Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-01-27

ming of this session of congress the
postmaster general asked for $1,000
600 to be used in extending the air
mail service. For the present fiscal
year, which viii end the last day of
June, 1920, there is available. for this
service SS50.500, or just enough to pay
for the operation of the route from
Washington to New York and from
New York to Chicago
In asking for three millions the post
master general told the legislators that
if they would let him have that much
money he would during the next fiscal
year extend the service by creating
through line from Minneapolis by way
of Chicago to st. Louis; new through
line from Pittsburgh by way of Gin
cinnati, Indianapolis and st. Louis to
Kansas City; through line from New
York by way of Washington to At
lanta, and through line from the
Atlantic coast TO the Pacific by the
extension of the line from Chicago to
the western coast. He said to the leg
islatOrs that he might be able, out of
the sum asked for, to establish line
from Buffalo by way of Cleveland to
Detroit
The house committee on postoffiCes
and post roads has notified the post
master general that it is not disposed
| to let him have this $3,000,000 for the
extension of the service, but is will
ing TO continue the appropriation of
$S50,O00.
Completing Alaska Railway.
| About the first thing Franklin X.
Lane did after he became secretary
of the interior seven years ago
was to recommend that the gov
eminent build railroad from Seward
to Fairbanks. in Alaska. Congress de-
| liberated over the recommendation two
years and then ordered the secretary
/ to go ahead. The road is now more
than two-thirds built, and congress, at
! the recent extra session, after eXamin-
ing into the work authorized an addi-
tiona! appropriation sufficient forI its
completion.
There has been but one setback in
/ the construction and that was the
washing out of twelve miles of tracks
along the Nenana river. This is a
| glacial stream which, when the SHOWS
melt, comes down at times with ire
4 Sistible force. In this instance it
/ abandoned its long accustomed way
/ and cut into a new bed and through
trees that had been standing for sew
/ eral generations, tearing out part of
/ the track which had been laid. 1t is
not possible. Secretary Lane says, to
/ tell what it has cost per mile 10 build
/ the road already completed, because
all the foundation work. the cOnstruc-
! ton of bases from which to work. the
! equipment for construction and much
of the material are charge which
must be spread over the entire COM
pleted line. The best estimate that
can be made today is that is has cost
between $4,000 and $4,000 per main
line mile, or between 100000 and $70.-
| 600 per mile of track.
This cost per mile includes the build
! ing of the most difficult and expensive
/ stretch of line along the entire route
from Seward to Fairbanks-that run
ming along Turnagain Arm, which is
sheer rock rising precipitously from
! the sea for nearly thirty miles. There
are stretches of this road which have
cost 100000 per mile. Even to blast
. mule trail in one portion of this route
| cost $4,000 a mile. The only other
| government-huilt railroad-that across
the Isthmus of Panama-cost 1921 ,052
/ per mile. The only two recently built
/ railroads in the United States are (D
! the Virginian, built by III. II. Rogers,
which cost, exclusive of equipment,
! S151,000 per mile, with labor at from
$1.35 to $1.75 per day and all ma
chinery, fuel, rails, supplies, at its
door; and (2) the Milwaukee line to
! Puget Sound, which is estimated as
having cost $4,000 per mile exclusive
of equipment.
The work has been conducted with
its main base at Anchorage, which is
! at the head of Cooks inlet. This point
| was chosen as the nearest point from
! which to construct a railroad into the
! Matanuska coal fields. That was the
primary objective of the railroad, to
/ get at the Matanuska coal. From An
| chorage it was also intended to drive
! farther north through the Susitna val
| ley and across Broad pass, and TO the
south along Turnagain Arm toward
! tho Ala Slxa Northern track
Provides Coal for Alaska.
To secure coal for Alaska was the
| first need. So in addition to Anchor
! age as a base. one was also started at
| Nenana on the Tanana river. from
which to reach the Nenana coal fields
lying to the south. If these two fields
were open, one would supply the coast
of Alaska and one the interior. This
program has been acted upon, with the
result that the Matanuska field is open
to tidewater with a down grade road
all the way. The Nenana road has
been pushed far enough south to touch
| a coal mine near the track which may
| Obviate the immediate necessity for
reaching into the Nenana field proper.
Matanuska Mines to Be Leased.
There is an open stretch across
Broad pass 70 connect the Susitna val
ley with the road coming down from
Nenana. This gap closed, there will
be through connection between Seward
and Fairbanks. By decisions of the
commissioner of the land Office, all of
the claims in the Matanuska coal field
were set aside some time ago, and by
| act of congress a leasing bill was put
into effect over the entire field I'm
der this law a number OF claims must
be reserved TO the government. The