, 1867-08-02
How the Pacinc Railway is Built.

|
construction is furnished by a correspondent oi
the Cincinnati Gazette, who has recently been
with the Senatorial excursion party from Omaha
to the western terminus of the road. He says;
There is really little known by the people o
the character of the enterprise. Most think that
a company of capitalists are hastily putting
moved Win care, IUr tue puIpUsr OF securluE
! lands and money from the Government. The ia CT
Is, that one Of the most complete roads of which
the country can boast, with equipments that
surPass many, is being laid with speed that
ialls TO impress the nation, simply because il is
not believed. But let the facts tell their plain
yet wonderful story
General J. S, and D. c. Easement of Ohio,
grade the road, lay the track; and put up the
telegraph. The graders 60 first. There are
1000 OF them. Their advance is near the Black
Hills. They protect themselves and are digging
the great fortidcatiou which makes the future
sure for US, on through Indian battlefelds, while
the daily fight goes on. Their work is done to
Julesburg.
OF te-getters and wood-choppers there are
800. Their axes resouuding in the Black
hllsi over Laramie Plains, and in the passes of
the Rocky Mountains. They have 100, 900 ties
in these bills awaiting safeguards for trains to
haul them.
A mile in advance of the track-layers are the
squads which place the ties. There are three of
these. First, however, the engineers set their
leveling stakes at distances of 100 feet on the
straight lines and 50 feet on curves. At each of
these points sawed ties are placed and leyeled
| by them Then come two men with measuring
rod. marking of spaces equal to the length of a
| rail, and also the half ofthis space. These sawed
ties are laid by the second squad, to give firm
| support to the ends and middle of each rail
These are placed by sighting along the guide,
ties already laid. The third squad then place
the intermediate ties, and the bed is then ready
for, the iron.
Now go back twenty miles on the road and
look at the immense construction trains loaded
With ties and rails and all things needed for the
work. 1t is like the grand reserve of an army
Six miles back are other trains of like character
These are taat sAcond line. Next, near the ter
minus, and following it hour by hour, are the
boarding cars and construction train, which,
answer to the actual battleline. The one is the
camp-the other is the ammunition used iu the
fight.
The boarding cars each eighty feet long.
Some are fitted with bertbs two are dining
halls one is kitchen, storeroom aud office
Under the whole those men who prefer fresh air
have swung hsmmocks. Rifles are hung over
head, plentiful in number, loaded and convent
ent. The party protects itself without attention
from the Government. The track laying gang
RIP hhfftTS hhfftTS iRqr hundred. Ga the three hundred
sand trHck-repairrrs constantly Improving rhe |
road bed.
The boarding car, 20 in advance. They are
pushed to the extremity of the track cons
struction train then runs up, unloads its MATERIAL |
and starts back to bring another from the second
Ine. The boarding train is then rua back ill
it has cleared the unloaded material
Three trucks, each drawn by two horses, ply |
between the track layers and their supplies.
The horses run outside the track, pulling with
long tow line, as boats moved on canals.
ha of tl,.ax Of thn rlrrnpn
One of their trucks takes on load of rails about
forty, with the proper proportion of spikes and
chairs making load, When the horses are start
ed off on full gallOp for the track-layers. On
each side of these trucks are rollers to facilitate
running off the iron. On reaching the end of
the last rail the truck is stopped. single horse
is attached to move it over each successive rail.
Meantime, the truck last emptied has been
turned on its side to allow the loaded one to 60
to the front. The two horses released are started
back on a keen gallOp for another supply. The
third one moves up in like manner, and thus
through all the day they are rushing forward
with their iron load. To see them, and reflect
what their rushing and roaring means, is as ex'
citing as it ever was to watch a battery thunder
into position at needed moment, at the vital
point in its line,
The rails within reach, parties of five men
stand on either side One in the rear throws
rail on the rollers, three in advance seize II, and
run out with it to the proper distance. Ihe
chairs have meantime, been set under the last
rails placed. Two in the rear, with
single swing, force the end of the rail into the !
chair, and the chief of the squad calls out
down" in tone that equals the " forward" TO
an amy. Every thirty seconds there came that
brave " down, -" down." on either side of the
track. They were the pendulum beats Of
mighty era they marked the time of the march
and its regulation step.
0ua If tha res me N drove
to handing the rail. The horses started as each
rail fell into its place the truck rolled on to
the end of it second rail was projected into
the wilderness, with the same precision and
haste; then came the magic down. the car
moved on again, and another length was accom-
plished
The spikes followed each rail, one party
little in advance of the other. One rail was
fastened at the end and in the middle. The sec
ond party then drew the opposite rail to the ex-
act gague and fastened it at the end and in the
middle. Then came other squads of splkers,
moving along with the precision OF military drill,
each having particular spike to drive, and no
one interfering with another. Track liners fol-
lowed these, and with their crowbars rectihed
the line. The filters came last. One party OF
these filled and packed the spaces at the end aud
middle of the rails the other completed the
intermediate intervals, and the job was lett TIL
the squads of track reporters should come up
anu uulsu tue OhllasNiuB+ eHS 1'4NAo 'NN'N
it, full trains can run over it with safety at
twenty miles an hour.
These the dry details. Let the reader pic
ture the scene. The rush of the loaded track
the successive dropping of the rails in place
the rattle of the spikers hammer, sounding like
a hotly contested skirmish the roar OF the re-
sounding of the frequent signals, near at hand
the universal bustle " the rumble and grumble
and roar of the wonderful advance. Let the
elements of savage warfare, and the actual
presence of hostile Sioux along the bluffs, be
woven into the picture, and together it forms
one that the world has not seen before, and which
the stories of magic can scarcely equal.
Nor is any of this energy wasted If 1t Is
asked, How does the work get on p again let
the facts answer: On the 9Th Of May, 1900, out
forty miles of road was completed. In one nun
dred aud eighty-two working days Thereafter,
two hundred aud forty-five additional miles were
laid and put in prime conditloa, every ran, ue
and spike having been brought up from the rear
Seven saw mills furnish the ties and lumber.