The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1889-12-20

BECAUSE HE DIDN'T BELIEVE IT."
The following correspondence is of
interest:
ED. GREAT WEST:
I called his attention
the editor of local paper] to your
expose of railroad building for less
than $40, 900 to the mile. He snuff
ed at it, and said his brother had
taken railroad contracts, and he
knew your estimates we're false. l
knew his brother, Timothy
and few days after I purposely be-
gan to talk to him about grading,
etc., and did not mention you at all.
l asked him how much a man could
take contract to grade such a road
as the - lit passes near his
house. He said that if the "cuts"
were not so as to be bigger than the
dirt would make into fills it would
cost less than one thousand dollars a
mile. He said it would figure now as
low as 1Oc. a cubic yard, and average
a cubic yard to the foot most Of the
way. And we putsuch miles at $3.50,
which is less by two or three hundred
mile than you put it. He then
talked of ties, and rails, and stations
And before we got through he said
plainly that the part OF the road in
this county could be put in ship
shape for about seven thousand dol
lars mile. Then he said that grad
ing used to cost more, but that iron
or steel was cheaper. l talked with
the editor again, and asked him why
he didn't publish such things as the
GREAT WEST was doing? And he
said because I don't believe it!''
| wish you would explain more
about ties and iron.
The cost OF ties and iron has been
pretty we'll ventilated in this sheet.
Ties are laid a little closer than one
to two feet, say 5000 to the mile, on
common roads-thatisc called ''stand-
ard" Some lay more, but most OF
them lay less. Ties cost from 25 to
35c. apiece.
Rails are usually graded by their
weight per yard. Very common rails
run IS lbs. to the yard-9O lbs. to
yard OF track. In a mile there are
about TAO yards, or $4,000 lbs,
equal to about 70 tons. This, at
$50 ton is equal to 81 $50 per mile
for ironing. Ourlowesl estimate was
ST. 900. This builds a very poor
road, but equal to many in the
country. A medium grade OF steel
rails weighs SO and 55lbs. to the
yard, and costs 1922 a ton. 55lbs.
means 10 to the yard OF track, and
LAO yards means 192,OOOlbs. to
the mile, or 96 tons, and at $22 a
ton equals $2,112.
It will be noticed that this does not
agree with the contractor correction
OF last week, who stated that the cost
would sometimes range as light as
80, 900 to the mile. We do not know
where he gets it unless he includes
other track items which, in our esti-
mates, were put under the head OF
sundries.
Any newspaper may be we'll assur-
ed in figuring on the very best tracks
and grades at 1Oc. cubic yard for
grading, with an average of less than
two cubic yards to the lineal foot;
$500 ties per mile at soc. a tie; SO
tons OF heavy steel rails (55lbs.) at
$22 ton-and the equipments rum
ming from $4,000 to $4,000 a mile.
II anyone can make $4,000 mile
out of it, with all the items consider
ed in previous issues, down to 275
spikes for every 100 feet, he will have
to figure very hard.
James J. Hill, and His New Scheme.
Mr.. j. J. Hill has a new scheme on
foot which he does not care to have
exposed too much to the gaze of the