Special Eight Page Edition Containing a Comprehensive Description of the C. R. & N. W. Railroad
VOL. 1 CHITIXA, ALASKA. SATURDAY, AVGUST 3. 1011. xo 47
i CONSTRUCTION OF THE COPPER RIVER & NORTHWESTERN RAILWAY |
T _ ............ . . .
| A Semi‘Technical History of the Work ♦
I Compiled by E. E. Swergal, Chief Clerk; Captain R. H. Stretch, Statistican, ♦
and A. C. O’Neel, Bridge Eigineer. X
PREFACE INFORMATION
Total coal imported from Nanaimo. British Columbia mines for
use in construction and operation of the railway to June 30, 1911,
44.887 tons.
Total cost including 45 cents per ton duty, $509, 943.45.
Total coal imported from Black Diamond Mines, Washington.
5,392.45 tons.
Total cost Black Diamond coal, S49.43S.74.
Total cost of all coal to June 30, 1911, $559,3S2.19.
Line extends from Cordova to Kennecott mines, 195.25 miles
Geographical location of Cordova (approximate) 60 degrees north
146 degrees west.
Distance of Cordova from Seattle (approximate) 1350 miles.
Guage of railway “Standard” 4 feet inches, 70 pound rails
to Chitina 60 pound beyond.
Cost of Miles Glacier Steel bridge (approximate) $1,500,000.00.
Total cost all steel bridges, (approximate) $2,500,000.00.
Cost of heaviest rock work exceeded (per mile) $200,000.00.
Total weight of metal in steel bridges, 9.57S tons.
Total cost of railway, including equipment, (approximate) $16,
500,000.00.
Solid rock excavation (approximate) $2,300,000 cubic yards.
Heaviest solid rock excavation on mile 129 main line 139,000
cubic yards.
Active construction commenced by Katalla company Nov. 15,
1907.
Alaska Steamship Company and Alaska Coast Company operate
passenger and freight steamers between Seattle and Cordova and
coastwise points.
Lieut. W. R. Abercrombie, U. S. A., made first effort with army
expedition in 1SS4 to explore the Copper river and territory to the
north but was unsuccessful: advancing only about 50 miles up the
river when forced to turn back.
Lieut, (now Major) Henry T. Allen, U. S. A., made an extraor
dinary successful expedition in 1SS5. advancing through the entire
Copper River valley into the Tanana and Koyukuk valieys; thence
to St. Michaels at mouth of Yukon river. The data and sketches
secured by this energetic man were authority for all official maps
until systematic surveys were made some years later.
Allen glacier referred to in this article was recently renamed
by the government in honor of Lieut. Allen. This glacier is shown
as “Baird Glacier” on all or a majority of maps up to recent times.
See U. S. Geographic Society maps of 1910 issue.
The discovery of gold placers in |
Alaska and the consequent influx of
a large population, resulted in the
building of the White Pass and Yu
kon railway in 189S-1900 to a point
on the Yukon river, from which rivet
steamers connected with the noted
placer town of Dawson in the Cana-1
dian Yukon: at that time the chief
center of gold production. This line
extends 112 miles in a northeasterly
direction from Skagway, Alaska, sit
uated at the extreme north of a
north and south arm of Chatham,
straight, known as Lynn Canal.
Twenty-five miles only o!^ this rail
way is within the limits of the Cnited
States territory.
With the discovery of the Fair
banks, Alaska, gold area, the copper
belt of the Chitina River, the coal de
posites on the head of the Matanuska
river, and in the vicinity of Katalla.
and the oil fields at the latter place,
there came a popular demand for an
all-American route to the interior.
Here a very brief sketch of the phys
ical geography of the southern Alas
ka coast along the north Pacific
Ocean (or Gulf of Alaska), is neces
sary to a clear understanding of the
problems which had to be solved.
Roughly speaking, this is a bold
curve, swinging northeast front the
islands of Southeastern Alaska, then
westerly past the irregular shore line
configuration and islands of Prince
William Sound, then sweeping south
westerly along the Aleutian islands.
