New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1878-10-12

lives You know the gigantic labor re-
quirsd in the making Of these great roads
of iron. have before my eyes soms de-
tails on this subject, very curious and bnt
little known among us. Thus, the Pacific
Railroad extends for six hundred and ifty
leagues, betwssn Omaha and the Missouri |
and the Sierra Nevsdas. On quitting the
terminus Of Omaha, one enters q cAayey, |
| sandy plain the length Of (which equals |
that from Paris to Bopdeaax, and which |
is absolutely destitute of Eatsr, no trees,
no bushes, nothing but . bare horizon.
The trains take supply Of water with
them, or they might die Of thirst on the
road. From Cheyenne, for distance OF
nearly i've hundred Kilometres, the road
ascends the slopes Of the Rocky noun
tains equally desert and desclAte. After
having crossed the summit Of the for
bidding mountains, at an altitude Of two
1 thousand metres, the basin Of the Green
4 river is traversed, another desert, the line
of which equals that of the railroad from
Paris to Marseilles, and the climate of
which is such that the company has been
obliged to protect the track against the
snow by covers or sheds of boards. Inn
agine corridors of planks one hundred and
hfty or two hundred kilometres in length.
After crossing the basin Of the Salt Lake,
Humboldt is reached and then at last the
Sierra Nevadas. The track reaches in this
region its highest altitude and again is
obstructed by the snow. The protec ton
mentioned above does not suffice here. for
the road and the trains require to be de-
Tended against the frequent avalanches.
1t is necessary then to build over the road
veritable tunnels made Of solid joists,
. joined together by means of bolts or pins,
and separated here and there by open
spaces in order to admit air and light.
Note that the materials for the construc-
ton of these Homeric railroads were lack
| ing for nearly the whole line. A French en-
gineer, very distinguished, Mr.. Malezreaux,
!, who was commissioned by the govern
ment to study the public works Of Ameri'
CO, has stated that, upon line of one
thousand kilometres, the builders of the
= Pacific met but single stone quarry
Thus, neither stone nor water. Beh ole
=. the conditions under which this msgui6
cent work was executed; and picture al
: this to myself in sdmiring the splendiC
locomotives of the American section.
Another American display of very dit
-. ferent kind relates to the pork business
represented at the Exposition by variou
! apparatus for cutting up these interestin
animals, and by delicious hams. Offc cia
statistics show 25,7lIOOO as the nu umbe
: Of hogs living, gruntipg and wAllowing o
the farms in the United States on the fri
January, 1878. Ofthese the State of Him oi
. possesses for her share eight hundred an
thirty-four thousand, Ohio six hundre
thousand, Indiana three hundred thor
sand. These are joyful figures for th
lovers Of pork. Chicago aud Cincinna
. are the great centres for the sailing of tn
; porcine multitude, and they prepare al
nually by machinery eight millions {
hams. Do not then, dear reader, pass
- the hams of America without sslutin
u them, and remembering that for the grei
" American people pork is an element {
wealth and prosperity. You will see ais
y in the glass cases of our trans-Atlant
= friends samples of strong glue made frol
u the feet of these blessed animals; of greas
u of which is made stearine, then candles
W. ell at the expense of pork; also prussia
Al for dyeing, yielded by the inexhaustib
y hog. Truly, Saint Anthony was inspire
" when he placed his affections on this a,
mirable animal
~ shall not speak Of American jew elr
= for have nothing fattering to say Of
The Americans have yet everything
10 learn in this business in the way of gra
60 and elegance. They are infinitely mo
mt advanced in the manufacture of heath
US apparatus, and among their displays
IN this line some are very ingenious, al
re- carry economy in the use of fuel to its e
lc- trems limits. Among alimentory pl
OF ducts, mention with pleasure preserv
no fish preserved in an appetizing and inv
en- ing form.
en- The United States displays also spe,
40. mems Of her army, and hope for Il
:; security of the great Republic that the
superb specimens may be fair represent
an tives. They are indeed very handsom
ra- these young soldiers, and of irreproac
A. able department, having the muscul
rigidity of the Anglo-Saxon race, viii
has not lost its power in crossing t
the Atlantic. The standing army is, as
he known, very much reduced in the Unit
- States Its normal effective force is on
thirty thousand men, and it is around II
'eo nucleus that in case Of war gathers all t
es, citizens capable Of bearing arms betwe
All eighteen and forty years Of age. The 81
- diers of the regular army are recruited
means of voluntary enlistments for t
oG period of i've years.
de- This unfortunate country has not, Ii
arv venerable Europe, the happiness to 81
tain the civil strifes Of royal dynasti
up and no neighbor can threaten them. I
7 . hold what it is not TO be willing to ha
of kings.
A CARD.
ous To Messrs. Jos. Cunningham and his murd