The Alaska daily empire., 1923-08-11
DRY SEASON TO CURTAIL YIELD
 OF GOLD MINES
Placer Districts of Interior Hampered by Water
 Shortage, Says Steese

Almost entire absence of rainfall in the interior mining districts threat ems to materially eurtail placer gold production, according to Col. James G. Steese, Chairman of the Alaskan Engineering Commission and Presi- dent of the Alaska Road Commission, who returned to Road Commission headquarters here this morning after six weeks absence. At the begin ming of the season gold dust was re- ceived at Fairbanks from the outly- ing districts at the rate of S100,OO0 a week, but this rate has since been falling steadily owing to a wide spread water shortage which is hampering mining operations in the placer diggings.
 Forest fires are prevalent over a wide belt of country north of the Alaska Range, said Col. Steese. From Cantwell north on the railroad to Fairbanks and from Fairbanks to McCarty on the Richardson Highway smoke from numerous brush and for est fires can be seen. South of the range near Meters on the highway fires are also reported to be raging The entire interior district is dry as finder and been almost entirely with out rainfall all summer.
 Handles Prominent Visitors A great part of Col. Steese's time this summer has been put in looking after arrangements for and handling prominent visitors who have been over the Alaska Railroad and the Richardson Highway. The most important of these was the Presiden 1 tial party which made the round triI over the railroad The party wa. handled without any hitch. On tht return of the Presidential special however, from Seward to Anchor age, an axle broke on the engine truck, one wheel landing 200 yards from the track and the other tearing up the ties for some distance but nc casualties were suffered.
 Other parties handled included the Congressional delegation, the Brook lyn Eagle Tour party, and the first large tourist parties. The last off cial party to make the trip was com posed of Senator Wesley L. Jones Mrs. Jones, Congressman Lin Hadley and Mrs. Hadley and Commissionel O'Malley. who went to Fairbanks over the railroad and rejoined tht Unalga at Valdez This party wal at Cordova when Col. Steese camt south and was expected to leave fol i Yakutat, Sitka and Juneau in a shori 1 time.
 Construction Papers of
 Railroad construction is taperinf off now and the end of this seasor will find it virtually completed, sait Col. Steese. Work on the $100 ,00( terminal plant at Fairbanks Is pro gressing satisfactorily. The tracks and yard facilities are already be ing laid, a warehouse being put up Plans for the main building, whief will be two stories high. have no been finally approved and 1t is pro bable 1t will not be erected unti next year. Maintenance work for tn, year is well in hand, facilitated b, the unusually fine weather. Tn, track as far north as Dunbar, tn, first station north of the Tanan River, is in good shape, the Fail banks end being soft yet.
 Work on the spur to the Moos Creek coal mines is we'll advance, and steel laying will start there b September 1st, and will be complete, by October 1st, said Col Steese | Plans for next season call for heav, | Expenditures for track ballasting. Travel Shows Increase
 | Tourist travel over the railroad and Richardson Highway shows large increase over that of last sea son. The railroad. it was stated, ha handled at least 800 tourists this yea