This irregular configuration of the
Southern Alaska coast (embracing
the Aleutian Islands Peninsula),
largely governs the northeasterly
flow of the warm Japan ocean cur
rent.
About fifty miles back from the
coast along Prince William sound
the Chugach mountains parallel the
coast line, and rise to an altitude of
from 5,000 to 8,000 feet from which
innumerable spurs project to the
ocean, where they present precipi
tous faces and form an irregular
broken country studded with many
glaciers of varying size. The culmin
ating peak of these mountains is
Mt. St. Elias which rises to an al
titude of 18,000 feet, and the larg
est glacier is “Malaspina” which has
a sea frontage of 40 miles. So ab
solute has been this mountain bar
rier to communication between the
coast and interior that even the
fauna and flora are typically differ
ent. and it has even affected the mi
gration of Indians and the dissemi
nation of their languages.
The first problem from a railway
engineering standpoint was to find a
practicable pass through this range.
West of Malaspina glacier the Cop
per river empties into the Pacific
Ocean after passing through the
gorges of Wood and Abercrombie
Canons: debouching into wide flats
intersected by innumerable small
shallow sloughs, navigable only by
boats of less than two feet draft,
and all affected by the rise and ebb
of the tides. Rocky projections
form many small islands and larg;
areas are covered with a rank growth
of coarse grass; the bottom is most
ly sand and fine gravel. This lay
out constitutes what is known geo
graphically as the “Copper River
Delta.-’
A study of all'physical character
istics of the coast, together with an
investigation of the commercial pos
sibilities of the Copper and Chiiina
river regions, plainly indicate that
this route was the most desirable
one to the interior. This solution,
however, was not reached without
previous costly experiments. The
Katalla Company attempted to make
a sea terminus at Katalla on the east
edge of the Copper river flats, but
after doing considerable work aban
doned the project on account of the
uncertainty of the ocean shore line
conditions. Work was transferred
to Valdez, at the head of Prince Wil
liam Sound, where there exists a
good harbor with open water at all
seasons of the year. The chief ob
stacle at this point, however, was a
double summit, one with an altitude
of 1800 feet and the other 2400 feet;
with an intermediate valley 600 feet
below the lower summit.
In the meantime, other parties,
under the direction of the late M.
J. Heney, who was contractor of the
White Pass & Yukon Railway, had
commenced work at Eyak village,
now embraced within the community
limits of the new town of Cordova,
on Odiak slough of Orca Inlet (an
f other arm of Prince William Sound)
and in 1906 had constructed some
| five or six miles of the “Copper River
Railway”; having felt confident that
the canons of the Copper River could
be negotiated. In 190T E. C. Haw
kins. former Chief Engineer of the
White Pass Road, was called into
consultation and after determining
| that the route was feasible a con
solidation of all the interests was
effected under the name of “Copper
River & Northwestern Railway”, fi
nanced by the Katalla Co. Active
work at Katalla and Valdez was dis
continued. Mr. Hawkins assumed
charge as vice president of the Ka
talla company and general manager
and chief engineer of the railway,
and construction has been vigorously
prosecuted since that time. He W3„s i
actively assisted by Alfred Williams
▼▼*TtTITTTTTTTTTTtTTTTTTTTI
feet, and turning northerly along the
east bank of the westerly channel
again enters on the flats, followed by
a steel bridge of three 200 foot spans
at mile 34, the line leaving the flat;
at mile 38.
The east bank of the main rivet
is reached at mile 4 9 over gravel
benches. The first 49 miles contains
30 miles of tangent and more than
100 wood trestles, some of consid
erable length, it being absolutely
necessary to provide ample water
ways for the flood waters in the
numerous sloughs during the spring
thawing.
The crossing to the west bank of
the river at mile 4 9 is made by an
other steel bridge, (officially known
as Miles Glacier bridge, details of
construction in latter portion of this
article), of one 450 foot span, two
400 foot and one 300 foot span, a
total length of 1550 feet, with solid
fill on the east approach and a long
trestle on the west bank, which is
a low gravel flat.
