Evening star., 1943-08-08
Traffic Light on Alcan Highway
Wide World Photo.

cleared from the passes and of keeping
road crews fed and warm.
That situation changed rapidly with
spring. On parts Of the highway, the
temperature is subject to variations OF
more than 100 degrees-from 70 below
zero to 90 above. The cold, which last
winter made 1t necessary to keep the
motors Of truck conveys running con-
stantly because they could not be
started again for days after having once
been allowed to stop, now has been re-
placed by midsummer heat, periodic
rains, dust and floods.
No Gasoline Rationing
Some truck conveys are being oper-
ated by the Army over the Alcan and
Steese highways, working on a pony
express, relay station system which al
lows one driver to become familiar with
the peculiarities of one section of road
and then to drive more or less steadily
over the section he knows. On a night
when the trucks are moving, it is not
unusual to see 80 or 100 of them In an
hours drive. On the Richardson and
Chickaloon branches, most of the trucks
are private vehicles, albeit operating al
most entirely with Army freight. Troops
guard the bridges and regulate the
traffic, permitting only essential travel
for most Of the distance (althougE
Alaska has no gasoline rationing).
These truck conveys, however, do no4
move without difficulties The raging
Tanana River, glacier-fed stream which
wanders through huge valley of the
same name, at one spot is now at the
highest level ever recorded Both that
stream and the Matartuska, between
here and Anchorage, are over the road
in several places, although taffic still
moves slowly across the flooded por-
tions. A bridge is out on the Alcan-it
will be repaired before the story is
printed but officers expect two or three
more will go out in the meantime.
1t is not only floods. In the noun
tains-practically the entire length of
the Richardson link, most of the Chicka-
loon and long stretches Of the Alcan-
slides constantly menace the road Main
tenance crews of both Army and civilian
personnel work day and night to clear
them away.
Road Is Dusty
Where 1t is not actually raining or
flooding, the road is dusty. All Alaska
is a land of loose top-soil, powdering into
dust in every dry SPELL The highways
are the driest-and therefore the most
dusty-spots in the territory Clouds OF
dust roll up under the multiple wheels Of
trucks in such density that vehicles usu-
ally try to stay at least half mile apart.
Contrary to general opinion outside
Alaska, the wild life is the least of all
problems Once in a great while, bear
or moose will wander on to one of the
roads: but usually nothing more vicious
than ground squirrels or rabbits is to be
seen.
Nothing molests the ordinary traveller
except the mosquitoes. The mosquitoes are
terrible, the stories about them legion,
the actuality almost as bad as the
stories. No road crewman new to the
territory would think of going out on
the highway to work without head-rfet.
Ready for Emergency
On the face of it. Alaska's highway
system just now seems to have been
tremendous expense for the present value
hasten to straighten out one popular
misconception-tha the highway was
built with the idea that 1t would
Immediately begin to carry large guam
titles of military supplies. Rather,
they assert, the Alcan portion of the
system-and the Chickaloon connection
as well-were rushed last year to pro-
vide vital supply system which could be
used should other routes be cut off.
If, for example, the Japanese had been
able last year to stop or seriously impede
our sea traffic between the west coast OF
the United States and the territory,
Alaska could not have been successfully
defended for lack of supplies. However,
with the highway in, rough and uncer-
tain as it is, we now have a secondary
route which could supply large armies
here when and if its use became neces-
sary. AS long as the sea lanes remain
open, that use is not likely. But the
road had to be opened just in case.
Major r. H. Souder, of (304 Stanage
street) Champagne, ILL.,, now operating a
fleet of army freight trucks over parts
Of the Alcan and Richardson highways,
pointed out another truth.
People argue about whether the roads
will be kept up after the war" he said,
but actually it doesn't matter a lot.
Even if the Governments of the United
States and Canada Just let the road 60
after the war without spending any
money on it, nothing much would be lost.
Even if the Alcan grew over with vege-
tation entirely, it could be reopened to
traffic in matter of days when the ne
cessity arose. That might be for some
other war or to connect with an Asiatic
system or even just to help Alaska out