The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1869-10-14
The louisville, New Albany & st..
LOufS Railroad.

WELL is pursuing.
The Louisville, New Albany & Sc
Louis Railroad
The Chief Engineer of this enter
prise, /. M. ST. JOHN, has made hii
preliminary survey, and his report tc
the Directors is published in full, in
the New Albany Ledger of Monday
1t gives in detail the character of diff
ferent route dividing the Indiana
portion Of the road into five divisions.
We have not room for the report in
full, but copy the summing.up, as be-
ing of interest to our readers. The
Engineer says:
The length of lines In the Indiana
Division, both upon the route calcu-
lated and upon the two connecting
lines, with their calculations nearly
completed, will range upon the maps
of the preliminary survey from 1l3 to
lib 40 miles.
These distances are between five
and six per cent. of the air line dis
lance, a variation small even as COM
pared with the easy country of the
Northwestern Railroads; and this
distance may be slightly reduced in
location.
The Southern route, Surveyed as
stated, to embrace a desirable local
trade will be somewhat longer, yet
certainly within the limits OF just
consideration of competing routes.
AS to the engineering characterize
les of these lines: Your company de-
sires survey and estimates for a first
class road, and one preparing to place
Louisville and New Albany upon an
attractive route of through travel,
from the Pacific Railroad and st.
Louis West, to leading points East,
and for passenger speed of at least
thirty miles an hour. This, of course,
controlled the survey in grade align
ment, and in the estimate of cost.
The experimental lines we're accord
lngly run for a maximum grade OF
sixty feet per mile, and a minimum
radius OF 900 feet. But upon the
short Knob grade so close to the New
Albany depot yard, alternative lines
were run for 66 and 70 feet grades, the
latter still under the ruling grades of
the Louisville and Nashville Railroad i,
to give the Board full information,
should circumstances dictate a modi-
fcation of the original plan.
IF adopted, the latter grades would
Of course reduce the estimate of cost
below given. But even in this pre-
hminary paper your engineer, IN cold
duty, adverts to the pressure too often
brought upon preliminary estimates
to start work and afterwards amend.
Apart from right, your enterprise has
strength and merit enough to carry
from the outset full and careful es-
Inmates and good work:
ESTIMATE OF COST FOR INDIANA DIVISION
Grad9atlon, masonery and tunnel
rsc sd, IL
1ngss and depot y ards................l ,4l3. 60t
Bridge s.sperstructure. .............. II5S6S
Depot, authorizations, road cross
DbsS Gf-5 200, OOt
Contingencies, including engineer
Ing, general superint and
1nGlana proportion of cost, Wa
DsssA SOC, COZ
~, $500 S..
The equipment n rolling stock Won
desire, IN view of the contemplated
arrangements, not to be included In
the estimate total. If so included. II
would add from $250,000 to $500, 0OC
to the ABOVE estimates, according t.
S4C pICCAoO maj ENHANCEMENT thai
may be made either to Jointly work o,
consolidate with the Illinois division
The above estimates of total cost car
Of course be materially reduced by
using timber trestling, emitting bal
last, and by accepting other tempo
rary expedients, together with sleeper
gradients In the location. But per
NIT your engineer now in advance t.
advise against that policy which to-
often sacrifices important interests II
temporary expedients.
The cities of the Ohio Falls ar,
rapidly assuming the metropolitan
status which makes a direct railroad
to Ut. Louis and the Pacific Railroad
with uniform gauge and under tn,
control OF Louisville and New Albany
all simply question of time. If tn,
alternative should ever Be presented
therefore, may it not be better IN wal
little, if necessary, to gather fnan
eiRl strength, rather than make a nre
mature commencement with work i'm
perfectly prepared for the end desired
viz: frst-class railroad betweel
leading cities?