Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-07-26
CONSTRUCTION. of the C.P.R.

MIR. Clint Boardman, of Langdon, Shep-
Aerd & Co., writes the following interest
ing letter to the Elkador, Iowa, Register.
1t contains some interesting notes relating
10 the magnitude of the work which is go
ing on at the end of the track. He says:
We now have upwards of 1000 men and
1900 teams on the work, strung over a
territory of about 100 miles. hardly know
how to explain to you the modus operandi
of the working. The earthwork amounts
30 about $4,000 yards per mile, the bridg-
ing is light, but it keeps three pile-drivers
and two gangs of bridge-builders working
night and day to keep out of the way of
the track. Langdon, Shepherd & Co., do
none of the grading themselves, all being
let to sub contractors who number about
sixty outfits, the sub-contractors taking
from one to twenty miles, according to the
outfits they may have.
Every day the track is layed at least
three miles and from that to four miles,
Shus relieving from one to three of these
subs, who fold their tents and 60 for
ward and commence on another contract,
where they will again see the end
Of the steel rails within thirty days.
This is as near as l can explain the
grading.
The piling and bridge timber is hauled
by the engines on the construction trains,
and thrown off at the end of the track and
hauled ahead, not to exceed eight or ten
miles, so that one day there will not be a
stick of timber to be seen anywhere; the
next day four or five neatly constructed
Bridges stand there ready for the track to
pass over. This work can only be done by
working night and day, as all timber must
come from the east and be hauled from
the end of the track, instead of getting
timber from other places near the line, as
we can do in settled country, and having
bridges constructed months before the
track is laid.
Now comes the track gang of three hun
bred men and thirty five teams. Now to
explain how this is performed it would be
useless FOR me to try,it is simply immense
and everything works like a o'clock. Each
man knows his own place, and even knows
which identical spike remains for him to
drive, or the indentical tie for him to put
in position. 1t requires from Is to q
cars of steel per day, and from SO to As
cars of ties to keep those men at
moderate pace.
Now you ask what this army of mer
and teams eat. Step into my shoes for
day and you would get an idea of what i
takes to supply all the northwest territory
and the amount of work connected will
the supply department. In the frs
place The horses require sixteel
hundred bushels of oats daily
which amount must be unloat
ed from the train as near the end of ..th
track as possible, and then loaded Of
iieighting outfits and hauled ahead. Thi
work alone requires few men and teams
Now to-feed this army of railroad men
requires from one to two cars per day o
supplies. These supplies are the best tina
money will buy; our meats all come from
United States, from Armour, of Milwaukee
hams, bacon, pork, corn beef and spices
roll; we also have butcher outfit that visit
each camp at least three times per week
VII good fresh beef. 1t required las
zee: IN this line 700 head to supply us
81 year it VIII probably require
f-sTly 1000 head. 1t requires abou
= 4sks OF -four of 100 pounds each pc
wrek for bread. This,of coUrse,is all Man
i.oDa four, than which there is none better
We get butter from Ontario, and SO IA
this season it has been good. Our othe
supplies consist of the same as your store
IN Elkader keep, all kinds of canned goods