Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1883-08-22
A RAILROAD CENTER.

branches, and from this article we
make the following extracts which are
of local interest:
Railroads depend on their tonnage
for success, and it is this fact that has
turned the eyes of the managers of al
most every large system operating in
New York, Pennsylvania, the Nir-
ginias and Ohio to Pittsburgh. The
tonnage of Pittsburgh is acknowledged
to exceed that of any other city in the
United States, and consequently all the
great carrying companies are anxious
to receive their share This fact with
| in the past few years has inaugurated a
regular railroad boom in the attempt
to reach this city and the coal territory
contiguous thereto. Coal furnishes
one great part of the immense tonnage,
and number of lines have been con-
tent to reach after it, but the great ma
iority have ruled that to come thus far
means to come entirely, until to-day
| there is hardly an accessible avenue
between the hills leading into Pitts
burgh and Allegheny but that is occu-
| pl6u, IL nOU Will d IdllIOdu dt iCuSi
| with a charter for railroad.
THE GREAT RIVALS.
At present there are three great sys-
TENS of railroads operated through
Pittsburgh or in course Of construction
and positively assured. The first OF
these east and west is the Pennsylvania
railroad and the Pennsylvania Com
pany system, the second the Wander
bilt, and the third the Baltimore q
Ohio and the Pittsburgh & Western
system combined. Dependent branch
railroads are as plentiful as mush-
rooms, and network of independent
lines has completely surrounded the
approaches to this busy industrial Gen.
tre. Other trunk systems are creeping
in, either by independent lines or by
excellent traffic arrangements with
what would ordinarily be competing
lines, but who are gladly extending
terms in order to keep new lines out.
The Importance of Pittsburgh as a
railroad centre, unknown to great
majority of the general public, has
prompted this sketch, and the facts
given below were secured directly from
officials of the different roads by re-
porter. The different systems and
their connections are described inde-
pendently, and the growth of the past
year separately, so that the increase of
railroads in this section within the past
year can be easily comprehended.
The parent of all Pittsburgh rail-
| roads, the Pennsylvania railroad, has
not seen fit to lay behind its younger
competitors, and while the new pro-
jeects were building their main stems
the old reliable was constructing its
branches and fortifying itself for con-
tinuance of a greater part of certain
traffics. In addition to this the Penn
sylvania railroad has been preparing to
enlarge its facilities and improve its
capacity by improvements to road-bed,
the building of additional track and the
creation of stems for handling the over
flow freight from the main line. This
necessity is not strictly confined to the
Pennsylvania railroad proper, but has
also been recognized by the Pennsyl-
vania Company's lines going west from
Pittsburgh, which are being double,
treble and quadruple tracked essential
distances. These improvements have
mostly been commenced or completed
within the past year and have cost
hundreds of thousands of dollars. In
addition, great freight engines have
been added to the service and other
improvements made in the motive
power. OF the greet Improvements to
the main line, the preparation of the
West Penn railroad for transfer OF
through Pittsburgh freight from Boli-
yer to Allegheny without passing
through Pittsburgh is most important.
The West Penn railroad as at present
operated is sixty-six miles in length
from Allegheny City to Blairsville in
tersection, which is fourteen miles
longer than the main Pennsylvania
railroad line from Pittsburgh to Blairs-
vile intersection. The cause for the
compromise, in addition to the press OF
business on the main line, is to make a
low grade division. Between Pitts
burgh and Derry station the main line
has grades of fiftytwo feet, but from
Derry to Conemaugh comparatively
low grade is used. The West Penn
road from Allegheny to Freeport,
where it crosses the Allegheny river,
is low-grade, but from there to Blairs-
vile intersection the grades are also SO
feet and over The improvement in
wolves the reduction of this grade to a
maximum Of twenty-one feet to the
mile The difference of elevation be.
tween Blairsville and Blairsville inter
section makes low-2rade line imprac'
ticable and it has been necessary tc
extend the West Penn from. Blairsville
through the Packsaddle Gap to con.
nection with the main line at Boliver
eight and half miles long.
OTHER WEST PENN CHANGES
THE heavy grade between Roaring
Run and Salisbury necesstated new
route, which followed the kiskimine.
tas river and the line of the old Penn
sylvania canal Near Salina the river
makes series of bends, and in order
to get short line with good aline
ments, the Salra tunnel was bull
through q point above Salina and {
bridge thrown across the kiskimineta'
river at its eastern terminus. Tht
Salina tunnel is one-fourth of a mile
long and was built by Thomas Ruttel
& Co., of New York. Two-thirds 0
its length is on six degree curve ant
the remainder is on tangent 1t is
great piece of tunnel building and i
bas probably the largest section of any
double track tunnel in the world, being
twentyeinht feet wide at the snringinl