The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1878-10-08
AN INTERESTING HISTORY.

SOlomon w. Roberts, Ctvtl Engineer, |
read paper entitled "Reminiscences of
the first Railroad over the Allegheny
Mountain" in the construction of
which Mr.. Roberts was engaged.
The speaker said that an event of great
Importance in the history of Pennsyl-
vania was the undertaking of an ex-
tensive system of internal improve
ments at the expense of the Common
wealth, but the history of this great ex-
terprise, which cost about forty millions
of dollars, has never been written. The
bright hopes with which the work was
begun, the large premiums at which the
five per cent. loans of the State were
for time sold, the great revulsion of
feeling and the fall of prices, which
caused the loans to sell at one time for
about 33 cents on the dollar, the subse-
quent sale of State works to corpora
tions, and the complete recovery of the
State credit, are facts well worthy of re-
membrance.
The geographical position of Penn
sylvania is peculiar and remarkable
Washed on its southeastern border by the
Atlantic tides, it extends on the north
west to the shores of Lake Erie, and in
cludes in Allegheny county the head of
the Ohio river. Various lines of inter-
nal improvement were proposed in the
early history of Pennsylvania, but the
rugged topography of much of the ter
ritory delayed their execution.
The level character the country be-
York to construct the Erie canal, which
was opened for use in October, 1924
This stimulated action on the part of
the Legislature of Pennsylvania, and
the Pennsylvania Canal was begun on
the 4th of July, 1926.
In the year 1897 the writer, (Mr.
Roberts), entered the service of the Lee
high Canal and Navigation Company
He is native of Philadelphia, educated
in Friends Academy. He witnessed
the construction of the Mauch Chunk
gravity railroad, and of the Lehigh
Canal from Mauch Chunk to Easton.-
When the work on the Lehigh was
done, Sylvester Welch was employed
by the State as principal engineer of the
Western Division of the Pennsylvania
Canal, and removed to Blairsville,
Indiana county among the Alleghenies,
taking the writer with him.
After many discouragements, the
canal was opened in December, 1880,
from Pittsburg to Johnstown. About
this time there was much discussion as
to the best mode of crossing the ALLIE
gheny Mountains, so as to form con-
nection between the canal on its eastern
and western sides, and it was first pro-
posed to carry the canal over the noun
tains, but this was found to be impracti-
cable.
On the 21st of March, 1921, the law
was passed authorizi ng the Board of Ca
nal Commissioners to commence the
construction of portage" railroad
over the Allegheny mountain, and they
appointed Sylvester Welch Principal
Engineer, and the writer his Assistant.
On the sth Of April (forty-seven years
ago) explorations were begun near the
summit with party OF sixteen persons,
the weather being very cold, and the run
ming of the line commenced. The rail
road over the mountains was to connect
the western division of the canal, which
commenced at Johnstown, with the east
ern division of the canal, which termina-
ted at Holidaysburg The distance from
Holidayburg to Johnstown is about 36
miles, and the summit of Blair's Gap is
about 1400 feet above the former and 1900
feet above the latter The highest eleva-
ton of the road, as ascertained by recent
railroad surveys, was 1922 feet, or 161
higher than the highest point on the
Pennsylvania Railroad. The general de.
sign adopted for the Portage Railroad
was this; The principal part of the ele-
walton was to be overcome by inclined
planes, which were to be straight in plan
and profile, to be on an average some
what less than half mile long and to
have an angle of elevation of about five
degrees, so that the average height over
come by each plane might be about 200
feet The planes were to be worked by
stationary steam engines and endless
ropes. AS ultimately constructed there
were ten inclined planes, five on each
side of the mountain, with an aggregate
elevation of 2O7 feet, and their whole
length four miles and four-tenths. The
section of railroad between the planes
were located with very moderate grades