The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1884-04-09
The Grade OF the South I'ennsylva-
mia.

The Franklin Repository of last
week says: Animpression has been
created from articles which nave
lately appeared in the Valley Spirit
and other papers that the grade OF
the new Vanderbilt line South
Penn r. R. is something enormous,
and that consequently it will not be
possible for it to make faster time
between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh
than its rival, the p r. R., although
the new road Is 30 miles shorter be-
tween the two places Now the
truth of the matter is, the grade OF
the 5 p. Il. r. is remarkably light
and its heaviest grade on Laurel
Hill, Westmoreland county. 106 feet
to the mile, is exactly the same as
the grade on the 2. Il. Il. between
Altoona and Galitzin. On the
ground of excessive curvature, this
grade Is lightened on the p. Il. r. to
30 feet, and for the same reason the
grade is correspondingly lightened
on the :. p. Il. Il. The Penna. peo-
pie always speak of their grade at
this point as a 95-foot grade.
This is literally correct, but in an
engineering way ofreckoning grades
tits not so. This one heavy grade
at Laurel Hill only extends for six
miles, while the distance from Al
toona to Galitzin, on the z. K. r is
ten miles more Four-ifths of the
railroads, including the p. Il. r., in
the United States have as heavy
grades as the South Penn, and from
50 to 100 IT. is quite common. The
grade for east bound trains will be
only 26 feet. Extra motive power
will be used on the few comparative
, ~ heavy grades so thatthere will be
no detraction ia the speed made
over them. 1t will be simply I'm.
/ possible for the P. Il. Il. to make
anything like equal time with the
{ new road between Pittsburgh and
Harrisburg, As Chambersburg busi-
ness men will discover upon its com
pletiOn \ prominent engineer saws
that every mile cut off between Phil
adelphia and Pittsburgh on the p
K. r., is worth $4,000 to that com
pany. The Valley Spirit is rather
behind the time when it saws There
Will be a twenty-siX miles tan
gent on the South Penna., between
Harrisburg and the Blue Mountain
Thatldea was given up a year and a
half ago as un-economical. The tan.
gent Is broken into three or four
parts, with slight curves between
them.
Tae same paper also contains tn,
following There was blood on
the moon out at the Blue Meun.
tain tunnel on last Saturday after
noon. The Italians had not been
paid since January. and their long
suppressed discomfort took an open
and active shape. About 3 O'Clock
the whole night shift. 10 the numbel
OF fifty or sixty, issued forth from on,
of the upper shanties, fell in lin,
face to front counted off, and started
twos right " for the contractors of
fee In the commissary building
4 young Sicillian, with an unpro
nouncable name and two red eros:
belts acted as leader. The Dago:
evidently wished to make an I'M.
posing display and rigged them
selves up in all the warlike logger,
they could collect. All wore red o
yellow handkerchiefs around thei
heads, a few Garabaldians sportec
red shirts, and green was the pre-
vailing color of the stripes on thei
pantaloons. They We're armed afte
a fashion, with clubs, knives, revolv
ers and a shotgun or two, relics, un
!. dOubtedly, of their first battle witt
the negroes. They appeared t
mean business. A modern Roman
in a black velvet jacket and ear
rings, carried a genuine Italian flag
1t was a cheap edition but the rea
thing, and awakened great enthusi
i, asm. He marched in front besid
the " captano." The rank and fl
whooped and yelled like Comanche:
They halted in front of the offic
and again formed in line, still keep
J ing up their racket. The leadt
then stepped inside and told tn
startled paymaster that this crow
wanted their money or blood with
few ruins thrown in. After a hun
ried consultation among the hea'
men of the contract it was decide
10 give them their pay, enoug