The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-11-02
A COLOSSAL WORK.
Two Miles Of Embanknent to Intersect San
Francisco Bay from the Point to the
Steamer Slips Progress of
the Work.
iHnn lrraneisnn Gnli.l

@ iHan Francisco Gall,
For tho past two or three years n feeling Of
Insecurity HAS haen steadily increasing In the
| minds oT numerous passengers who daily
cross and recross the bay between Oakland
| and San francisco The long stretch of rail-
| road which is laid on piles sunk In the water,
between Oakland Point and the boat landing,
| has been regarded with distruat by those who
| wera compelled to travel over IT., and, despite
| tho repeHted assurances of the railroad com
| pnny that any aeciacnt was rendered lmpos-
| sihIe bv n system of constant scrutiny md
repalr. these misgivngs were not removed.
| The seeming frailty Of tho treatework, tho
swnying NJ tho piles, the demonstrations of In
enro of shifting Tides, nil combined to create
/ fear and fnreboding in the minds OF the pas
sengera The arrival of the train on the
bridge WINS the signal for universal! trepida-
exchanged for q feeling Of safety until the
cars reached the steamer landing. Some
three months ago tho railroad company com
mnnced q work which will eventually effect
M entire change In tho present condition Of
affairs
| This work Is being pushed forward to It's
completion as rapidly ns the colossal nature
Of tho undertaking will permit, and when fin
ishod will preclude all possibility Of danger To
passnngars In their transit from this City
neross tho hay. The expanse Of water now
/ lying between Oakland Point and tho tormina-
| tiun W the bridge Is TO hn crossed by n broad
and solid roadway Of rock and earth. Upon
| this roadway will be laid four separate tracks.
ono each for the incoming and outgoing over
land and local trains. To tho north Of these,
and divided from them ny railing, will be II
road for the passage OF wagons aud foot pas
sengars When this large ambankment is conn
| pleted n substantial and eommndipus depot ia
| to 10 erected Mt its end. similar In plan and
| construction TO the magnificent passenger da-
| pots Of eoms of tho Eastern cities. Tho hay.
on hotl, sides Of the rna1=bed. is To be dredged
| tO uniform depth, sufficient for anchorage
uf ships of he greatest draft In the brief PEI
| rinI which has elapsed sinca the beginning nj
| this work H. has progressed with surprising
rapidity, md tho trestEe work has alrnndy
been surrounded. for several hundred yards,
with u firm support of earth and stone LII nd
ditiou 10 tho vast quantities Of filling which
nre being dumped from fhe old bridge n now
line Of piles, atlrmnnntcd by u railway, is be-
ing pushed out some distance t5o the south.
from which the construction trains daily
dump many car loads of material Some
forty five or fifty mon are constantly enl-
pluyed al tho wharf unloading tho trains and
dwelling and distributing the earth The I'LL
Ing in material, such large quantities of
which are required inr tho forwarding Of tho
work ts taken from two different sources
The rock Is eSchvhtnI from IL now quarry
dug in the side of II mountain at Mics, Io-
Gated twenty-five miles from tho scene Ut
operations. Tho laborers employed ut the
.IuarrinR. OF whom there are between two and
trains of construction cars are kept con
sthntly busy transporting the rock from tho
qunrries 10 the wharf. Each train consists III
torty-tive cars, carrying ton yards OF rock
each, and, MS two trains run from the quar-
rIes tO Oakland every twenty-four hours 900
yards Of rock ara daily dumped into the bay.
The earth trains convey their burden from n
different locality, viz, Fruit Vale. situated
cast or Brooklyn and about five miles from
Oakland Point. Sixty cars compose a train.
rdH #
Garth. From five to six OF These
trains run daily. and as the cars hold
three yards of material each, tho aggregate
quantity Of earth daily thrown into the bay
amounts to over n thousand yards. The man
ner IN which these cars are uuloaded Is liz
genious. and greatly facilitates the progress
OF the work. On zach car is q bog containing
the earth, and placed on wheels, which act in
tho double capacity of rollers and hinges.
The box Is pushed tn one side by the touch of
y spring, and losing It's equilibrium, Ia In
stantly omptIed or It's contents. These trains
arc drawn to and from tho wharf by engine
No. 2G3 upon which IL Cali reporter. detailed
to CLEAN Information In reference to the pro-
sage to the source OF heearth supply at Fruit
Vale. Tho engine which takes its supply OF
water from ~ tank ut Brooklyn, In order to
save time. looses Its connection with the train
about " quarter Of mile west Of tho tank
and going forward with redombled speed,
takes In It's water before being caught by the
cars. and proceeds on It's course without the
loss Of u moments time,
At about one and ono hnlf miles east OF
Brooklyn is temporary track constructed
ny tho railroad company. Diverging TO the
left from the main, 1t winds In graceful SER
pnntins curves through blooming orchards Of
apples and pears, across green and fertile
land to Fruit Vale. And here within five
miles Of Oakland Point IL o scene Of active
life and business enterprise. Scattered over
the beautiful Lowell plain near the base OF tho
blu are some sixty OF seventy white tents,
occupied by the employees. The five laree.,.
tents nro for tho white workmen. the rest for
tho Chinese lnborers. Blue gum trees, gar
dnns, flowers and shrubberv in the near
vicinity vary the picture. which Is further
enhanced by tho busting Industry of the
worlimnn who arc happily engaged with
shovel and pick and IN tDaHiHg tho Ear9. in
aspect or animation and sylvan RplendOr, i'm
parted by nature, seems In keeping with the
name Of Fruit Vale
THE SCENE OF LABOR.
Tho hill, some thirty feet In height and l0A
nGres III area, has been purchased 10y the rail-
road company. It's soil is tough clay, which
requires so much blasting before 1t can beex-
cavated that tons OF gunpoWder have been al
ready consumed Tho work Of breaking, dig
9ing ana loadng the cars Is prosecuted by
eight white mon and some two hundred Chi
nose. Three of tho Caucaslans oversee the
Cinnamon, tho rest being kept busy operating
d huge steam-shovel, which was formerly
used on the Southern Pacific Railroad Tho
hill Is about half II mile in length, and 100
feet have already be II taken off Its width. Tho