Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-11-09
Thorough Railroad Construction.

In q recent series of letters to the n. Y
TriJ1lne, by Mr.. Charles Norahof, wei
known az the former managing editor OF
the Eoeaing Post, we find the following
account If the work of construction on
the Middle Djvi-i,n Of the Chesapeake
and Ohio Railroad:
| The main road from Colesmouth tc
/ Kanawha Falls lies almost constantly in
sight of the railroad, and frequently
crosses it, and thus we had an opportunity
| to See th, condition of this work, so inn
portant TO all this region. The grading
is completed, with IA few uuimportsnt
breaks, TO the FalIs the ties are either
laid or at hand, ard all is ready for the
iron. The work has not been very heav,
30 far, FIR the country IL comparatively
eaey. The mountain torrents, which
pour into the Kauawha, have made recess
sary good deal of masonry, ard it is
very plain that the Oonpany's Chief En-
gineer, Major II. D. Whitcomb, hes known
how to select good masons. The high
stone arches. bridges, and culverts are ad-
mirably solid, and the sandstone of the
country has been laid in 80 workmsulike
manner that our party often stopped in
admiration of it. I do not know of q
road in the country whose stonework will
compare with that of the Chesapeake and
OHIO Railroad, so far as have seen it.
More than two years were consumed il,
the survey of the wild country b.; v,een
the Whire Sulphur Syringe aud the Fall.
of Kan wha. The result is ro.dwa,
which passes through the mountains oo
an easier grade by far than any other NJ
the great East and West lines oonnec+iro
the Al -utIc with the West. The Erie
Railweg has grades az high as 81 feet 70
the mile; the Pennsg lvsuia has 95 feet n
the mile; the New York Central. thonob
in general it has easy grades. rims mn -
30 feet to the mile; the Baltimore and
Ohio runs up to 1l6 feet to the mile. The
Chesapeake and Ohio will have 10 grades
over 80 feet to the mile facing west, and
west of Towards Creek it has none over
~ feet to the mile. It will have the low
est grades of j the E,st and West lines.
and this, fued to the fact that il taps
the Ohio at u point, Huntington, SO low
down that 1t is always accessible TO steam.
boats, and that it will give the South
west its shortest connection with the At
iantic, would make 1t great enterprise.
important to the country, even if it did
not pass through a region of unexau1pled
richness in coal, iron, and timber, which
has heretofore been shut ont from a
market, aud closed against capital and,
industry.
The New River and the Greenbriar
have, in the course of ages, worn their
way through the mass of hills and noun.
tains which lie between the Fills of K AN
awha and the White Sulphur Springs.
1t was to carry an easy grade
that the engineers OF the Chesapeake and |
Ohio Road selected the course of the New
River for their line. There, Nature had |
done, IN the course, perhaps, of millions
Of years, work of excavation FIR them. !
which we them the means of LAYING a
so nearly level that it presents
no obstacles to travel or transportation.
At two great bends which the
New River makes, tpunels are build
ng. One of these, 6.400 feet
ong, will be the longest in the United
States until the Hoosac tunnel is com
oleted. 1t saves nearly fce miles of diff,
'uit road building. In these tuurels
arge gangs of men are employed ~ eever.
Il points; and the whole line ,
. Al SOOt sthto VI lDF WARD
less. With the exception of some miles ,
f easy work near the Greenbrier, which ;
an be done SO rapidly that it was not :
dvisable to put it under contract until :
ext spring, the whole line of the New =
siver and Greenbrier ia under contract, 4
nd every where the contractora' esngsI
re bnsily at work. A great part of tS
oad-bed has already been completed, 81
IL is go planned and carried GA tb anS,
hole iue shall be done sinult at the
18th the tunnel at Great LsnS -aneo' Islv
o reason TO doubt that, a. =. IF 1ere i
ow going on, the road the work ia
before next Octob' m, o1sop ened by
5sd s4 5Bougb to pss believe eve
!, heavy work--it seemed II, or nearly
orst had bsea done frat to me that the
mains al is aeither SO . ,tf and and that what
De so costly or , oa lncult nor likely
'isaed. The piers ;. :ealous as what i
ossing of the N, W ~ R the bridge at the
,fr ry.d for nstsas the ionns.t a,
brides wiz BE- laid and and; one span Of Of
, les will will be $40 feet op 'e's and fall This
ere was $50 fec i IL isus when passed =