Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-02-08
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Mr. Bliclsensderfer's Survey of the
- ~, Flushing Route. a. sa
.i,sv 4sa.tn ser ~ sIi 80 3ft3 ,alsi
Messrs. Isaac 4oIL0,Ody, Jacob Hotto-
i. sody, and Others, C0usBlittee:. ~ .It,'H I
sGESTIiEMEN: In obedience to your
request / have examined and surveyed
a line for railway from a point on In
dian Wheeling Creek near Patton's uia
Flushing to Tppecanoe, on Big Still
water, making in connection with
former surveys, a complete line from
Bridgeport via Flushing to DeEnison.
The survey c1mli ilenced near William
Patton's, on Wheeling Creek, at station
452 of my survey made in February
last, by way of New Athens, and then
ascending the main branch of Wheeling
Greek to its source at the village Of
Flushing, passes the summit between
the waters of Wheeling Creek and
saltwater at that place, descends the
vallies of Trail Fo ( and Boggs', Fork
to the junction WI big Saltwater, and
thence down that jreafn to T'ippecanoe
where it connects again with the Ath-
ems line at station 1,127 of that line.
The distance from Patton's to the
crest of the ridee at Flushing, is 7.95
miles, and from Flushing to the Juno
ton with the Athens line at Tippeca-
noe, 1871 miles, making the entire
distance from lPatton's to Tippecanoe
by this line 1886 miles. The crest of
the ridge at Flushing, is $50 feet above
high water mark in the Ohio River at
Bridgeport, and the summit is passed
by a tunnel 1900 feet long, piercing the
ridge 126 feet below the crest. or 464
feet above high water mark at Bridge
port. The tunnel is so located that
portion of it is traversed by coal vein
of Al feet in thickness. The ascent from
Wheeling Greek to the Flushing sum
NIT, is overcome by grades in no case
exceeding 81 feet per mile, but west
ward into Trail Fork, there is a CON
tinuously descending grade Of 52.S feet
tper mile, supported on the sides of the
valley for 3.9 miles, after which the
farther descent to Iippecanoe is ex-
Iceedingly light, having no grades ex-
Iceeding l0l feet per mile. The mini
mum radius of feurvation on your line is
E995feet, but this IS not often necessary.
the general course of your line being
very direct, and the aggregate curva-
ton less than usual in this country
Examinations were made at Gosset's.
on Wheeling Creek, and at Rogers
Mill on Saltwater. to ascertain the pro-
priety of cutting off the bends at those
places by tunneling through the points.
At GoSset's IL was found that by max
| ing tunnel ], 400 feet long, the distance
could be diminished Clio mile, and two
bridges be avoided. Al Rogers a fun
mel 8, 40 feet in length will reduce the
length OF the line IA miles, avoid four
bridges, diminish the curvature about
1850 degrees, and at the same time make
the line very direct and divest it of the
most difficult curves between Patton's
and Tippecanoe. The propriety of
making these tunnels will depend
much on the character Of the road you
propose to build, and also on the nature
1 of the material in which they are to be
exeavated. AT Rogers there is every
indication that the tunnel would be 10
Gated in solid sandrock, requiring no
arching or other artificial supports, and
very favorable for the work. At Cos
sets the nature of theAmaterial was not
so apparent. A further reconnaissance
of the country in the vicinity OF. Rogers
mill is suggested, as from personal
Eexamination / am led to believe that
if the making of the long tunnel at this
point should on further examination
be deemed inexpedient, favorable
line can be found by cutting off a por
tiOn of the extreme point opposite the
mill by tunnel of about 400 feet long.
and thereby reduce the distance nearly
hafa milo, save two bridges, and very
much relieve the intricate curvature at
this place. 81 itiAfiI efis Jos s.ll-i 5.
| Tue bridging on your line is consider
able, but by no means excessive, On
Wheeling Creek, above Patton,s there
is but one bridge exceeding fifty feet in
length In the valIies of Trail Fork
and Boggs' Fork the bridging is light.
those streams being crossed but three
times, but Big Saltwater between the
mouth ofBoggs' Fork and Tippecanoe
is bridged twelve times. The tortuolis
character of the valley of this stream
makes the frequent crossing of it in. or
der to obtain a proper alignment, un-
avoidable; and frequent changes in the
channel tosave bridging are also neces-
isary. - iiffa -9-iS, -
Combining your line with those por-
lions of the Athens line on Wheeling
creek below Patton's and in Saltwater
below Tippecanoe, it will be found that
the distance from Bridgeport to Flush
ing is 24* miles, and from Flushing to
Dennis0n 2S.9 miles, making the entire
distance from Bridgeport to Dennis1n
via Flushing 53.4 miles. The grades
on Wheeling creek in no case exceed
26.4 feet per mile, except for Ii miles
next the Flushing summit, where the
grade is 81 feet per mile. On the Still
water slope the grade no where exceeds
lO3 feet per mile except for 3.9 miles
descending from the summit to the val
ley of Trail Fork, and in crossing the
Gatchell summit, three miles east of
Dennison, where there is grade of 81. 81
feet per mile ascending from Saltwater
to Gatcheli, and one of 1916 feet per
mile descending from Gatchell to
Brooks run, each about one mile in
length. iai'. .s.l'ff 800 2 -
Approximate quantities were calcu-
lated and an estimate made of the cost
of the road from Bridgeport to Denni-
son, by your route, which is herewith
submitted in detail. This estimate
shows the cost of graduation, masonry
and bridging for the entire line 63.4
miles long. to be 81 ,4sl ,I98. rs, being an
average Of S27, ,738 per mile. -.di ~ 1
1t should be stated that by construct
ing the tunnels at Grimes and at
Adams on Wheeling creek below Pat