The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-04-28
The Central Pacific Railroads
How il is constructed.

The Central Pacific Railroad
How il is constructed.
1t was in January, 1863, that the frs
stroke of work was done at Sacramento
toward constructing a railway across the
continent. At that time, several enter
prising gentlemen OF that city, Ex-Governor
Leland Stanford, his brother, Judge Crock
er, an eminent lawyer, and his brother
Mr.. Charles Crocker, Of large business
experience, took long look ahead. They
saw that there was vast mining region
north and east. which produced nothing
but the precious metals-a country where
the consumption of provisions. supplies and
goods of every kind was enormous. The
demand was constantly increasing.
These gentlemen had already constructed
wagon road over the Sierra Nevada range,
having obtained a charter from the State
to construct toll road. 1t was a profta-
Bile enterprise. They obtained a pretty
correct idea in regard to the amount OF
business done, and laid their plans for the
future.
Not content with the wagon road, they
took hold of the Pacific Railroad enter
prise, at which most people gravely shook
their heads. The Legislature of Califor-
MIA, TO help it on, granted subsidy Of
SI5OOOO0.
Work was commenced at Sacramento
carrying the line for long distance on
trestle-work, over the river bottom, then
through level country about twenty miles
to the outlying knobs and ridges of the
Sierra Nevada. There were two routes
to choose from-one north, through Beck
withs Pass, the other up the ridge be-
tween the American River and Bear
Creek, to the Truckee Pass, through which
Fremont made his entrance to California.
The last was chosen, because it would give
railroad facilities to the Carson Valley of
Nevada.
The route through Beckwith's Pass is
easier, has less altitude, and is less liable
to interruption from snow, but other con-
siderations induced the Company to adopt
the present line.
DIFFICULTIES.
By the railroad, following all the curves,
it is only los miles from Sacramento to
the summit of the Sierra Nevada. Sacra-
mento is "a feet above tide water. while
the track on the summit is 7,043 feet.
The little station called Rockhn is %
miles northeast of Sacramento, at the edge
Of the plain, 269 feet above Sacramento
from that point to the summit is SO miles,
in which distance the engineer was obliged
to select route which would enable him
to overcome an elevation of 6,774 feet
or nearly 50 feet per mile for the entire
distance
The ridge between the American River
and Bear Creek, both tributaries of the
Sacramento, is a series of hills, spurs,
ravines, deep gullies, gorges and preci-
pices. How to get over, or around them
how to always hold what had been gained
Of elevation-how to it curve to tangent,
and tangent to reversed curve-how to
avoid roek-cutting and deep filling-how
to avoid projecting spurs on the one hand
and deep ravines on the other, with curves of
small resistance-was the grand question
1t was found that a uniform grade of 50
feet 10 the mile could not be had; that
there we're long reaches where a grade of
1l6 feet to the mile, with frequent re-
versed curves, must be resorted to. Twenty
years ago, no engineer would have thought /
it possible to construct and work road I.
under such conditions, but the science Of 1
ike almost everything else. /
has had wonderful expansion. Now, en-
gineers say there is nothing which can not .
be overcome. Five years ago, even, people |
said that railroads could not be constructed |
across the continent, but now we have
discovered that we can build them any
where, and at rate perfectly astonishing
10 the people of the old world.
In constructing this road, the engineer
passes from the American Valley to the
Bear Valley, then back again, threading
lis way along ravines-now on the edge
If precipice where we look down l,500
eet into deep blue canon now crossing
gorge on bridge 265 feet high-higher
han Bunker Hill Monument by more than
10 feet In some places he found the clay
# such slippery nature that thousands
# carloads slipped from the road-bed
nto the nelghboring valley. In other
ocalities, the entire hillside-acres of land
came down upon the track. burying it
ut Of sight; but patience, perseverance,
nd ten thousand Flooding Cinnamon have
vercome all obstacles.
TUNNELS.
In the distance of So miles there are 13
lnnels, as follows: No. l, 500 feet; No.
300 feet; No. 3, 2SO feet; No. 4. IS
,et; No. 5, l2s feet; No. 6, 1869 feet
summit No. Z, 100 feet No. 8, 375
,et; No. 9, 223 feet No. 10, 525 feet
70. IL, $40 feet; No u, 342 feet No.
3, 1868 feet; total, $3.50 feet.
Most of these tunnels are through hard ]
ranite. In addition, there is an immense
mount of rock-cutting along the mountain :
des. where gunpowder and nitro-glycerine !
ave been freely used. Even in the earth l
the contractors have found it Q
ro6table to blow up the bills, loosening a
lousands of tons of solid earth at a single s
scharge- To ride over this line, to see s
DIV the work has been done, to behold |