The Cordova daily times., 1918-02-20
Alaska Road Commission
Work For Last Year

The annual report of the Alaska
road commission has been received,
and perusal shows much work done
in the territory, and marvellous i'm
proyement of traffic conditions The
work of the commission in the terri.
tory has been greatly hampered the
past year by unusual food conditions.
but still the roads are getting better
each year, and traffic between towns
is increasing, due to its efficient work.
The report in part follows:
There presented itself as the field
of operation vast wilderness region
of nearly 100000 square miles, un-
tracked for the most part by the foot
of the white man, broken and rugged
in many parts, heavily timbered and
with dense underground on the coastal
belt, underlaid throughout most of the
valleys of the interior, with permanent
frost to great depth protected by thick
blankets of moss, with the whole area
buried many months of the year with
deep SHOWS and in summer intersected
by numerous deep and swift streams
led by ice-cold glaciers and snow of the
mountains, and throughout the terri
tory less than dozen miles of what
might be called wagon roads, with a
few hundred miles of pioneer trail,
mostly constructed by expeditions I'M
der the wa department prior to this
time.
THE population consisted chiefly,
and does still, of mining and other in
dustrial (mostly fishing) towns and
camps along the shores of Southeast
"ern Alaska, and scattered through the
interior, separated in most cases by
vast distances, with but little mutual
sympathy or common interest, each
with jealous eye upon the others, and
with firm intent to have it's full share
of any favor bestowed and all needing
and demanding roads Little thought
was given to the fact that it took
money TO build roads and time to per,>
form the work.
There is probably no more mixed
or restless population in the world
than that which focks to a new coun-
Try following a great gold excitement.
While it embraces many of the best I
types of manhood, it includes also
some Of the most unstable. Along with +
vnr hardy pioneer, miner and prospec- 7
,tOr, and the venturesome spirit always &
seeking new fields, thefe accompanies (
a horde of neer-do.wells, discontinued {
anu failures, led on by the excitement I
and with no il&ed purpose These lat {
ter, by reason of their natural tendsn- {
gies and characteristics, falling to re- |
ceiye the reward which in some vague
way they feel the government owes E
yhem, readily becomes fertile field t
SOr the political demagogue and muck t
raker, and the board has at times had g
This additional fact to deal with in its s
most Venomous form" {
xhe road crosses two mountain ranges, t
numerous rivers and small streams, !
and embraces in its course practically !
all the various problems of construc- /
ton to be dealt with in the territory. {
All streams of importance are Drldged {
except the Salcha and Tanana rivers,
which are crossed by ferries The road I
had been used by automobiles and
trucks, increasing in number each
year, but the board, while permitting
such traffic, does not encourage It,
for the reason that there has never
been a sufficient fund appropriated 10
construct and maintain through TINS
difficult wilderness a road suitable for
such traffic.
The board has constructed and MAN.
tanned since its organization $50 miles
Of wagon road, 623 miles Of winter sled
road and 2,291 miles of trail. and has
expended for all purposes o total OF
1868 81 % to June 80. 1877, of which
sum congress has appropriated $685." |
900 and s1,7O46112S has been derived
from the Alaska fund. Funds already
appropriated and available for the
ascal year 1918 will increase thet
wagon road mileagle to more than one
thousand miles, of which approxi-
rnately 80 per cent may be ciassed as
improved road, mostly gravel benches
also a small mileage OF macadam'
plank and corduroy. Mileage costs or
construction and maintenance will be
found in the report of the engineer
officer of the board.
"It will be wise, in my Judgment
for the war department to retain SUI
pervision for the present over the Val