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The National Geographic Magazine 



have an important influence with a locat- 

 ing engineer are here entirely omitted 

 because they do not appear to be germane 

 to the subject. In this I refer more spe- 

 cially to the financial backing to any 

 given project. Obviously the choice of a 

 railway route may have to be governed 

 by the low cost of first construction 

 rather than by consideration of the ulti- 

 mate economy in construction, operation, 

 and maintenance. I believe, however, 

 that the question of financing of a rail- 

 way project should find no place in a sci- 

 entific discussion of railway location. The 

 available sources of material for con- 

 struction have also not been included in 

 this analysis, for this is, after all, a local 

 problem and will not affect the general 

 choice of routes. 



COST PBR MILE 



Though it is not the purpose of this 

 paper to discuss the more "purely engi- 

 neering aspect of my subject, yet it may 

 be well to devote a few words to the 

 question of the cost of construction be- 

 cause of the many current misconcep- 

 tions regarding it. It will be pointed out 

 below that the watersheds to be crossed 

 by Alaskan railways (see profiles, page 

 179) vary from about 2,000 to 3,000 feet, 

 which are low compared with the alti- 

 tudes of 8,000 to 11,000 feet attained by 

 many railways in the western states. It 

 will also be shown that the routes of ap- 

 proach to the divides have as a rule low 

 gradients, and that much of the region 

 to be traversed by railways is one of only 

 moderate relief. On the other hand, 

 most of the proposed routes will demand 

 bridging of many streams and rivers. 

 This feature will possibly be the most 

 difficult for the engineer to contend with, 

 because of (i) the winter ice and (2) 

 the spring floods. 



The chief factor which will much en- 

 hance the expenditures for railway con- 

 struction in Alaska is the distance of the 

 coastal terminal to the centers of popula- 

 tion, for this increases the cost of all 

 labor and materials. Shortness of the 

 summer season and adverse climatic con- 



ditions will also enhance the cost. It has 

 been estimated by a competent engineer 

 that the same class of construction will 

 cost 75 to 100 per cent more in Alaska 

 than in the western states. The same 

 engineer has stated to the writer that in 

 many parts of the interior, where valleys 

 and rolling uplands are followed, the cost 

 of a standard-gauge railway will prob- 

 ably not exceed $30,000 per mile, but 

 through the coastal mountain ranges may 

 be more than twice as great. Where de- 

 tailed surveys and estimates are wanting, 

 it will probably be safe to count on an 

 average cost of at least $35,000 per mile 

 for a standard-gauge railway from the 

 Gulf of Alaska to the Yukon. 



What I have termed commercial con- 

 trol is simply another name for tonnage, 

 the great dominating element in railway 

 location. This, in turn, "is dependent in 

 a large measure on resources, developed 

 or undeveloped. In settled regions the 

 distribution of population may wield a 

 decided influence, but population again is 

 often merely an evidence of developed 

 resources. The amount of tonnage will 

 also be affected by competitive and sup- 

 plementary lines of transportation. 



Five subdivisions are recognized under 

 geographic control. The first is position, 

 which pertains chiefly to location and 

 character of terminals and their relation 

 to other transportation systems. Under 

 the second, distances, the different routes 

 are compared in length. Under relief is 

 included the influence of topography, 

 while larger water-courses must be con- 

 sidered because they necessitate bridges 

 or ferries. The influence of climate on 

 cost of construction, operation, and main- 

 tenance is obvious. Heavy snowfalls, 

 river floods, and the closing of water- 

 ways by winter ice are elements that de- 

 serve consideration. Political control 

 obviously refers to international bounda- 

 ries alone. 



I have intentionally emphasized the 

 commercial control of railway routes, for 

 it is evident that without adequate ton- 

 nage railways cannot be built economic- 

 ally. On the other hand, given the re- 



