(From the Alaska Railroad Record)
WEEKLY PROGRESS REPORTS.
Anchorage Division.
Following are the progress reports of the various de
partments of Anchorage Division for the week ending
April 28, 1!)17:
MAINTENANCE OF WAV.
Water Service and Plumbing.
Work was started on the removal of the temporary
4 inch water main between the Y. M. C. A. and the General
Office Building. Drinking fountains were installed in vari
ous buildings around the terminal.
Bridge and Building.
The carpenter work on the temporary passenger depot
for Moose Creek was finished. The conversion of one flat
car into a gondola was 90 per cent complete at the end of
the week. The 121-foot span for the Little Susitna River
was framed and work started on the framing of another
span of the same dimension. At the Eklutna River the
piledriving was finished and one 56-foot span erected. The
substructure of the Granite Creek bridge was erected and
work begun on the erection of three 56-foot trusses. A
small force of laborers was at work back-filling the piers
and abutments.
Grading and Ballasting.
The steam shovel at Mile 10 moved 9800 yards of
gravel, all of which was placed in the fill south of the
Moose Creek bridge. This fill was 95 per cent complete at
the close of the period. Extra gangs Nos. 2 and 3 worked a
part of the week grading for the change of line between
Miles 11 and 13. An extra gang was at work all week on
the Turnagain Arm line opening ditches and improving
the roadbed.
Tracklaying.
Track was laid on the main line north of Matanuska
Junction from Stations 5427 plus 30 to 5574 plus 60. A
650-foot spur was put in at Station 5410 plus 80.
Mechanical Department.
Light repairs were made to engines Nos. 1, 225 and 280: j
also to Bay City crane No. 3 and Browning crane No. 1.
The usual amount of miscellaneous repair work and private
shop jobs were done during the week.
Tl'RNAGAIN ARM DISTRICT.
Clearing Right-of-Way.
The clearing contractors from Bird Creek south are
making good progress. Two miles only remain uncleared
between Bird Creek and one mile north of Glacier.
Grading.
The contractors in the vicinity of Bird Point have en- J
countered very hard rock, which is difficult to break and
handle.
The work has been delayed somewhat in the heavy rock
cut between Potter Creek and Camp 91, and also in the
hard rock at Sheep Creek. The compressor at the latter
point should be in operation within a few days, when
faster headway will be possible.
Rasmunson & Co. put off a coyote shot between Sheep
Creek and Rainbow, Mile 95, moving 14,000 cubic yards of
rock with 25,000 pounds of black powder.
Picogno & Co. finished their contract south of Potter
Creek during the week.
The steam shovel at Big Rabbit started work on April
24, and considering the softness of fills caused by thawing
weather, made good progress.
Miscellaneous.
Exceedingly low tides made water transportation very
difficult during the period. The trail is practically im
passable except on horseback.
MATANUSKA DISTRICT.
Matanuska Branch.
New grading contracts on this line were let last week,
as follows: Vico Babich & Co.—Stations B514 to B561;
Nas Matt Co.—Stations B494 to B514; Dan Digoff & Co.—
Stations B561 to B581. This work will all be accomplished
by wheelbarrow and covers the stretch of light fill in the
vicinity of Camp 27.
Extremely hard rock encountered in the side-hill be
tween Stations B221 and B242 is making progress slow at
that point. The other grade work north of Kings River is
moving along satisfactorily. A Commission camp will be
established at the hard rock cut and a force of experienced
rock men set to work to relieve the contractors in that
section, who will thus be permitted to start on the light
earth work.
At the close of the week, 527 employees were at work on
the Matanuska Branch above Kings River. Within 10 days
the force will be increased to 650.
Main Line.
Poropat & Co., grading contractors south of the Little
Susitna River, should finish their work within a week.
They will then be transferred to their new contract just
north of the river.
Camp 166 is being tom down and will be discontinued
within a few days.
The piledriver crew at the Little Susitna bridge has
completed the driving of all bents south of the river and
started on the north approach.
