The weekly Butte record., 1867-07-20
How the Pacific Railroad is Built.

We have already noted the rapid progress made
by the constructing parties who are laying down
the track of the Union Pacific Railway. The best
explanation of the actual process of construction
is furnished by correspondent of the Cincinnati
Ga-ette who has recently been with the Senate
rial excursion party from Omaha TO the western
of the road. He says:
There is really little known by the people of the
character of the enterprise. Most think that a
company of capitalists are hastily pntting down a
rude track. which cars can be moved with
care for the purpose of securing lands and money
from the Government. The fact 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 fails to impress the nation,
simply because il Is not believed. Bu. let the facts
tell their plain yet wonderful story.
General J. 5. and d. c. Easement, of Ohio. grade
the road lay the track, and put up the telegraph.
The graders go first. There 1000 of them.
Their advance Is near the Black Hills. They pro-
tect themselves and are digging the great tortca-
ton which makes the future for Us. on through
Indian battle fields, while the daily fight goes or.
Their work is done to JuleShurg.
OF tie getters and woodchoppers there i.jo0.
Their axes are resouuding in the Black Hills
Laramie Plains, and III the passes ,f the Rocky
Mountains. They have IG0 Q0J ties in these hills
awaiting safeguards tor trains to haul them.
mile in advance OF the trac&-layers are the
squads which place The ties. There are three ct
these. First however. the engineers set their lev
cling stakes at distances OF loo feet the straight
lines and 50 feet on the carvnS. At each OF these
points sawed ties are placed aud iaveled hy them
Then come Two men with a measuring rod, mark
ing off spaces equal to the length of a rail- and ao
the halt OF this 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 10y
sighting along the guide-ties already laid. The
third squad then place the nerm ediate ties, and
the bed is then res ady 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. It Is
Ike the grand reserve OF an army. SIX miles back
are other trains Of Ike character. These are the
second line. Next near the terminus, and follow
ing it, hour by hour, the boarding and
construction train, which answer To the actua bat
lie line. The one is the oamp-the other is the
ammunition nsed in the fight.
The boarding cars are each eighty feet long.
Some are filled with berths: two are dining halls;
one is kitchen, store-room and office. Under the
whole those men who prefer fresh-air have swung
hammocks. Rifles are hing overhead. plentiful III
number, loaded. and convenient The party pro
tecS itself without attention from the Govern neut.
The track aving gang numbers tour hundred. On
the three hundred and fifty miles already built
there are one thousand track 1epairers constantly
improving the road bed.
The boarding cars go in advance. They are
pushed to the extremity of the track; a construc-
ton train then runs up, unloads its material. and
starts back to bring another from the second line
The boarding train Is then run back until il has
cleared the unoaded material.
Three trucks each drawn by two horses. ply be-
tween the track layers and their supplies. The
horses run outside the track, pulling with-a long
tow line. as boats are moved on canals. They must
be ont Of the way of the wOrkmeD. One OF their
trucks takes on a load of rails, about forty. with
the proper proportion Of spikes and chairs. making
load. when the horses start of on a full gailop
for the tracklayers. On each side OF these tracks
are rollers 10 facilitate raining of the iron. On
reaching the end of the last rail the truck is stop
ped. \ single horse IS attached to move II over
each Successive rail. Meantime the truck last emp
tied has been tarned its side 10 allow the loaded
one 10 go to the front. The two horses released
are started back on keen caliop for another sup
ply. he third one moves up in like man ner, and
thus through all the day they rushing forward
with their iron load. To see them, and reflect what
their rush and roaring means Is as exciting as II
ever to watch a battery Thunder into position
at needed moment. al the vital point in its line
The rails within reach. parties Of five men stand
on either side. One in the rear throws rail upon
the rollers. three in advance seize it. and run out
with it 10 the proper distance. The chairs, mean:
time, have been placed nnder the last rails placed.
The two men in the rear, with single swing.
force the end OF the rail into the chair. and the
chief CT the SQUAD calls out down.. in tene that
equals the --iorward TO au army Every thirty
seconds there came that brave down, down,
on either side OF the track. They were the pendu-
Of the march and its regulation step.
One of the rear men drove the cars, in addition
to handling the rail. The horses started as each
rail fell into its rlace: the trnck rolled on to the
end Of Il; second rail WIS rejected into the viii
derness, with the same precision and haste; then
came the magic down" The ear moved on again,
and another length was accomplished. =
Two spikers followed each rail. one party a little
in advance of the other. One rail was fastened at
the end and 81 the middle. The second party then
drew the opposite rail to the exact guase and fast
ened il al the middle and the end. Then came
other squads of spkeFs, moving along at the pre-
Cision cf military drill, each having 4 particular
sDk u drive and no one interfering With another.
Track liners followed these, aud with theiF crow
bars Tectified the line The filters came last. One
party of these filed and packed the spaces at the
ends and middle Of the rails: the other completed
the Intermediate Intervals ana the Joo Was eit TIL
the squad OF track repaiTers should came up and
finish the bsiisstng. But the filters leave It,
fuh trains can run over 1t with safety at twenty
miles an hour.
These are the dry details. Let the reader pic
ture the scene The Tasa ot the loaded truck: the
successive dropping Of the rails in place; the rattle
al the spikeF-s hammer. sounding Ike q hot.y con
fFeqUeat sign Is near al haAd; the universal bus
tie; the rumble and Crambie and rear Of the
wonderful aivanee- Let the elements Of savage
warfare, and the actual presence of hostile Sioux
along ttezl,iuas be woven into the pctare and To-
sether it forms one that the world has not seen be
fore and which the stories of magic can scarcely
equal
Nor Is any Of this energy wasted. If it Is asked
How does the work get On. again let tie fact
answer. On t1e 9th OF May. l>55. but forty miles
Of road were completed. In one hundred aud eighty
two working days thereafter hundred and fort,
condition, every rail and lie and spike having beer