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Show SECTIONS OF LINES 84 MILES APART New Railroad in Alaska Makes Good Progress SAN FRANCISCO. Feb. J. Ends o( steel being pushed north and south by United States government engineers building the Alaska., railroad 41L miles across the continental divide are now only elghta-four miles apart, according to the report of the 120 work on the road received here recently from Anchorage. Anchor-age. Al-iska. the headquarters railroad town. "With an abundant supply of labor and good weather conditions, there seems no reason why the tracks should not bo connected this year," William Gerlg, assistant chief engineer. was quoted aa saying. Hy 1922 the engineers hope trains will be running between Seward and Anchorage, seaimrt towns on t he "ocea n end" of t he road, and Fairbanks and Nnana, Interior points on tha great Alaska river highway system. sys-tem. Trains will not run through to Fairbanks, Fair-banks, however, until a big bridge is built across the Tanana river at Nenana. When the Jlne ttetween Nenana and the j coast is completed the road will be used to carry north the material for the bridge. Turing the winter, when the Tanana freeaea, tracks are built acroxe on the Ice. On the coast end of the line trains operated this winter between Seward arid Anchorage, snowshedn having been built laat summer. Already, reports said, the fheds have stood several heavv slides which, under conditions which existed a year ago. would have blocked the road. Hhort Alaar.a winter days, temperatures tempera-tures ranging as low as SO degrees below sero snd two to four feet of snow are not stopping work on the road this winter. win-ter. Grading, bridge building and cut work are progressing at practically the same rate of speed ss in summer. The engineers ftarb themselves In the nstive "parka" and brave the elements. An Anchorage newsfiaper man who recently recent-ly visited the advance gang at Hurricane Hurri-cane a point on the road, said the com mission Is giving one of the most remarkable re-markable examples of overcoming nature ever witnessed In railroad building. One of the achievements last year was erection of a ateel bridce. having a span of M4 teet. across the Suaitna river, non h of Anchorage. The bridge parts, were made in the States, numbered and sent north by rail and steamer. At Hunt Hu-nt na they were put together and by firing trains will be operating on the crossing. Across the eighty-four-mtle gap dg and horses are used to carry mail and passenger. fassencera from the coat can make connect fona to mile 27 the end of the road, where they take the stages acroaa Broad )aa to mile 374. rhe southern end of the northern section. sec-tion. In the fact, mail during the win-ter win-ter has always reached the interior by j way of another route. |