The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-11-14
THE DIVISIONS.

| freight, the engines Will only run=ovor one
| division. From Omaha to the mountains
there is to be no grade over 80 feet to the
| mile, and. trains for the ives. go through just
| the same. On their return, the all down
grade will enable them to bring back any
| quantity of coal, or stone for ballastlng the
road. The first working division terminates
| At Grand Island, l65 miles from OMAHA
| Here the com pany have nearly completed q
| brick round house for their engines, and
| shop for repairs. The nezt relay or end CT
| division will be near Cottonwood where sim
| liar brick buildings will be erected. The
| brick are made at Omaha, although there is
plenty of the finest brick clay ell along the
road, upon the bluffs or terraces at the edge
OF the prsiris bottoms.
| THE TRACK.
| The loan and sand make an excellent
| bank for the track, and the surface, forming
| a kind of paste, does not easily turn into DUST
| and soon covers over with grass, thus IN
| great measure keeping down the dust. which
| is such a terrible plague to all travellers. 1t
| ia the intention of the company, howeyerst to
! ballast the entire length of the road with
| finely broken stone, similar to to the Pennsyl-
| vania Central railroad. Ga their reaching
the Rocky Mountains, they will send return
loads of stone on ell their construction trains
AN AIRLINE.
| No road ever yet built runs ON SO straight
line as this. East of Columbus there Is an
airline of eighty miles, without the slightest
detection while Ia the last $50 miles OF
track there is probably not 20 curves in the
entire distance, not an embankment over
twelve rect high, pot cut over that depth,
| with only bridge in half days ride. This
road has every advantage that will enable it
h. - - sc
the world.
-a, PROSECUTION OF THE WORK.
Away out over the plains we find grading
parties at work for distance of hundred
miles beyond she end of the rail seventy
five miles are ready for the ties, except some
small gaps THAI VIII be filed up in ample
time. There is bridge to be built over the
north fork of the Platte, but that is already
partly done, and will cause no delay.
The track has been laid this summer at
the Averages rate Of one mile and six-tenths
per day for every working day in the month,
and making no allowance for rainy days or
want of material.
Three hundred miles of rails, CHAIRS &c have
been taken up the Missouri river this Summer and
landed at Omaha. More is on the way, but the
freezing Up of the springs that supply tho Mis-
souri, river at its head will leave SO little water
more. Before tho work is stepped this month
they expect to have 325 miles in running order.
By January /, the Chicago & Northwestern will
have completed their road 10 Council Bluffs,
when all the future material of the Union Pacific
" i'll pass through Chicago, route to Omaha.
The item of freishts up the narrow and tortu-
Gus banks of the Missouri has been an enormous
one. To get engines and cars up from St.Jcseph
from which nearly all the freight was taken,
boat had TO be constructed on purpose, and
built az to draw only three feet Of water. 1t
cost to transport engines frem the shops in the
east, where they were built, from Sl,7uo to 81
200 each, and cars from $3.50 to 81 900 EACH
It is evident that all rail communication will re-
duce this item of freight from 80 to DO per
cent. While no road has ever been SO .chcapIv
graded,n none have ever been built under 50 many
disadvantages and ex penses and the whole
world may well lock on with wonder at the al,
oss magic building OF 2S6 miles, now in running
order. The wonder is increased ss you look
upon the map and see it built far eff from any
other railroad, and only the Missouri river to
furnish channel for supplies.
THE SURVEYS
For che lastsix months, the railroad company
has had tour corps OF engineers feeling around
for pass through the Rocky Mountains. No
route has yet been adopted. Col. s. Seymour,
Consulting Engineer of the company, and Gen.
Dodge, Chief Engineer, have spent several weeks
in the mountains, personally inspecting the var
lous passes. They have jnSt returned, and will
soon ee able to recommended route. 1t is most
likely that they will cross hundred miles north
OF Denver, where they get along without
tunnelng. Five separate routes have been sur
veyed; Berthoud's Pass, west of Denver; boil
der's Pass, 30 miles north of Denver; Cache
Pohdre Pass, 81 north of Denver: Crow Greek
Pass, 70 miles north of Denver; and Lodge Pole
Creek Pass, 100 miles north of Denver. The
las thran
uiie J. ialns, and the two first upon the Middle
Park Lodge Pole Cree;s would be the shortest
but has tunnel of mile and half in ngth-
Grow Creek is the longest, but has tunnel,
Beshouds Pass he's tunnel ofabout three and
half miles in length, and Boulder Pass one from
four and a half to five miles long
The great object now is to get the road built
and the Crew Creek route having no tunnel will
probably be adopted, and branch run down to
Denver City.
THE STAGE ROUTES
Holidays overland mail now starts at Fort
hearney, l76 miles from Omaha, passengers and
mails going that distance on the railroad From
hearney the stages keep on the south side of the
Platte until they reach Denver City. i pontoon
bridge has been sent up the road and will be
thrown across the river at Cottonwood, and the
connection with the road at Fort Kearney be
abandoned on Nov. 5, thus saving 80 miles more
OF staging, and leaving only As hours of stages
from the road to Denver City. When the road
stops for the winter, it will probably have reach
ed Julesburg, and the transfer be made at that
point, leaving about Sc hours of stages for the
next three months.
TIE GOVERNMENT COMMISSIONERS
The Pacific railway is especially favored among
American railway enterprises, because of the ex-.
stence of natural obstacles and bulk of under.
taking that would rest fatally on any embarking
of private capital inrthe work. 1t could not be
built without governments aid. The government
has appointed its commissioners to examine and
supervise each mile of track before it is accepted,
and this was done by the commissioners present
on the late ecasion. Their functions are not an
ornamental ainecure, as the history of their con
nection with the road abundantly shows; rail-
road men all agree that it is well bnilt.
THE BUSINESS ASPECT.
IL Is very difficult to estimate the business of
Tue racine road. Colorado, Utah, and Montana
nave population of probably O quarter of mil
ron. IN 1866 1t was estimated uron yery care
ipfy prepared data that forty millions of pounds
OF freight were carried over the plains in warons
10 90 II increased to two hundred millions af
POUNDS, ana employed 5000 wagons, sc, 600 eat.
tie, 10000 horses and mules, and 10, oof, mon ..
drivers, guards, &C., making the cost for freight
faat