The Asheville citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1885-1889, 1888-11-01
THE STREET RAILWAY.
THE RAPID CONSTRUCTION of
THE LINE FROM THE NEW
PASSENGER DEPOT TO
THE SQUARE.
A short Description OF the work
Already Completed; How Long
IL Took to do 1t, and What
it Took to do 1t.

already completed was made by th
CITIZEN yesterday, in company viii
president Penniman, vioe-presiden
Martin, superintendent Davidson
Col. W. e. Williamson, Messrs
Thos. A. joints, G. ]. Rawls an,
others interested in the system, ana
tue following facts; aud figures TeE
obtained
| The work was first begun durins
/ May, lin accordance with the require,
ments of the charter, and was again
begun on the 22nd day OF October
During the past week only two
days work could be done, owing to
the rainy weather, but up to last
night all the track had been laid
and completed beyond the first
curve, coming from the new railroad
station. From here on about three
thousand feet of track is in course
of completion. A great deal of time
has been taken up in grading and
filling along the line; and from the
first curve to Main street number
of bridges have been built, washes
filled up and rock walls laid. All
this took time and considerable
outlay of money and but for this the
work would have been completed by
the coming Saturday night. With
good weather, however, the court
house square will be reached in
about three weeks, and the entire
line be completed.
The material OF the substructure
consists of ties and stringers of tho
very best oak that could be obtained
in Western Carolina. The ties are
seven feet in length, and are laid
four feet from centers, much nearer
than they are usually placed in
street railways. The stringers are
twenty feet in length and are 4x6 in
size. The ties are fastened to
the stringers 10y three different
sizes of cast iron knees. viz: inside.
outside and at the joints of Il Q
stringers. The Joints of the rails
are projected against sinking or
wearing away of stringers, by
wrought~iron joint plates, fourteen
inches in length. The straight rails
are of steel, and manufactured by
the Pennsylvania Steel Works, and
known as thirtY>pound 81 ction,
center-bearing rail. The greoved
rail curves, also of steel, aud made
by the same company, are known
as sixty>pound sectionrail, and have
been Bonded to different radii by
the company to meet the require
ments of the line. The straight rail
is all bended here, by means of a
powerful machine, known as the
Brown rail>oender. As this road will
ruo by electricity, and as it is abso-
lutely necessary when running to
have a perfectly continuous ground
conductor, the ends of the rails are
connected together by a copper
band, each end of which is securely
riveted into the corresponding end.
The switches are made by Whar-
ton & Co., of Philadelphia, and are
automatic in action, SO that cars
will pass each other on the turnouts,
without any action On the part OF
the drivers of the cars The route
so far laid out, is from the new pas
senger depot along Southside
avenue to Main street, and thence
up to court house square. From
near the passenger depot, the track
will next be laid down tothe freight
depot on the Western N1rth Caro-
lima road. The rest of the route has
not yet been laid out. There is
now on the grounds enough material
to build three and quarter miles
Of track.
There are one hundred hands at
work on the road, and the following
quantities of materials will be used
in the construction of the line:
Thirty tons of ir N knees; ten tons
of spikes; five tons of joint plates;
twelve tons of curved rails; one
hundred and forty tons Of straight
rails; four tons of switches, and
sixty thousand feet of lumber. The
above is simply a description
of the ground work of the system,
| which is only small part of sn
electrical street railway and des-
criptions of The different branches
of this enterprise will be furnish
ed our readers as fast as the work
thereon is finished.
the assurance is thus given that
the street railway is reality; SO far
80 good. Let US regard. however.
the work thus SO auspici ously begun
and actively prosecuted, as inciden-
tai to the main idea of line up De-
pot street and Patton Avenue. and
onwards until all parts ofthe city are
provided with the indispensable
conveniences Of ready transperta
tion, that will fill the ideas and
expectations of majority of the cit
izens ana of the board, It is true,
only a small portion if any, of the
stock is taken here, and it may be
invidious to prescribe conditions.
On the other hand the granting Oi
valuable and exclusive franchise, is
no tride, and such. oession ofrlght
to others implies at least q reserved
right to expression of opinions.
We welcome the portion of the
road we are now getting. We hope
to have cause for thankfulness for
the whole system which is the ex-
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