Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1882-08-28
THE @. s. L. ROAD.
THE DIFFICULTIES In THE WAY OF
IT'S BUILDERS.

not Break, and the Subj Contractors
Have all Failed to Finish their Con-
tracts-Tne Company Taking Hold Of
the Work, to Complete the Road to
HALEY this Fall.
From N. II. Hanrahan, Superinten-
dent for Thomas Sheehan, sub-con-
tractor on the Wood River railroad,
just arrived in Haley, we obtained
some additional interesting items as
to the progress Of the graders.
Mr.. Sheehan's s contracts are on Sec
tons 317 and 318, commencing FIVE
miles east from the Junction, and in
cludes two miles, nearly all lava, and
to be finished December 1st. In or
der not to be delayed 100 additional
men, all Italians, will be set at work
there September 1st, when they will
arrive from the East.
In these two sections there are 1885,
coo cubic yards of grading, and of
this 115,000 yards at least is rock
cutting or lava work. This lava cut
ting is very heavy work, as the aver
age depth Of the lava excavating to
be done, averages 20 feet in cuts, 300
to 500 feet in length, and in one such
! n,,% h> 1,x, L. IL Al
depth of 35 feet-this being all solid,
but full Of seams, into which the force
of the powder is lost. The work of
blasting is slow process indeed, and
requires men well-skilled. in rock
breaking, and such men unfortunate
ly are scarce as hens teeth. The
Mormons and Missourians are mostly
professors Of the shovel only, and ap-
pear to be unable to learn to drill.
One gang secured in Pike county en-
gagged as drillers, and were surprised
to find, on arriving at
the grade, that it wasn't drilling at a
mustcr-the only drilling they ever
had done.
On section 316 is lava cut that
nobody wants, and no contractor has
yet been willing to accept it. The
cut is 1890 feet long which will aver
age depth of 10 feet-all in lava.
Section 315 includes 100000 cubic
yards of lava, and all is yet to be cut
out.
Section 90 is far behind, under
Harry Williams, and Mr.. Hanrahar
does not believe it will be done, if lef,
with him until midwinter.
To arrive at conclusion, it may By
stated as the sub b-contractors' excuse
that c. w. Collins, the chief contrac
: tor from the r. r. Co., agreed to sup
ply the sub-contractors with all thu
men they could work and with skilled
rock breakers, and this Collins & Co
have failed to do. Again-Collins &
Co. put in bids to the Railroad Com
pany lower than the work was worth
to secure the contract, and sub-let
at still lower rates, and the sub-con
tractors are failing and breaking VI
as the work cannot be done at tn
, price they receive. The sub-contrac
: tors were not prepared to excayat
lava, as all their men were shovel AM
pick-hands.
1 That the work is hard is proven il
the difficulty of keeping men. Nj
Wells, contractor, brought out re
Gently 600 men at one shipment, an
out of that entire number only ]
}, stayed at work. 1t is evident tha
Collins & Co. must either delay tn
IS completion of the railroad by con
: stantly recruiting the gangs with ra,
hands and working small force, c
, raise the price Of the mems wage.
and thus retain those they bring ther,
Hundreds Of Mormons were ser
,e out by Mormon contractors, who too
contracts at 20 and rs cents per cub
yard, and this on the worst parts {
the desert-but, as they could not
|, the work, they are now throwing u
the contracts, which are taken off the
hands by the Railroad Company. II
: Company has already taken the col
tract of Wildman & Hagan off the
hands, and as the time specified f'
completing the grading Of the Q.
}. L. to the Junction was August 1st, a
. the contracts yet unfinished a
suhiect To reyersion to the railroa,