, 1879-05-07

KANSAS CirY, No., A prtl 27.-Alshough never
heavily Interested In the Chicagu s. Alton HALL
road Ms a Htockhoider, haye for years watched
IFS management nn1 SUCCESS, nnd, while from
The high and conservative character OF its rnu-
ayers whom know to be heavy etocklioliers
In tic cutporaifon, waa ready 10 indursc anY
expenditure they deemed necessary for the I'm
l,rorculcnt OF tho road, have always Until the
present week doubted tho cxpcdicncy Of tho
extension Of the road from Mexico to Kausas
City, suu,e lti3 miles.
With facilities for observation denied large
majority Of Its stockholders, the ,uauagcrs of
thu road flayc witnessed tile immense develop
tncnt of Kansas ind other Territory west Ut its
old terminus, md hare felt tho necessity
Of d linn allowing competition in carry.
Ing thitllcr the inluIru:c immigration
which is eyon now In. It's infancy, antl
bringing Eastward the prolluc.s which would
most surely follow tile development OF the. I'm
,llcnsc Territory Of fertile so awaiting the pioH-
,llnii anil stock rnfscr. ETcn when standing at
tr .teno!s In this city, witnessing thu arrival
n,rl departure Of trains, ono cannot fail X, be
nuw Impressed with The magnitude of the de-
tnhm!s nnon The railways: Tut only dcep caiclt-
,utpn ut,l extended observation OF The itntuense
territory west Of this city, r. lis capactics. csn
auprerinte The demands that will be nnde np0n
tllrm within thu next fVe 1cnrs to carry west
ward tho cmigsants nnd supplies for their nE-
ecssles, and return to Eastern markets the r.
sulis OF tlleir Industries. h1ltl tho stock grown
upon IT'S mighty prsir[es.
ltcafz;,II thu immense benefit which would
result to thc Chicago d Alton ltatlsoad fiji hav-
Ing direct limo of their own from Chicago to
k,Isas tily, the great receiving nlnl distributing
point for iIifs imncnsc Western territory, md
realizing the fact tL.at It could never coj,lpete
successfully without d through linz Of It's own.
nbout ysar nEo tie fonsl commenced The build
completed. aud yesterday Chicago antl knnsus
City were juiucu Nnew by the completion Of the
,nngnillcent steel brtdgc across the Missouri
Rivrs Mt tilnaEow.
lad te good fortune to ba present At the
cutnrlciion III this itnlncnsc specimen Of mans
Ingenuity, ar,a was kindly Invited BY ucn. ".
SuDy Smith, the engineer Ia charge of its cun.
strietlon. to rtlo oycr 1t upon the first engine
It Is really the Whlpplo truss bridge, and the
nD1y Iarge bridge In The world built cntlrclr OF
steGl. 1.uoknE at It fratn the town ur hlufT, It
seetllcd like slender network stretched across
the river, simply tn be admired ior its beauty Of
design am! symmetry Of proportions. About
3,Ctt) iect lung 1ron, beginning 10 cnlslI., Of
trchtlcwork, It has Ave spalla each 3l4 feet long,
a,l so high aboye high water.t'iark as to require
Mo uraws for shipping.
Gun. smith lla; To tlig forty-soycn feet below
the he'd uf tl,g riyer to lind bc1rock for one OF
the plGrE mil lntu this he blastcd aud secured a
level mud solid foundation. Bedrock was
reached for tho rcmaiin. piers with less
digging. Evcn ut dsAtaMcG one can Imagine
the Ingenuity ant! resolution demanded 10 diS
sucII foundation for this pier through forty
seven feet ol sot aid rock, ai covered BY rna,iy
feet ot yIgorous current Of water. Al tlle lrst
the Diructors' car loaded With men. in all about
100 tons In weight, caused DETECTION Ut prlY
s0-1v0, ! 5U:1U', 7A-1Cp. 60-1UO, and 55-l00
Of at' Inch lgtection between each pier.
