, 1866-11-15
TIE CENTRAL PACIFIC RAILROAD.
Progress and Condition of tho Work.

THE CENTRAL PACIFIC RA1R0AD.
Procrea. and Condition of tho work.
From the National 1ntesieeucer, November 101
The reports on the progress and condition
OF the Central Pacific Railroad Of California
which have Just been received By the secse~
tarY Of the Interior, represent thu road as
completed and running to Cisco, a distance
Of ninety -four miles from sactan.c cnto, reach
Ing at that point an elevation Of about sixty
one hundred feet above tide water at sacra-
mento. Cisco Is twelve miles west Of the
plIshing this work 1000 1aborers, 800 me-
chanics, 500 horses, 100 oxen and 800 wagons
and carts have been employed, and 800 kegs |
Of powder per day and IT'S tons Of steel drills, |
&C., have been expended.
4 force Of 10000 men is now engaged in
grading the next two sections, a large
amount Of money having already been ex-
pended on the same. The labor Of grading
is performed by Chinese laborers, who prove
to be nearly equalfo white men In such work,
and without them 1t would have been impos-
etole TO have done the amount Of work that
has been done, as white men In sufficient
numbers could not hnye been obtained. The
rails used are represented to be Of the best
quality Of American iron, from twenty -four
TO twenty.sight feet long, weighing stxty
tion Of the same laid over the summit Of the
mountain, which weighs sixty.six pounds.
On the first seventy miles Of the road
east from Sacramento the wrought iron
chains were used. but hereafter their use
viii be discontinued. and the fish plates
substituted in their place in laying the SIX
ty.six pound mil which the company are
now doing across the mountains. The ties
are six by eight aud ten inches, and eight
f. ieet lonE, of redwood, which is equal to 6,
per mile, The culverts arc all Of granite or
hard rock, except few Of hard burned
bricks in the valley, where stone could not
be procured.
The bridges are made ofthe best quality
Of red II, brought from Oregon, with red
r.. The drainage Is ample and complete.
and the road is we'll ballasted with gravel
| and broken rock. The alignment Is repre-
seuted as being remarkable for its directness
in such broken and mountainous country
Or ten degrees. The grades arc necessarily
high to surmonnt the summit, which
Is seven Thousand feet above the sea. level,
and which is obtained without any undula.
ting grades, the rise being constant. The
| highest Crude used Is the maximum author
lzed by Law, one hundred and sixteen feet
per mile, Of which there are three and half
miles, and there is no difficulty in operating
these portions of the road, as regular passen-
ger trims are run thereon at the rate Of
twenty 'ays miles, and freight trains at
The locomotives and cars are Of the best
Of American manufacture, and are kept in
perfect order. There are now on the road
and in tratasitu from New York to San Fran.
cisco thirty tirst-class locomotive engines
and six hundred and seventy one cars. and the
company have also purchased, aud have now
In San Francisco, the machinery fora large and
frst-class machine and repair shop, and also
y large and powerful horizontal engine fol
the purpose Of driving the same. The
7 kr0fJA haf~or
and it is expected that the company wfl
soon be iA readiness to not only do all re-
pairs, but to build locomotives and car:
| equal to any built in the Eastern States. Al
| Sacramento q lasge wharf has been construct
ed, including three steam-cneines and der
pot buildings. The latter have also beer
built at all the towns and stations on th,
road. The tunnels arc all being constructed
sufficiently wide for double tracks, the com
pany being confident that double tracl
Will be necessary to do the business Of thl
rond within n very few years.
a iuli force is at present employed con
structfnH tunnel, 1,GO0 feet In length, a.
the summit OF the Sierra Nevada, aud one o
500 feet: seven miles east Of the summit, up
night, by change Of laborcrs, Of which tner,
are three gangs, each working eight hours.
The business Of the company is rapidly in
ereasinE, Us the road advances and reache
the different points where it commands th
mining trade of Idaho aud Nevada.
There are excellent quarrics Of srnnite IN,
lime upon the line ofthe road, which are be
| fnT opened, aud the material transported t
Sacramento and San Francisco for buildin:
purposes. Thisty-tiye miles from Sacramei
; ! to are found extensive mines Of crystal
lizcd iron orc, and at Crystal Peal
large beds Of magnetic iron hnvc been dis
: covered. including valuable beds Of bitumIu
ous coal. within two miles Of the latte
place. There arc also extensive coppc
mines at Pea Vine Mountain, five miles iron
the road, aud one hundred and sixty mile
, from tide water. It is evident TINT the ron
, Is being built through the best mining cour
, try yet discovered, since valuable mines {
!, gold, silver, copper, iron aud coal have a
l ready been and are being opened in the linz
. and the finest quarrles OF different yarictie
: Of stone IN the country are adjacent to th
t same. The population of the countr
: through which the road passes Is increasin
with great rapldity, and towns are springin
$ up at all the stations along the route. tn
: tons Of rails, all Of which they hope to t
able to hare laid down in the year 1867.
U There are ut present engaged in locatiu
d the line Of the road between the Big Bend
= the Truckec River and Salt Lake City, fiy
), corps Of engineers, who have run seven
Q inations and surveys indicate the valley
the Humboldt, recommended by Colonel
q II. Simpson, Corps Of Engineers, Unite
d States Army, Chief Engineer Department
c the Interior, as the most desirable route Fl
u q railroad through the State Of Nnrada, ar
!. though making long dciour to the mort
It ward, It is believed that Salt Lake can
r reached in less distance bv following the IS
6 ley Of this river to its source than by al
s other practicable route. During Il
&c approaching Indictment season it Is Il
l. about 800 men In the various tu
) nels, and the balauce in the canou Of Il
) Truckcc, where the snow seldom falls mo
q than III feet deep. The company expet
d during the year 1867, to be ablc to reach t
q, Big Bend OF the Truckee, to which point
&C road has been permanently located, Il d
C. tance from Sacramento Of one hundred a
&c thirty five miles. Since January, 1865, t
t. company have employed all the labor I'll
[u could be obtained, aud will continue to
r. so us long as the work eau be expedited
employing an increased force. The compa
1t have expended on the road aud equipmcn
e. and tor materials purchased md now in ira
y situ from New York to San Francisco, OF
e IDENTIFY expected by them that the road y
10 be completed to Salt Lake City during
le year 1910.
&c and the reports of the Government Comm
of sioncrs on sections Of the road which ha
J. been accepted by the Government, it can
Is, said, considering the difficulties under Will
IN the company have had to labor. and the
.s- staclcs they have had to surmount In Ct
o structing a railroad through the more di
It cult and mountainous portion Of our co,
try, their efforts have been successful
be building q road which will In every resp
F. IT. "a