The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1869-05-22
cULLIBILIvY EXTRAORDINARY.

III L4A ~ - Il
Our patriotic fellow citizens, with a more
than commendable appreciation Of Yankee
ingenuity and enterprise, are just now ex-
haustiug their lungs in hurrahs over a
: mighty good joke on Schneider" On
Monday last, the bells all over the country
rung OK IN sonorous peals, their JOY at the
completion Of the Pacific Railroads, the
most immense of all the immense Jobs, paid
for out Of the pockets Of the people, and
presented to corporate bodies Of immaou-
late lawmakers, since peculation and job
bling first began to monopoIize National and
State Legislative attention. We are admon-
isbed, by an old saw, to let those laugh
who win = and the fact il notorious that, in
this contest, it 10 the risibili.ies Of the
"plucke1" that are disturbed in joy and
glsdness. The lamented Shakespeare OBJ
served perhaps more wittily and philosoph-
ically than wisely, that, where ignorance il
bliss, its folly to be wise" This logic proves
the correctness Of his observation. Laugh
ter assists corpulency, and eorpulency, when
not from unnatural causes, induces longey-
ity. knowledge shat we have been i'm
posed upon, 5egets regret, regret begets
frettiDg, fretting begets dimness Of vision,
lsXity Of nerve, and a disturbance Of the
stomachic functions, and these IN turn beget
profit 90 the sexton, the undertaken, and the
grave iiggsr. Therefore, it is better 70 be
happy 10 the security 81 ignorance, than
miserable in the hsat Of wisdom. Other
more homely, ard perhaps more wise logic,
renders the lamented poets axiom % doubt
ful correctness.
Let Us see. Simultaneous with The tOlling
Of the bells, we we're IN perussl Of the report
or Chauncev N. Snow, Government Director
appointed 10 examine into the location, con
st1uction aad management Of the Pacific
Railroad. we failed to drink in the intend
cd inspiration Of the bells The reading Of
the report vitiated it hke unto too much va
trr ID tie toper's b..ers. We have 10 more
than space TO coUlel7e very few Of bis
somewhat startling state N -nts.
he premises bis \, Hort, which be cfeFs as
necessarily partial ard incomplete, by de-
failing the conditions prescribed in the act
granting wv subsidies, ana il its course
offers convincing proof, that nearly all, If
not all u them, have been il some way
evadei Where stone sbu,ments sre rem
dered necessary, from the nature Of golhes
crossed, temporary trestles have been II
lowed to be used Across a granite gorge
100 feet deep, and GOO feet wide, a pine tim
Der tTcstie bridge, with 40 feet spans, hss
been erected. OF course sui ject to rapid de-
cay, and more 5.pecially to fire. Il was sug-
gested that when the bridge decay 90, the
gorge should be filed up with rock and earth,
Of an iron bridge % stone piers be erected
"a pretty time indeed 20 make it Sc
cure The decay will DO doubt be an
nounced by the precipitation into The
gorge, Of a train with its cargo Of human
freight, lie insecurity q ne bridge hos
BEEN guarded against, By laying .fyyr on he
bridge, and girrHg Il coat 81 Jire-proof
Tairr Was there ever such farce? The
road is full Of sharp curves, and heavy
grades, for which there is no plausible ex-
cuse. The object OF the directors vas, how
ever, TO make the road long as possible,
as their subsidy ,sas proPortiohsd to me mum
bsr n miles trarrSsd. Eighteen miles Of
the road are laid in Echo Canon, which is
Dn water three months Of the year, and
which, in the Mormon war, Brigham Young
IA nd aH l.
part Of The road there was another location,
on which the cost would Rave been less. and
the line much shorter. Ia the 1000 miles
west from Omaha, there are but two arcbed
oulvsrts. Where culyerts were needed, drains
have Been used and where drains are needed,
filings have been substituted. They take
less time, and cost less money" dod rot"
their security or permsnence. There is lit
tie or no balastiug on the oad-already 400
feet of track have be en- washed away in one
day, and an engine and q number Of cars
wrecked, from having run into Z ohssm.
For supplying the tanks with water, they
have WiRd-mills instead Of stationary en-
gines. Their utility IS evidenced 10 the fact
tbAt along the line Of the road there is in
vHrisbly either no wind at all, or sufficient
to put the strongest mill 10 creation into
Economically ndiscriminate, or highly use
less condition, about as rapidly and sudden
ly as you car pronounce the euphonious cog.
nomen Of 8 Jack Robinson" These mills
are furnished BY tie Maynard Mill o., com
-, IT
Of road round an uncompleted tunnel, with
out either tie OF rail, have been accepted as
first class, and the bonds issued on them
d this, an amusing ana suggestive incident
is related
The Commissioners who reported the road
Hrst.class and complete, were taken around
1t during the night. One stubborn member
o. the Commission, hardly convinced that
he would be doing the square thing il sign
ing the report, under the cireums tances, at
first refused, but was eventually "persunded' !
to Afix his signature thereto. The italics
are 10 the Report.
We might continue tnis chapt1f Of def
cie5e.es over three or four columns Of our /
paper, bat enough has been said to show our
headers what poor as well Is expensive /
whistle We are so joyonsly blowing. The
managsmsnt Of the road is equally as bad
90 the manner Of Its e5nstruct ion. What
r. cost was, jpn know from previous revs-
lssjOns .giyea 10 these columns. Cavern,