COMMISSIONER REVIEWS WORK ON FAIRBANKS
DIVISION OF U. S. R. R. IN INTERESTING REPORT
By Thomas Riggs, Jr.. Commissioner
In reviewing the operations for
191G, it must be borne in mind that
practically nothing was started in the
way of construction until July 15, and
that little material could be ordered
until funds were made available on
July 1.
Practically no supplies were pur
chased until July JO. with shipments
from July JO to August MO, which
brought such supplies to Nenana in
the latter part of September and the
first of October, just before the
freeze-up. In the meantime, what
constuction was accomplished was
with make-shift outfit, and with ma
terial purchased in the local market
at a higher price than the cost of ma
terial purchased in Seattle and ship
ped direct to the commission.
Organization
To reduce overhead expense anil to
allow as much construction as pos
sible within the allotment of $1,075.
000, the overhead organization was
cut to an absolute minimum.
Engineering
Mr. F. H. Bailey, the one district
engineer on the division, supervised
the construction of all commission
building at Nenana. and the engineer
ing in the Nenana and Coldstream
districts. Three resident engineers
covered over 100 miles of line. Su
perintendents of construction were
dispensed with and but one assistant
superintendent employed.
In the Fairbanks district the mem
ber of the commission acted also as I
district engineer and superintendent j
of construction.
Clerical Force
A total number of 33 constitute the
clerical force for the division, includ
ing the timekeeper, accounting, dis
bursing and store departments. The
work handled has been enormous, not
so much on account of the amount of
construction accomplished as on ac
count of the multiplicity of detail
necessitated by small purchases
where supplies were found to be
available, transfer of men and mater
ial, and long stretches to be covered.
Nenana
In June, Nenana was a wilderness;
at the end of December, Nenana is a
well-arranged and well-ordered town.!
A census taken by the townsite mana
ger showed 616 people having Nenana
as their headquarters. The business i
section shows permanency of building. !
the streets are well lighted and excel
lent order is maintained by a fearless
marshal and determined U. S. com
missioner. The jail has so far never
been occupied by a prisoner.
There has been little illicit selling i
of liquor, although freighters have
brought in a quanty for individuals.,
and there has been some drunkenness.
Thjs prompted the now famous “Cir
cular 26,“ which provides that any
employee of the Fairbanks divtsi >n
who becomes intoxicated either on or
off duty will be summarily dismissed.
Buildings
Nenana having been early selected
as a division point, it has boon the
aim of the commission to erect build
ings which will not become obsolete
i ami which will always serve a useful
purpose. The severity of the winter
, climate has been parteiularly consid
ered and suitable buildings designed.
There have been no troubles of mo
ment resulting from frost. The fol
lowing new buildings were erecteu
during the year.
' At Nenana—Office building, three
stories, bachelor qua! tors. three
stories; mess base, two stories, with
attic; hospital, two stories* cottage.
Nos. \ 2, 2, 4, and 5, all of cue story;
commissary, two stories; boiler room,
power house, shops, in one-story
building; meat house, one story;
warehouse No. 1, one st *r> barn, two
stories: oil house, one si >r> ; team
sters’ cabin, one story; farriers’ shop,
one .-t‘>r\; iron house one story; pow
vU r h uses Nos. 1 and 2, one story.
Steam shovel camp — Mess house,
one story, with kitchen; two bunk
houses of one story e;ub: barn, one
story; office, one story.
Twenty - M i 1 e cam p—(’omm issa ry.
one story; barn, story and a half.
The following old buildigs were re
paired and rearranged:
Warehouse No. 2, one story; cot
tage No. 7. one story; cottage No. f»,
one story; bunk house, one story; cot
tage No. 8. one .story; warehouse No.
2. one story; warehouse No. 4. one
story; barn, one story; pump house,
one story; cabin (in woods), one
story. Happy station warehouse, one
story.
Construction
The first considerations in building
a railroad in the interior of Alaska
are local conditions of underlying
f rost.
with which to lay track over the com
pleted embankments.
On account of river bank erosion, a
large amount of piling and back-till
ing had to be placed along the Tanana
river in front of the reservation and
the town. It may be necessary to ex
tend this bank as far as the Mission.
The following tables show a sum
mary of the main construction results
for the season. If such results merit
a favorable consideration, it is due to
an energetic, loyal ami efficient or
ganization:
Clearing
District—Xenana, 40.12 miles;
Coldstream, 27 miles; Fairbanks,
18.20 miles; total 85.47 miles.
(■rubbing and Stripping
Total for all districts, 51.01 acres.
Grading
District—Xenana, 66,$19 cubic
yards; Coldstream, 15,809 cubic
yards; Fairbanks, 15,880 cubic yards;
District—Xenana, 06,019 cubic
yards; total, 94,947 cubic yards.
Trestles and Culverts
Xenana district—Trestles, lineal
feet, 270; number of piles, 160; piles,
lineal feet, 8.202; caps in place, lineal
feet, 808; iron, pounds, 808.
Coldstream district—Iron, pounds,
8,101; logs, in placet lineal feet, 9,412;
FREDERICK* NELSON
SEATTLE
Invite you to send to them for such items in FURN I
TURE and DRY GOODS as cannot be readily sup
%
plied by the merchants in your community.
All such orders received by FREDERICK
& NELSON receive the prompt, personal
attention of an expert shopper and Parcel
Post shipments are sent POSTAGE PAID
to any point in Alaska.
%
NOTE: Inquiries for information relative to the New Spring Lines
of Dry Goods, Apparel and Accessories Will Be Given Prompt
Attention.
