Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-04-14

scribes
SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES IN THE WAY
ana winds up by saying that 1--WE thought the
men VINO were constructing the Pacific railroad
were little off, Yes. that is what we all
thought. From his testimony the statements
made as to the average of the snowfall, the
character of the work, the price of supplies
and the nature of the country can be verified.
d! he also says, Judging from his OWN experience,
That railroads can be built now for one-half
what IL cost to construct them at the time the
Central Pacific was built
he states that he built the South Pacific Coast
hallroad III 1876, and that, although narrow
gauge road, cost $50 GOO per mile, after all the
new appliances and past experience were taken
advantage OF l say new appliances; ! mean
the use OF high explosives and of the Burleiph
drills, the better settlement Of the country, the
better supply Of skilled labor and all other
labor and of the lower prices of rails, ties and
all other materials. II Is proper 10 Stale that
the South Pacific Coast Railroad, for a part of
ITS distance crosses the Santa Cruz mountains
but no considerable amount of snow ever falls
upon the line: 1t is possible but TO family por.
tray the conditions under which the Central
Pacific Railroad was built. But have stated
facts enough, which are more than confirmed
BY the evidence before this committee, to put at
rest forever the charge against the Directors OF
the Central Pacific.
The Railroad Commission, the report OF which
is before you for consideration, estimates the
cost OF the road from Sacramento 10 Ogden.
I3l53 miles al 81, 100000. This is less than S49
600 per mile
There was paid in cash for this work by the
Central Pacific Company Commissioners re
port, page 81 s33,9s9, 1875; in bonds of the COM
pany and of the United State, s3l 600 600. The
estimate cost of the Western Pacific rJad-li9
miies-at S5O0,OO0, about $4,000 per mile
here was paid IN bonds for this work 81 SD.
%. These estimates are found on page 81 OF
the report. 1t viii be seen from this that the
Commissioners place the actual cost of con
struction-the cost of eontractors-at S41 600
600. 20 this there is to be added the excess OF
cost of snow-shedS, not taken into the above
estimates, q ,4OoOj: cost of rebuilding the
American river bridge, s55, 600, making the cost
according 10 the Commissioners estimates Si2-
255,OO0, while the company received from the
sale OF its own bonds and the Government bonds
81, 10000; Commissioner Pattison page - of
the report estimates that the present cost of re-
producing the Central Pacific road would be
ad4,U000Vl. Now the testimony before the Coz
mission shows that the present
COST or REPRODUCING THE CENTRAL Pacific
Road woad be at the very least 40 per cent. less
than II actually cost al the lime of construction
NO one VIII contend that Commissioner Patti.
son was at all prejudiced in favor of the com
pally- No one VIII contend that if il would cost
vi, 1000 10 reproduce the Central Pacific road
II ola not cost over 100000 to build it in the
INST place. Besides. there is an element which
Is not at all considered by Commissioner Patti
SON. and that is the element of permanency. A
railroad as it comes from the hands of n con
tractor, built according to the most anproved
plans and specifications is not and never can
be, Tor practical purposes. "a completed road for
Jour OF nVe years In order to bring il up TO the
standard OF an operating road large expense
must be Incurred. This expense of course de-
pends IN a great measure upon the character of
me country through which the road passes, but
nave not found IN any work on railroad en-
glneering that it has ever in any case been es
timated at less than Is per cent of the original
cost forty-seyen aud fye-tenths miles of load
east of Promontory was purchased from, tba
Union Pacific. That company had naraI1e1ad
our line for that distance. After President Lin
CON GO nNee me point OF junction five miles west
OF Qsqsn the central Pacific abandoned the line
Whleh 1t had graded, and purchase A. 5 miles of
Inc llne constructed by the Union Pacific road
ror TINS distance really double the amount of
WORK was done in grading which was necessary
IL VIII be seen that the Commissioner esfi-
mated cost IS but $4,000 per mile We paid the
Union Pacific Company for a. IS miles of road
y ,olO wv, without equipment, and this would be
about SGT, coo per mile and il was the value mi
upon 1t by an engineer;
SELECTED BY PROMINENT RAILROAD MEN.
