The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1867-06-22
The CenzgnE Pacific Railroad or
California.

D~N~-N~ ASNA~~
The Pacific Railroad is to owe its anfici-
pated early completion (1S70) to three
causes; the unequalcd material intensity
Of California life and enterprise; the OPP
perfume interpositioD Of the cheap Chinese
labor; and the judicions subsidy Of the
national government, which allow each
company--that building from the west
and that building from the cast--all the
road it can build. with the loan Of nations,
al bonds TO the amount OF $50, 900 miIap
for the same The Californians have
shown their mettle in this cefDpetition,
and have driven their end Of the road
forward with an energy that has accom-
rlished wonders. The whole mouptain :
ascent and descent il now nearly graded
and most Of the heaviest portion compile
ted and running The chief difficulties
Of the undertaking had to be encountered
on that part of the line. The dreaded
barrier Of the Sierras. of impossible altis
Etuce and obstructed with impossible
SHOWS in their season was met in the first
Zone hundred miles. Before bold deter
mination and able engineering these diff
culties have dwindlcd 30 that, considering
the relative prices of all things, the road has
not proved after all so much "steepero in.
cost or grade than some others built long
before, and the expected impossible SHOWS
have proved sufficient to make only three
days interruption Of trains 10 whole win
ter as severe as the last The estimated
cost OF the Dinety-four miles 10 operation.
since last fall, with the remaining eleven
miles 10 the summit, was above that ofany
road heretofore built, having been fixed
at sSs. 400 per mile. against about $780,
900 for the Hudson River and New York
and Erie, and s8l ,273 for the Boston and
Providence. Nearly s15,000.0 900 have
been expended on the above "a miles with
about one third Of the work on the next
25 miles and liberal equipment Of rolling
stock. When $50 miles are completed,
which is expected in July next, the cost
~ work will be done, and the total con-
struction cost will be, it is now supposed,
about s15, 900 900. or 800, 900 per mile.
There will then remain SIS miles to Salt
Lake City, which it is supposed will be
built for $50. 900 per mile, and in one
fourth the proportional time Of building
the mountain section. One hundred miles
of this are promised Us by the end of 1867,
making ESQ in all. ~.
The average ascent on the California
side is IS feet to the mile: the heaviest
grades completed being I05 feet. Ofthe
grades of the II miles remaining we have
no parulars. The time now occupied
| By trains is siy hours. thus mining
nearly sixteen miles an Lour. Four
teen tunnels have been made or are making
Ioagest OF WINCH. piercing the crest UE Tlrs
summit, Is 1868 feet in length, and
lacks 500 feet os being completed but
| is going forward with a large force
Of hands, working night and day
Protection from snow slides has to
be provided in some places by sheds
adapted to shoot the snow slides across and
clear of the taack. Tvs miles of these
sheds willbe required. The highest eleva-
ton is 7.042 feet ssaboye the sea level. or
threetimes as high asrMlroads have ever be-
fore been constructed on this continent
Largc working parties have been employ
singularly when we think of the exploring
party under Fremont. that perished almost
entirely in-the attempt to pass the SHOWS
of the Sierras few years ago. The earn
ings of thesroad are already nearly s1O,-
600 mile per annuln, in its fragmenfary
condition; aud even without natural
growth and the addition of through traffic
would yield at the same rate handsome
profit for the whole capital to be invested.
II Scientific American. f