Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-03-29
A WONDERFUL RAILROAD
Grand Feat of Engineering Just
Achieved in Southern California.
Nothing Can Stand III the Way OF
Modern Skill.

The Aptos creek debOuches into the bay
of Monterey, says The San Jose (Cal)
Herald, and running up this creek seven
miles to the base of the grim old Iona
Prieta is a railroad built and owned by the
Iona Prieta Lumber company. This
wonderful little road, hidden away in the
bowles Of the mountains and creeping up
to the Aptos guIch, is besides being the
prettiest bit of railroad scenery in Cali
forEia, the most remarkable feat of rail
road engineering north of Peru. Five
miles of road was built four years ago.
The timber having been cut out within
reach of the railroad, the company great
ly desired 10 extend the road two miles
farther az in order to reach the magnif
cent basin of the Aptos, wide, fiat open
ing in the heart of the mountains filed
with some of the finest redwood timber on
the coast. But there appeared to be in
superable difficulties in the wav. Engin-
GERS were sent thither to explore the
route, and they reported it impracticable.
The grades were too steep, the gorges too
narrow, and the curves too short. The
company at last appealed to Mr.. Mcleod,
who went and looked over the ground.
81 can build it," he said, eff you back
me with money"
"You may have all the money you
want" was the reply.
He went to work last June, and has
just finished the road. 1t is remarkable
achievement.
Some idea of the difficulties that had to
be overcome may be gathered from a
knowledge of these facts: The average
grade of the new extension is 211 fest
to the mile, the maximum grade being
2G4 feet. The maximum curvature is "a
degrees (that is, an angle of "a degrees
in every 100 feet. When the basin is
reached (through which the road runs a
mile) there are lighter grades and hal der
curves, there being one 26 degree curve,
making total angle of 81 degrees. The
grades of 2l1 feet are On the "a degree
curves, the g tades of 264 feet being on
the tangents. The road crosses and re-
crosses the creek many times, requiring
numerous trestles and bridges. On one
of these bridges there is a curvature of
Is degr es on a fifty-foot span. At tbs
high bridge, a fine piece of work, the
track is sevent five feet above the bed of
the creek, and a quarter of a mile above
it, at "Devil's gate" narrow gorge &C.
cupied wholly by the creek, the road is
cut through the rock and is only seven
feet above the creek: This gorge was a
difficult passage, two bridges being re-
ouir, in a space of $50 feet. A queer
looking locomotive, powerful machine
that carries its water on :ts back, is kept
on this road, making daily trips. In the
summer a passenge- locomotive and
train will run to Iona Prieta, and be-
yond that the queer locomot will run
to the end of the road and bring the tim
Der to be cut at Iona Prieta. So steep
is the grade that very slow progress is
made, and in coming down the brakes
have to be set very hard. 1t is a charm
ing ride from beginning to end. All the
lumber is cub at Iona Prieta, whore there
is little town and big mill. She mill
has large circular saw, with an oversaw,
and they cut boards six feet wide and
have capacity of sixty thousand feet a
day.