Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-08-30
casAy RAllaoAp consraveylon.
An Interesting Description Of the
Work in eoledad Canyon.
WHlrEHsAp's CAMp. Aug. 20.

R. r. Company in the Soledad Canon.
which is the throat to the great Sunset
route from San Francisco to the Gull
and on to the Chesapeake. 1t is well
known that by the frequent foods and
freshets down this canon, the company
lost many hundred thousand dollars in
direct loss. and many millions Of revenue
in consequential damages. caused by the
complete blockade Of this great overland
thoroughfare for months. In order to
put their road on war footing from the
summit Of Tehachepi 10 the City Of the
Angels. they sent corps Of the ableat
engineers and men Of brains to select a
new location for the road up this canon,
and plan bridges, dykes, causeways and
other permanent improvements, regard
less Of cost, SO as to make this
route available at all seasons Of
the year with certainty and
dispatch. Nearly the entire distance
from the point at Newhall to and above
Ravsna the track has been changed. At
the first crossing Of the stream above the
point pile bridge for distance Of |
about five hundred feet has been put in |
| in the most substantial manner, while |
| the grade has been raised from eight to
| twelve feet, and the embankment thor
oughIy rip-rapped with stone quarried |
| from the mountain side above tun-
| mel No. 10. There are three more |
| pile bridges of considerable magnitude |
between that point and Lang's Station,
| which, for stability and safety, cannot |
be exceIlsd on the coast. The piles, |
stringers, arches and iron work are all |
from the beat material, while the faclii-
ties for the easy exit Of any floods is
much greater than would have been nec- |
essary 1t any time last winter. by the |
change in the grade between these bridges |
q much more uniform grade il accom-
plished and many short CURVES in the |
| road il avoided, while the stone embank-
ment Of the new grade will enable both
freight and passenger trains to make
| much better time than ever before.
From Lang's Station north to Ravena
there are fifteen iron bridges with con-
crete piers and abutments being put in,
which will make this much dreaded Sec
tion a. secure a. the finest piece of mesa
road in Arizona, Colorado or on the
Humboldt. These fifteen iron bridges
are az follows; The first has span Of
100 feet, the second 30, the third 100,
the fourth 100, the fifth 100, the sixth,
three piers Of IS feet each; the seventh
Of loo, the eighth Of 100, the ninth 100,
the tenth so, the eleventh 80, the twelfth
Al. IA h. .rka =,
100, and the fifteenth 30 feet, making
fetal spanning by these iron bridges
Of fifteen hundred and thirty-four
feet at cost of aboat three
hundred and seventy.five thousand dol
lars. To form sons idea Of the extent
and character Of these bridges we will
describe one now being built at the south
end Of lanne1 19. The abutments are of
concrete and will measure, with the
wings, eighty feet in length, up and
down the creek, with width Of twenty
four feet on the base, and extending
from depth Of twelve feet below the
bed Of the stream, to level with the
tunnel, which il some twenty-four feet
above the bed Of the stream. On the
north abutment the iron truss will rest;
the other end Of tho truss extending into
the bedrock in tunnel 10. On the op-
posite end of the stream there is dupli-
cate OF the first named abutment to
support the further end Of the
main truss across the span Of 100
feet, while the third iron truss
will reach the embankment Of twenty
five feet in height rip.rapped with stone.
The iron trusses resting on granite
slab one foot in thickness and securely
fastened by two-inch iron bolts coming
up through this ponderous pile of ma
sonry. which is - firm - the mountain
itseif. By this system Of securing firm
foundation the floods can pass down the
caGon without affecting the road any
more than heavy dew. The space for
exit OF the floods down the cafion under
this bridge will be twenty flour by 100
feet, where there is . grade of four
inches fall to the rod. The fifteen other
iron bridges are Of about the same pro-
portions aud stability, which Is a guar.
autee that no more work will be
necessary during this age or genera
tion. To enable the vast army Of work
men with their several trains Of supply
and construction to wsrk day and night
without hindrance Of the monster ana
conda trains now passing over this great
continental roadway, it has been found
necessary to construct some five or six
miles Of side tracking ut Lang's, the
quarry and around tunnels IS and 10.
There are now corps Of engineers,
blacksmiths, carpenters, quarrymen, iron
workers and concsetemen Of three hui
dred white men and between five and six
hundred Cinnamon and common laboT- |
ers. Adjoining this camp Of
some twenty five tents Is aI
camp Of some two hundred Chinese.
Next above them 10 the camp Of H. r.
fogerty, where Jack ONeil is in charge
of eighty eight head Of team and saddle |
herses. Within . distance Of half .
mile along the road here can be found
camps No. 03, 81, 95, 90, 81 and 90. |
Among them will be found blacksmith,
carpenter, iron and shoe shops, a. well |
- magazine for the quarries and rock |
workers, Mr.. c. A, Wells in the CO.
boose car at this place and Mr.. Hugh |
Gillis at Lang's, handles the electricity |
for tbs dispatohing of trains, with that |
unsrring certainty that tho main track
IL kept ~ hot - the street car tracks ON |
Main street. Los Angeles, or Market
street, San Francisco. Wm. Millen. the |
great North American bridge builder Of
Wilmington, with the assistance Of
Fred. fap. whom everybody knows,
moves about in quiet way and
appears to keep the workmen
supplied with men and means to push
things for all there is in it. They are
both eminently fitted for their positions
and both haye been dubbed "Ppshers"
of the largest capacity. Theodore
Whitehead, to whom we are greatly in
debted for numerous courtesies in our
search for further light" in his kind Of
concrete masonry, Is superintendent Of
the concrete work. Having had some
eleven years' experience in the employ
Of the company in this line be appears
to be aw faii in such matters aud knows
no such word - fail. Mr.. Richardson,
from Oakland, who is a. steady as
Methodist deacon, is . holy terror to
surmount difficulties and obstacles in
getting around with his engines and
piledrivers. Mr.. James Mathews, Of
oakland, is in charge of the quarries.
By his lifelong experience with the erough
and perfect ASHER and the assertion
Of giant powder he is able to remove
mountains by . simple twist of the
, wrist, Al Marslett and Cyrus Dain are
capable Of handling the pile drivers or
putting in q bridge by the latest and
most approved methods, quicker than
Yuma, Needles or that other locality
would scorch feather. w. ID. Gillette.
the chief engineer Of the work. with
Rne corps Of civil engineers, has camp
and stables at Langs, but goes over the
! entire work every day to establish the
meets and bounds Of this great improve
incpt with the most scrupulous care and
nicety, that nothing may be left undone.
Mr.. Alfred Thompson aud Mr., James
Matthews, Of Oakland, are well up in
handling pile drivers and can build a
, bridge in short order II they oan