The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-01-31

It was now dark, and we could see
nothing except many dusky forms and
the light of tiny camp fires, where the
laborers' evening meals were IN prepa-
ration. In the morning the ground
was covered with q white frost, which
soon vanished before the hot sun. The
work of track laying was in lively pro-
gress. Track laying, as well as most
all other kinds of work, has distinctive
peculiaries in Mexico. You may per-
haps fancy q gang of noisy lrlshmen
in turbulent toll, a few rude shanties
around, much whisky in the air, and
the ground strewn with tin cans
and empty bottles. The picture would
hold good of any track laying scene In
the far West but not in Mexico Here the
labor is all Mexicans, that is to say, pure
Indian with slight exceptions, and the
only camp debris left when the work
has passed on consists OF bushels OF
tuna skins. The only white men are
the master track layers, the locomotive
engineer and the fireman, the civil en-
gineer who is setting the stakes to guide
the surfacing gang, and the COOK. Inc
foremen of the track laying gangs are
Mexicans.
All appears to be confusion, and the
spectator wonders why the men lug
ring all sorts of material and engaged
in all sorts of work do not tumble over
each other. But really the strictest or
der prevails. The Indian laborers work
steadily and without noise. They are
we'll trained and great number OF
them have been engaged IN the work
ever since the track left Mexico. One
gang carries the cross ties forward and
arranges them; boys run ahead and
drop the spikes, fish plates or angle
irons, bolts and nuts, Just in the spot
where they are wantedi another gang
loads the rails on to little Hat cars,
which are pushed forward over the
bran new track as fast as 1t Is laid,
where the rails are unloaded and carried
forward by other men detailed for the
purpose. The rails are laid on the cross
tiers in their proper position, those on
! the right following a chalk line marked
on the ties by a string, while on the left
they are placed at the exact distance
from the opposite line by means OF
gauging stick. The rails are secured
together by bolts and nuts through the
''angle irons" or ''fish plates" as
the case may be, which connect
| them, only two bolts being used
at first, the other two being put 10
afterward, the design being to have the
rails ready at the earliest possible min
ute for the fiat cars, with material to
be pushed over them. As soon as the
rails are joined, the spikers come to
the spot, two at each joint, one within
and one without the rail, welding lusty,
unerring blows in alternate succession,
like two blacksmiths at an anvil. The
same men also drive the center spikes
at each rail when the track is ready
for the little flats aforesaid. Other
spikers and bolt fasteners come along
and complete the work. When there
are pine ties, two blows at the utmost
will drive spike into place, but with
the hard ties of oak and mesquite 10
takes several blows. These latter ties
are mostly very uneven in size, and
therefore it takes a considerable longer
time to lay the track than with uniform
ties of pine, or with those which are
sawn or hewn to regular size, as
upon most of the roads in the States.
This difference in the size of the ties
makes more work in leveling up,
task which must be done before
anything heavier than the little mate
rial flats can pass over the rails. The
Jewelers. come directly behind the
track laying gang. The rails are raised
to exactly the required level by means
of iack-screws, and the gravel or bal
last is scraped and shoveled in under
the cross-ties to keep them in place.
The track is then ready for the cars.
But ballast train follows Immediately
along behind, filling in between the
ties with the needed ballast, and within
fifteen days at least the track is in per-
feet order for regular operation. The
thorough construction of the Mexican
Central is shown IN its ballasting. In
stead of LAYING the track on the bare
grading and then filling in with ballast
afterward, the line is thoroughly bal
lasted at the time the grading is done,
giving the best kind of a road-bed. The
ballast all along the line is excellent, a
great proportion of it being of broken
rock, like that on the Pennsylvania
railway, while the rest is of tepatate
of various degrees of hardness.-Cor.
Boston Herald.