Alaska Road
Work
The annual report of the Alaski
road commission has been received
and a perusal shows much work dow
In the territory, and marvelous In:
proveroent of traffic conditions. Thi
work of the commission In the terrl
tory has been greatly hampered thi
past year by unusual flood conditions
tout still the roads are getting bettei
each year, and traffic between town:
is increasing, due to its efficient work
The report in part follows:
“There presented itself as the fi*l(
of operation a vast wilderness regloi
of nearly 600,000 square miles, un
tracked for the most part by the fooi
■of the white man, broken and ruggec
in many parts, heavily timbered anc
with dense undergrowth on the coasta
belt, underlaid throughout most of the
valleys of the interior, with permanent
frost to great depth, protected by thick
blankets of moss, with the whole arsa
buried many months of the year with
deep snows and in summer intersected
toy numerous deep and swift streams
red by ice-cold glaciers and snow of the
mountains, and throughout the terri
tory less than a dozen miles of what
might be called wagon roads, with a
few hundred miles of pioneer trail,
mostly constructed by expeditions un
der the wa rdepartment prior to this
time.
“The population consisted chiefly,
and does still, of mining and other in
dustrial (mostly fishing) towns and
“camps along the shores of Southeast
ern Alaska, and scattered through the
interior, separated in most cases by
vast distances, with but little mutual
f-ympathy or common interest, each
with a jealous eye upon the others, and
with firm intent to have its full share
•of any favor bestowed and all needing 1
and demanding roads. Little thought
was given to the fact that it took'
money to build roads and time to per-,
form the work.
i acre is probably no more mixed
or restless population in the world
than that which flocks to a new coun
ry lollowing a great gold excitement.
While it embraces many of the best
types of manhood, it includes also
some of the most unstable. Along with
ynt hardy pioneer, miner and prospec
tor, and the veaturesome spirit always
iseeKing new fields, tUftre aOCOffipartleH
a horde of ne’er-do-wells, discchitehted
"failures, lort Oh by the excitement
.ihh with iid flut'd purpose. These lat
ter, by reason of tneif natural tenden
cies and characteristics, failing to re
ceive the reward which in some vague
way they feel the government owes
them, readily becomes a fertile field
tor the political demagogue and muck
raker, and the board has at times had
this additional fact to deal with in its
most venomous form.”
Continuing, the report says that
the road crosses two mountain ranges,
numerous rivers and small streams,
and embraces in its course practically
all the various problems of construc
tion to be dealt with in the territory.
All streams of importance are bridged
■except the Salcha and Tanana rivers,
which are crossed by ferries. The road
had been used by automobiles and
trucks, increasing in number each
year, but the board, while permitting
such traffic, does not encourage it,
for the reason that there has never
been a sufficient fund appropriated to
construct and maintain through this
difficult wilderness a road suitable for
such traffic.
The board has constructed and main
tained since Its organization 980 miles
of wagon road, 623 miles of winter sled
road and 2,291 miles of trail, and has
expended for all purposes a total of
$3,969,611.23 to June 30, 1917, of which
sum congress has appropriated $2,265,
900 and $1,704,611.23 has been derived
from the Alaska fund. Funds already
appropriated and available for the
Sacal year 1918 will Increase the
wagon road mileagle to more than one
thousand miles, of which approxi
mately 30 per cent may be classed as
improved road, mostly gravel benches,
also a small mileage of macadam,
plank and corduroy. Mileage costs of
construction and maintenance will be
found in the report of the engineer
■officer of the board.
“It will be wise, in my judgment
for the war department to retain su
pervision for the present over the Val
dez-Fairbanks road, on account of its
uses as a military post road, its greai
length and cost of maintenance; alsc
the military road leading from Fon
William H. Seward up the Chilka:
river.”
Alaska has in recent years In som<
respects been overadvertised, ant
some wrong Impressions given con
cerning opportunities for settlemen
and home-making. What is needed ii
Commission
For Last Year
i.arable land and a market for products
. and transportation facilities to react
> this market. These conditions exisi
• in Alaska to a very limited degree.
' Concerning farming in Alaska ant
• along the much-advertised government
• railway, the general has aptly sizet
> up the situation as follows:
"The expression 'agricultural possl
1 bilities' has frequently been used con
cerning this aspect of Alaska’s future
and it should be borne in mind that
1 with the exception of some very smalt
1 and widely-scattered areas of still
doubtful value, the word 'possibilities’
accurately describes the condition al
the present time.
"One of the engineers of the com
mission was sent to the Matanuska
region in response to the insistent d&
mands for roads to aid the 'farmers
in that section. He said:
“Most of the farmers located in this
region are old prospectors, and several
of them with whom I came in contact
gave me to understand that they would
be willing to sell out their relinquish
ment for a stake that would allow
them to go back to the hills again, and
that they had taken up these farms
I with that object in view, or with the
| view of selling them to someone for
enough to allow them to get out to the
States, where they could purchase a
farm;
“As stated in a former report, ‘the
truth about Alaska is good enough.'
Any information disseminated on the
subject by exploitation through news
paper articles and other publicity
agencies which tends to give a wrong
impression of the true conditions can
only result in injury to the territory in
the end. Alaska for the present, aside
from the fisheries, is essentially a min
ing country.”
^i/uviuuiug, me report says that the
maximum grade allowed Is 10 per cent,
except where necessary to eliminate
very expensive construction, grades
of 15 per cent are permitted when the
length is less than 100 feet, or where
the slope is favorable to the greater
portion of the heavily-loaded traffic.
