinui-
..n.colsI> "a = nuruhrr Of points In
IL f,,t,,rr Ne shall hc construct ting
r.isht fIr into the interior. extending
.... d.. Is nsa~, tran only two points
.t.nti... ht u~ua3 congressional appr"-
,,rta-iut- bccumc available. the com
l-~tn. NhicIi ~tll ha> some doubts
}p.t IT, ability - ; cure even han lh'
f,tt,.ft haj year ago, Viii couttr
~. completion uf the mann inc
fe.f ~,u.fd Il, NrlrburaEc. both o. VnI'h
+ F.c.tte e,e.us ports on tho NlaSkH
.lsEtr,. aIt,,ard between Wh Oh Tah
.r,,i f. rulIv- nov ,>l~t~
N.a r. iI.. j. IL addition will hc nush-
l-..n. fn ~ So mlg- toward the interior
.tt..t yhtc4 4 lsubank- opening
t.4 uYTa\ImltcI, trom Mi" 2l'
NIt. soa distance estimated from thr
..rmtfIi. IF seward nor1hNart
-l ,>.,cpt In c.rtam PLACES AMT
..,.ri.,5f ti,,.~ 81 work. tlu commission
,.aaai rlat tul>t rucilon i~ only
tr 4,st dll.uc flc summer after lo>
H., u,b~.n raHr'ad. stretching np
-.n ,a,ie- III ttfuk nd branches towards
,r.tl. Gr,I,. 4 literally iurthr>t
,.,r5I II. railroad tHutdug enterprise.
III * i ,taud~ tvi,N has 1h miles u
Il~ la,d Ir,- gradr~ and cut~ completed
head 1t rails. and location engineering
nt5rpI, .tiuplctcI Il d,e~ mot Vnir
tntth rNt. Il sItr loIr Tor It~ northern
br,,fl Al Falrl,auk~ Is 10 odd mules south
il thr great cIrclc hnt ~ trrttk- cu' across
IN arc, where thr sun shines tor = hours
!. ,l.v Ia Jun, ami hartman tdc~ 81 ni /
that the daylight SAVING prescribed
h the pitcd ~tatc~ viii appear TRIVIAL
from an Alaskan viewpoint
Engineering and transport protdem.
81 no mean m4gnitudc have ttc"n solved
and are being solved ln thc construction
of the line, for its loCafcrs aud even IS
grade crews must hold themselves abreast
and ahead Of the pioneer settler N't'
work proceeding from both Cnd> o1 VIZ
line. 4 glance At the MAPS NH ~h""
tbc transport line built up u supply th'
interior terminus stretching 'ip 'T'hll '"'
nited States through the Paclhc and
Arctic oceans to the port q y Nllchaoi>
IT the mouth of the ! ukon nNeT ~icCi
noyder. food and equipment must 3,
thousands of miles ly sea. hc transhlpPro
Il, river boats. forced upward against thF
currents of the Yukon and iAnans
rivers. and then overland 10y . last pani U
stage.
tlpon the enterprise out ol q 50, ,oouWN
estimate for hc total co~t which NstiInat'
secretary Lame has rai~cd I" S4o. .o'blW"'
llncanSc oi hIehcr costs o tabor aht
ta,trrj3l~ Lieutenant { ooncl tredcrict
Aie-.r~ narrowed from the army To-
p.n,anla railroad purposes. Vas q n1tmbc
III, commission hut has TcccntN
r1lIrned to the army tor raitroad huildini
Ia rance and IT, hl~ regiment has III
ell,Ird au apprcriahjc number 81 the mrl
Is fh, Aa,kan commission stan
litoa.- RIgg- the tlnrd mtnter ma
.-.a l...i,c,I l> The. president {" bc COVER
uog oi Na-ba
Our stIef,h o ii m.u hn'. am"nn' iii
- - nile va purchased, Tor litti
o{sr 000 uou v hlic NOR recently 'ii
..st....l-~. on 4caIircl for S3'H'oW
-.r,-se,t oI narrow gtagt fuad
rs.lHtt- out .. Fairbanks :" hatlnaha
~ Iit ls~t mas been "r viii ~ nhltl
Y ~ whether lh. ioad VII pay. IN
commission ttutuuc- M rTodlcil"n. ~
considers l1,~,u irsthc 30 g'nde
l,,-~ti,IH'se~.
~lne th, ult,d ~tate~ took close 7
isl}iou dollar from Alaska the govern
,.sent L:.- adopted the policy oi maxim
iIt- r,.ftlru Z hartman ldcs remarked
end probably duc- not worry about tn
results \li our conSt rnctlon amount :
f..one.ring Both the mineral and agr
cultural possibilities ot the area npenc
arc uliaItitie, virtually unknown. an
,I,.. railroad II self must bc the final fact,
required 10 prove or d'~pFove the