Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-05-05

regulate and limit the supply by the de
mand and with reference to these peo-
pie repudiats the idea of unrestricted
emigration. Nor should our policy be
restricted to California. Already undue
proportions of Cinnamon are flooding
the Sandwich Islands. This group, both
from lts commercial and strategic posi-
ton, Is mere outlying county Of that
state, yielding the productions neces-
eiry to the Pacific slope, and of vital
importance to the military and naval
| strength OF that country. Any evil in
| nlcted upon these islands will eventually
affect ourselves.
RAILROAD BUILDING IN BRlTIsn
COLUMBIA.
The following succinct account of
railroad operations in British Columbia
was given the Oregoaian, bv Edward G.
Tilton, Of Yale, B. c., contractors chief
engineer and general superintendent of
the Canadian Pacific railway:
Last February a contract for building
eighty-fiv miles from Emory "a point
five miles below Yale) to Port Moody,
Burrards Inlet, was let to Mr.. Andrew
Onderdonk and associates. and the work
Of clearing and bridging is already un-
der way. Grading will begin about the
18th of this month. Arrangements have
been made for the importation of 5000
Chinese to arrive within sixty DAYS.
Two vessels with 100 coolies arrived
last month and the men are now at
work. Five thousand men will be put
on the line between Emory and Port
Moody and like number on the Fraser
river.
The work thus far on the Fraser river
has resulted in the completion of q
miles of track, under the contract &C.
cured In 1880, northeast from Emory.
Above these q miles 1900 men have
been at work for IL months, and the
grade from the Goth to the 9Oth mile is
nearly completed. The work from En-
DRY TO Thompson river, a dist ance Of
~ miles, is probably the most difficult
and expensive on the North American
continent. Fraser river is bordered
with steep, rugged mountains of solid
granite from GOO to 5000 feet high. In
the first II miles there are Ii tunnels
in one mile and 8 in another two miles.
Mr.. Onderd0nk's contracts include, in
addition to the new one above mention
ed, the line from Emory to Kamloops
Lake, distance of 127 miles, which was
originally divided into four contracts.
The total number of tunnels is n, and
the longest is 1900 feet. Six Ingersoll
drills, operated by compressed air, were
used at each end, and six feet advance
was made every "A hours. On the d.
vision above Emory there are no less
than COO trestles and bridges, and in the
last 50 miles moro than 100. The em-
bankments at formation level are II
feet wide and cuts % feet. Tunnels are
~ feet wide and II feet high. None
other than 5S-pOund steel rails are used.
In the upper section of tho work there
are lO,OOO,UUO cubic yards of earth exca-
vatiOn; 3,OOO,OOO cubic yards of rock,
exclusive of tunnels; and 100000 cubic
yards of loose rock and cementod gravel
excavation. Between 3O,OOO,OOO and
O,OOO, 900 feet of timber, board measure,
are required for structures over tho en-
tire contracts. The rock is of the hard
est, compact granite, i'll which often &C.
cur wide and extremely hard quartz
veins. For miles the road is literally
hewn out of the sides of cliffs. The ap-
proaches to many of the tunnels are
''galleried," j. e., the cliffs are left over
hanging tho roadway, unsupported by
any outer wall. At the eastern approach
to tunnel No. z, for over l0O feet, the
bluff il galloried and overhangs the
roadbed, below which is an almost per
pendicular precipice Of 2OO feet. The
Fraser rises IN many places 100 feet. At
Hell Gate, which lclosely resembles the
Dallss of the Columbia, the river ia bat
foot ~iAa Tho fnnnal in <ba
north end of Yale. and the first four
happen within mile and half of the
town. 1t required eighteen months to
build tho first two miles, working tun-
nels night and day. From one point,
six tunnels are visible at q glance.
Grades and curves are moderate, the
heaviest grade being fifty feet to tho
mile. The company have constructed a
pack trail along ten miles of the line at
cost of $1,000. Transportation by any
other means than the backs of men and
mules over this distance was impossible.
Although several hundred tons of pow
der have been used, few lives were lost.
Deaths from violence numbered twenty
two. The health Of the men is now Ok
oollont.
10 carry on the work required the in
vestment of $75O,C0O ON the plant
alone. For masSiveness and grandeur
the scenery is unrivalled in North
America, and tho cloud effects are
beautiful boy ond comparison.
The line follows tho west bank of the
Fraser to point eight miles below
Lytton, where Thompson river empties
into the Frassr. Here the latter river
will be crossed by an iron and steel
bridge, 70 cost 100000. The line will
then follow tho south bank of the
Thompson to kamloops Lake. The
contractors expect to have completed
by the end of this year l2O miles of
grade, and have 50 miles Of track in
operation. The first two miles north
from Emory cost a trifie over 100000
per mile, and eleven miles from the 18th
to the 18th cost $le5, OC0 per mile. Tho
average cost per mile of the upper di-
vision (along Fraser and Thompson
rivers) will be over $4,000 per mile.
This does not include cost Of rails and
fastenings, which are furnished by the
Government. The PIP miles from Port
Moody to kamloops lake will be. ex-
elusive of rails, &l2.0O0,O00. The COM
pany have at Yale their own nitro
Rlyoerins and powder works, with q Ca
paoity of 40OO pounds per day, car and
machine shops and all supply depart
ments. They have employed since the
beginning Of the work from 1900 to $500
msn. A considerable portion of their
supplies are landed from ocean craft at
New Westminster, and conveyed by
steamers - miles to Emory, she base Of
operations, where the company have an
incline to the steamboat landing. A
steamer is under construction and viii
b. launched in few days for nayiga-
ton Of the Upper Fraser. between Bos-
ton bar and the mouth of the Thomp-
son river. Capt. Nat. Lane will be in
command. The boat il intended for
transportation Of supplies, and will be
the first to ascend above Boston bar.
Mr.. Tilton has brought over some sx-
cellent photographs Of scenery along
tho Fraser. allowing. besides the very
difficult character Of the work, the pro-
Qressive stages Of the road.
Mr.. 1ilton will b remembered 40 .
surveyor of the Northern Pacific Rail-
road in ls70-7l, and an engineer ct the
Willamette looks and other works. In
1875 be went TO Peru, whore he was in
the employ Of Henry AsiGs, ~ residsnt