The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1884-04-04


1t was now DARK, and we could see
nothing except many dusky forms and
the light Of tiny camp fires, where the
Iaborers' evening meals were in prepa-
ration. In the morning the ground
was covered with a 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 gang of noisy Irishmen
in turbulent toll, q few rude shanties
around, much whisky in the air, and
the ground strewn with ltin 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 Mexicats, 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 arc
the master track LAYERS, the locomotive
engineer and the fireman, the civil en-
gineer who is setting the staketto guide
the surfacing gang, and the cook. The
foremen of the track laying gangs are
Mexicans. hHaa s.-.
All appears to be confusion, and the
spectator wonders why the men lug
ging all sorts of material and engaged
in all sorts OF work do not tumble oven
each other But really the strictcst or
der prevails. The Indian laborefs work
steadily and without noise. They are
well trained and a great number of
them have been engaged in the work
ever since the track LETT Mexico. One
| gang carries the cross ties forward and
arranges them; boys run ahead and
drop the spikes, fish plates or angle
irons, bolts aud nuts, Just in the spot
where they are wanted; another gang
| loads the rails on ito little flat cars,
which are pushed forward over the
bran new track as fast as it IS laid,
where the rails are ualoaded and carried
forward by other men detailed for the
purpose, The rails are laid on the cross
tiers ia their proper position, those on
the right following a chalk line marked
on the ties By string, while on the left
they are placed al the exact distance
from the opposite line by means of q
gauging stick. The rails are secured
together by bolts and nuts through the
angle irons or ''fish plates as
the ease may be, which connect
them, only two bolts being used
at first, the other two being put in
afterward, the design being to have tho
rails ready at the earliest possible min
ute fer the flat cars, with material to
be pushed Over them. As soon as the
rails are joined, the spikers come tC
the spot, two at eaeh Joint, one within
and one without the rail welding lusty
unerring blows insaiternate succession,
like two blac ksfniths at an anvil, The
same men also drive the center spike:
at each rail when the track IS ready
for the little flats afoaesaid. Other
spikers and bolt fasteners come along
and complete. the work. When there
are pine ties, two blows at the utmOs
will drive asspife into place, but witt
the hard ties of oak and mesquite il
takes several blows. These latter ties
are mostly very uneven in SIZE, anC
therefore it takes a considerable longer
| time today the track thanwith uniform
ties of pine, OF with those which arr
sawn Or hewn to regular size, a:
} upon most OF the roads in the States
This difference in the size of the tie
makes more work in leveling up,
task which must be done befor
anything heavier than the little mate
rial flats can pass over the rails. Th
Jewelers. come directly behind tn
track laying gang. The rails are raise
t. to exactly the required level by mean
of iack-screws. and the gravel or bal
last is scraped and shoveled in unde
the cross-ties TO keep them in place
The track is then ready for the ear
y But a ballasttrain follows immcdiatel
p along behind, filing in between tn
n ties With eaneedcdsbal and with
4 fifteen DAYS at least the track is in PEI
n feet order for regular operation. TIL
r thorough construction Of the Mexica
e Central is shown III its baAasting. Ii
) stead of laying the track on the bar
t grading and then filling in with balla;
| afterward. the line is thoroughly aba
lasted at the time the grading is done
giving the best kind of q road-bed I'll
ballast all along the line is excellent,
great proportion Of it being of broke
rock. like that on the Pennsylvani
;. railway. while the rest is of tepatat
: of various degrees of hardness.-Co
1. Boston Hera,d.