The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-03-18

E ALASKA CITIZEN, FAI condition of soil and more difficulty to build road than was anticipated by the Commission owing to the gla- cial condition of the ground. After the moss was stripped and grading was attempted layers of ice were found in some places.
 About three and a half miles was completed with the exception of a few short places which were plowed, ditched and drained ready to be grad ed next year as soon as it is sufi- ciently dry. The cost of construction was relatively high for several req sons. First-That the camp equip- ment and road machinery which will be used for several years were pur- chased and charged to this years work. Second-The high cost of get ting supplies to the place of work and the cost of all timbers for bridges and culverts; and Third-The wet condition of the ground, making 1t necessary to do great deal of the work by hand that otherwise could have been done by horses and ma chinery.
 The necessity for the road was so great that it was imperative to build 1t at once. If the work could be ex- tended over few years and give the ground time to drain after being ditchd the road could be built much cheaper. Seventeen permanent bridg. es and culverts were built. total of feet, at cost of $11.10 per linear foot. About fifteen small temporary culverts were also con These will be replaced as
 oon as the grade is completed.
 There will be an annual tonnage of probably more than one thousand tons over this road as soon as it is open for traffic, in addition to hun dreds of cords of wood that will be hauled over 1t during the winter and summer.
 The total expenditure on this road, which includes the purchase of near ly $500 worth of machinery and camp equipment, was $14,3SS65. an average of $4,111 per mile.
 Route No. 2oA.-Amy Creek Road,
 2H Miles.
 This road is branch from the Livengood road and leading up Amy creek distance of two and a half miles. At present but 4,OOO feet of this road was completed, all of which was corduroyed with heavy brush and covered with moss and dirt. This road will require more dirt on 1t next year, but it made a fairly good road at once. The road covers stretch of ground that had been almost impossible for wagons The most of the balance of the road can be graded with road grading machine next season. The cost of building the 4.000 feet was $3,427.70, at an average cost of 80 cents per linear foot. However, part of the camp equipment and machinery Is charged to this route, making the cost come higher than it would otherwise. Two or three hundred tons per annum will probably be hauled over the road. Route No. 21.-Brooks to West Fork,
 7 Miles.
 A good deal of time was spent in this proposed road this year in an effort to find a feasible line on which to build a road without the necessity of corduroy, as a good part of the distance is over the low flat part of the Tolovana valley. Only part of the road has been locat. ed as yet and 1t may be necessary to corduroy more than half of the dis tancc if a wagon road is built.
 Route No. p.
 / This is continuation of Route No 21.' and extends down stream dis tance of about IS miles to the Log Jam. An effort was made to locate a practicable wagon road in the valley on this route that would be near the river and be shorter than the present winter sled road, but it was found impracticable and if the road is built 1t will either have to go out to the foot hills and then down the valley, or if built in the flats. great portion would have to be corduroyed.
 Some swamping and blazing for a foot trail from the Log Jam up was done on this line to en- able pedestrians to go from the Log Jam to the Trappers' Cabin without the necessity of going by boat. Prob ably more than one thousand tons of freight will be hauled over the winter sled road alone from the Log Jam to Brooks this winter. The cost of surveying, swamping and