The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-02-20

history OF the old Portage Rail Road, which
we read carefully, and being satisfied of its
correctness from our own personal recoIlec-
ton of the commencement and completion
of the road, we preserved the paper for fu-
ture nSe, and although it contains nothing
really new, we lay before our readers syn
opsis OF its main features, adding thereto
few local and personal references, and also
our own knowledge of the subsequent career
Of most Of the persons named by the writer,
who originally located and supeTintended
the construction Of what was then justly re-
garded throughout the world as an unequale6
triumph of engineering skin.
The commencement of the construction Of
the Allegheny Portage Railroad was author
lied by an act of the Legislature of Penn
sylvania, passed the 21st day Of March, A.
ID. 1881 Previous to that time surveys OF
J the Allegheny mountains had been made by
Z several eminent engineer and these surveys
had thrown much light on the topography Of
the country through which the railroad was
to pass. Sylvester Welch. Esq, was'appOint-
ed principal engineer OF the work by the
board of Canal Commissioners, and he or
ganized his locating party and had the tents
pitched near Lilly's mill, at the head Of the
7 mountain branch Of the COnemaugh, on the
18TH day of April, 1881. The locating party
at the beginning consisted Of Sylvester Welch
principal engineer Solomon W Roberts,
principal assistant engineer Patrick Griffin,
/ surveyor; ana twelve assistants. axe men
/ and cook. The line commenced at the head
OF the Little Conemaugh and continued
down the valley of that stream to JohnstOwn,
q distance miles NfftTt IL connected Win
the western division of the Pennsylvania
( canal. The western end of the railroad was
located on the 14th day Of MAY, 1881 In the
mouth of May, Mr. w Minor Roberts Joined
the corps as principal assistant engineer and
traced the line from the turnpike crossing,
near the summit Of the mountain, TO Lilly's
mill. distance of five miles.
The letting for the grading and masonry
of these twenty-siX miles of the road from the
Summit to Johnstown took place at Ebens-
burg on the 26th of May, 1881 It was en-
phatically big day in this place, scores of
railroad contractors from all sections of
Pennsylvania and many from other States
being in attendance. The engineers Office
was in the upstairs front room of the build
ing now occupied by Michael Latterner as
hotel, and the sealed bids for the different
sections of the road were received there by
Mr.. Welch and his assistants. Samuel Jones,
afterwards q banker and broker in PittSbuTg,
where he died several years ago, was Superin-
tendent any paymaSter OF the road and had
his Office in the room under the engineers
Office now used by Mr.. .atterner as bar
room
The letting of the road from the Summit to
HOllidaysburg, distance Of ten and two
third miles, took place at HOlidaysburg on
the 29th of July, 1S31-thus putting under
contract the whole of the road, thirty-siX
and two-third miles. The work upon the
road was prosecuted vigorously, about two
thousand men being employed upon it, and
the first track was 50 advanced as to permit
the passage of an experimental car over its
On the 18th of March, 1884, the road was
I opened as q public highway, the State fur
nishing the power on the inclined planes
only. In April, 1885, the second track was
completed, and in May the State began to
furnish the motive power for the greater pOr-
ton of the road, locomotive engines having
been placed on the "lOng level" rs it was
. called, being thirteen miles in length, and
extending from Plane No ,, through vii.
more, to the tunnel, four miles east of Johns
town.
The road consisted Of eleven 'Ie7els" or
Z grade lines, and ten incline planes. Inc as
cent from JOhnstOWn to the Summit was
/ LII feet in distance Of 26 miles The
descent from The Summit to Holldaysburg
was 1873 feet in distance Of 10 miles.
