The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1868-10-08
The Pennsylvania Railroad.


Eight hundred and twenty-three miles
separate Philadelphia from the great in
land port Of Chicago, and nine hundred
and ninety eight lie between the Pennsyl-
vania capital and the Mississippi river
town of St. Louis, with which it is CON
nected by four different railways, whilst
the great through route between the two
former places is formed of two railroads.
the Pennsylvania Central, and the Pitts
burg, Fort Wayne and Chicago, which has
a joint terminal station at the former place
with the first named line; so that only one
change of carriages is necessary in travel
ing the entire distance that change being
effected under one station roof.
The Pennsylvania Central railroad is
one of the best constructed, equipped and
organized lines In the States Its forma-
tion presented formidable difficulties to the
engineer, and its course lies through a re-
gion rich with the mineral wealth of iron
and coal, which crop out upon the hill
sides, and show sectional seams In the deep
cuttings through which the railway in part
takes its way. Speaking broadly, the line
of route from ciiduleUUwn, Ninety six mics
west of Philadelphia follows the course OF
| the Susquehanna and its tributaries, the
,Juniata and little Juniata rivers, to their
source on the east side of the Allegheny
range of mountains, which the railway as
cends to height of 2,276 feet, descending
on the other side to follow for fifty miles
the channel of the western watershed,
which. under the title of the Conemaugh.
effects junction with the Allegheny river
and helps to swell the food OF the Ohio
ffty-fve miles beyond, at the Pittsbure
peninsula.
The entire length of the Pennsylvania
Central Railway is 355 miles it was com,
menced thirty-seven years ago under the
title of the Philadelphia and Columbi;
railway, the terminus of which was on the
east bank of the Susquehanna, and where
the passengers and freight were received
on board canal boats, and carried westward
by the extensive canal system, which was
at that time in active operation. Thi.
road crossed the Schuylkill river at Phila
delphia, on timber viaduct 9S4 feet long
so feet wide and 80 feet above the water
level 1t then assembled an inclined plane
with grade of one in fifteen. worked by q
stationary engine of sixty horsepower
this plane was 935 yards long, with rise
of 187 feet The nature of the country
for the whole length of the line necessita
ted steep gradients and heavy works, fol
the first 50 miles, which brought the rail
way to Lancaster the inclinations varied
between 1 in 10 and ! in $50, which
were heavy grades in that early period o.
railway construction. Some of the cutting
on the road were forty feet in depth, anc
one embankment was eighty feet high
The road entered its terminal station a
Columbia by an inclined plane 500 fee
long, and rising ninety feet, also WORKED
by stationary engine
, Another division from Hollidaysburg a
the foot of the Alleghanies, on the caster
side, to Johnstown, thirty miles dis
tant. crossed the mountain summit at al
elevation of s, 500 feet above the sea Ievel
, Johnstown was originally the point Of ship
ment for iron brought from the neighbor
, ing mines In the Juniata district ant
r foated in fat boats down the Conemaugl
2 1t lies at the junction of the Western ID
} vision of the Pennsylvania Canal and th
Portage railway, at the Point where "a trif
j utary flows into the Conemaueh river
a Both these streams penetrate countr
o rich in coal and iron, and this miner;
i wealth has given to Johnstown extensiy
= blast furnaces, iron works and other indus
r trial manufactures. The Cambria Iro
O works is one of the largest establishment
in America. They occupy an area
) about $4,000 acres, and are situated in
! narrow valley, where the richest deposi
It of iron ore, bituminous coal, fre-clay an
; limestone lie in strata contiguous to cac
r other. The principal yein of carbonate
5 iron, adjoining the furnaces aud rollir
|, mills, lies over the ceal measures, abo,
/, 200 feet above the bed of the, Conemaug
E and 60 #. above the top Of the furnace