The New York herald., 1866-09-25
TRIP OYER THE CEyTRlL PACIFIC RAILROAD
paosstss OF the LINE TOWARDS COMPLETION.
Our San Francisco Correspondence.

Il
work has done. Then or tho Pacific coast can
visit homes; for in spite OF devotion to- this
the land OF adoption, 10 brthpaces our heavy
| sl give the endcarng name OF homo. say we can
visit old homes In the Atlantic States without having
to make tirosome sweitering passage OF
ty-one days and without having TO make crcuitous
1 journey Of 1000 miles.
The progress that Is being madc with tho road this
side Is most rapid Nearly 10000 laborers and ! 800
horses and mules arc employed and when heavy cuts
deep filings experienced work is kept up night and
| day In the seven days Of the week.
The road is finished and tho running from
this the capital Of the State to Alta station distance
Of 10 miles, and by October tho cars Will be running to
point % miles from Sacramento, and within 12 Of tho
summit ridge Of the great range, which viii be crossed
at altitude Of To42 feet above the sea level This Is
avery low summit crossing, will be when state
that there five mountains in tho vicinity which have
elevation OF H. 900 feet, and about so peaks
which rise TO height Of 5000 Professor Whit.
ney, our State Geoegst thinks that this portion OF
State contains tho greatest OF mountains, for
width and average elevation to be found In the United
States The highest point found had an elevation Of
over Is 600 feet "Fremonts Peakn Is in this vicinity
and has tough recoections for that generals stomach
doubt he having been compelled to dine upon mulo
meat there Most industrious surveying alone discov.
cred such low summit crossing point.
The abruptness OF the elevation between the foot hills
and the summit, distance Of only 90 miles, at first
thought to be such ah obstacle in the way Of the building
of the road that assere by many that good curves
and anything liko gradually ASCENDING attitudes Of feet
to the mile would be impossible Ynt be,o again careful
and widely extended surveying reduced -at obstacles
The grades as follow: From Sacramento to aicb
Flat 6s miles, the highest ascending grade TO the mile
Is los feet and the average only 70: from Dutch Flat
Blue Canon 10 miles-the maximum grade allowed by
government Ql9 feet 20 tho mlicj reached eral
times but the longest rlano cont. ,o,,h !, fA,
grade is only mica AMI after Blus Canon i. possed
il Is new. rAa.-a again From the latter point to tho
summit a distance Of 26s miles 90 feet TO the mile -
the highest grade used while h In this distance
is only 81 The maximum altitude reached on the iialti
more and Ohio Railroad Is only 1915 feet and upon "
the grade limit allowed by government has repeatedly
been reached, at one point for plane Of llh mcs.
The curvature system the Central Pacific road
superior 10 that on the Baltimore and Ghio with very
much greater natural obstacles TO contend with than
experienced the last road ihe sharpcst the
Central Pacific road hns radius OF 573 feet 10
degree only while the sharpest upon the Baltimore
and Ohio has only 400 feet radua or Is IA degree and
The heaviest cut encountered at Tunnel Hil is 500
feet through The hill was lis feet high 46o 600 cubic
yards of earth taken out Of this cut The material
was Of sliding soapstone nature, and to prevent the
possibility OF accident SIX broad bcnches soping back
in the side OF the hill There many other
very heavy cuts; but this have said is the largest
At Blue Canon the heaviest filing on the road was
encountered II is 500 feet long, IS feet high in the
CENTRE and cubic yards OF earth required TO
| fill lit
The largest bridge has a length OF 200 feet and is
ll5 feet high. II Is buit of WOOD but will
| be substituted.
Only tunnels viii be used from Sacramento and
inclusive OF the summit tunnel Tho last will b. GOO
feet long which four longer than. any of tho
others will be. IL will be- cut through solid granite
For thirty miles this sdo OF he summit gran ia almost
constantly met with, and blasting s the great weapon
used in driving the grand work through the irn ribbed
mountains 900 kegs OF powacr manufactured AZ SANTA
lrtr I'm hia Gfntn rnIIfn 0nrk kaV nE Httlv
and the nearer the working parties approach the ummt
the the demand for powder Increases Nitro gly
tried, upon small scale, sometime ago and
great satisfaction, and could u be used with safety
| would be grand and couom'ca weapon IN b!astiIg
| much wanted on tho road at present
the ouIvers upon built Of granite, and in
the solid manner. The ditch system Is 80 perfect
that Drain is furnished 10 lead every little stream u
water the cuvers and thus prevent the possibility Of
washing away Of the embsnkmcnts. IL Is claimed that
get at the embankments and IT. OF course viii have
tendency TO improve, by settling and making thom more
| solid.
