TRANSPORT ON SNOW

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 1, 1 July 1922, Page 12

TRANSPORT ON SNOW

"CATERPILLARS" INSTEAD OF, DOGS DEVELOPMENT IN ALASKA. The development in Arctio regions of caterpillar traction, which received a, great . stimulus during the war, ,ha 3 recently been so.rapid that, according to a writer in- an American muga'zihe, dogsledges ace quickly being supplanted. The writer refers particularly to Alaska, and says: — "Freight rates in the interior of Alaska have bden approximately 350 dollars a ton, but it is estimated that they will soon be reduced to the.nominal figure of 25 dollars pel- lon as a result o£ the completion of tho now Government railroad. The new rate .will be1 effective, it is believed, as soon at the road is completed; ahd tho road will then extend from the tidewater to the interior. 'Increased activities will result, and mining machinery can soon be shipped to. Fairbanks, Nenana, Fort Gibson, Kuby, and other interior points. At present most of the freight to these places is sent by dogteams over trails from the seaport towns of Valdei and Cordova. , "It is interesting to note what means has made ib possible to construct, the 'iron ; trail' across the frozen region heretofore bnly accessible to dog-teams. It was agreed that the construction of the; road was feasible, but the question of supplying material during the construe-, tion was the great stumbling-block which confronted all consulting engineers. The loads we're too heavy for the dog-teams, and, besides, the delivery Was ioo uncertain by this means. Hundreds of men in construction camps isolated in the interior could not humanly be expected to be dependent upon the ability of dogHeams to bring them subsistence in. the faoe of a falling . temperature and blinding blizzard. Motor trucks, of course, were out of the question, and the undertaking seomed hopeless until the introduction of caterpillar traction. ■ ■ ■ ■ "These rugged, sturdy, power units are in reality a cross-country locomotive, inasmuch as they, lay their own track and pick it up after them. Snow, ice; mud, aand, swamp, or marsh are all alike to the operator Of this tractor. The Broad, fiat, endless tread with the flexible articulating roller frame which permits the tractor to conform evenly to any obstacle in its path and deliver adequate traction regardless of the unevenness of tho surface enables the caterpillar tractor to operate under these conditions." The writer goes on to indicate what these tractors are doing, 'and continues: "The mining industry in Alaska quickly realised the adaptability of tractors for. their own purposes, and lost no time inadding this new equipment to its .stock. Two five-ton tractors have been delivered to the Premier Gold ■ Miningl Company, Hyder, Alaska, for use in. hauling ore between the mill and the tidewater. With the arrival of the tractor for the company it is anticipated that all transportation problems will be greatly simplified, and that, but little difficulty will be experienced this winter iin bringing to the wharf tho full amount of ore it is intended to ship, said to be at least 3000 tons. Tho tractors are expected to make a round trip each day, and bring a minimum load of 20 tons." '