Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-07-29
OufcIk Work.

A. The work of changing the gauge of the Ohio
and Mississippi railroad from six feet to four
feet eight inches and a half was commenced and
finished last Sunday morning. Long before the
/ first streak of dawn appeared in the sky, cars
were in motion conveying men to their work on
the road, and as soon as the morning light rem
dered objects visible, the great work was COM
menced, In each gang of workmen, six went
ahead of the party drawing the old spikes on
the inside of the rails. This was done by claw
bars, curved at the "cawed" end to give lever
age by which the spikes were pried out and the
rails loosened. Six men followed with crow
bars and handspikes, with which they threw in
the rails seven and half inches on each side, to
line of spikes which had previously been
driven into the ties, and served not only to fasten
the inside edge of the rails, but also
to mark the new gauge of the track.
The rest of the gang, numbering be-
tween twenty and thirty men, came next and
fastened down the rails in their new position,
with spikes driven on the outside rim of the
rails. To expedite the work, only three spikes
were thus driven for each rail-one at each end
and one at the middle. This was all the fasten-
ing necessary 10 admit of the safe passage of
trains till the whole of the spikes can be driven.
AT 9;3O A. NJ. special train, with a company OF
railroad officers, left east st. Louis to test the
narrow gauge track, which, they had been in.
formed by kilograms received up to the time Of
stating was nearly completed, even at that
early hour. The train consisted of an old broad
reduced to the new gauge, a passenger car and
palace drawing-room car. In front OF the en-
CINE was an open platform car, with seat in
front, where the passengers sat the greater part
OF the time during the trip. The position was
not only delightfully."- cool from the breeze pro-
duced by the motion of the train, but it
afforded an excellent opportunity to inspect the
work as the train approached and passed over
it. For the first two miles there were three rails
laid, that number having been placed there
81, 20 a., A.
row gauge rolling stock used in filing up
ground at the new passenger depot. After
passing these two miles, however, there was
single narrow gauge track all the rest of the
way, and row of old spikes running parallel
with the rails on the outside edges of them
marked where the rails had been. The track
was remarkably smooth and even, and as the
train passed over it at express speed for miles
without creating jar, it was difficult to believe
that the rails had been placed in position but a
few hours before, and that so much work could
have been so thoroughly accomplished in such
a short space of time. AT each station, as the
train drew up, a crowd of people greeted its ar
rival with repeated cheers, and at one place an
enthusiastic youth waved national flag in COM
memoration of the successful event. AT each
DISQUALIFICATION on the way dispatches were re-
ceived showing that the work was rapidly APP
preaching completion, and, when the
train reached Sandoval, at II 80, a telegram
was received intimating that the change of
gauge was completed throughout the entire
length of the line, a distance of $40 miles, Mr.
| GriswOld and Mr.. Smith, to whose ability and
| untring energy the success of this great under
taking is principally due, received the eongratu-
| lations of friends on the receipt of the happy
| tidings. At Odin, siXty-6ve miles from St.
| Louis, special train was in waiting to convey
| portion of the party back to the city. During
| the short delay in Odin, those who did not 90
| on with Mr.. GriSwold to Vincennes had an Op-
| portunty to examine the system adopted in
| changing the gauge at curves. The outside
rails of the curve were allowed in such places
new rails were laid for the narrow
| gauge. This was necessitated by the
lesser arc. To suit the old outer rail for the
new position, it would have been necessary TO
unrivet the fish-pates, cut little off the end of
| each rail- and then fasten them together again
| with the fish plates. To avoid the loss of time
| which such an operation would have entailed,
| new rails were laid as stated. With the inner
rail- however, it was different. and it was thrown
into the new position the same as a straight rail.
No trouble was occastoned by the fish-pates.
| Ihey yielded sufficiently to prevent the track
| from being too rigid to move, while they held
| the rails firmly together. Some slight difficulty
| however, was experienced with the old chairs,
| and more time was employed in moving the track
| IN couple of sections where they were than on
| any other part of the line The first section in
which the change of gauge was completed, was a
| 50-mie section between VincenneS and CLAY CITY.
The last spike in this section was driven at 80
| A. NJ. The best time was made between East
| ST. Louis and Caseyville, on the straight stretch
of six and three quarter miles across the bot
tom. The change in this section was completed
in four hours. On the whole line there was a
force OF 2I2O men employed. OF these $50
were from other roads centering on St. Louis
and eighty were from Springfield and the
southern part of Illinois. Each man received
twenty-five cents for each hour he worked on
| the road. The actual cost of chanpino the
| gauge, without including reduction Of rolling
stock to suit it or purchase of narrow gauge
stock, amounts to about S25, OOO.-lMisSootTi Re
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