Heavy SHOWS fan In the upper regions OF tho serras In
winter, three feet in night being not an uncommon
fall But Il lies loose, irosis and the cold nppns winds
Of the Atlantic States being rare. Snow poaghs, With
two three locomotives, will be used IN deep snow
The plonghs will throw sixty feet Clearing par
ties will be stretched all along the line in winter; md
| where there s danger from slides at low ponts
horizontal solid iimberng WIN DO placed over the road
| Although snow was supposed at frat 10 be great OBJ
sace IN the way OF the successful running Of the rad
In winter tears whaever entertained now but
that any obstacles il may place way will be easily
overcome without interference with every day travel
Tho road, for az completed, IA built Ia the most
lasting aud thorough manner, and taken through and
| through. contains very many great engineering
| riumphs II s every way worthy Of and will be
ument to the ability Of American engineering
That portion Of the road betNssl te Atlantic and tho
PaclMc where nature has placed ~ sr the greatest ~
staces TO be met with J. already either nnshed
Will be- The work Of running the road down TIC east
dscilyy OF tho serras, towaris Virginia City. Ne
| yada will be attended with much less difficulty than
that experienced on The westward side When Tho
Tckeo river n reached thirteen mites from the sum
4 mi
Rocky Mountains IL reached ami can bc along az
the rate of one and quarter mhcs per day The baid
ng of The road over the Rocky Mountains will o. ycry
much easier than the task OF rossug the Serras has
proved the altitude 70 tho summit o. the nrsi bong
As Congress hiely gave lie company permission to
continue their progress eastward until h,y by
line coming westward, they arc rushing tic
great work along as rapidly - isvlsn expenditure ~
money and material will slow Of They ~ii be. tho
road running 70 Virg MA Cy, Nevada, ~ the fal ~
1907, and fully expect 70 rattle The locomotive bel n
Bris ham Young ears, IN salt Lake CITY In hrcg
from next January and u no' thcn ,opped Y 'h,4r
eastward progress By the Ihon iae c Railroad coming
| westward, vil most willingly keep On stretching 0ut
their IRON fingers, grupng territory and o'her adsan
ages until they collide With toe Union pachr aud tic
graua aud glorious work Of spanning the continent wh
ron aud tho commercial q the two oceaLs -
OF course tho Union Pacific viii gasp All Il can and
consequently healthy sp'nt ~ business rvairy has
earliest possible completion q the work, for which we
| "a hsy said 6ont 10 900 laborcrs arc employed
| about 90 oiw are Cbinamen The last paid 20
| rer mOnih, .8ld, and lnd themsel, os; tho white
| aborefs Rd from ESQ 70 f35 and ARE found. The
| company viii eagerly employ 1000 TO- 900 more
abolefs at these prices; nbor need not 20 begging
| for 4 market Tor here " a yaet field for H.
In addition 70 being tho longest this viii undoubtedly
b. by the most profitable raruad IN the world Even
now IT, income IS immense. Unlike any other road II
will have TO wait for the gradual building ~ " a
trade The trads of ons of hs richest portions of ca.
f0nia all that ~ Nevada Utah. Montana, Idaho, Nc, IL
not Simply waiting for IL but n 0usly praylns Tor
ts completion The cost 81 trarpor nton now by sual-
Ike teams i 80 extremely heA.y n 70 amount .
very many things to actual prohibition aud las pratt.
cay a complete stand ati effect upon the mining Inter.
ess for no nncs, q rule, matter hov rich can -
probably worscd while freight upon nah merry and
every necessary ~ e Is 90 extremely high. All thts
Will ba changed by the completion 0f lhe road. Whom
IL 4 mpletad New York snd san Franisco VIII become
tue head commercial cities ~ the world, and the latter
Will at step into her natural pUon ~ the scc nd
city in importance of the continent
IA - bcaullfal ami sub me scenery, 10 t. mineral