Five OF these planes were on the east side
/ of the mountain and FIVE on the west, the
longest one being Plane No. g, on the eastern
I slope which was 8, ll6 feet, and the shortest
one Plane No. 3, on the west side, winch was
! ,4SO feet. The big ViaduCt, built OF nam
( mer-dTcSSed stone, over the COnemaugh at
. "HOrse Shoe Bend, eight miles east Of
/ Johnstown, and still used by the PenUSyl-
yania Rail Road, had a single scmicircular
arch of SO feet span, the top Of the masonry
being 20 feet above the water-the Whole
/ being considered one OF the best structures
OF the kind in the country. Its cost was
S54, coo. The tunnel was 9Ul feet long and
cost SIS, 600. All of the iron rails for the
road were imported from England to Phia-
, delphia and transported from there to Hol-
lidaysburg by rail road and canal The
Sylvester Welch, the chief engineer, was
from New jersey. He made his headquarters
in this place, and while here married daugh-
, ter of Daniel StauGrd, an old and well known
3 lawyer of the town Of Indiana. After the road
, was completed he removed TO Kentucky,
where for many years he was employed IN
7 his professional capacity, and finally died at
Frankfort, the capital Of that State. =. w.
J Roberts, the principal assistant engineer,
was q Phiiadelphian. and when the Penn
D sylvauia Rail Road was projected went into
p the service Of that company, and for long
time was connected with it, but whether le
still remains in q position under it we are not
} prepared to Sav. Patrick Griffin, the sur
= . veyOr, as his name indicates, was an IIISh
. man. We remember him well, but have nc
2 I knowledge OF his after-career III life. Edward
r + Miller another member of the engineer corps
. was from Philadelphia, ard we think reside;
D in that city yet lie did so not many year,
ago, and we do not otremembeT of having neaUC
I Of his death. Nth W. Minor Roberts, WHO
was also from Philadelphia, tie writer OF
this was well acquainted He married 8
daughter OF Chief Justice Gibson, OF thE
e State, and SubseQUeutlyWcnt 20 Brazil W here
!. he was employed by the government of that
e country in locating an extensive line of rail
= way. Returning 10 the United States, h,
. became principal engineer of the survey 70,
. the improvement Of the Ohio river, making
: his home'for several years in Pittsburg, WheT,
{ he married his second wife When tht
:, Northern Pacific Rail Road was com nenceC
T. he was appointed its chief engineer. and wa
~
It ago, when he was again employed by Tn
: Brazilian government to locate and SupeTin
4 tend the construction in that country of ont
t or more important lines of rail road, at
yearly salary of S25, ,OGO in gold. His ag
J. cannot he under seventY-five, and il may bi
/ nearer eighty.
h During the work on the Portage Railroad
a from 1881 TO 1885, EbenSburg, small as
1. then was, was quite n stirring place, owin
It to the fact that the offices of the chief en-
J Cineer and paymaster were kept here, an'
here also OH each monthly payday all tn
contractors on the road came to receive thei
r estimates. Take it all in all the construction
ir of the road was an interesting epoch in tn
l. history of this county, which Is pleasantly
+ remembered by many of her older citizens.
~ A REMARK ABLE RAILROAD ACcIDEST--An acc
- dent which Il possibly without parallel IN IN
n history Of railroadng occurred TO q iTeght tral
al on the r r. r. between Mineral Point and f-as
10 Conemaugh. this county. on Tuesday night Of iSs
"a week. The facts we learned thcin from one
the most faithful and trusted employees on the rOa
> about follow. 4 freight tram WestWar
)t bound broke about three miles cast OF CoI
is eaaaugh probably one-haf the cars being lett ]
n rear while those in charge OF the front sectio
the train seemingly did not notice the loss unit
- they had proceeded about two miles. Meantm
~ the roar portion Of the train moved on In the eve
III tenor OF it, way without encountcrlng any misa
Il until what is known as COnemaugh Bridge NO
at reached. when the twO front cars broke loos
~ and plunged into the river going down distanC
~ OF forty feet more. Nothing very remar "A b
about that. the reader viii no doubt say. " Ell
no but when the further fact j. announced that th
two cars which made the plunge went over as 'clea
Of q whistle leaving the track perfectly clear an
- giving no sign to the br0kemcn or brakeman
u charge whereby their disappearance could be note
r. the two cars singular as il may seem, actuall
n of