Abercrombie canon begins on mile
51 and extends to the end of mile
54. For these two and a half miles
the Copper river has cut a deep chan
nel close to the foot of the moun
] tain, with many deep thorough cuts
and numerous tunnels. The only
! comparatively level area was at the
mouth of the Teikel river; the point
of location of supply camp for the
season of 1910. In Wood canon
mile 124, 125 and 126, the work was
extremely heavy.
The double crossing of the Copper
river was unavoidable for the reas
on that on mile 50 the west bank
of the river is occupied by Childs
glacier and the east bank by Miles
glacier, the latter somewhat further
up stream with a lake or expansion
of the river, several miles long,
in front thereof. The crossing by
means of the noted steel bridge is
made at the outlet of the lake;
about one half mile above Childs
glacier. Had this physical condi
tion been otherwise the route would
have been impracticable. Both of
these glaciers have a frontage broad
side to the river course of from three
to five miles, rise 300 feet approx
imately above the water, and extend
40 to 50 miles back between the
mountains where they ramify con
nection with the other large and
small glaciers. Both are active and
slough off enormous quantities of
tttttttttttttttttTTTTTTTTry
Total rise grade going north, 545
feet.
Maximum ascending grade going
north, plus 27 feet.
Maximum descending grade going
north, minus 32 feet.
Total curvature 1520 degrees 33
minutes.
Maximum curvature per mile 329
degrees 10 min.
Average curvature, 31 deg. 15 min.
Total tunnel length (nine in num
ber) 2975 feet.
Total length steel bridge spans,
(16 in number), 4010 feet.
Wood bridges and trestles (273 in
number), 572S9 feet, 8.2 per cent of
mileage.
The road is standard guage 7<>
pound steel rails. 2880 ties per mile,
7x7x8 in..standard; bridge stringers
SxlS inch standard. Practically all
bridge timber was Oregon and Wash
ington fir, as was also a portion of
the ties and piling, but a consider
able number of ties and piling were
native, being cut at Simpson bay
near Cordova, and on mile 13 near
the right of way. The native timber
is hemlock and spruce. The cutting
of. native timber was let to local
contractors, the cost of ties averag
CORDOVA WHARF, WHERE THE RAILS MEET THE SAILS
_—
as assistant chief engineer and by A.
C. O'Xeel as bridge engineer in di
, rect charge of steel bridge eonstrue
> tion.
The tidewater terminus is at a
point two miles south of Orca. a
fish pannerv station on Orca inlet
(an arm of Prince William Sound),
; and about a half mile northerly
i from the new town of Cordova, on
the easterly shore of Cordova Bay,
where a commodius and land locked
harbor is secured, which affords
facility for commerce at all times of
the year and at all stages of water.
The company’s wharf has a length
of 738 feet and a width of 80 feet,
constructed of creosoted piles and
equipped with three large warehous
es, loading tracks and derricks for
loading from ship to car; with 30
feet of water alongside at low tide.
For the first 28 miles the general
course is about E. S. E. The town
of Cordova is located on mile 1 and
the yards, offices, shops, etc., on mile
2 and 3. Miles 3, 4, 5 and 6 follow
the south bank of Eyak lake, with
side hill rock cut, the outlet of
which is crossed at mile 6. Then
follows a tangent of 11 miles across
the Copper River flat, and at mile
22 (Alaganik, an old Russian trad
ing situation), there oecurrs a short
rock cut followed by another tan
gent of 3 miles; extending to the
west bank of the river at mile 27.
The river bed here is about 4,000
feet wide and is crossed by two steel
bridges connected by trestle on the
high sand bars. These bridges (de
scribed specifically in the latter por
tion of this article)t consist of one
span of 300 feet, 4 of 175 feet and 3
of 150 feet, making a total of 1450
tain which rises precipitously on the
west bank of the river.
