I, ·A nilrond fcord. ANQHORAGE, ALASKA, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1916. No.1 Alaska Rallroad Re~ord REGARDING OFFICIAL CIRCULARS. Hereafter all official circulars from the Official Publication of the Alaskan Engineering Commissioner'S office at Anchorage-and-­ Commission. other important circulars from the con­ struction districts and department offices will be published in the Alaska Railroad Record. Department heads and all interested em­ ployees are expected to take cognizance of these circulars. It will, therefore, be un­ necessar}~ to continue the present practiee of sending out mimeographed copies of of­ ficial circulars in the Anchorage Divislop., unless in special cases circumstances make P.etn!ttanc~" for -stlbscl"i1>tions may be fOl'war<led to the it d€Sirable to put out a circular before the • .\I,ASlCA RAILROAD RECORD at the address below. date of pUblication of the next !"'_~ ~,",,--__ '-­ i.ddr.. ss all Communications: Record. In this case the circulars will .be • sent out as fonnerly but they will be re­ , ALASKA RAILROAD RECORD, Anehorage, Alaska. peated in the next Record published after date of issue. ,. '" ANNOUNCEMENT. • • • • F. :.\IEARS, Xoyember 7, 1916. Commissioner. The primary purpose of the' Alaska Railroad Record ---- - ;s the publication of accurate information, based upon of­ WEEKLY PROGRESS REPORTS. ficial records, concerning all branches of the work of ~'ail­ Anchorage Division. road construction in Alaska. The secons,lary purpose is to furnish a convenient' form Following are the progress reports of the various de­ for the distribution of official orders and circulars. partments of Anchorage Division for the week ending The progress of the work in the several construction Nov. 4: divisions will be shown week by week and month by month, together with statements of disbursements and expendi­ MAINTENANCE OF WAY. and other tables of statistics. The Land & Indus­ Tracklaying. Track'was laid on the'Matanuska Bra'neh from station D~partment will make use of this publication as a 877 plus 25 to 730 plus 53.5, a total distance of 14671 ¥., of supplying reliable infonnation to the press re­ feet. There was also a siding laid from station 844 plus :;,u.ng the resources of the country and the advancement 70 to 820 plus 80, a distance of 2390 feet, making a total o the work. In addition there will be. published f1·om time of 17061'1.. feet of rail laid during the week. ce ning amusements, sports and other activities. Steam Shovel No.1 produced 2612 yards of material, .\ll heads of Departments and other interested officials distributed as follows: are requested to co-operate with the editor and manager Fnling for water tank foundation at Birchwood .. 180 yds. Ballasting for Matanuska Branch ........... , .. 2262 yds. of the Record to the end tj1at this paper may contain use-' Gra(Jjng Matanuska Branch .................... 180 yds. ;1.<1 and reliable information which wiI! be of benefit Bridges-Turnagain Arm. District. "nl ~ughout the progress of the work. On Bridge. No.2 the span is completed and 20 per cent ·ALASKA RAILROAD RECORD Vol. I. No. 1. of the decking is completed. Bridges Nos. 4 and 6 are should be made with the narrow. fill by wheelbarrow work' completed: from Littfe Rabbit -to Potter Creek in about three weeks, Bridges-Main Line. This will enable rail to be laid to Potter Creek in about "Work has progressed satisfactorily on Nos. 10 and 17. four weeks. The work on both these bridges is now about 96 per cent The station gang working north out of Potter Creek complete. has connected up with the nalTOW fill made by wheelbarrow Buildings. across the flats between Little Rabbit Creek and Poth:r Rapid progress is being made on the construction of Creek. the cold storage plant. The carpenter wOl'k is about 80 Three station' gangs just south of Rainbow Creek ou per cent complete, . rock work are maoking good progress. Very satisfactory work has been done on the three­ room cottagQS, the carpenter work of which is about 90 , Buildings. The foundation for the depot at Potter Creek is practic­ per cent complete. The work on the five-r0<im cottages has not progressed so weI!, partly on account of'the Shol't­ ally completed. age of material. \Vork on these cottages is about 80 per The warehouse at' Potter Creek is completed except tho cent complete. placing of the windows. The wOl'k on Hospital No.2, on Commissioner Mears' The warehouse at Rainbow Creek is 75 per cent com­ residence and on the Anchorage School House is going pleted. Culverts. ahead slowl~', due largely to the lack of suitable matedal for finishing purposes. A con-tract for two culverts was