Los Angeles daily herald., 1876-01-01

Thanks to the march of Science, the
time no longer exists when
Mountains nterposed
Make enemies of nations.
Ignorance and prejudice the fruitful
cause of political disturbance are fly
ing from the path of the railroad and
telegraph like exercised demons, and
in their place we welcome an era of
reace on earth and good will toward
men. Men no longer stand aghast at
the Businesses of Nature; but with pick,
drill and shovel-applying the forces
of mind, muscle and mechanics, they
storm her fortresses one by one and
stand the victoTs over the entire phys
ical world.
NOT MANY YEARS AGO
the pioneer of our Western civiliza-
tion wended his way through the
mountain passes where the wild goat
could scarcely find footing. Amid the
ragged SUBMITS and precipitous caii-
ons, he found naught but a dreary SOL
itude and the echo of his halo or the
reverberating report cf his rifle, were
the only sounds of animate life that
greeted his ear. Then came another
time when the mOuntaineer found in
the same place his narrow trail and
followed it with his pack-animal, car
rying provisions and equipments to
the pioneer gone before. The
scene was still wild and the way full
of dangers, where misplaced step
was the forfeit of life for man or
beast, Then there came
ANOTHER CHANGE,
and the mountain trail gave place to
the stage road. The merry clatter of
the horses hoofs, the rumble of the
heavy wheel and the crack of the dr-
ver's whip, all told of the good time
at hand, inaugurated by mans rest
less progress. A few years more and
a new era dawns, when the railroad
train whistles through the bowels of
the mountains, over which the plOn-
eer toiled his weary way. 1t is the
TRIUMPH OF HUMAN INGENUITY
and energy; the tOilsome, dangerous
mountain journey is transformed to
the comforts of palace and the speed
of the wind. Thus we trace the event.
full, almost romantic history of the
San Fernando mountains. Had the
Forty-Niner who wandered off to
Southern California in quest of gold
in these early times been told that he
would one day make the trip in pal
ace coach, he would have thought it
an idle fancy. Yet in another six or
twelve months we shall witness this
result then SO apparently chimerical,
and our wonder will scarcely be ex-
cited by it, so gradual, yet rapid, has
been our progress.
The work of tunneling through the
San Fernando mountains is one of
THE GREATEST RAILROAD UNDERTAKE
INGs OF THE DAY.
1t involves an amount of labor, ex-
penditure and engineering skill not
often combined for the prosecution of
single enterprise within its scope.
Yet the people of Los Angeles, living
almost under the shadow of these
mountains, know but little of the
magnitude of the enterprise which
concerns them so much. This pas
sage is virtually the key to the rail-
road communication of Southern CAL
ifOrnia. When once opened it will
give us direct and rapid communica-
tion with San Francisco and through
that city with the entire East, Obvi-
ating the dangers, delays and terrors
of an ocean voyage.
THE TUNNEL
is situated about six miles North
of San Fernando and about twenty
eight miles distant from Los Angeles.
1t is not cut through single noun
tain as is the case with most tunnels,
but runs under succession of ridges
and cailons. 1t extends nearly due
North and South, and the entire
length is 6,964 feet or nearly mile
and quarter. The work was COM
menced last July and since that
time force of some fifteen hundred
men has been employed night and
day. With this force actively en-
gagged, it is expected that the tunnel
will be completed by July, 1876.
1t is claimed that this work distrib-
utes
A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS
NUN
in Los Angeles. Two hundred thous-
and dollars are expended monthly by
the Company. When completed the
aggregate cost of the work will
not be far short of two million
dollars. 1t must be remem-
bered that this is only one department
of the railroad work now in progress
between Los Angeles and San Fran
cisco, designed to connect that city
and the Eastern line of roads with
the railroad system of Southern Cali
fornia. The Southern Pacific Rail-
road Company have eight thousand
men along this line. There are four
teen other tunnels that must be cut
through as many different mountain
barriers before passable route can
be attalne' These are all of less mag
nitude ,'iya the san Fernando Tunnel,
however, aad altogether will not prob
ably aggregate more than the length
of this piece Of work. Nearly all of
THE SUPPLIES
for the San Fernando Division are
bought from the wholesale merchants
of our city, and to show the extent of
this trade, as well as to give an idea
of the immense demand upon the
Railroad Company for this item, we