Show ALASKA LOOKS FOR FORI I NE NEW ERA WITH YEAR 1922 Completion of Government Railway Expected to Work Wonders ANCHORAGE Alaska April 23 Rates on all freight consigned to interior Alaska points will be reduced from around a ton the present price to within 25 25 a ton when the government government government gov gov- railroad from tidewater to the tho inside is completed next nest spring it is is' estimated estimated here As a result a great deal of mining m machinery chinery will be shipped to the Interior in interior interior in- in it is thought and many dredge and frozen placer areas will be enabled enabled enabled en en- to resume sume operation At present present pres pres- ent the high freight rates on supplies and machinery make it impossible to operate at a profit For years much of the freight for Fairbanks Nenana Ft Gibbon Ruby and other interior points has been sent by teams over trails from the seaport towns of Valdez and Cordova During the summer some shipments went in by the long wate route from Seattle to St. St Michaels and up the Yukon river system while other conI consignments consignments con con- I were billed via Seattle to Skagway across the mountains on the White Pass railroad and down the Yukon from White Horse UNDER NEW CONDITIONS When the railroad is completed time and cost will be saved Goods will be shipped from Seattle to Seward or Anchorage the seaport towns on the railroad and will be carried by the line across the mountains mountains mountains moun moun- to to Nenana and Fairbanks two interior points both on the river a part of the great interior river highway system Already on the portions of the road Toad completed mining operations have haye increased Fourteen outfits will mine with ith hydraulic machinery this year on Cache creek three stamp mills recently were erected on Willow Willowcreek willowcreek I creek creel and placer work On tin Valdez Green and other rich creeks creeks has been revl revived red I Government coal mines at Eska and Chickaloon which are connected with the main railroad by a branch line have produced approximately tons piled plIed and ready for railroad and domestic use The foundation for a a- ton 1000 capacity coal cleaning plant plantis is being laid at Sutton Button where the Eska and Chickaloon branches come together and when completed the navy department will be invited to fill bunkers and begin distributing coal to Pacific stations Many new bituminous coal deposits have been discovered eby by government prospectors within recent weeks and andare andare andare are being developed PRESENT CONDITIONS Already Alaskans who reside in the interior are taking tho the new steel trail over the mountains in preference preference preference prefer prefer- ence to the old route out of Cordova and Valdez They take the trains at Seward and Anchorage and ride to the end of steel at Mile From there they take a stage pulled by dog teams or mush across Broad pass four eighty-four miles to the end of the road being built south from Fairbanks and Freight also is handled via the Broad pass the government engineers having introduced army caterpillar tractors which have packed down a boulevard in the snow be between between between be- be tween the ends of steel Farming along the line line of the railroad railroad rail ran road is expected to be stimulated by completion of the line Officials say land settlers by tho hundreds are asking asking asking ask ask- ing about farm lands there being about acres awaiting settlement settlement settlement settle settle- ment in the l valley and in inthe inthe inthe the Tanana valley both on the rail rail- road In the Tanana No 1 hard wheat is being raised and milled into flour by a new plant at Fairbanks Mixed farming is also proving suc suc- Incoming farmers are warned that they will have to clear tho lands of small spruce and growth without without with with- out taproots Once the land 1 js cleared they are told it will grow every variety variety variety vari vari- ety of hardy vegetable and is suitable to sheep hog and poultry raising and I will prove a splendid berry and dairying dairying dairy dairy- ing country r I |