Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-11-26
RAILWAY MATTERS.
Interesting Statements bv Mr.. w
q. Curtis.

Interesting Statements bv Mr.. w.
&. Curtis.
Mr.. w. &. Curtis, Superintendent of
Track for the Southern Pacific, recently
read very interesting paper on railroad
matters before the Engineering Club of
the University of California, from which
the following extracts are taken:
On the 1850 miles of road included in
the Pacific system of the Southern Pa
cific Company the normal force of track
laborers is in round numbers 1000. The
average length Of road in charge of each
foreman is 6S miles, under each road
master 1876 miles, and under each divis-
ion roadmaster about 710 miles. The
division roadmasters, with one excep-
ton, are experienced civil engineers, and
all report directly to the general Office.
This organization covers track, water
supply, maintenance, and such engi-
neering work as is commonly required
on completed railroads, but does not in
clude bridge and building work, which is
in charge of another department.
Speaking OF the different kinds of work
that it was greatly enlightened by the
AAC 5oAN.
"Take, for example, the Southern
Pacific Company's lines to Ogden and to
Ell Paso, along which are encountered
the extremes of heat and cold, the lowest
Winter temperature in Eastern Nevada
being sometimes more than so degrees
below, and the Summer maximum not
infrequently 125 degrees above zero F.,
on the Colorado desert in Southern Cali
fornia. Again, we have the extremes of
precipitation, from an almost rainless
region near Yuma, Arizona, to 12O inches
maximum annual rain fall in Shasta
County, Cal,, and over 63 feet maximum
snow fall near the summit of the Sierrae.
The line in Southern California and
Arizona is also subject to great and sud-
den damage by cloud-burst storms,
against which it is extremely difficult to
devise an effective protection. The ele-
walton Of the roads varies from 1000 feet
above the ocean on the summit of the
Sierras to 266 feet below sea level on the
Colorado desert. Finally, the mileage of
the rolling stock per mile of road varies
on the several divisions, the difference
between the lines carrying the lightest
and heaviest being as l to So"
THE LIFE OF TIES.
As to the durability of ties he said:
The average life of pine ties on the
Central Pacific between Truckee and
Ogden has been 30 far about nine years.
The average duration of redwood ties
laid in 1871 and 1872 on the Visalia
Division, through San Joaquin valley,
was about eleven years, under traffic OF
about 100000 tons per annum. These
ties were under rather light iron rail,
which has since been replaced with
steel, and consequently the life o. ties
which have been put in for the last two
or three years should be considerably
greater.
In some light, sandy and loamy soils,
between Truckee and Ogden, pine ties
decay very rapidly, in some cases lasting
only three or four years.
On the mud, alkali and salt flats,
through Nevada and Utah and along the
northern shore of the great Salt Lake,
pine ties, some of them very inferior in
quality, laid down in 1868, are to-day as
good as new and hardly expect to live
long enough to see them 60 out of ser.
vice. suppose there are 175, 900 of such
ties in the track, or enough to lay sixty
miles of road. It is possible that ties
buried in this soil until throughly sea-
soned may show long life in localities
where ordinary timber decays rapidly.
As to the life of rails Mr.. Curtis pointed
out that it was 80 dependent on the
grades that it was almost impossible to
give any estimates. On Tehachipe
mountain twenty-five miles of track re.
NAMED in use six and half years, dur
ing which time it is calculated that
-4,500 900 tons passed over them.