Wickersham Boosts Auto=Plane
Road To Interior Alaska
Judg^ James Wickersham of
Juneau who returned home last
week accompanied by Mrs.
Wickersham, did some effective
publicity work for the proposed
Vancouver to Fairbanks high
way during his visit outside,
speaking at numerous places in
advocacy of its construction and
pointing out the many benefits
that will result from its inaug
eration and the assistance the
project will be in the greater
development of the north-land.
The Seattle Times gives the
following interview with Judge
Wickersham during his stay in
that city.
Advocacy by Premier S. F. Tol
mie of British Columbia, on a
recent visit to Seattle, of the
project for an automobile-air
plane international highway be
tween Vanvouver, B. C., and
Fairbanks, Alaska, drew approval
from the rugged hills of Alaska.
Judge James Wickersham of
Juneau, here on a brief visit,
spoke enthusiastically of the
benefits accruing to both nations
through completion of the vi
sualized project.
As Alaska’s delegate to Con
gress for 12 years after serving
the territory as federal judge for
seven, Judge Wickersham is se
cretary of an organization with
headquarters at Fairbanks which
seeks financial aid from both the
United States and Canadian
governments to make the high
way project a reality.
Sees Great Benefit
“A combined airplane and au
tomobile highway from Seattle
through British Columbia and
Yukon Territory to Alaska,” said
Judge Wickersham, “would be
of far greater benefit in securing
./lie farther settlement cl' these
territories unci the development
ci their great natural resources
than would the construction of
a much more expensive railroad
along the same route. It would
bring population into the cen
u*al parts of those regions, give
close personal contact and cre
ate a feeling of friendship and
common interest which no other
project could do. It would es
tablish towns along its line,
and give settlers and prosoect
ors an opportunity to develop
the agricultural and mining re
sources of the regions opened,
better than any other possible
plan.
“The extension of the automo
bile highway idea to include
combination with an airplane
route ought to strengthen public
support for both projects and
insure official recognition and
aoprcpriutions from both the
United States and Canadian gov
ernments. Such a combined
highway, the airplane route
above the automobile road, both
*o follow a common course, with
common supply bases, landing
fields, roadhouses and hotels,
will make travel by airplanes
and automobiles safe and more
interesting to travellers, and
double the benefits to the regions
traversed by the great highway.
“The region to be traversed is
an untracked wilderness, cover
ed by dark forests and moun
tains, while unbridged rivers add
danger to airplane service. A
plane forced down in such a
country would be lost, and its
occupants would run great risks
of suffering or death before
they could be rescued, even if
it were forced to land off the
roadway, its nearness to the
highway and fixed bases of sup
plies would enable aviators to se
cure assistance quickly and also
to repair any damage to their
plane and continue their jour
ney with little delay or danger.
Hemes Would Be Built
“Settlers will quickly erect
homes along such a road and ev
ery valley would be opened to
agriculture and every mineral
region to prospecting. As an ex
ample of what always has fol
lowed and naturally will follow
road building in the western
wilderness, the government of
the United States has in the past
three years constructed a good
graded highway from Juneau,
the capital of Alaska, for 40 miles
north of that town, and during
the progress of the work, more
than a hundred settlers have
built homes along the line and
new homes are being built as
the road progresses and reaches
new good locations. This road
crosses two small valleys and the
one nearest town has a dozen
oairy farms and many gardens
and farming patches and fields.
“The main line of this pro
posed airplane and automobile
highway will cut British Colum
bia, Yukon Territory and Alaska
through the center, in the great
volleys between the Coast Range
and the main chain of the Rocky
mountains, and will extend from
Vancouver, B. C., to Dawson and
Fairbanks. Shielded from excess
ive rain and snowfall along the
coast by the great barrier of
the Coast Range, it will pass
through a comparatively dry re
gion, cold in winter and hot in
summer. The snow fall is light
and the winter road will be hard