The Alaska daily empire., 1921-03-03
END OF ALASKA RAILROAD WORK
 SURE BY JAN. 1
Cerig Says Last Steel to Be Laid This; Year Plenty
 Of Labor Expected.

With indications pointing to an abundance of labor this year, the ends of steel on the Government rail road will be linked between the l. 1922 and through, standard gauge trains operated from Seward to Ne nana," stated William Gerig, assist ant Chief Engineer of the Alaskan Engineering Commission who is passenger on the steamer Northwest ern enroute to the States for a vaca- ton of six weeks. We have now 1900 men on the Southern Division of the road and expect to add ap- proximately 1000 to that number as soon as the season opens suffi- ciently to put them to work" said Mir. Gerig.
 Trains are now operating across the big new steel bridge across the Susitna River and work is progress ing steadily in every section,' he grading, excavating and preparing the roadbed will have been completed by September l. Supplies have been distributed to camps along the route even to the north of the summit at Broad Pass.
 Big Bridge To Go In.
 Another big bridge IS to be in stalled south of Broad Pass, but ubilo tba+ i, bo;po dopo tho onp- tractors will be putting the finishing touches in and getting the road5ed in readiness for the laying of steel. The bridge will be laid across Hur- ricane Gulch. It will be a single span, cantilever structure. Concrete for the piers which will rest on solid rock, is already being shipped to the spot. We will have steel laid to Hurricane Gulch by May l, and the bridge will be completed and ready for use by September 1. By that time it is expected that everything will be in readiness for the laying of steel Qyer the rest of the gap which is a distance of 73 miles.
 Rock Work Progressing
 "On the Northern Division" said Mr. Gerog. Engineer in Charge, Frederick D. Browne, is making ex cellent progress through the Nenana Canyon, the scene of the heaviest piece of rock work on the route His force will have completed the tunnels and roadbed in that section hxr hn Df ,,Ct N.ri1l then concentrate on the few miles remaining on the Northern Division
 Train operation on the Southern Division has been carried on through out the entire winter with but one single hitch. It was found neceo- sary to postpone one train from Anchorage to Seward for a day on account of a snowslide. We have handled the U S. Mail from the Interior without one single break in the schedule. Not only has the 'irst and second class mail been car ried, but everything offered. For the first time in the history of the Interior, Fairbanks got all of it's Christmas mail and got it before Christmas Day.
 "The Commissions freight and sup plies even beyond the ends of steel have also been moved without diff culty. We have handled it by thac- tor and by teams at the rate of 90 tons a day and in this manner have everything ready for the season s rush of work
 Weather Mild
 "The mild winter experienced, he said, has been a big factor in the success of our operations: This was particularly true in the erection If the big Susitna River Bridge which. by the way, contains the longest single span West of the Missouri River. being 5lO feet in length. This was put up in approxi-