The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-01-01
NUIEER IIY.
rA4 c-ES.rri. r.s,se ssv,ss.a.
A RECESr RIpE ovKn Tf-Irs GKEAr TUNNELS, ITU.


writer for the Alta, who hss Just gone ovs--
the Central pacdc Railroad from sacrament T..
the summit OF the Sierra Nevada, writing under
i.i- OF November 27th. says;
LET us premise by saying that We start from
the City OF the Plains, as believe the State capt.
tai is poetiealy called, and gliding over the level
plain Of Sacramento valley, tSAyel about fifteen
miles Of uninterrupted smooth epuntry. soon
this IL broken into more unduletlaS and then
rugged country, and by :Ae time ws kSvs gotten
well weary OF our ride, We reach Cis,'0, having
made the dislspce at about rate of twearv niles
an hour, inclnding sioppsges. These stops are
chief ones are Auburn, Colfax. Gold Run. DBtnb
Flsf ara nystsl lake.
Hsfs We ore al Cisco, $3.50 eeet ebovs the ses
.ssel. The weather vas drizE.;nS below us, but at
Crystal Lake we found we had run into tha snG-
line, the ground being white, thongh sloppy, with
'the beautiful snow Here at Cisco we found
four inches OF snow, while At the summit tie snow
Is eighteen inches deep, and still fs'lps az sst sc
counts. or course, this makes travelling by wheel
very difficult, and the stages have been delayed,
not 90 much by the snow itself As the wretehed
condition in which II leaves the soft aad Vafrozen
ground.
There ere abont fifteen tunnels 50 far con-
structed on the road, and they are all known to
the Initiated as number 50 aud so, each tunnel
having name of It's own, beginning with Tunnel
No. I. The king Of the list, however. l. No. 8.
that being the tunnel OF the s1mmit tunnel, as It
is generally called. II ought TO be called No. I.
tor II Is q wonder, surely, and we may well be-
proud that such triumph Of labor and skill has
been executed IN our own State and country.
I" This great bore is 1859 feet long, aud was
about one year in being pat through; It was
commenced on the western side OF the ridge.
September 20, lsCG. and daylight was let through
August ., lse., the Joy De.ns se.44ly anl4hod a
one third OF the time lhat the most experienced
engineers were willing TO admit that it could be
ae:s. sss TsPs,iy vith whicn the work was
finally prosecuted 10 q close, however. was chiefly
due 10 the discovery aud use Of that terrible ex-
posiye compound. nitro glycerine.
Much Of the work, Il Is true, had already been
done before the new explosive agent was adopted,
but II facilitates matters wonderfully when finally
used. Experiments we're commenced la Feb
ruary. on the present year, and, after some con-
siderable delay, the engineers become sufficiently
familiar with the compound to use IL constantly
and safely, after which the work advanced with
accelerated speed, equal TO about fifty per cent.
increase on all former operations. So much for
nitro-gyeerine.
"There are in this immediate region abou. a
dozen tunnels, that number being actually in-
cludedin an area Of two miles and q half. All of
these are of great importance to the work, as
short cuts and means of crcumnavigating what
appeared to be impossible barriers. Most of them
are put through the solid granite formation, and
will stand as long as time shall endure, without
brace, timber or other support. OF these minor
affairs-minor only, comparatively speaking, but
mined any way-tunnel No. presents the finest
front, as il has broad front of fawless granite,
over 100 feet high.
The tunnel Is S75 feet in length, and runs
through this close grained stone, through its
whole length. Tunnel No. s is about one third
of a mile beyond the Summit tunnel, going east,
and when we recollect that in this and all the
other works of a similar character, but few scci-
dents have happened, though vast amounts of
powder and nitro-glycerine have been used, we
can appreciate somewhat the skill and caution Of
the chief engineer of the works.
The bridges on the Central Pacific are all
hnil II nm hot 10 HnOu fha HOtw
Truss model, and are now eleven in number,
making an amount of bridging equal to a half
mile. The obstacles to be overcome by these
works were considerable, and the bridges may
well be considered as noteworthy.
:" Not the least notew orthy of the many curious
things TO be seen on this line OF travel are the
snow galleries. These are something new in the
country, though / have read accounts of their
being used in Europe they were never needed in
America, however. until the Pacific railway was
commenced. They were rooted coverings thrown
over the track in such places are likely to be
blocked by snow, or by the drifting Of the flying
snow. II is expected that about thirty miles Of
this protection against SHOWS will be built, Of
which some six miles are now built; the longest
single roofing is over mile in length.
The track il now laid within nine miles and
half Of the Summit tunnel, and about 20 miles on
the other side OF il. commencing about Is miles
aud half from the summit, making in all about
22t miles TO connect the two points, when the
company will have continuous stretch Of 125
completed in about As days, if severe weather
does rot impede the work. Although there is now
considerable snow on the ground, the engineers
do not expect that the labor will be impeded by
any fall of snow less than four feet; after that
depth is reached the labor Of removing it is too
great to pay.
After this connection, now approaching, Is
made, the greatest obstacle between Sacramento
and Salt Lake, in the way of road building, may
be considered overcome. There will then be left
section Of 600 miles to build, Of which 300 miles
can be built at the rate Of one mile per day. and
the rest-300 miles-wil require about one year
and half to complete, making in all three years
and half to finish the road to Salt Lake.
The Central Pacific expect to be able TO finish
their share of the trans continental road at Fort
Bridger, l20 miles beyond Salt Lake city, and il
the Union Pacific company are fortunate enough,
Notwithstanding Indian fights, expensive transport
tation ETC.. to finish their end in time TO meet US
OF Fort Bridger. and we shall be able to whirI
across the continent from the Sacramento to the
Missouri in three days and half in two years and
a half from this time"