Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 35, Number 86, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 July 1903 — ALASKA WILL HAVE ROADS. [ARTICLE]

ALASKA WILL HAVE ROADS.

Capitalists Are Preparing to Give the Territory Railway Facilities. Although the construction of the two Alaskan railroads, whose promoter* sought to obtain large land subsidies from congress during the last session, has apparently been abandoned, tie Interior of that territory promises in time to get railroad communication of some sort with the seaboard. Two short lines have been projected for the Upper Yukon and the Tanana districts. One of them Is to connect the coal mines on Goal creek with the Yukon river at a point five miles below Forty-Stile City. Its purpose Is to supply the river boats with fuel, the timber along the Yukon being pretty well exhausted. The other road projected will open up the Tanana district, where rich placers covering an extensive area, were reported discovered during the past winter. Engineers are being employed at Puget Sound for the coal road, which is expected to be In operation next August.

The materials for both of these short roads will be carried over the White Pass railroad to the head of navigation on the Yukon. Some of the contracts for the coal road are said to have been already let. The mine on Coal creek has been opened to that point where something like 250,000 tons of coal Is In sight, ready to be blocked out for shipment to the river. The construction of this railroad will solve the problem of steam navigation on the Yukon, over which the transportation companies operating on that river have been greatly perplexed for some time. The Tanana railroad will doubtless make an extensive mining territory accessible, and cheapen the transportation of Machinery and supplies to those point* In the new mining district where they are most needed. —San Francisco Call.