52 INTRODUCTION OF DOMESTIC REINDEER INTO ALASKA. 



to be cut in the face of the soHd rock by men lowered into position and 

 supported by ropes; steel bridges had to be built over roaring torrents 

 and deep gulches; almost insuperable difficulties of grade had to be 

 overcome; in attempting to lower Lake St. Louis 3 feet, tlie entire 

 lake washed away causing widespread damage. The railroad was 

 completed in June, 1900. It is stated that the cost of constructing 

 certain sections of the road exceeded $250,000 per mile. Its total 

 cost was about S5, 000, 000. The traffic of the road has been so great 

 that it paid nearly $2,000,000 profits during the first two years of its 

 operation and it continues to pay increasingly large dividends. Snow- 

 sheds and snowplows keep the line open during the winter, and traffic 

 is rarely interrupted hj the tremendous storms of that liigh latitude. 



The passage from salt water to the head of river navigation for- 

 merly involved weeks of incessant toil of the severest description: 

 packing supplies over steep mountain passes; clambering over huge 

 bowlders; wading across swift, ice-cold torrents; shooting seetliing 

 rapids; fighting millions of gnats and mosquitoes; sleeping on the 

 damp ground above the eternally frozen subsoil wherever overtaken 

 b}" the darkness of night. Now, in a comfortable, well-equipped train, 

 the passenger is whirled along beside the shores of the lakes, over 

 gorges and across rivers ; from the observation car he gazes upon the 

 magnificent scener}^ that meets the eye at every turn, and reaches 

 his destination in a few hours, refreshed and delighted. 



At Skagway, on the evening of September 14,1 took passage on the 

 steamer Cottage City, arriving at Juneau at 3 o'clock on the following 

 morning, Both Skagway and Juneau are incorporated towns which 

 manage their own school affairs ; according!}^, I did not linger in either 

 of them. 



I was fortunate enough to find the U. S. S. RusTi at anchor off the 

 town of Juneau . On September 1 5 , by the courtesy of Captain Kilgore, 

 I went on board that vessel for passage to Sitka, where we arrived on 

 the 17th. 



During my stay in Sitka I repeatedl}' visited the three public 

 schools and consulted with Hon. John G. Brady and Mr. Edward 

 de Groff, the president and secretary of the local school committee for 

 Sitka. 



On September 29, I left Sitka on the steamer Georgia, making con- 

 nection at Juneau on the following day with the steamer City of 

 Seattle, for Seattle, where I arrived on October 4. 



Having completed my business with the fu-ms in Seattle and San 

 Francisco, who had furnished the season's supplies for our work in 

 arctic Alaska, I left San Francisco on October 12, arriving at Wash- 

 ington five da^'s later, completing a tour of inspection wliicli had 

 covered about 14,500 miles. 



I desu'e to express m}^ appreciation of the numerous courtesies 

 received from Capt. Oscar C. Hamlet, commanding the U. S. S. Thetis, 