{1n,tS atat,, b.fa At. =
Fiction would not reach two inches for any
span, and he was not ONLY sustained y the test
hut tie wonderful uniformity Of the dct!cctions
Is 4 striking TESTIMONY to his ability as an
river and purtook Ut u Substantial lunch, md
drank to tie health OF tic managers ot the road,
represented OH this ocras.on by President black
atonr, ucneral Manager Atcsiullln, President
engineer Of TIT, brIdga. 0eu. Smith. Ii was
nftcrward subjected t0 lest Of $50 tons, aud
then pronounced by (;cn. Smith to be strout.
enough 10 sustain lhe weight OF eyory car that
Golttd bc put unon 1t.
Cell Smith lad previously constructed three
bridges upon tlIis satne river, at Otnaha. Boone-
vile, nll Lcaye,lwpr,sl, u,l.l l,e uphcsitatlngly
pronounces this thu tLnest 1irlncst. ntll most
permanent structure Of them al. Ills estimate
Of lis cost was 5ltB,000. Prcsdent Blackstone
told him to add 9i4,0tM fur exlraa, and the re.
suit shows lie cost a tric less than President
n!ackstonn'e cstinate. The formal opeuug OF
tlIu bridge was Csrht event to the peopi. OF
the town md vicinity, who covered the bluiTs to
Smith tad been u ttousAnl tlnes assured BY
the pcop'e 1i the surrounding country thAt tho
slundcr network OF steel he was extending
across the river would never btstan the strains
tnn.y q one looked with real fear ns thu train
erOsscd over, n1ll expected to sca LIS nll lultdcd
IN The Missouri beneath; but Whcn they saw tho
lust mighty train 80 bately over 1t, und the
htHN4 stutv NM - ,.tn
RlnptY bearing tta own weight, they fGlt sensu
Of rcllet. uni! concluded the 1nnuugcrs knew
what thcY %erc about, nnd Ind constructed
something amply ahle to meet my uni all de-
lnnEt1s ever to bs llale upon 1t. And, although
built WHEN labor mud llalerial werc very low,
wien l saw allll heard of tho obstacles which
lIul 10 1e met md overcome In its building,
can hardly conceive how It could havo been 90
cheauly completed, Ia comparison with tho cost
uf the olIrr lnrgc bridges oE thu country which
have ccmo within my observation. consider
II triumph of architectural n1,tt mechanical
skili, aIs.l without Its c4ual in every regard In
Al noosl tho train stnrted for Kansas City,
103 miles. l was Invited 10 70, and was glyet,
posIsion upon tho rear VI the car wdero I
could watnehs tho construction OF tho road n,,4
lueucns alone thu route, and tlls surrounding
country: Every bridge is Ut Iron or steal. and
thc road Is 80 thoroughly constructed in n!l 70.
gaH!s that cannot see whcru scarcc-
y Au1 EApcue0 u EEp4Hb VIII U4 TO-
lnandel for tho next ten years,
Or for addItignat improvements, except
for }rrots, us lleit towns grow up, or In proytl.
luz additional factltt!ca for the accommodation
Of the Increasing business Of thu road. | have
ncror Witnessed a road 70 heavily md tlickly
covered with ttes; but a. tho steel rails woro tht
chief itcm of cxpensc, this waH dcomea m oco-
notnical expenditure. II Is mostly fenced with
parhed wire, With i've strands, and oak posts
every sixteen feet. Dupots haYc been con.
strurteu with an eya to bahuty and economy-
the san,e building Ia nauy Instances coulalling
Ticket office, ladics' asd epnt1cman's rootns,
room for freiget, nn ior tue accommodation Ut
the family Of Tie station ageut overhead, aud
when t!,u cost OF many ut theBu structures was
EiYcn lnr, could not but w0nstcr at the titt!a
cxpel.sa mt which all thrsu combinations at ac-
cunmodattOn had been constructed. There
were many elevations aud dsprcssions, rcqutr-
Ing considerable excavation nlIta tIilng, und
wucn learned tllc whnla lG3 lnttct tuclutllnE
cust VI tho Glasgow BRIDGE had besn completed
Ut coat of only sao,u01 per, mtlu, was iorcal
to roustdcr that p!a,u, practical common senss
nlli hunesty hul buen brought luto exercise
in its construction. aud tilat, for every
tlu1lar c1punlCd, yaluo received had beon re-
turned. | cau only say that, whell any stock
holder Of tl!u Chicago IL Alton RaiiroaA sur
Ypya this extension. nli compares Its cOet, cum