The most unusual and troublesome
feature cncoutitored, according to the
report, is the permanently frozen
ground, which covers a large part of
Lhfl entire Interior, and which is pro
tected from thawing during the sum
Tier by a thick layer of moss, turf or
IecayC4 vegetation. It may be gravel,
blay, peat, silt or clear Ice, or a com
bination.
Aside from the roadbed itself, frozen
ground encountered on side hills is
:roublesome because of its tendency
:o thaw and slide, filling the ditches
ind covering the roads with soft,
sticky mud. At Mile 77, on the Val
iez-Fairbanks road, at two different
periods, portions of the hillside twenty
to fifty feet wide, and extending from
100 to 200 feet, have slid into the
road, carrying down trees and under
brush and compelling the construction
of short temporary roads to accommo
date the traffic.
Warm weather causes rapid melting
of the snows and ice, and the glacial
streams become raging torrents of
enormous destructive force, and roads
paralleling them are in constant dan
ger of being washed away. These
streams change their courses fre
quently, and may cut a new channel
a half mile away over night.
The first all-steel bridge to be con
structed by the board was erected at
Fairbanks during March of last year.
The unusual circumstances of length
of span—300 feet—and location on
water transportation dictated the
choice of steel In this case, hut its
general adoption Is out of the ques
tion.
Wagon roads are given a minimum
width of twenty feet between ditches.
On steep hillsides and where rock
work is involved the width is reduced
to ten feet.
Sled roads for winter traffic are
cleared for a minimum width of six
teen feet, with all stumps, hummocks
and obstacles removed for a width of
eight feet.
Trails designed for pack trains in
summer and dog teams in winter are
given a width of eight feet, with all
underbrush and stumps cut off as close
to the ground as possible.
The average cost per mile, including
construction and maintenance of al
roads and trails constructed by thi
board since its organization in 1905
are as follows: Wagon road, $3,419;
- sled road, $379; trail, $113. A divi
sion of these amounts to show the ex
i act cost of construction is impossible
I but a careful analysis of the available
• data indicates that the following uni
t costs of construction, includinj
i bridges, may be accepted as approxl
i
mately correct: Wagon roads. $3,475
per mile; sled roads. $300 per mile;
trails, $65 per mile. The average cost
of maintenance during the past season
were as follows: Wagon roads. $250
per mile; sled roads, $14 per mile;
trails. $8 per mile.
Very heavy and continuous rains
during the fall of 1917 have again ne
cessitated the surfacing of these roads
and it is to be hoped that sufficient
funds may be provided to permit ol
improving the important roads, aid
ing greatly in the development of the
territory, and effecting a saving to
the government of maintenance costs.
In the Valdez district Superinten
dent Ingram’s report states that the
three-mile section of the glacial mo
raine adjacent to Valdez has been built
up to a grade above high water mark,
and protected by brush and rock re
vetment.
Extremely high water washed out
short sections of the road in Keystone
canyon and at the five-mile post. The
repair necessitated a considerable
amount of rock work.
The bursting of glacial reservoirs
at the source of a small Rtream near
the head of Keystone canyon twice
destroyed sections of the road and
changed the channel of the stream,
requiring the reconstruction of the
section and the removal of the bridge
to the new channel.
About three miles of road were
graded and a total of 10,000 cubic
yards of gravel surfacing placed. The
cost of the gravel averaged about $1
per yard.
Extensive grading and surfacing op
erations were carried on along ail
y"rts of the road from Valdez to Wil
son creek, and the road was in better
condition at the close of traffic last
fall than since Its reconstruction A
vast amount of automobile traffic goes
over this road, both winter and sum
mer.
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Carl Douglas, a well-known resident
of Fairbanks, recently made a trip
to Seattle after nineteen years in
Alaska. In an Interview gfren to a
Seattle paper he made the following
statement: “Seattle isn’t the camp
she was during the days of the Klon
dike rush. You may have more sky
scrapers, more autos and more noise
than in the old days, but the frontier
joys appear to have moved on from
these diggings. No more do the re
turned Alaska miners lose their money
within a day after reaching here.”
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Windsor Hotel ♦
L. Wain, Prop. *
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Where Yon Get *
Comfort and Service. ♦
And the Rates Are Right. *
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Cordova Alaska ♦
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MEET ME AT
THE
‘ HORSESHOE’
POPULAR RECREA
TION PLACE
Where we can always And our
friends
Finest Billiard and Peel Ta
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BEST GRADES OF STAND
ARD BRANDS OF CIGARS
Aunty
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SECURITY SERVICE SATISFACTION
U. S. Depositary for Postal Territorial Depositary
Savings Funds City Depositary
NOTICE. |
Owing to the danger rrom trains and
teams skiing and coasting is prohibit- !
ed on am streets west off the east mar
gin line of First avenue,
J. J. MURRAY,
Chief of Police.
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Your eyss fitted. Compound and I
astigmatic lenses replaced. Se» Os
borne.
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Commercial printing at Times office
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CORDOVA. ALASKA
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Headquarters of Cordova
Chapter American Red Cross.
Club House founded in 1908
by Episcopal church. Open
from 1 p. m. to 19 p. m.
REV E. P. aiEGLBR
Supt.
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If You Want
FRESH
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Springers and
Hens
CALL UP
JOE FRY
Fresh Eggs for Sale Phone 22
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Rates Reasonable
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