New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-04-17
TIE CENTRAL PACIFIC RlILROAD.
cNossINa rIm sIEnnA NNyNnAs.


TIE chief difficulties apprchcndcd in the COnstruc-
ton Of the great railroad to the Pacific, high noun
tain Crossings and Winter SHOW distinctions prove,
upon practical test. 90 De uot at all formidable. The
two mountain ranges have 20 be crossed vt elevations
OF over 1900 feet or nearly three times the hight Of
any railroad lines hitherto built ON this continent.
Experience shows thatitis entirely practicable, and
shat the deep SHOWS not lity to prove very Sc
lous obstacles. The Central Pacific Railroad of Cal
ifor1ia the end of the great national route
commencing at Sacramento (tide-waterl IN 1865,
encountered at the outset of itS career. the noun
tain difficulty in its worst form the dreaded
Sicrras had TO be overcome within the first hun
Arcd miles I'm November last, however it had car
red it's track nearly to the summit ana htu uoitoii
strded the feasibility of the whole mountain pas
sage with less average engineering lslS'. f f
the Alleghanies crossed, thus diSposg OF one vi
the twin fears. During an unusually Se.Gie Witt
inst closed IL has successfully operated the rOad as
far A but and could have done so over the noun
tainS with equal ease. 1t has had large working
nartes on the Summit Pass so as to convince lts otl-
Gers Lat the other fear of impossible drifts is
equally needless. Only three days have the trains
failed 80 make the regular trips which ~ far less IN
tcrruptiOn than has attended many of the Atlantic
lines
The whole mountain ascent and descent is now in
tile hands of the contractors, and nearly graded de
yelOpng feasible and favorable line the most
difficult portion of which Is now running. From
Sacramento to Cisco Station. the present terminus Is
~ miles, in which 59ll of the total t04S 1ett OF
ascent is made This portion embraces the heaviest
and cosfliest portion of the work The ascent is
tinuous: once gained. it is never lost the average
rate being - feet to the mile; the MAXIMUM llO feet
to the mile. of which there are but - miles. The
bulk of the heavy grade IS at 100 feet 10 the mile,
with numerous level intervals interSpcTsed. Thirty
per cent only of the distance is occupied
Inv curves none "of which have Taai,s OF
less than SIS feet or 10 degrees The Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad has IL miles i'm two stretches
of lG feet grade with curves OF 100 feet radS ana
the Virginia Central for many years worked with The
unaidCd locomotive grades of 20 feet to the mile,
and ruling curves whose Tad were 900 feet. BN
crossing from spur and ridge 10 another piercing
by humber of short tunnels and deep cuts where
necessary the line has been made availab bic for pass
engcr-tTlins run at - miles hour and freight
trains at half that speed. The time consumed III
making the trip including stOppages, IS SIX hours,
with Ordinary engines and trains.
From Cisco TO the Summit most of the heavy rock
cutting is now done The crest of the ridge Is pierced
by tunnel of 65S feet, the longest on the road OF
which about 500 feet remain uncut, and nj when
mon are working night and day the week round, eN,
cayatng at the rate of seven feet per day East OF
the summit the descent is much easier the great IN
terror basin being elevated 1000 feet above the sea
level In IA miles there is fall of llOO toet after
which there is q gentle slope nowhere exceeding ~
feet 10 the mile, eastward toward Salt Lake. There
are Including the Summit Tunnel, IA tunnels I'm all
1000 feet on the portion now grading, tWO-tluS OF
which have been cut out The greater portion OF
tho line is so sheltered by excavations that IT VIII DO
necessary erect sheds IL for two miles only IN
order TO shoot the snOw-sdes clear OF the track
Provision Is made III the larger tunnels ana hcaNy
cuttings for a double track which. from present III
dicatjons will be necessary ut distant day to ac-
COmmOdate the growing traffic. Ten thousand men,
mostly Chinese labOTcIs, are employed on the WORK,
the heavy parts of which are in forward state, ana
it Is confidently believed that IN july next the loco
The following table will show the rate of progress
and the elevation above the sea level: