OCR Text |
Show COPPER IN ALASKA Work is progreseing favorably on the Copper river railroad in Alaska, according to a private letter received here recently. This road Is being constructed con-structed by the Guggenhelms, from Cordova on tho ocean to the great copper cop-per deposits in the Interior. It is ono of tho most difficult engineering feats on the continent. The line strikes across the Copper river fiats, as they are called, to the river itself, and then follows the stream to the head of the Copper's enormous delta. The river is then crossed to tho east side and Is followed for two or three nillerf; then j recrosBed again to the we6t. Thc6e crossings are mado necessary by the ' Chllds and Miles glaciers, which come to the river aud discharge enormous quantities of ice during tho summer. I The only route up the Copper is by i crossing between the glacier and starting from Cordova. Each bridge will be 1,800 feet long. The upper one will in all probability be made up of several spans, as there are two bars that can be used for sites for piers. As immense icebergs will pass under these bridges, especially the upper one for the Ice rapidly crushes and dls- ' integrates after leaving the glaciers the problem of construction is a little out of the ordinary. The objective point at present is the Bonanza mine. 200 miles from Cordova. Then there is the coal line, which Joins tbe main line between the glaciers and runs thence nearly parallel to the river and the coast, about C7 miles to tbe Br-rlng river coal fields, where there is an apparently inexhaustible supply of excellent coal. |