Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1877-01-19
THE E. AND P. RAILROAD.
A Review Of its Construction.
The Difficulties Overcome and it,
Completion.
Rolling stock ana working Force.

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means of a narrow guage railroad,
was agitated as early as 1871. In that
year a number of our citizens incor-
porated, under the general railroad act
of Nevada, with the title of the Eureka
and Palisade Railroad Company, elect
ing Major w. w. Mccoy President,
and Selden Hetzel Secretary.
Statistics relative to the amount of
freight and passenger traffic were COLA
ted and a prospectus issued setting
forth the advantages OF the proposed
route. The subject was kept before
the people in the columns of the SEN
TINEL, and by occasional meetings Of
the incorporators, but 10 further steps
were taken in the matter until the
winter of 1878, when a party, headed
by A. G. Ellis, Gilman ~ Salisbury and
others, engineered a bill through the
Legislature compelling the issuance
amount of 100000 in aid of the pro-
posed road. The bill was very proper
ly vetoed by Governor Bradley.
Break ing Ground.
In January, 1874, Messrs. Woodruff IL
Ennor, proprietors of the stage line,
broke ground at Palisade and COM
menced building the road. After COM
pleting it to Alpha they disposed of
their interests to a party of capitalists,
of which ID. o. Mills, |. l.. Requa and
other solid men were members. They
pushed the work so vigorously that in
November, 1875, the road was an ac-
complished fact, and Eureka was in
communication by rail with the out
side world.
Completion.
Its advent was hailed with satisfaction
and the slow coaches Of the past were
replaced by the locomotive; no more
shivering in the cramped confines of
a Concord coach, or toilsome journey
in a mud wagon. The arrival of mails
and express matter no longer depended
on the state of the roads, vicissitudes
of the weather or tender mercies of a
jerkwater. The blockade of freight
that had been the rule at Palisade IA
over aud the merchants goods were de-
livered regularly and in good order.
The forests of the Sierra Nevada were
made accessible and lumber reached
us at reduced rates. The fruits and
vegetables OF California, heretofore al
most unk luxuries, daily graced
our tables; and, better still, the con-
c%entration Of freight at this point for
transhipment to Southern Nevada
gave employment to a large force of
men. When "A counts the advan,a-
ges he wonders how we endured the
discomforts of the old regime,
The Route.
The road commencing at Palisade
follows Pine Valley for a distance of
thirty miles, and then by a gradual as
cending grade reaches the summit, de-
scending thence into Diamond Valley,
crossing the latter to Eureka canyon,
from the mouth of which, a distance
of six miles, brings it to Eureka, a to-
tai distance of ninety miles.
Grades.
The grade from Palisade to Mineral
Hill Station will average sixty feet to
the mile; from that point to Alpha,
eighty feet; and from thence to the
summit it reaches as high as l25. The
descent into Diamond Valley, over
| what is known as Horse shoe Bend, is
a triumph of engineering skill. The
road winds around the mountain, de-
scribing almost a circle, and forms a
| curve of nine. miles to accomplish a
| distance of three by an air line. The
grade on this portion OF the o a Is
| very heavy-as high as lao feet to the
mile for some length of the road.
Across Diamond Valley it is a level
stretch of ten miles to the foot of the
cany on, up which TO the depot the
grade will average Us feet per mile.
The first station on the road Is at Bull
lion, eight miles from Palisade, the
outlet of the district of that name, and
the point from which the Lee and
other mines receive their supplies.
Evans, Williards and Naples are flag
stations at ranches that intervene be-
tween Bullion and the Hay Ranch,
10 miles from the initial point. AT this
latter station the company W and
have under fence 1000 acres OF good
farming land. A fine dwelling honse,
a barn 400 feet in length, and other
buildings have been built, and an inn
mense quantity of hay is annually cut
from the land. Mineral Hill is the
next important station, and the trav-
eler r~eioices when it is reached, as the
trains stop here half IAN hour for meals.
Mr.. Ward knows how to keep an eat
ing station, and invariably restores the
weary traveller to good humor. The
mines of Mineral Hill are five miles
from this point, up on the side OF a
mountain, and passengers and freighl
destined for that burg leave the cars al
this point. Alpha, Pine, Cedar ano
Diamond, the balance OF the stations
before reaching Eureka, are the homes
of the coal burners, and from these
places charcoal is daily shipped to TN
Eureka furnaces. Last fall the com
pany acquired the road bed and equip
inent of the Consolidated Narrow
gauge, built an extension to the Rlch
mond furnaces, and are operating II II
connection with the main line.
Rolling took.
The rolling stock consists OF sil
freight and passenger engines, thre
passenger, two express and baggage
and 100 box and fiat cars. The round
house, car shops and other works ar
substantial structures, and the passen
.ul AatnaS nInI nf fast