The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-03-14

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with Los Angeles on the south, They
had the right Of way over the Central Pa
cihG to Goshen, because then the new
company was regarded simply as branch
or otfshoot OF the main organization. All
materials and construction trains were
run over this Visalia branch, and on July
25, 1872, the Southern Pacific had reached
Upton, twelty.one mileslbeyond Goshen
By regular stages Of about twenty miles
the road was carried on from Upton
through Delano, Lerdo, and Summer Il
Caleinte, town at the foot Of the Te'
hachepi mountain, ninety'hve miles IRON
Goshen, This point was reached in 1875
HERE A HALT wAsNAD2
in the rapid progress, as in the Tehachepi
pass, a narrow detile in the mountains
the most formidable engineering Difficult
ties on the line were met and overcome
When the line was being built from Go
shen q large force Of workingmen were
engaged in tunneling through the San
Fernando mountain, twenty-six miles
north OF Los Angeles, and another force,
estimated at one time at four thousand
Chinese, were scattered through the
TehaChepi pass, preparing the road'bed
for the trRCk.layer, The two great ex'
PLOTS Of engineering are the "loop" In
the Tehschepi pass, in Kern county, and
the San Fernando tunnel in Los Angeles
county. So sudden 10 the rise in elevation
that the plan was TO secure extra distance
in order to overcome the steep grade,
This was accomplished by q most
singular method Of dstour, and by
the loop which forces the railroad
to describe circle, return to the place
whence 1t started, aud pass directly over
the tunnel which 1t entered when It
began the dstour, The elevation to be
overcome was PCS feet. By ClrCling among
the buttes o distance Of $4,000 feet was
consumed, which represented an advance
in q direct line Of only 1900 feet. The
actual "loop" occupies only 3,795 feet,
One Is twisted about In q circle winding
around the base Of one OF the huttes, and
when he returns to the starting point he
may look down q distance Of 703 feet upon
the track below, which enters the tunnel.
The CuryatuTes and grades here are equal
10 ZIG feet per mile, The San Francisco
tunnel, which called into play
THE RESOURCES OF THE ENGINEERS,
Is situated twenty.six miles from Los An.
geles, and 10 6,967 feet in length, cut
through mountain OF soft rock. With
the single exception OF the Hoosac, It ia
the largest tunnel In the United States.
In q year from the time the road reached
the Tshachepi mountains the wild detle
had been conquered, the "loop,' built, the
huge, trestle.work constructed and the
track laid 10 Moiaye, on the southern side
OF the mountains. There now remained
only q gap Of about seventy miles. The
San Fernando tunnel, 1000 feet long, had
been completed, and one month saw the
gap filled and trains running through Los
Angeles and on to Spadra, 270 miles from
Goshen and oil miles from San Francisco.
The construction across the Colorado
desert progressed with such dispatch that
connection between San Francisco and
Yuma was made on May %, 1877, the dis.
lance between the two points being 72O
miles.
For year succeeding the completion OF
the Southern Pacific to Yuma, the com.
pany was engaged In equipping the road
and perleOting arrangements for through
travel. This was heavy work, as south Of
Los Angeles everything had to be trans.
ported BY team over the desert, and the
difficulties afterward encountered In Ari.
IONA and New Mexico OF water and
tuel-were first encountered.
On November 22d, 1878, construction
operations were resumed at Fort Yuma,
and from that date the route was graded
and the track laid continuously until May
18th, 1879, when the forces were compel.
ed to suspend work, alter having complet.
ed 1874 miles In l45 working days. The
next seasons work was begun In January,
1880, when 1000 feet Of track were laid In
one day. On March 18th, 1880, Tucson
was reaChed-24 miles from Yuma and 070
miles from San Francisco. The arrival oil
the traCk.layers at Tucson was the occa.
sion Of grand celebration and
DRUNKEN JAMBoRRg.
The New Mexican boundary was reach.
ed on September 10Th, 1880. The con.
struction oil the road from the New Mexi.
can line to the junction with the Atchi.
son, Topeka and Santa Fe has progressed
by easy stages during the winter.