X
excavation, in foundation, cubic yards,
233.
Wagon Roads
Construction in all districts, 70.57
miles.
Permanent Track
Lineal feet laid on dock and ap
proach, 350.
Telephones
Temporary line in use, 20 miles;
telephones installed for commission
purposes, 27; telephones over line of
U. S. signal corps, from Nenana to
Fairbanks, 2.
Ties, Cord wood, Logs, Etc.
The following material was acquir
ed during the year: cordwood, 3,143
cords; construction ties, 2,010; No. 1
ties, 100,547; No. 2 ties, 1,010; cabin
logs, 11,124 lineal feet; logs for gen
eral purposes, 8,000 lineal feet; piles,
47,040 lineal feet; logs for round
bridge timbers, 4,100; logs for hewed
bridge timbers, 1,812; saw logs, 011,
000 feet; telephone and light poles,
100.
Sewers
Eleven hundred feet of main sewer
and 11 connections of 4-inch vitrified
pipe.
Water Mains
Fifteen hundred lineal feet.
Electric Light and Power
Light—Furnished to 28 commission
buildings, 28 private buildings, 12
street lamps for the town, and eight
street lamps for the commission.
Power—Furnished for four motors
for commission use, and for one motor
for private use.
Steam heat—Furnished to eight
commission buildings.
Water Furnished to 15 commission
buildings.
Work Equipment
The work eqipment on hand in
cludes steam shovel, locomotive crane,
calyx core drill, pile-driver, fresnos,
wheel scrapers, slips, graders, wheel
barrows, car wheels, track, power
freight boat, launches, barges, gaso
line saws, dinkey locomotive, Western
dump cars, stiff leg derrick, clam
shell and orange peel buckets, tools,
horses, wagons, sleds, dog team, saw
mill machinery, etc.
I n applied Construction Material
In addition to ties, timber, commis
saries, etc., there are 27 miles of 70
pound rail with fixtures in the mater
ial yards.
Docks and Embankment
Dock—33 x 192 feet, containing 7,
052 lineal feet in 300 piles. Bank pro
tection—1,600 lineal feet, containing
5,813 lineal feet in 251 piles. Rail
road approach—168 lineal feet, con
taining 1,778 lineal feet in 75 piles.
One thousand feet of bank protec
tion is back-filled with diagonally
placed logs to a depth averaging eight
feet in width, to prevent heavy ice
runs from tearing out the piling and
washing the banks.
Hospital
From the period May 26 to Decem
ber 81, there were 492 patients under
treatment in the hospital and dis
pensary, as fo»:ows:
Employees, 382; stationmen, 69;
non-employees, 41; total, 492.
To enable the sun to thaw the soil
as deeply as possible in advance of
grading, the line is now practically
cleared from Happy station near
Fairbanks to the coal fields.
In certain places the borrow pits
have been stripped of the heavy over
lying moss. Wagon roads to meet the
SCRirrS—CRAY—©OMAN
GAS ENGINES
If you will write for our
prices and descriptions on any
thing in the line of gasoline en
gines, propellers. reverse
gears, and the hundred other
fittings and accessories used on
gas engines, and boats, you will
find that we have only first
class goods, that we charge
no more than other firms
charge for inferior goods, and
that we handle orders with in
telligence and promptness.
S. V. B. MILLER
72 Marion St., Seattle
Established 10 Years
demands of construction are far ad
vanced.
Grading has been well started r.rd
a small supply of rails is on hand
No record is kept of non-employees
receiving dispensary treatment, as a
charge is made for niedie:n<M furnish
ed, which is transmitted to the dis
bursing olHcer.
Development of Resources
The outlook for the commercial de
velopment of the contiguous re
sources is most encouraging. I /irmly
believe that the Fairbanks district
will become one of the great lode dis
tricts of Alaska, but n *t ulitil the u -
most exhausted fuel wood supply is
%
supplanted by coal, ror the mine de
velopment of which a company is now
being formed. %
With the prospect of a means of
transportation for their products tiie
farmers are devoting all their ener
gies toward opening up new ground to
cultivation. There is a steadily-in
creasing demand for local farm pro
ducts.
The Tolovana and Kantishna dis
tricts are receiving renewed attention.
The Kantishna district particularly
has bright prospects for lode and
placer when heavy machinery can be
placed on the ground at a cost which
is not prohibitive, as at present. Too
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City Express meets all boats and
trains. Phone Maine 122.
Mail your letters at The Key.
Meet me at The Branch.
H. V. iIohkn A. F. Davis
ALASKA TRANSFER
II. V. HOBKN, Manacki:
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Coal, Wood and Ice
General Transferring. Phones, Main IT and *<1
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Booksellers, Newsdealers and Stationers
CAFE ROOMS r 1 A I | Sherman Haynes
Pool and Billiards | f \ | / j Proprietor
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. SEATTLE WASH.
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s’ SI 00 per Day art up
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REAL ESTATE AGENTS
Houses for Rent Rents Collected
Lots for Sale Large Listing
Phone Red 147 Seward, Alaska
S. L. COLWELL
WINTER WEAR FOR MEN
Brosiust & Noon Building.
Washington Street
Hotel Seward
Zbindon Pros. Prop.
Comfort and Hospitality at
Moderate Cost.
511 Third Ave.SeattleWa^h.
ANTON JOHANSEN
Seldovia, Alaska
First-class merchandise at rea
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D. C. B R Y A N T
Taxidermist - Tanner - Rugmaker
25 years practical experience
Animals, Heads, Birds, Fish set up
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21S2 Westlake Ave. Seattle
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