“Whatever happened to all those old saddle tanks? We haven’t seen any of them in years.”
“The dinkies? Most of those original construction-era saddle tanks were sold off and shipped out. Of the two still in the country, No. 4 is kept at the Cordova roundhouse. No. 3 was sold to the Alaska Anthracite Railroad near Katalla. That operation failed in 1922 and engine no. 3 now sits abandoned out in the tundra near the Bering River.” Now, 102 stood contentedly puffing steam, ready on a siding to the north to attach itself to the rear of this large consist once the train was fully positioned to begin its final push up the hill. The engineer sent out a loud series of blasts. “Time for you guys to board.” Mike extended his hand to the two men. “It’s been great meeting you. I learned something new. Good luck at Kennecott.” The long consist was still on level ground, but as the two engines began working the train north, the lead engine entered the first steep incline, and the train began the slow run for the remaining four and a half miles. The passengers had a good view of the deserted town of Blackburn, a small grouping of log structures including one large, abandoned, two-story log hotel. In the background, the rock covered glacier rose well above the abandoned structures. The train climbed another 600 feet. Those last four miles represented a greater rise in elevation than in the first 131 miles from Cordova to Chitina. This lofty view allowed a brief but magnificent panoramic glimpse of Kennicott Glacier from above. As the track approached Kennecott, however, the elevation of the glacier began to exceed that of the railbed. By the time the train reached Kennecott, the glacier towered over the train.
The train passed a quarantine area used to isolate passengers during the Spanish Flu epidemic. That practice was finally abandoned by the early 1920s. Just beyond, the dairy barn marked the beginning of Kennecott. Just beyond, the rails passed the five-plex apartments and a number of cottages--all built along a steep hillside across from the glacier. There were more cottages along the glacial moraine on the right, centering on the recreation hall. Beyond those cottages was a series of freight yards for coal, wood and oil drums. At the end of the large storage area was the three-story west barrack, which towered over a small schoolhouse and an adjacent ball field. The barrack was large, but it was nearly overwhelmed by the daunting presence of the glacier which appeared to be a massive series of rounded, rock-covered hills interspersed with walls of ice. The mounds look like huge, sleeping ancient monsters waiting for the right moment to return to life and overtake everything the white man has built here. “What do you think, Cap? You’re looking awfully hard at something.” “I was just noticing how even these large buildings seem so small compared to the mountain glacier. It just sits there like a silent menace.” “Wild, isn’t it?” “Interesting place. I think I like it. Awfully busy up here, Sla’cheen.”
The train stopped at a small telegraph station on the south side of National Creek. All the passengers were checked there and directed to their destinations. Johnny followed Cap as they stepped off the train onto the ground. There was no large platform like the ones at Chitina and McCarthy. “What an overpowering presence !” Johnny was remarking about the appearance of the fourteen-story mill building which towered above all else. The bright midday summer sun accentuated the peeling and fading paint on the upper reaches of the tall wooden structure. It was clearly in need of a new paint job. Below the were a series of stately buildings following a long walkway up a hill toward what appeared to be a log dam about a quarter-mile away. At the diminutive telegraph station, a very gaunt, older man stood looking up and smiling. “Father, it’s only been about a month, but it seems like it’s been longer.” Johnny was shocked at how thin and old-looking his dad had become. It was certainly good to see a friendly, familiar face. The two embraced. Emil had known Cap since the boys were both very young. The two also hugged each other. This was unusual for the stand-offish Cap. “Boys, it is so good to see you both. I’m so pleased you’ll both be working here. You’re working under me, you know. Your sponsor, Frank Buckner, arranged everything. He even let me know you’d be coming on this train.” “How could he possibly know which train we would be coming on?” “The stationmaster at the junction telegraphed this station when you two checked in. The station notified the office. Frank came down the hill to let me know. So here I am. And here you are. You two both look great. I guess there’s a lot to be said for hard work. Looks like Green Butte did well for you. I am so thrilled to see you both.” “Dad, it just worked out well. We both decided we wanted to be here. Green Butte turned out to be the key. We made a little money and learned something about hard-rock mining .” “McCarthy take all your money?” “Dad, how’d you know?”
“I figured it out. Frank kept track of the telegrams every day. When you said you were coming and you failed to show, he became alarmed and told me. I thought about it for awhile. Then I realized what I would’ve done when I was your age.” “It sure is good to see you again, Dad. It’s really been too long.” “I took time to visit you at McCarthy last month, remember?” “The speeder visit? That was a quick trip.” “Couldn’t have done it without the railroad. Anyway, you’ll be helping the carpenters build the new powerhouse. When it’s up, you’ll be on my paint crew. That’s the big job. We just got done last year painting the remodeled plant.” “That must have been frustrating.” It was. The engineers made the mistake of allowing a composite roof. It ignited a few months after we finished building it. At least, that’s what they think happened. Just to be on the safe side, we won’t be repeating that expensive mistake. There’s large load of corrugated steel roofing on board this train, I believe. It surely won’t burn.” “Dad, you’re involved in the big rebuilding job?” “I’m not just the head painter, but I’m the assistance carpenter foreman. We have a very nice young man in charge named Christopher Jensen. He’s quite the carpenter. Chris requested you for this crew. We need to go to the office first, then I’ll get you checked into a room.” The tracks headed in a nearly straight line to the north, passing through a two-story covered loading dock at the base of the mill. As the three of them finished the conversation, Sal Reed began pulling the consist through the loading dock. The noise of the huge engine masked the roar of the creek rushing through a flume of heavy wood timbers. The flume directed the roaring water under the trestle toward a wood crib dam. The water spilled over the dam, disappearing under Kennicott Glacier about 300 feet away from the railroad trestle. The three men stepped off track grade, following a road which paralleled the trestle on the upstream side. The path crossed the creek at a wagon bridge, then continued toward a wooden stairway which climbed toward the office near the lower end of the 150-foot tall mill. |
15 December 2010
Ch 26, Pt 2: "Arrival at Kennecott
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