The Placer herald., 1860-03-31
NUMBER 30.

both for the high and low bridging. Much the
greater portion of hi gh trcstle is at its base.
and but few of the timbcrs require to be hosted
from the ground. but can be run out on the part
already CONSTRUCTED. on a level with the grade.
If lumber from Placer County is used it can he
delivered at the work for $50 per thousand. No
deduction for this has been made in the estimate
all the lumber in the trcstles being rated at $5j
per thousand for lumber. framing and raising
| The iron bolts have been estimated at Is cents
per pound, including large spikes.
The masonry for foundations of sills has been
estimated for all trestlcs so feet high, to be-
laid in rubblc masonry, feet wide ut bottom, z
feet wide at top, and three feet high. The length
| to be two feet longer than the sill
| These raviues have their sources within mile
or two of the bridges, and are not likely to pass
either large floods or drft-wood. The sills of
trcstlcs SO feet gh nnd less are to rest on inch
plank four feet long placed transversely to tho
SILL
DRAINS. The large ravines being crossed by
trestles very few culverts were required. For
smaller ravincs and hollows, which are very short
and only pass water for ~ few hours after rain.
it is designed to use an carthenware tube tile
Of IL inches diameter such made in Sucra-
mcnto. 1t is thought they will be quite as dura-
Bile as the slate rock.
SuperStructure.
The gage of the track is five feet, the same AZ
that of the Sacramento Valley Railroad Company
The iron is designed to be Of the | pattern, 60
POUNDS 10 tne yaru. me tleS 10 ne OF REDWOOD,
feet long by inches laid two feet apart from
centre to centre and filed in with gravel. The
chairs to be Of wrought iron weighing seven
pounds each such MS are now being laid on the
| Central Railroad The rails to be fastened with
spikes weighing half pound each.
Within u year past there have been times when
iron rails could be delivered here from England
at $50 per tom but having made careful inquiries
recently OF lending houses of San Francisco, do
not feel justified in estimating it at less than so
per ton dcliv, red on the road An advance has
recently taken place in England and it is quoted
there at e6 to E6 l0s which with all the freights
duty commissions, Insurance. exchanges &c..
would bring il up to very near the SO. Amcri-
can iron is now made of better quality than some
of the English rails that have been used in the
older States.
Location i" Auburn --- Upper and Lower
No definite location of the road. nor Of site
for depot, machine shops Nc, was made within
the town of Auburn. AS far as station 10 on both
the upper and lower lines the location may be
considered as not finally determined. The lower
line would pass through not far from the Placer
Herald Office Dr. Crandall's toll house. and
must be confined by the grade to the immediat
banks of the ravine. The upper line us estimated
would come in along the western brow Of the same
Hill along which the lower line is traced and
could either turn round the point Of that spur by
n curve above the American Hotel and cross over
near to Vanmatcr's McDaniels house. and
thence around the fiat towards the table land: or
it might cross directly over the lower town by a
bridge of 700 feet long to the vicinity of the Bear
river office. and thence proceed along the upper
flat towards the main ridge
location of the upper line was also made
across the depression in Mr.. Bishops field. which
would pass through the old Brewery and Mr.. Rus
sells orchard towards McDnnics store Az this
line involved cut supposed to be of rock, which
would cost about SI1 .000 1t was abandoned, and
the lin run, and estimate made on the western side
of the same spur. The depth of cutting ut Mr..
bishops field was A feet the cubic yards with
slopes ! To /. meIc - ~. estimutcd ut 81 peN
yard as for rock. If the nature Of the material
here should be nscertained to be more favorable
for working, the proprety Of adopting this loca-
ton may be more tAl orably considered.
All these different locations are practicable. As
an engineer, have preferred the upper line b,
cause it keeps the road up out Of the ravine so
that it may more naturally and easily attain the
table lands above th" town on its way towards
Nevada. On the lower grade the road cannot get
out upon the ridge by following up to the head oG
Auburn ravine bnt by switch line must rctrnce
its way along the side Of the spur on which Mr.,
Pamers house stands Thence it turns round
into Spanish ravine, and may probab y.cncountcf
in crossing some Of the heads of the subsequent
ravincs as much heavy bridging AS was saved by
this line below town.
The upper line does indeed increase the length
and ght of the bridging, but it presents much
better working line avoids the sharp curvu~
turc of the lower line, and gives straight track
across the high bridges. The objection as to in
creased cost on the upper line would depend upon
whether both lines are subjected to the same
standard of engineering. TO do this in part /
added in the estimates the slope of ! to l on the
rock work of the lower line. But more than this
should be done. Within the distance common TO
the two lines no curve occurs on the upper lipo
sharper than seven degrees, and it would be bet
ter that none sharper than that should exist on
| Al b,t,f HAL
" seven degree curve, it would run into rock cut
ting that would annihilute all the saving in the
bridging.
Below Mount Pleasant the lower line is the
best and eapcst, but if the comparison were
confined to the and Al half miles below 4Au-
burn, on account of the great excess of rock cut
ting on the lower line. there would be but little
difference in the cost of the two lines. and if tho
lower line were limited to 70 curves, or if the
upper line were located with 100 curves, the up
per line would on this distance be cheaper, and
possibly be about equal on the whole distance.
1t may be well here to notice that cut No. 8 OF.
the profile OF the upper line at stations 10 to rs.
Opposite Mt. Pleasantly, set down as | l.O4O cubic
yards of rock cutting. may be greatly reduced by
slight change of location, rs marked by a green
line on the plan. The cutting may he reduced tO
5000 yards. This will slightly Increase the en-
bankment- nearest the cut, but by Introducing
curves ON either side rs much more embank-
ment may be saved. There is also cut at the
lower end of Dutch ravine bridge, which possibly
might be reduced by change of line ut that
point, in the upper lire should be adopted.
Before the comparison of cost can he fairlY
made between the upper and lower lines. the en-
tire location of both lines should be completed as
far as the table land above Auburn. In doing this
some common limit of grade and curvature should
be adopted for both lines. And this limit should
be made with reference not alone to the use of
the road as II line TO Auburn merely, bu. us form
ing part of long and important line for extern
sive trade.
A dotted line on the map across Banvnrd and