John Aho & Co. have been awarded a contract calling
for .10,000 to 40,000 ties, to be cut between Knik wagon
road and the Little Susitna River, and along the banks of
that stream.
TELEGRAPH AND TELEPHONE DEPARTMENT.
Telegraph and Telephone.
The work of hanging an additional wire between Mata
nuska and Kings River is 80 per cent complete.
The dispatcher’s office was moved from the General
Office Building to the trainmaster’s office on May 1. Since
that date all telegraph work except train dispatching is
bring done at the Telegraph and Telephone Building.
The telephone switchboard connections on the Anchor
r.< ; board during the week averaged 3149 daily; Matanuska
averaged 639; Potter Creek 374.
Electric Light and Power.
A 20-h. p. motor was installed in the cold storage plant
i.-. the terminal yards. Two more motors, one of 10-h. p.
tod the other of 3-h. p., have been added to the commer
cial load in the townsite.
Lightning arrestors were placed on the primary wires
leading from the power plant.
TALKEETNA DISTRICT.
(Report as of April 21.)
At this date six camps are established in the Talkeetna
District, as follows;
Camp 207, Montana Creek, which has been operated
during the winter as a cache, has been enlarged. Two sta
tion gangs and one piling contractor are directed from this
camp.
Camp 221, just below Talkeetna, is used principally as
a base for station gangs. An engineering party, a time
keeper and a mess house force are located at this point.
A Commission gang of six or seven men is at work shoot
ing the bluff above the crib.
At Talkeetna the mess house has been reopened to ac
commodate the freighting outfits and the large number of
transient Commission employees passing up and down the
line. No mess house was operated at this camp during the
winter. A large barn is available at this point for stabling
freight teams.
At Dead Horse Hill a camp was established during the
month to handle the work in that vicinity. This camp,
known as Camp 242, at present consists of three tents for
the engineering party, three bunk tents, a mess and office
tent. Two gangs are working out of this place.
Camp 245, just above Dead Horse Hill, has been selected 1
as headquarters for next season’s work in the Talkeetna
District. Fifteen office and other Commission buildings
and five dwellings were erected during the past fall and
winter. It is planned to build two or three more buildings
for office purposes, and possibly three more dwellings, a
social hall and two hunk houses. With the exception of one
dwelling, cottonwood lumber, cut by the local saw mill, was
used, approximately 800,000 feet b. m. When the logs now
on the skidway and yarded in the woods are sawed there '
will be available for proposed construction purposes about
80,000 feet of lumber.
Cars, rails and other material and supplies have been
distributed to the different camps for use of the gangs now
at work, and some of the supplies for the section between
Stations 9743 and 9825 have been placed, in anticipation of
the season’s activity at those points. Because of deep snow
and the poor condition of trails much of the hauling was
done by dog team, especially between Camp 245 and the
engineers’ camp at Mile 255. The hauling for the bridge
engineer’s party at the bridge site at Susitna River cross
ing was also done by dog team, as it was practically im
possible to use horses on that work.
The telephone line in the Talkeetna District has been
intended to Mile 255. A wire has also been hung across the
Susitna River at the crossing. This has not been connected
with the main wire as yet, it having been deemed advisable
to stretch the line across the river while the stream was
still frozen over. Later in the spring, when the through
wire reaches this point the connection will be made.
There are at the date of this report three residencies or
ganized within the District. By May 1 it is planned to have
two additional organizations completed, and upon the open
ing of navigation a third residency. This will make a total
of six residencies to care for the engineering work between
Sheep Creek and the Susitna River crossing.
The weather has moderated considerably the last few
days, although at night it freezes sufficiently to keep the
trails in passable condition. Considerable trouble is being
experienced, however, in travelling during the day, and the
trails are getting somewhat dangerous for horses. It is j
possible that dog teams may again be utilized until the
final spring thaw.
