The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-03-09
RATE OF SUBSCRIPTIONS.
RATES OF ADVERTIsING.
ZINC PaeInc RaiIron,i

-. ..-..,.--.-...-.-.''---...-....--.S 8 %
Is The Paeinc RaiIrond.
3 Those highly responsible and promi.
nent bankers, Fisk & Hatch, of New
York, advertise in our paper to-day a
very desirable investment, in the shape
OF the gold bearing bonds of the Cen
trail Pacific railroad, now being built
from California to meet the same road
on this side of the Rocky Mountains.
The statements set forth in their aiyer=
tisement speak for themselves, and
coming from such house they can be
relied on with great deal OF conf
dence. Very few persons who are not
keeping a close watch on the move
ment, have any adequate conception of
what is going on in the far West in the
matter of the great railroad that
is to connect us with the Pacif-
ic Coast. And yet it is being
rapidly built under the patronage of
the Government, the progress being on
this end of it, if we mistake not, some
twenty miles per month. The west end
/ is being correspondingly pushed for
ward In year or two cars will be
rnnning through from New York to
California, making trip that now con-
sumes weeks in four or five days. The
telegraph wires already connect us and
the railroad will not lag behind. Such
are the wonders of our times. Nothing
is impossible to the genius OF this age,
We span the ocean with a wire that
gives us each day the news of the old
world, and we are laying a railroad
track across an entire continent that is
bound to be the connecting link be-
tween China and Europe. AS showing
some of the difficulties that beset the
accomplishment of this great work, we
make the following extract from a CAL
fornia letter in the New York World:
The road was seommenced in 1868, but
oppositiOnFaD other drawbacks ham
pered its progress greatly. 1t is now
finished, and the locomotive is running
ntnety-three miles eastward from Sac.
ramento to Cisco Station. Thisis with
in twelve miles of the dread summit of
the Sierras- The elevation above the
sea of each of the principal stations on
the route thus far is as follows: New
castle, thirty-one miles from Sacra-
mento, $50 feet elevations; Colfax, sixty
two miles, 9, ,44S feet; Dutch Flat, sixty
seven miles, 3,575' feet; Cisco, ninety
three miles, SOL feet. the road is now
graded close to the summit, which will
be crossed at an elevation of 1850 feet.
By far the most difficult part of the
road has now been built that from the
summit down the mountains eastward
will be. conparatively easy, and the
grade light In coming up, the highest
allowed grade, lI6 feet to the mile. is
but once reached; the average ascend
ing grade to the summit is but 75 feet to
the mile. In descending the eastward
side of the Sierras, 80 feet will be the
greatest descending grade, and the
average only forty feet. When the
eastern base OF the Sierras is passed
there is almost anatural grade to the
westerly grade of the Rocky Noun
tains. This part of the road can be
built ten times more rapidly and about
as much more cheaply than that already
done, All the hard work came at first
when the company were struggling
with not "A sea only, but seas OF opposi,
ton and while the funds in theirireas-
ury We're not as plenty as now. Had
this road fell into the hands of specIia1
tors IL would probably never have been
built, but itawas taken hold of by a
number of the richest and most enter
prising men in the State. They have
given IL andfare still giving it all their
time, their energies and theirinfiuence,
and above all, their money. All the
county State, and national monetary
aid that was received has been thrown
into the work; and this terrible earnest
ness that has characterized its mama
gers, was what siIenced opposition more
than anything else, so that its former
greatest detractors are now its warmest
friends. And it was no sentimental
wish alone to see the road completed
that made its owners giveito it so Law
ishly. They know we'll the great pres
ent trade and the yet comparatively un-
developed resources of the extremely
rich country that Is waiting for the de-
yelopment that the road will give; and
they know, also, that every dollar ex-'
pended upon it Will come back with
interest in a very near 1uture after its
completion, and that one share in their
hands with the road butt will beworth
two while it is unfinished. ,.s .t-,
The road will be complete to Virginia
City, Nevada, l56 miles from Sacramen-
to in the latter part OF 1867; 70 Austin,
800 miles, by the fall of 1855 TO Salt
Lake City, SIS miles from Sacramento,
in January, 1870; and if not. there met
by the Union Pacific Railroad, the
company will keep on pushing east.
ward until they are stopped by the
Union m its western progress. The
road hus, with its equipment thus far
has cost about $1,000 900, and before it
is entirely finished to the State line, 156
miles from Sacramento, it will cost
about s., ,O00, 600 more. These figures
tell the story of what difficulties had to
be overcome Had not the utmost
carefulness been observed, too, these
figures would have been greatly ex-
ceeded. At first, indeed, it was thought
the cost Of labor would be an insur-,
muuntable obstacle; and it might have
been had not the company inaugurated
a, new industrial weapon by using Chi
namen, of whom they employ some
5000, ar $50 per month. II has been
found too, despite prophesies to the
contrary, that this class of labor is
much more tractable than white, al
most If not quite as effectuaI, man for
man, and about so per cent. cheaper,
In addition to Chinese laborers there
are about 1000 whites employed (all
that can be obtained) who are paid an
average of $40 per month, and are also
boarded, which the Chinese are not.
], 200 horses and mules, and as many
carts are used, and $50 kegs of blast
ing powder, costing 81 per keg, are
dally CONSUMED. These forces are used
on the building of the road alone, and
are exclusive of the force employed on
miles this side OF -the summit of the
Sierfas tine road has had TO be run
through solid granite drilling and
blasting, therefore, are constantly kept
up, and all along this route there are
three gangs of laborers, each of which
work eight hours, the night and day
through, all tie segeil days Of the week.
The earnings of the road have been
IrI II AT1aNT