The Cordova daily times., 1920-11-08
GATHERS DATA
 NEW ROADWAY TO KANTLSHNA

Hawley w. Sterling, civil engineer, who was engaged by the Alaska road commission to do the reconnaissance work necessary before selecting route for a wagon road, from a point on the government railroad into the .Kantishna mining district, has returned to Fairbanks and will prepare the maps and assemble the data gathered for his final report, says the News-Miner.
 The reconnaissance was started during the early part of August, the Alaskan engineering commission CO., operating to the extent of giving MT. Sterling everything he wanted in the way of scientific instruments, field books and supplies so that he was enabled to take the field on September 8.
 With two pack mules and a packer MT. Sterling traversed two possible routes into the Kantishna region and two routes into the Valdez creek country in the Susitna mining dis trict The necessary work was con- pleted on October 10, on which date Mr Sterling came into Nenana en rout to the Alaska road commission office in Fairbanks.
 With Eureka creek in the Kantish na region for the objective, route (Mile 366) near the old trail for some distance the reconnaissance ran westward parallelng Dry creek and crossing the many streams that drain the region until Eureka creek was reached distance of approXi- mately seventy-five miles from the railroad
 Route No. ? left the government road at Riley creek, Mile 347 near Maurice Morino's roadhouse also known as the Park Gate roadhouse and ran in a westerly direction crossing Savage creek. Sanctuary river, Middle river. east fork of the Toklat and the Toklat proper.
 Skirting the south side of Sable mountain and running through Poly chrome, Highway and Thoroughfare passes it passed near the big Null 1 drow glacier, and, from point approximately 15 miles west of the glacier, the line swings slightly to the northward and thence runs along the margin of the famous Wonder lake and on to Eureka creek on which stream kantishna City of the future will be located.
 This later route has long been in favor with many people whose bus- ness took them into the KantislNla district. 1t parallels the Lignite route and is distant from it approxi- mately from 15 to 20 miles, the drainage crossed on the Lignite or lower route is greater than in the upper route and it also offers more difficulties from an engineering point of view than does the Riley creek or upper route. The Lignite route for nearly 75 per cent of the distance leads over niggerheads and swampy lands while the Riley creek route passes through a gravel formation f,, so miles from the railroad to Flu reka creek. The gradient is also an easy one and MT. Sterling says that the heaviest that will be en- countered on this route would be no greater than a 10 per cent grade and that too for very short dis tance.
 MT Sterling also stated that he has no hesitation in recommending the Riley creek route as the best and most feasible route and one that offers less difficulties from an engi- neering standpoint and would be less costly for road construction pur- poses.
 Both routes to the Kantishna pos. cess great scenic beauty, and. on both game in great abundance was seen, ptarmigan and grouse in great flocks were frequently met with, caribou were plentiful and on the Riley creek route, besides coming across caribou herds daily, mountain sheep in bands running well into the hundreds were very frequently seen