On April 21, the total force employed in the District
was 270, classified as follows: Stationmen 108, laborers 97,:
mess house help 15, corral and teamsters 14, engineering:
24, administration 12.
MONTHLY LABOR REPORT.
—
During the month of April the Employment Bureau of
Anchorage Division placed 1177 men at work, distributed:
as follows:
Anchorage Terminal . . 541
Main Line North of Anchorage 242
Matanuska Branch . 294
Tumagain Arm District ,. 347
Talkeetna District . 11
Maintenance of Way -. 229
The positions filled by the above applicants were: Axe
men 9, blacksmiths 5, blacksmith helpers 2, cooks 27, bak
ers 7, waiters 51, coyotemen 2, machine driller 1, hand dril
lers 2, axemen (engineers’) 4, chainmen 3, rodmen 4,
janitors 6, general laborers 162, extra gang laborers 90,
section laborers 56, stationmen laborers 451, stationmen
209, timbermen 5, piledriver men 3, carpenters 4,- bridge
! carpenters 13, tiemakers 12, teamsters 4, timekeeper 1,
watchmen 3, pitmen 14, foremen 2, gas engineers 2, fire
!men 3, craneman 1, pumpman 1, warehousemen 2, carpenter
i helpers 16.
- j
RESIDENCE FOR CHAIRMAN EDES.
_
A modern two-story frame residence for Chairman Edes
and family is being constructed by the Commission on Sec
ond street, Anchorage Townsite. The first floor will have
five rooms and bath, and the second floor two rooms and
bath. The house will occupy a part of lots 2 and 3 of
block 16, and will be officially designated as Cottage No. 22.
Miscellaneous.
Very little cold weather was experienced during the
month, the temperature ranging between 25 and 40 de
grees above aero. At the end of March there were six
inches of snow in Seward, five feet at Mile 12, seven feet
at Mile 45 and one foot at Kern Creek.
Work continued on the rock dam in front of Spencer
Glacier. This betterment should be completed by June 1.
The enlarging of No. 3 tunnel, to give a 6Yx foot clear
ance on each side of the center line, was completed during
the month, and all ice and muck removed. The crew was
transferred to tunnels 4, 5, 6 and 7 to make the necessary
repairs at those points.
Engineering parties were maintained at Seward, Mile
23 and Mile 71. It will probably be necessary to organise
several additional cross-section parties to handle the work
this summer.
The steamship companies have reduced the freight rate
on steaming coal between Seattle and Seward from $6.50 to
$4.00 a ton, which means a substantial reduction in the im
portant item of fuel for the Division.
There were 1337.44 tons of commercial and 666.96 tons
of Commission freight received at the Seward dock in
March.
Chauncey M. Wressell has been transferred from the
clerical staff of the Washington office to a similar position
in the Anchorage Disbursing Office.
The Commission has awarded a contract to the Eska
Creek Coal Co. for 5000 tons of coal, at $5.00 per ton on
the cars at Emery.
ESPIONAGE BILL
GALES PEIDTEST
WASHINGTON, April 20.—The
senate recorded itself today in favor
of press censorship during the war.
A censorship clause of the adminis
tration’s espionage bill, after decided
modification, was retained in the bill
by a vote of 42 to 22, in which par
tisan division was disregarded.
The vote came after three days of
sharp debate anil was regarded as
definitely forecasting the final reten
tion of the censorship provision. Lat
er this bill, still far from completed,
was laid aside indefinitely to permit
consideration, beginning tomorrow, of
the war army measure. The house
judiciary committee ha scompleted its
draft of the espionage bill also with a i
censorship clause, and will report it
Monday.
Will Allow Criticism.
