Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-07-22

A Trip over the Cedar River Rail.
road and IIsewhete

road and Elsewhere.
On Sunday morning last, at O'Clock,
accepting a courteous invitation from
Yr. John l.. How ard. Assistant Super
intendsnt of the Oregon improvement
Company, a party Of gentlemen repre-
senting heavy property interests 10 this
city met at the depot % the G. & r. ;.
X. X. Co. for trip over the completed I
line of the Cedar River extension of the
C. l. p. ) Railroad. comfortable
passenger coach, ueHly overhaQled and
painted, attached to a sprighily loco
motive, stood awaiting the party, who
we're soon en- route for the front. The
track Of the uarroV-gage - laid be-
tween the rails of the +. ;. ). line as
far as Black River junction. where it
defects TO the left up the Black River
valley. shiIe the standard-eage road
con iuues southwark up White River
valley. Here the party aliRhted for
few moments to vIes tbs Orphan
Ro1d," and were eommiseratinR it, pa
rentless condition until senteutiously |
assured by Mr. Howard that, ipasmuch |
as he was Just now acting A. godfather /
TO the waIf. and had taken VOWS "a /
such, no immediate apprehensIoBs for 1
its future need be entertained. This I
dried up tears and expletives. and the /
guests were soon flFinR through waving 4
fields of timothy. redtOp and grain, to I
the pIeturesqe and prosperous village Of !
BENTON.
To the writer, Who visited Renton a
year ago. there are apparent many EVIL
dsnces of thrifty growth. Numerous
new cottages stand empowered IN lux
uriant foliage glimpses Of tiny gardens
crowded with vegetation attract the at
tention and indicate comfort and con
tentment. just beyond the village flows
the Cedar river. n crystal, sparkling
stream, Drawing over clean, prayeily
bed In mad haste 10 miugle with and
hide itself in the dark waters of Black
river. only little way below. Here On
the banks of the Cedar river the newly
constructed railroad leaves the line of
the G.. IL L. =. and fellows up the valley.
bordering It's course. The run mp this
road vas made slowly. The road j. we'll
built. graded and laid with ties Of full !
length for standard gage One Of the !
rails % placed In permanent position |
aud full spiked. The other rail il laid !
at proper distance therefrom for the use |
of the narrow gage locomotives and (
rolling stock of the g. d L. ;. Railroad |
All the bridges. trestlss and embank- !
mants are of full standard gage width, /
and the cuts are wide enough for Pull /
man cara to pass Though. Some of the |
| fills have settled perceptibly sluee the |
track was laid last winter and will re- /
quire raising and bailasting. This of
course was TO be expected a. the en-
bankments were mostly constructed in
midwinter, when the ground was filled
With. water. A run of twenty five or
| thirty minutes brought tue party 10 the
end of the track, distance of SIX miles
from Reaton and eighteen miles from
Seattle. Here were piled Oh the side of
the track hundreds of wheelbaTroWs.
wagons, etc, left whsn work Was sus-
pended. There we're also to be observed
| great Rnmber of ties. Again alight-
ing. walk of abont half mile over
the road bed already graded and practi-
cally ready for ties and rails, brought
US 10 the
NC ALLIsrER NINE.
The grade of the road cuts through
the coal vein aud exposes II for dis
lance of perhaps fifty feet. At this
point tbs road bed Is directly ON the
south bank of the river, and above it 20
| feet. On the south side of the road the
vein is plainly in sight II il about five
feet thick. with an apparent pitch of
| from twenty five To thirty degr es.
| There is very little slate in the vein, and
| the quality Is good Ignite. Ii will DC
very easily worked. The opening al
| ready made on the vein i about $50 feet
frosa the railroad bed, and of sufficient
elevation to admit of the erection of
good sized bankers and other necessary
appliances for operation. Track laying
is now progressing, and 10 will be bat
few days before cars can be run to
| p int opposite this mine From tae
| point where the mine is being opened to
the bed of the river, or water level Il is
We Judge from 90 Co 20 feet, aud as the
| ti5i rises quite abruptly u the south.
| considerable depth upIn the vein can
bc obtained before any Inconvenience
arises from water. On the trip up and
down the Cedar. We noted several Sc
athletes with rod and oreel along the
banks, who afterwards reported having
| met with fair success. Among the mum
Der were Messrs. Lowman, Pdmphrsy,
Stackpool and Blake. of the Star. The
latter was engaged in the aTdunus daty
of carrying bait and other supplies. he
| turning 10 Renton, after telepAouIug to
see IL the track WAS clear-Our rain
was special and running wild-we
made quick run to Newcastle. and
| after five minute halt ran on about
three miles farther 10
COAL CREEK,
Where At present the larger portion of
1 mis- hv
Improvement Company is taken out.
The coal IL extracted from No. vein,
aud hoisted through an incline shaft
800 feet in depth. The hoistinR works
are simply and admirably arranged for
saving labor. The loaded cars arriving
a. the top of the incline run on
slightly descending track TO the bunk
ers, where, dumping themselves, they
are righted, given push and return on
another Inclined plane to the foot of an
incline some 30 feet high. over which
runs link chain, from which at proper
intervals hooks project. These catch
the front axle of the ear and hoist il 10
the top Of the incline, from whence ua-
aided 1t desceais on gradual grade 20
the top of the main Incline shaft. The
movement of these oars 10 the perfec-
ton of labor saving. two boys at the
| toot OF tue snort tncnnc giving them all
the requisite attention The mine is
supplied With air by fan, which fur
nlshes great volume of fresh air psr
minute. 10 II run by Seattle built
engine, which also furnishes power for
holsting the cars up the short incline re
ferred TO. and runs Sturtevant blower
at the rate of 300 revolutions per
minute. The blast from this blower is
used Ia the blacksmith shop, and Is
carried TO each furnace under thu nAin
boilers which supply steam for the hoist
ing engine at the mine. BY using this air
blast Superintendent Jones has been
able 10 use as fuel the slack. dust aud
refuse coal from under toe screens in
tue bankers. which has heretofore been
not only useless as fuel. bot cumber-
some aud hard 80 get out of the way.
IL effects decided saving Ia the cost of
raining the mine. The main bankers
we're busy scene. Loaded cars we're
being dumped at the r tie Of car %
minute. The coal when dumped fails
upon series of iron bars placed Al an
angie OF Atsout IS degrees and a sr,att