The river here cuts its way
through tne enormous terminal mor
aine of the old Copper river glacier,
and at this point is a wild turbulent
stream, fretting among giant bould
ers; utterly impassable to naviga
tion which begins at the upper end
of the rapids. The rock work here
was unusually heavy, snow slides
were frequent but 2325 feet of snow
sheds have since been erected and
at this writing, (July IS), addition
al sheds have been commenced; the
whole of which will effectively con
trol the situation from an operat
ing standpoint during the heavy
slides in the early spring.
"^The stretch of line from mile 51
to mile 131, (which brings the rail
way into the new town of Chitina)
may best be described as the “Gorge
of the Copper River”. There are
wide sandy flats at the junctions
where the larger lateral streams en
ter, but for a considerable portion of
the distance the river bed occupies
the entire bottom of the “U” shaped
glacial valley from wall to wall;
which rise with abrupt slopes to
heights of from 4000 to 7000 feet on
both sides. From mile 57 to mile
70 the line runs generally over the
old flattened terminal moraine of
Allen glacier and reaches the flats
at the mouth of the Tasnuna river
(mile 82), with considerable rock
work in the last three miles.
From mile 86 to the end of the
main line at mile 13.1 there was con
tinuous heavy rock work, a portion
of it exceeding $200,000.00 per mile
in cost; the grade being a contin
uous cut into the toe of the moun
ice daily during the warm season ac
companied by varying loud reports
like cannon or rifle shots. From
Childs glacier the ice fall somewhat
resembles an avalanche; gaining
force as it descends. The final
plunge throws spray one hundred
feet or more in the air, and forces
huge waves up on the opposite bank;
frequently leaving many large sal
mon stranded among the boulders.
The ice is so thoroughly broken up
in its fall it is practically all melt
ed after traveling a few miles down
stream. An attempt to pass this
glacier in a boat is at all times a
very hazardous undertaking.
The face of Mixes glacier is more
perpendicular and the masses larger,
but those which reach the steel
bridge are of small size (compara
tively), owing to a sand bar across
the outlet of the lake on which the
larger bergs become stranded and
slowly melt away. Observation and
experience so far indicates that no
serious difficulty is to be anticipated
from these monstrous neighbors.
The up stream side of the bridge
piers are shielded by detached con
crete ice breakers, of pyramidal
configuration and these have satis
factorily performed their duty in tak
ing care of floating cakes of ice dur
mg the annual breakup of the lake.
Large masses cannot reach the lake
from the upper river as they are ef
fectively broken up in the surging
waters of Abercrombie canon.
The grades etc., on the main line
Cordova to Chitina, are as follows:
Total ascending grade going north
833 feet.
Total descending grade going
north, 288 feet.
ing about 40 cents and piling about
10 cents per foot. Approximately
$10,000.00 lias been paid the federal
government as stumpage for ail tim
ber cut within the limits of the Chu
gach Forest Reserve.
By an analysis of the foregoing
description it will be seen that the
natural obstacles to the transporta
tion of men, material and supplies,
were very formidable, the country
traversed being, to a very large ex
tent, either swampy tide lands, or
practically unknown mountain slopes,
rough in the extreme and absolutely
devoid of trails, so much so that some
of the engineers were lost sight of
for a month or more at a time.
Many miles of the surveys ran
througii thickly netted alders, swarm
ing with mosquitos, gnats and cari
bou flies. For this reason, in sum
mer seasons the working forces were
seriously handicapped and only a very
small degree of comfort at the most
could be had by resorting to netting
for covering portions of the physique.
In addition to this the rivers be
ing north of latitude 60 degrees, the
rivers are frozen over from November
to May and the short winter days
practically confine the heavier con
struction work to six months of the
year. Of course, this is, to some de
gree compensated by the long hours
of daylight in summer, when for a
part of the time at least, there need
be no cessation night or day. Even
then, however, in the coastal belt
south of the Chugach range, the
heavy rainfall of about 120 inches
annually does not add comfort to
outdoor labor. In the period from
May 1909 to May 1911, divided into
six month periods, the precipitation