The provision as finally accepted by
the senate follows:
“Whoever, in time of war, in viola
tion of reasonable regulations to be j
prescribed by the president, which he
is hereby authorized to make and
promulgate, shall publish any infor
mation with respect to the movement,
numbers, description, condition or
disposition of any armed forces, ships,
aircraft or war materials of the Unit
ed States or with respect to the plans
or conduct of any naval or military
operations or with respect to any
works or measures undertaken for or
connected with, or intended for the
fortification or defense of any place,
or any information relating to the
public defense, calculated to be useful
to the enemy, shall be punished by a
fine of not more than $10,000 or by
imprisonment for ten years, or by
both such fine and imprisonment, pro
vided that nothing in this section
shall be construed to limit or restrict,
nor shall any regulaiton herein pro
vided for limit or rstrict any discus
sion. comment or criticism of the acts '
or policies of the government, or its j
representatives, or the publication of j
the same.” I
Free Speech Protected.
Advocates of the provision admitted '
that it would confer wide powers up
on the president to restrict publication
of military matters, both in the press
or by individuals in speeches or other
wise. Its foes declared that it was
unconstitutional and the most drastic
curb upon freedom of speech and the
press guaranteed by the constitution
ever proposed during the nation’s en
tire history.
Before the final vote the original
committee draft, much more sweeping
and drastic, was greatly modified. The
committee proposed to prohibit not
only the publication of military infor
mation, except under presidential
regulations, but also its collecting re
cording, or attempting to elicit it.
Elimination of these additional re
strictions was agreed to by those in
charge of the bill and approved by
the senate. Another change, upon an
amendment by Senator Hitchcock, of
Nebraska, provided that the presiden
tial regulations shall be reasonable.
Cummins Opposes Law.
A substitute for the whole clause,
submitted by Senator Cummins, of
owa, was rejected, 40 to 34. Senator
Cummins, who insisted that the clause
retained was unconstitutional, pro
posed that the president be authorized
to prescribe regulations which would
not abridge freedom of speech or the
press but would prohibit publication
of actual military operations, not in
cluding condition of the armed forces
and other matters.
Other Measures Passed.
Within an hour tonight the senate
passed house bills authorizing assign
ment of naval officers to the hydro
graphic office, increasing from 35 to
50 the age limit of officers appointed
to the naval reserve corps in war
time, and increasing the number of
midshipmen at the Annapolis naval
academy to about 540 men. It passed
also without debate Senator Lodge’s
bill authorizing the war department
to issue rifles and ammunition to
i ©SKaxaaKSxsxsi®®®<®<«xsysx?>3x*)c»(»!i®®®®®-: _ ; : <
’Sydney Laurence
I Members Photographers’ Association of America,
Washington, D. C.
j High Class Portrait Work
jj Artistic and Pictorial Photography.
EXPERT KODAK FINISHING.
| FRAMES MADE TO ORDER
' Just Arrived
COMPLETE STOCK OF UP TO DATE
MOULDINGS.
| LARGE ASSORTMENT OF HAND-MADE FRAMES
SYDNEY LAURENCE.
Masonic Building. )
states and territories, and Senator
Gerry’s bill authorizing him to turn
over his steam yacht to the navy. The j
last two now go to the house.
DO NOT ASK
U. S. ALLIANCE
_ l
WASHINGTON, April 25.—An
swering statements to the effect that
Great Britain is trying to entangle
the United States in an alliance Ar
thur J. Balfour in a statement de
clared today that such a charge was
unfounded. He says such a policy
would be utterly unnecessary as a
formal alliance could have no great
er effect than will be brought about
by the declaration of war between
Germany and the United States. The
president spent most of the day show
ing honor to the French commission
but he found time for preparing for
the joint council which will • begin
soon. The members of the French
commission are resting tonight after
having been cared for by Henry
White, former ambassador to France.
Following a day of general welcome
tomorrow Commissioners Viviani,
Joffre and Chocseprat, admiral, will
be received by the president. Later
there will be a preliminary conference
and thf British and French military
chiefs hope to begin serious business
on Friday.
In less than a day after the seven
billion bill became a law the first loan
was made by America to rGeat Brit
ain. McAdoo will spend the next ten
days studying the question of further
loans to the entente nations but it is
still undetermined which of those na
tions will receive it.
Fine Job Printing at Times on
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