The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1919-07-26
ALASKA RAILROAD
NEEDS MORE Coin
$50 MILE GAP IN
RAILS

4 oEki ll<E, NdSH.s July 4
Pioneering government construc-
ton crews, laying the All miles
railroad from Seward, on the coast,
north across the continental divide
to connect with Alaska's great in
terror river highway system, made
no attempt early this summer to
close the $50 mile gap across Broad
Pass between the ends of steel lying
north and south of the terminals
or the road.
Recent failure of congress to APP
rrorriate $40, 900, 600 requested to
complete the road, made it impos-
sible for the Alaska engineering
commission, which is directing the
work, to plan on laying any new
line. Hope has not beer abandoned,
however, that the necessary money
will be voted, as on July 8, Repre-
sentative Curry, California, intro
duced a measure providing for the
appropriation of ST. 100000 for
the road.
One of Alaska's big war sacrifices
was the delay in the work on the
government railroad. During the
war men were hard to get as they
were needed in France, ships were
wanted to carry troops overseas in
stead of railroad supplies to Alaska
and railroad materials were sent
from the states to the battle fields
instead of to the north.
But now that the war is ovef.
Alaska hopes to see the woTk On
the road pushed. The road would
have been completed in 1921 ii con-
gress had appropriated the 100000
900, Manager ]. l.. Mcpherson 0f
the Alaska bureau of the Seattle
chamber of commerce, recently told
the senate appropriations commit
tee. Mcpherson, a railroad ensi-
neer himself, is in washington as
sisting in the fight for the funds.
Construction crews started this
summer to connect the links be-
tween Nenana and Fairbanks, on the
interior end of the road. and to
build snowsheds and repairing
trestles. bridges and roadbed on the
line between Seward and Anchor
age, on the southern end. Last year
the road was opened between Seward
and Anchorage and trains were oper-
ated regularly until snOwsli1es
stopped travel. BY e winter, it
is hoped, snowsheds will permit
: trains to operate at all times.
Coal already is being moved over
the coast end of the railroad from
Matanuska fields to Seward ard An
chorage and nearby points and il is
believed the Nenana-Fairbanks road
will be completed this fall so coal
can be handled from the Ne"ana
fields into Fairbanks. The Mata-
nuska coal is moved over a IS mile
branch running into the coal fields
from the Seward-Anchorage end of
the line,
Main line track has been laid on
the road north from Seward 224
miles to Talkeetna. On the north
ern end the line has been built "a
miles south from Nenana and sever
miles south from Fairbanks. ALI of
the road is not being built by the
government. On he Seward end
the commission, When it started
work, took over the old Alaska
Northern railway, running enorth
from Seward. On the interior end
the Tanana Valley railway, which
ran out of Fairbanks was purchased.
Government engineers have put both
of these lines in first class shape.
/ Some of the work on the interior
end is being held up until The rnac
from the coast is finished so ma
terials can be brought oyer it from
the seaports Of Seward and Anchor
age. At present prohibitive costs
make it impossible to transport d
large amount of material to Fair
banks and Nenana as supplies must
be sent thousands of miles around
by st. Michaels and III the Yukon
river or to Skagway and over the
mountains and then down the Yu-
kon. One big piece of work being
delayed until the line reaches the
interior is the construction of a
bridge across the Tanana river at
laid on the ice of the frozen river
for work trains.
RENO MEN TAKE OVER