let to Gust Backstl"~m Painting. & Co. during the week. They will b-e placed just south of No painting has been done on tlje outside of any build­ Rainbow Creek. The excavation for tllis work has been ings and none will be don~ until spring on account of completed. weather conditions, The Commission fOl"CeS painted the Bridges. inside of the Governm~nt cottages and Hospit~O. 2"as Bridge No, 1141 across Ship Creek is completed. rapidly as the wood-work was completed. '],he 121-foot span and abutment of Bridge No. 11:20, across Chester Creek, is 95 per cent completed. ' \Yater Service and Plumbiug. Bridges N,c's. 1121, 1111 and 1102 are ,"ompleted, The water sen'ice and plumbing forces have done a Bridge No. 1081, across Campbell Creek, is completed. large amount of miscellaneous work. The plumbing on Bridge No. 1031, across Big Rabbit Creek, is complet- the ':'elegraph and Telephone Building has been' completed. ed; as also are Bridges Nos. 1021, 1011 and 1001, the latter Plumbing on Cottage' No. 24 has been finished; on Cotta­ ges Nos. 15 to 25, inclusive, is 55 per cent complete; that being the structure across Potter Creek. o of Cottages Nos, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 34 is 60 per cent Track. complete. The track is uow laid from Anchorage to 10 1-2 miles The irO.'lt-proofing c·f the main office building is' 95 pel' south. Ballast has been dumped 6 miles, and the first cent completed. All the other work being handled by raise the same distance. o this department has progressed satisfactorily. Miscellaueous. Steam Heating. The camp at Potter Creek is ab..out 80 per cent. com­ Fair progress was made on the installation of steam pleted; that at Sheep Creek about 70 per.....cent. McHugh heat in the machine shop." Creek camp is 65 per cent. completed; that at Rainbow Mechanical Department. Creek about 95 per cent. • The usual amount of work was done on general repairs The shortage of ~l"Oofing and lumber has delayed the to equipment. Work continued' on the installation of sh9P completion of the above construction camps. machinery. Considerable work was done llmking repairs Trail. ,for equipment for the Stores Department. _Work on the trail between Anchorage and Seward will The two water tank structures for Steam Shovel No, be completed next week. '- This will open a through trail 1 were.completed and placed on a flat car, along Turnagain Arm between t.he two towns. TURXAGAIX ARM DISTRICT. TELEGRAPH & TELEPHONE DEP'T, Clearing Right of Way. Seward Division. Clearing has been completed from Anchol'age to onc Wire stringing aCI'OSS Mile 52 Summit has been conl­ and one-folllth miles south of Sheep Creek, There ,has pleted. This was hung first in order to be out of the war been cleared in the vicinity of Rainbo\~ Creek two and of possible snow storms. The crew is now clOSingio° three-fourth miles of right of way.and one mile has been gap in the flats around Mile 34. 'I cleared betw~el) Falls and Indian Creeks. .Clearing con­ Anchorage-i\[atannska. tracts have been ·Jet to' Gust Baeiu;trom & Co. and E.· D. Collins & Co. during the week, covering the work between The detour around the "Y" at the 'ferminal Y ards, a~ a north of Bird Point to one mile nOlth of been completed, if the<'e be no morc I between Indian and Glacier Creeks. Th, Grading. Branch. Grading is compi'eteij' "from A~chorage tQ a point ten Material llaS been collected and wil.l be shippcd early and one-half miles south. next week for extending the tempol'ary line to the mouth The steam shovel is doing as well as possible, consideJ'­ of the Chickaloon. The non-arrival of the Panama: insu­ ing the delays on account of poor steaming coal. The fill lated wire has made a change in plans necessary. It will is being built narrow so as to discontinue steam shovel now be necessary to use copper-clad wire and salvage it work for this season as soon as pos~ible. Connection after the permanent line has been built along the railroad, , Vol. I. No. 1.' '. ALASKA RAIT".):lOAD RECORD 3 Turnagain Arm Line. DISBURSING OFFICE. It was found necessary to put in a secollf cirCll!t from The total disbursements 9£ the office at Anchorage lor Anchorage to Potter Creek and the work is now being the period' November 1 to November 7, totaled ~157,960.18. done. There will be but little loss of labor, and none in The payment of salaries ~nd wages amounted to ~87,- matcl'ial, as this extra wire would have had to be hung in 451.[i2; for local purchases, $7,392.51; to contractors, ~61,­ the spring. IfO.92; other expenditures were $2,005.23. Anchorage Telephone Exchange. The number of commercial telephones in use -is 91; the TRANSPORT CROOI!: SAILS.