The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-11
The Pacific Railroad.
Correpondencs Of the Baltimore Amtricd'1.

THE WORKERS.. 1.
As the great idea of railroad from the Allan.
tic to The Pacific came TO iruitiop during tue
throes of Rebellion, so, also, TO the men who
conquered the rebellion Is its rapid realization
to be ascrlbed. Without the men VINO tougnt
in the ranks OF our army, it IS 70 be doubted
whether this great enterprise could have been a
success. Nine out OF every ten oil the men Who
are now working on the line of this raIiroad
have been in the army aud from there have
brought the habits oil discipline, lne temper ot
hardy reliance, and the love of an adventurous
open-air life which has made them the best
railroad builders in the world. One can see
all along the line OF the now completed
road the evidences of ingenious self.prolecton
and defense which our men learned during tue
war. Tue same curious huts and underground
dwellings which were common sight along
our army lines then, may now be seen burrowed
into the sides of the hills or built up with ready
adaptabity in sheltered spots. Tue whole
organization of the force engaged in the con-
struction of the road 49, in fact, semi.miltary.
The men who go ahead, locating the road, are
the advanced guard. Following these is the
second liue, cutting through the gorges, grading
the road, aud building bridges. Then comes
the main line OF the army, placing the sleepers,
laying the track, spking down the rails, per-
fectiDg the alignment, ballasting the rail, and
dressing up and completing the road for imme-
date use. This army of workers has its base, to
continue the figure, at Omaha, Chicago, and
still further eastward, from whose markets are
collected The material Tor constructing the road.
Along the line of the completed road are con-
struction trains constantly pushing forward Ito
the 'front.' with supplies.
LAYING THE RAILS.
We have read at the East of this railroad ad-
vancing at the rate of three miles day, and
have given it q doubling credence, believing
that it was only under exceptional crCum
stances, and to meet special emergencies that
such rapid progress could be made. 1t needed
an actual inspection to show how regular and
constant Is this progress, and to rightly under
stand the magnitude OF the work that is daily
accomplished in pushing the road towards the
Pacific.
At the risk of being prolix, if not tedious,
must endeavor to place before the readers OF the
american some idea of the scene that aroused
alike the wonder and admiration OF our company
when the lend OF the track" was reached. For
some miles back we had encountered the rear
guard of the army OF workers, and as we
neared the scene of their labtrs the line
and sides OF the road we're black with their
busy-mOvng forms. Here were long Coustruc-
ton trains thr, nged with men throwing off
rails and cross-ties, AT their sides were scores
of teams, constantly going and coming and
carrying forward these materials to the hands
Of the workers. The cross-ties are carried for
ward about mile beyond the eud Of the track,
distributed along the line of the graded road,
TO which they are quickly transferred, leyeled,
aud prepared for the advancing iron. The rails,
after being taken from the construction train,
are placed upon trucks, each drawn by two
horses, which ply between the track layers aud
the supplies. The process of laying the rail is
thus:- One of these trucks, carrying a certain
number of rails, with q proper proportion of
spikes and fish joints TO connect the rails is run
out to the extremity OF the last rail lali, but not
yet spiked down. On each side ana IN front of the
truck are two gangs OF men. Every man is in
the RIGHT place, and does the right thing al the
right time. Hardly has the truck halted when
a rail is seized on each side, run out, and with
swing which requires muscle as well as deX-
terity, thrown into its place. We stord for over
an hour, timing this wonderful progress. With
the regularity OF a pendulum beat, every thirty
seconds there resounGed the "down,n "do wn,"
from the chief of the squad on each side and in
mi rD Ia add cd IN T1Ith
of the iron road. As the supply of material on
end off the rails and the next truck came for
ward with new supply. The loaded trucks
having passed, the empty ones are thrown again
upon the ran and started back at full gallop to
the construction trains TO be again laden and in
turn carried forward. Thus, upon the main
track, and advancing each mile as it progresses
so as to be always close to the workers, are the
boarding cars or homes of the men, the con-
| struCtiOn trains daily coming and going with
! supplies, and the active little trucks plying
backwards and forwards. On the slopes adjoin-
ing the line of the road herds of beeVes and
| sheep are led, and, in their turn, help to feed
! the workers. While we stood watching the
scene, and taking in its wonderful organization
and results, mile of road was built, and the
whole caraVansarie-the army OF workers, with
their homes construction trans herds of cattle
etc, advanced over the rail LAID where a few
hours before there had been but q wild and
vacant plain.
THE COMPLETION OF THE ROAD.
Rapid as is the progress now making in the
construction of the road, it is contemplated to
increase the speed of its advance. At Laramie
! we met DR.. Durant the Vice President and
| general manager of the Company who is the
! great generator of the energy aud deteTmna-
! ton with which the enterprise is pushed. He
! has summoned General Dodge, who Is the Chief
| Engineer of the Company, the contractors, and
| other mead Centres" to general council, at
which is 10 be discussed the ways and means of
| securing constant advance of track at the ra e
| OF four miles per day for the remainder of the
working season. This is to be done by placing
on extra gangs of workmen and thus increasing
the number of hours of work each day.
! When 1t was announced that the road from
| the Missouriiriver TO the Pacific would be com.
| pleted in 1870, the prediction was greeted with
more ridicule than credence. There is now an
almost absolute certainty that the last rail will
be laid and the cars running from ocean to
ocean in the fall of 1862 Less than eight hun
dred miles are now intervening between the
| present end of the Central Pacific Railroad
| which has penetrated and triumphed over the
| Sierra Nevada Mountains, and the end of the
track OF the Union Pacific Railroad. By the
close OF the working season the Union Pacific
| Will have reached Salt Lake, while less but
still considerable advance will have been made
! by the Central Pacific Road from the Pacific
! side. During the winter much work will be
| done IN rock cutting, tunnelling, etc, SO that
| IN the spring both Companies will be prepared
! lot the most active and vigorous progress which
yet been achieved.
| THE CHARACTER OF TIE ROAD.
The road is a good one, well and solidly laid
| with heavy rail and tWenty-siX hundred cross
ties 10 the mile, over which the cars travel
Nrytfh l, 81. HaV,N