Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1867-12-25
THE CALIFORNIA END OF THE PACIFIC
RAILROAD.


RAILROAD
A California correspondent describes in a
graphic way the difficulties and hardships incident
to building the California end of the Pacific rail-
road over and through the Sierra Nevadas -
At Crested Peak the rugged precipice towers
above YOU thousand feet with it, shattered sides
looking dreadhlly ii they wanted to drop an
immense fragment of rock on your head. The
engineers were itin to tie themselves with ropes
as they surveyed along here. When the Chinese
were brought to begin the excavation, 1t is said
the Ceestials mildly demonstrated They would
not object to anything reasonable, but thousand
feet of precipice below them with a thousand more
above them and hanging on by the skin of their
teeth, Il heroism OF labor to which they did
not aspire. They were encouraged, however, TO
begin at the beginning, and as the ntro-glycerine
hurled the gnarled rocks down the mountain and
far into the valley, Chinese courage rose again to
It's maximum. In winter however, work here is
simply impossible. Avalauches accumulate on
Crested Peak, and breaking away, no one knows
when, come crashing down the mountain side
The wagon road, which in summer winds along
lust at the foot of ths monatain, betakes itself in
winter to respectful distance. Twenty-Five in
all of the railroad workmen were lost last winter
from this cause. One of the contractors, who had
taken retaining wall TO build along tits steep
mountain side, concluded to work at it under the
snow. He actually dug a tunnel through the
snow, on the line of the WALL and worked at the
masonry there in the cosest manner imaginable.
The accumulation Of driited snow above him was
somewhere from forty to a hundred feet, and it
was packed so closely that pick was found con-
yenient in making his tunnel. No difficulty was
experienced in that Siberian retreat, but some of
the masons met with their death from incautiousy
exposing themselves in their house by the road
side 60 an avalanche about 20 fall. Fifteen were
buried and so caught between the timbers of the
building that, though only few were killed. three
only were able to get out of their " hunks,n and
try to dig their way out. These were found by
u rescuing party, and the others also saved
The business of tunneling, to which engineers
usually object is on this line, of the luXuries.
That can be carried on. summer and winter, when
nothing else can be dore. Hence, instead Of run
ming over the summit as might heve been done
(though with worse location beyond), the en-
gneers started down grade several hundred feet
back, and run down through tunnel one thousand
six hundred aud thirty-six feet long. The road is
scarcely out Of this before it enters another one
of three hundred ieot, and then another and 9th
ers, till within two miles it has treated itself TO
soyen tunnels in rapid succession, having a total
length OF three thousand nine hundred and sixty
nine feet Summit tunnel is No 6 and we walk
ed down through Nos. Z, 8, o, 10, IL and ~.
Tunnel No. l3 is where the nose OF the promon-
tory looking out on Donner lake is pierced.
Tunnel No II behaved badly, the middle of il
ca,ilg in aud making timber casing necessary.
Tunnel No. / was still worse, and required cas-
ing all through. Tho material is so loose that it
is necessary first to run a small heading sup
ported by umbers then to work down on each
side, and put in temporary shores till the core is
taken out, when the permanent timber arch is put
in, and carefully illed over.