The Alaska daily empire., 1920-09-02
ROAD PROGRAMS AFFORD RELIEF
 TO BIG SECTION
Co onpletion of Rail and Wagon Roads Now Build
 ing Will Assist Country.

bot NllH tllt tOilIpiNtAoA VI '''S government railroad and the road work now being done by the Alaska Road Commission tributary to the railroad, Interior Alaska, between Seward and Anchorage and beyond Fairbanks will be habitable country provided with means of transporta- ton and communication which hither- to has held the region from the de- velopment it deserved. is the opinion of Col James Gordon Steese, Chair man of the Alaska Road Commission, who hes recently returned from the Interior
 With the exception of bridges across the Susitna, Mile 264, the Nenana, Mile 37O, the Tanana and Mile All, steel is laid on the govern ment railroad from Seward, Mile 1, to Mile 255, beyond Dead Horse, and Mile 267, and south of Healey's Fairbanks, Mile All" said Col. Steese.
 Col. Steese has made extensive ob- servations regarding the work along the railroad, incident to it's connec. tion with the work being performed by the Alaska Road Commission.
 ''The Susitna bridge has arrived at Anchorage and is being erected It's completion will permit steel to be laid to Indian River" he said, and the steel is on hand for this construction. The gap between ends Of steel. remaining this winter, will be about 90 miles. Present plans contemplate closing this gap by 1921. The Nenana and Panama bridges have been located and designed. I understand all the material to be prepared for erection has been or dered but cannot be delivered until next year Considerable grading is being done north of Indian River,
 "In the Southern Division we have Creek. Mile 35S.
 "The old Alaska Northern. Mile 1 to Mile Fl inclusive, purchased by the government, has been completely rehabilitated and is now a fine piece of track, in striking contrast to its condition when I last traveled over it in 1913. Many of the old trestles are still standing in var ious stages of dilapidation The tres tie spiral and loop at Mile A was completed the day I returned over the line but operations on the tenn porary switehback will continue for several weeks.
 Operations on the railroad in the southern division include passenger train with parlor observation car and buffet. three times weekly, between Seward and Anchorage Mile 114 and twice week between Anchorage and Talkeetna, Mile 227. Passengers are also carried on freight trains. An irregular service is provided be- tween Matanuska Junction, Mile 151, to Chickaloon, a distance of 3S miles,
 "On the Northern Division, pass enger trains run three times weekly between Nenana, Mile 412, and Fair banks, Mile All. and a gas car pro vides service on alternate days. A daily ferry connects Nenana with North Nenana, and an irregular rail service connects Nenana with Ne mana River, Mile 370.
 "Construction throughout is first class and up to the best modern practice. The Nenana, Panama and Susitna River bridges are all major structures, costing between one and two million dollars. Rates on the railroad are about 61a cents a mile for passengers with IF cents per mile for chair car accommodations.
 Practically all the road work in the Fairbanks district is directly tributary to the railroad. The princi- pal work in this connection is the new Kantishna project, with which we hope eventually to provide a route from the new railroad in the vicinity of Lignite or Dry Creek, 70 miles across the country into the Kantishna development on Eureka Creek, and other creeks tributary to the upper kantishna and from there down to the old post of Roosevelt the head of navigation on the Kan tishna River.
 Tn teh southern division, we have projects directly contributary to the railroad on the Kenai Peninsula, To- cal roads connecting Anchorage with the farms in that district, similar roads tributary to the Matanuska connecting Matanuska, Wassilla anc Palmer with the farming lands or the eastern side of the Matanuska River. but more especially with the important Willow Creek mining dis trict, and our new Talkeetna-CachG Creek project. on which we speni $75,0O0 this year We hope eventu ally to continue this project until i reaches the development in the kus kokwim territory.
 Two cminor projects on whicl only reconnaissance work will be done in the immediate future, are tho roads from Talkeetna to the promls ing district on Iron Creek and the road from Broad Pass to Naidei Creek"