AND KNIK NEWS
VOL. 1
Anchorage, Alaska, Saturday, June 12, 1915
NO. 2
WORK ON.
THE RAILROAD
MOVES ALONG
The railway work out of town
to connect with the main line is
50 per ce.nt. completed for the
first four miles. The remainder
of the work to Eagle river, some
twenty miles distant, is progress
ing very satisfactorily.
The clearing of the right of
way has been let, in unit con
tracts, as far as Eagle river.
About fifty men are cutting
ties between Anchorage and
Eagle river.
R. I. Dunn has been stationed
at Old Knik as resident engineer
and within a few days another
residency will be established at
the coal eamp,
11 Sherlock and Cummings have
completed their clearing contract
between Eagle river and Peters
creek.
Allen et al., have finished their
clearing contract north of Eagle
river.
Kraus et al., have completed
their clearing contract at Peters
creek.
Amstoy et al., have finished
their clearing contract between
Eagle river and Peters creek.
Mclnnis etal., got started this
week on their grading contract
north of Eagle river.
Contracts Awarded
The following contracts for
grading have been let during the
past week:
Contract No. 56—Shores et ah,
six men, stations 4196 to 4209.
No. 57—Bolja et ah, twelve
men, stations 4220 to 4260.
No. 60—Franolichet ah,eleven
men, stations 4260 to 4295.
O’Rorke et ah have been
awarded the contract for the pil
ing for the Eagle river bridge.
Radovich et ah, have been
awarded a contract to get out 20,
000 ties at Gull Rock on Turna
gain arm.
Hans Paulson et ah, have been*
awarded a contract for 20,000 ties
on Knik arm.
* H. Hegstrom et ah, have been
awarded a contract for 3,000
ties.
A. Anderson has the contract
for gradingthe road leading from
the flat to the ridge north of the
present town where the admin
istration buildings and the resi
dences for permanent employes
; are to be located.
Cottages to Be Built
Bids will be opened today for
the construction of cottages for
permanent employes on the pla
1 teau north of the flat on which
the business portion of Anchor
age now stands. The plans sub
mitted to prospective bidders
show neat, comfortable cottages,
but nothing elaborate in archi
I tecture.
The cottage for Lieut. Mears,
a member of the Alaskan Engi
neering Commission, in charge
of operations here, will be 26x46
feet, with veranda in front and
in the rear. It will contain five
rooms, and kitchen and bath
room. A fire-place will also be
installed. Twenty-one thousand
feet of lumber, board measure,
will be used in its construction.
The Commission will supply all
lumber and material. The Mears
cottage will be built on what is
designated as lot 6 in the plat of
the subdivision set apart for res
idence~purposes.
Cottages for other permanent
employes will be 23x34 feet, with
veranda in front. They will con
tain three rooms and kitchen and
bathroom. A cottage of this type
will consume in the building 12,
000 feet of lumber, board meas
ure.
A roadway is under construc
tion this week, leading from the
flat to the plateau. It will have
an eight per cent grade. The
work of clearing the plateau has
about been completed.
Bridge Across Ship Creek
A bridge and fill is being erect
ed and constructed to connect the
(Continued on page 2)
The situation with reference to
the opening of the new townsite
is one that requires the working
out of numerous details and the
Interior Department is handling
the matter as expeditiously as
possible, with due regard for the
public welfare. In the light of
events and the progress of things,
it is quite probable that the town
site will be available to the pub
lic at least a month sooner than
at first anticipated, due to the
activity and energy displayed by
Lieut. Mears, of the Alaskan En
gineering Commission; Chief of
Field Division Andrew Christen
sen and Special Agent J. A.
Moore, of the land department,
who have immediate charge of
the matter. It is among the
possibilities that the lots will be
ready for disposal by the 1st of
July or very soon after that date.
The survey of the townsite is
rapidly progressing under the ca
pable direction sof J. Frank War
ner, examiner of surveys for
Alaska, assisted by Victor H.
Wilhelm, a United States sur-:
veyor, and crew. An additional j
crew was put on this week to in-1
sure the early completion of the
work. It is expected that the
approval of the plat of survey
will be made as soon as the sur
vey is completed, thus obviating
the necessity of sending the plat
to Washington for approval. This
will vastly aid the early opening
of the townsite.
Two hundred and forty acres
of land, instead of 160 acres, as
first announced, are being sur
veyed for townsite purposes. Out!
of this tract some 1,200 lots will
be available. Should the 240
acre tract prove inadequate for
the demand for lots, then adjoin
ing land to the east will be sur
veyed. To begin with, howe. er,
the 240-acre tract will probably
prove sufficient, unles's the town
shall grow with a rapidity be
yond the expectations of the
most optimistic.
*
Several hundred lots are al
ready staked out and it is advisa
ble for the prospective residents,
at this time, to visit the townsite
and go over the ground as thor
oughly as possible, so as to be
come informed.
It is learned from reliable
sources that the Washington end
of the line is heartily co-operat
ing in the matter of a speedy
opening of the townSrte. Mr.
Christensep is now in Seward in
telegraphic communication with
the Commissioner of the Ge neral
Land office, and is expected here
on the next steamer. Upon his
arrival, it is possible thaf some
information will be available.
Just how the lots will be dis
posed of, is a matter of conjec
ture only, so far as the general
public is concerned, it is quite
probable that the leasing system
will not be invoked, because of
the legal difficulties attendant.
The bill which passed the con
gress calling for the construction,
by the government, of a trunk
line railway system in Alaska,
had a provision pertaining to the
reserving of townsites and the
“sale” of lots therein to the gen
eral public, under such terms and
conditions as the President, thro'
the Interior Denartment, might
elect to decide. The word “sale, ”
it would appear, effectually estops
the application of the leasing
system.
While the leasing system seems
to be eliminated as a possihle so
lution of the problem, it is not at
all certain that a drawing will
take place. It may be that the
lots will be sold at auction to the
highest bidder, a board of ap
praisers to fix a minimum price
at which they can be sold. For
the railway bill seems to insist
that Uncle Sam shall have his
“divvy” out of these townsites.
Then there will be some consid
erable expense in connection with
the survey and platting of the
townsite areas.
A complete stock of Ladies
wearing apparel and dry goods
will arrive on the steamer Wat
son Monday. Call and inspect
the goods. Finkelstein & Sa
piro. x