The Cordova daily times., 1921-05-21
Mears1 Outlines Progress
 On Government Railroad
 And Tells Plans for Year

one of the local mining companies. The Kelly Mines Company shipped eighteen carloads of lumber and min ing machinery to Wasilla, Mile 15S. Part of this equipment is intended for use on the new hydro o-electrification of one of the mines, where an ex- penditure in improvement of plant and equipment of something like a quarter of a million dollars is con- templated. In the old days of dog teams, horses and tote roads, it would have taken several months of winter freighting to move these supplies, which can now move by rail from an ocean port to a point adjacent to the mines.
 Notwithstanding the gap remaining between the end of steel in the Broad pass district, the Alaska railroad has commenced to serve the transporta- tion needs of the interior of Alaska by transporting considerable quan- tity of United States mail. baggage, passengers and express throughout the winter. During March 25,OOO pounds of mail were sent into the in terior and this mail was not only in larger quantity than ever before. but arrived more promptly and in better condition.
 During a visit paid to Fairbanks last month, the people of that con- munity were quite evidently we'll pleased with the winter transporta- l tion service accorded the mail and passengers over the new route and so exnressed themselves on every oc- casion
 As a matter of fact. all the mail offered at initial point was carried by the railroad and stage route, regard less of quantity, between December 1 and April 15, thus doing away with accumulation of mail at the coast point.
 With the completion of the tenn porary bridge at Mile 49.3, replac- ing the bridge swept away by the snowslide on April 6, 1921, rail com munication is restored over the Sew ard division-between Seward and Anchorage, the first operating divi- sion. The second operating division Anchorage. Mile IA, to Deadhorse, Mile 246-and the branch line to the Matanuska coal fields has been run ming smoothly all winter. On the third operating division north of Deadhorse (Mile 249), track has been extended during the past few weeks as far north as Hurrican gulch, Mile 2S4, and shuttle train service will extend to the latter point, making it more convenient for passengers, mail and express in the movement through Broad pass.
 1 The extension of track to Hurricane gulch leaves a gap of seventy-two miles between ends of steel. There is practically continuous construction work under way throughout this cen trale district. A large number of station gangs are at work on grad ing contracts in Broad pass and good progress is being made by many of these outfits. A large part of the grade along the Nenana canyon has been completed and northern divi- sion construction crews will gradual ly advance the track southward from thS present end of steel at Mile 356, toward Riley creek, Mile e47.
 Every effort will be made to join the rails within the next twelve months, although freight conditions require that most of the track be laid from the south end
 One of our biggest problems in the immediate future is the building of the Hurricane gulch bridge, estimat- ed to cost about half million dol lars. Hurricane gulch is formidable obstacle to the extension of the track northward, as it calls for the con- struction of a steel bridge 914 feet long, the central unit of which is two-hinged steel arch-384 feet long l-buttressed against the rocky walls of the canyon. The distance from top rail on the bridge to the bottom of the gulch is 300 feet.
 The work on the concrete founda- tions for this bridge is we'll ad- vanced and 90 per cent of the struc- tural steel has been received at An chorage and moved to the bridge site. The American Bridge Company has the contract for furnishing and erecting this bridge and their engi- neer and superintendent have just arrived from the east. It is expected their field forces will be at work on l the erection If steel within thirty