Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1884-11-13
A Mountain Railroad.
SHARP CURVES AND TREMENDOUS GRADES
A BIT OF COLORADO ENGINEERING.

ats short seven miles from Hecla
station, in Browns canyon, on the Denver
and Rio Grande railroad, TO Calamut, in the
mountains said former employe of thai
road. but when you get to Caamut YOU r,
Just half mile higher up in the world than
YOU were at Hecla. That little branch has
the heaviest curves and the steepest grade,
OF any railroad in the world that uses the
ordinary drIvcwheel locomotive to run it,
cars a grade of POO feet to the mile and q
fifteen legree curve-and that's almost lik.
'akIng the same track back when the car,
round it-are common on the mountain
division Of the Rio Grande, but the Calamur
branch hasn't a grade on It less than 40G
feet 10 the mile. and a twenty five degree
curve is no trick at all. That little road
winds up the face Of the mountain gulcne.
for all the world as if il were an immense
snake twisting and coiing itself in the most
caprlc!ous manner.
Il worked on this perpendicular string Of
rails three weeks. They call it Carving
the hod' out there when YOU hire out to run
On the Calamut branch, for its about as near
climbing a ladder from the sidewalk TO the
,op Of building as anything you ever saw.
| might have worked longer at il. because
rather liked the excitement, but one day
when We started from Calamut TO whisk
down 10 Hecla. with a locomotive. seven
cars, an engineer. fireman and seven brake e.
men and arrived there with one car and the
brakeman that was on it. in Just ten
minutes. the car being the one rode on,
AK Mr. I l,l.
| would engage in something where there
vas less rsk, and went out with party to
hunt Sioux Indians. You see the water
brake on the engine and the steam brake on
the cars got little out Of kiiter when we
were about hall way down, and the hand
brake didn't seem 10 answer the twist very
@ei. and from that tune on a streak Of
lightning couldn't have caught on behind
Us. One after another the locomotive and
,lx Of the cars shot off 0: a curve and took a
short route TO the bottom of the canyon. |
don't Know how II ever happened, but nv
car stayed on the rails, and dropped down
into Hec.a ike meteorolite.
Wei, no ; they don't make a business OF
carrying passengers on that Jacobs ladder OF
a road. but guess they'll let any one ride il
70 make the trip down the gulch. Calamut
isn't much Of place, being principally a
hemaute iron ming. The ore ,s ve,y rich.
- ~ II r., na.es a. Toeoio must
~. ,"e: 1ouiui ouiid gravity road
u '"e 'ou,e " ."e canyon was so
''Aeu inefe WASH one
a'''.N .I '"e.' ou' oi hunufeu hafdi!
''o'iio'''e couiu ever ascend
~ o"l 'ne mountain ana handle the
'''e'i OUT ."ete was no other possible
~ n - a. s''e "iihe' ana the! cut the
'o"N a'o'' ''.' 'ate r1 VI '"e canyon ana oegan
u',,' W. i:h'' ~. H., ae 'oau Is haffo" gauge
osai y operate the
80 was" '''tie Tue h'eiiest piece OF
..''''I - u'.'e's SC men tnele
wy 'ae' ~ aoout Sooo'oop
,'e,, 80 - "" IN '"'"Pa''ta'eo locomotive
al ~'''e'' anu 'ithoer'' smoke
III - IL '.aAe'' manu- brakes ana sundry
'-eu specimens Oh foiiihs
,.,,,,'>..,a II, aI, - '"e ou''o', % 'ne
III. !" a. 1 aionS '"e ri even miles Of cloud
''"7 ia.''oaU. ine "aiiheh eoulun
II IL .'"s % eoas'ihe down the guIeh
-.o''v A' a"u I'ieie "asii Gay passed
''' ,"e spectator eo"h oeio" would eaten a
ill., I .a"pN' y tiaIn lar up 'he iace o.
"as"eu iiAe thunuet-
-'.t ''o.' ''ie 'i"u.n oi some cut ana. n>'hs
"''" IL Npeeu y 'he "t'u' hep' suaisht On
!, course unable 10 follow the "lndIngs OF
,-1 - ",'. tapeu heau'o'S from the
XIII 'D1oHo'ae a''u 'als crashing 70
- r a'' S''''i"s themselves mo
'''.'''ol - '"e' a'u 'ia"nefi"S Gown
IlP aonu a. "ie oo''orii oi
.L = a. -''p iee' "e'o"' linen
~ Ane" a. iiee,a ih3' the brakes had
.o>' '''er SllP' anu th't 'he Tram nad re
'uSeu 10 20 wa" i"t repairs. Inc fellows
~, nid"aseu 70 jump "heh 'hey sa"
'le ayr brakes had gone on them, and there
were ihole oroHeh oones carried down
.i'' ,''1ui'''',a on 'heir way 70 hec'a TO De
ii''e1 '"e h'' year 'he i'eiy ROAD was
"Pei'eu ior business 'nan they generally lug
- iaii -Nileu oa''ie-neiu, new heard OF
~! q 'HT ooys SUCKING oy runaway tram
~ III '''o1e ua!s ana taxing Their chances IN the
y tnS ie"p mo 'fe cahy on ana guess only
".i. = Ie" were ever kilied IN jumping. lnis
a'a'''ut d uiahcH H SO popular with the
!, "hietIs oi 'he MO urande that only two OF
mem mem ever experienced a ride on II from the
ciouus 10 the eafth' ihat was some years
ago ana 'hey never tried 1t again. Now,
" ~heh .he other oihcers want to ENJOY the trip
tHe! SIT down ana listen TO the story OF the
TWO VINO tfied y ana turn pale and go home
sa'is,eu.
ven, ai'er WINE 'hey got the hang OF
i,,i 1uhi'ils 'he trans successfully on the road.
lhey iouhd that' hrst, they must use locomo-
ives Oh extraordinary weight, and, second,
tney must man the trains only with men
". VINO "ouid stand TO their posts at all hazards
mere IS brakeman on every car. The
cars g are something IKE coal cars, and carry
h'e tons OF ore each. lhey are equipped With
ar a brakes ana strong hand-orakes. The
locomotive drivers are checked by the pow
er'ui nydrauic orake. II takes an hour
ana hait ior the trip from heca to the
mine summit out the down trip is made IN
ABOUT niteen minutes. when the tram
starts ifom tne NINE every brakeman
s.ands win ms hands on his brake.
ne ar brakes are tightly set, the water
brakes given their ughtest grip on the
against all ,b;s fr;c,;on ,ha tra;, ,hunas.s
down the mountain. shooting around ,he
AN"" NhS h'Oeheohis oiouHu tuC