McCoy sought employment elsewhere, and the N.P. placed its construction superintendent, F.L. Birdsall, in charge. Construction of this bridge allowed dump trains to access the west end of the embankment and to progress eastward from there in burying the trestle. Work progressed rapidly, but in May two more zones of settlement developed. Eight hundred feet of track sank 5 to 8 ft per day for a week. View is toward the southwest.
Archway is visible at right-center of photo.
Rise in unburied trestle shows the original, intended grade of the embankment. The strategy seemed to work, at least for a while. Birdsall reported no settling through early October, and it appeared that the N.P. might complete the embankment by November 1st. However, on October 10th, a fourth zone of settlement developed. Cracks opened on either side of the embankment over a length of one mile.