Selected by both companies to fix the actual
value The Commissioners as we have seen
valued the whole line at less than $40 600 per
mile. The rails alone cost $50 per mile The
equipment at that time, together with the water
supply, station houses and WORK shops could
not have cost less than $4,000 per mile. while
the snow sheds cost over 8, 600 600 ali average
OF $4,000 per mile for the whole distance thns
accounting for So 200 4 mile of the estimated
cost, leaving little over 81 600 a mile TO nav
tor the grading. bridges, tunnels tics, bolts
plates aud all the other things that ENTER into
could not be done to-day, with all the modern
appuauceS, for anything like $1,000 per mile
while Mr.; Davies. an experienced railroad
builder. tells you that since 1870 he built mar
row-gauge road in California with a mountain
division on It, and the actual cost in cash of
the road and equipments was over $4,000 per
mile. On the other hand the testimony of the
engineers, officers and employees of the road
shows that when it was fnallyeomplete1 it had
actually cost from s. go TO So 900 900 more
than the aggregate receiDs of all the bonds issued
a f1f q hon tic lr,r -
by the United states and all the money paid in
by the subscribers to the stock and all the State
and county aids, aud that this is true is sup
ported by the estimate made by Lieutenant
stevens and heretofore referred to by me- in
which he estimated the cost of the construction
OF the road in 1886 from the Missouri river to
Benicia. Cal. at sli5,000,000. To further illus
trate the difficulty of constructing road over
the Sierra Nevada mountains and of the cost
thereof, may with profit call your attention to
the fact that the
SNoWsHEns COST oyKR 100000.
These sheds alone made it possible to operate
the road during the winter months. The word
- Snowsheds' does not convey to the Eastern
mind knowledge Of what these structures are
In gene al they mass of the heaviest tim
berS, bTaced and cross-braced in every direc-
ton. Some portions Of them had to be built
ana are maintained strong enough to support
snowdritts from 60 to 100 feet in depth while
other portions are built on the exact slope OF
the mouutain-side, so that the avalanche. with
descent, may sweep over the structure without
endangering the trains which are moving under
Its protection. Solid as these structures are
so terrible are the mountain storms that drift
ing SHOWS VIII penetrate and fill them Sixteen
tirst-class locomotives are frequently necessary
to use Behind single snOwploW in the work OF
clearing them. The cost of single mile OF
this character of so-called sheGs has exceeded
Sl1O050. Very few who have Travelled over the
road can appreciate what these structures are
THESE are described in his report dated July l,
- of
OF them Arthur Brown, who construct 4 them
slys volume ., page 2TS-): THE galleries a e
butt along the side Of The mountains where
tile slope OF the roof cOaiOlms with that of the
mountain. so the snow can pass over easy
some of these galleries run back to the slope of
The mountain several hundred feet from the
center line OF the road, and in other places
MASSIVE masonary walls were built across
raVlneS to prevent the STOW from sticking to the
sheds at right angles. The snowsheds and
galleries were finished in the iall of 1869. In
them was used %, o0l,000 feet board measure of
timber, and 800 tons of bolts and spikes etc
The total length of sheds and galleries when
finished was about thlrty-seven miles, at a cost
oil over S2,BOg.OJ0.' i have called Vpr attention
TO this matter because these snOWsheds tonsti-
stitute part of the road and they illustrate with
striking force the difficulties which were en-
countered.
II would be Of advantage to and ropl6 in
crease the value of the aided line of the Central
Pacific II Il tunnel We're constructed under the
Sierra Nevada mountains and the road thrown
below the snow belt. such tunnel is practic;l-
bic. IL would begin at Soda Springs on the
American river, run under the summit at q
depth OF 900 feet and end at Bonner lake ON
the eastern side of the mountain The grade
would be reduced IA per cent and snowsheds
and their attendant expenses would be avoided
and the cost of operation would be in every re.
speet most materially reduced This tunnel
would be ten miles in length, and to-day could
be built for 50. 0t00o Iu perfecting any plan OF
settlement allowances should be made for such
work. Its construction would give great adj
dltional value to the line. and, in the Judgment
of some distinguished railroad operators would
reduce the expense of operating the road 10 a
figure which would admit of steady profits ont
of the receipts of the aided line
The central Pacific kai Compauy main
tains that there are
CERTAIN EQUIIIKs
In its favor growing out of the construction of
the roa1, the Dement'S received by the Govern
ment tnereirom and out of the injuries which il
mas sustained by reason of Affirmative govern
mental action, as well as by reason of the fail
ure of the United States to perform the CON
uitions on Its part 10 be performed under
the contract created by the Acts of July 1862
and July, 1864. and the assent of the company
thereto. Much as may have been said in til.
past twenty years about the power of railroad
corporations in influencing the legislation OF
fact, that during the twenty years the interests
OF railroad companies have received less favora
bic consideration at the hands OF the Legsla-
lures, state and national, than any other great
interest of the country. Indeed, it would be
difhcult TO recall, during the whole of that time
any legislation upon the subject which was not
directed, either wisely or not, against the sup