The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-08-21
FOUR BIG BRIDGES.
They Delay Tracklaying on the
Lake Shore & Eastern.
THE CAR BUILDING SCHEME.
A Company VIII BE Formed-Develop-
ment Following Railroads.
New Sleeper Service.

Bridge-building is the principal work
which will be dene on the northern ex-
tension of the Lake Shore & Eastern road.
Work on the Pilchuck bridge is now be-
ginning, and will be finished in about two
weeks. Considerable trestling is also to be
done between the Pilchuck and the Skagit.
Work is also beginning on the Skagit
bridge at Sedro. and it will be finished
far enough for material to cross in three
weeks Tracklaying will then be pushed
in three directions-fro Arlington north
wards and across the Pilchuck. from the
Skagit river southwark, and from the
Skagit north to the Nooksack. By October
track will be laid, and trains running to
Sedre. and track will be laid northward to
the south fork of the Nooksack. Work
can then begin on the bridges over the two
forks of the Nooksack. The difficulty in
regard to the Nooksack bridge is that there
is no pile timber on the north fork, and the
track must be finished to that point before
piles can be taken there. There is pile
timber on the south fork. but it cannot be
taken around to the north fork by water,
as it would have to be taken up stream, and
the river is so shallow and rapid that
canoe can scarcely navigate it,
Mr.. NJ. J. Heaney, who has the contract
for the grading of twenty miles, extending
south from Nooksack City, was in Seattle
yesterday looking for more men. He now
has 175 men at work, and with the twenty
five he secured yesterday he will be able to
finish his contract ready for the rails by
September 10. Ten miles are now COM
pleted. Mr.. Heaney says that the fifteen
miles Immediately south of his twenty will
be done by October l. Work is going
ahead also north of his contract. towards
the border, the good weather being very
favorable for fast work.
Work on the Canadian Pacific branch to
the boundary has been delayed by high
water in all the streams, and the contracts
for grading were only let a few days ago.
For the same reason work on the Mission
bridge progresses slowly. and it will not be
ready to cross before November /. Alto
gether, the outlook is that connection at
the boundary will be made about January
/. 1891. This is about three months later
than was expected, but the delay is due to
the long-continued rains and the late
spring.
r. H. Talcott, the chief engineer, says
that on his recent trip down the road he
found that forest fires had been raging at
intervals along the line, burning the ties at
many places. For about ten miles north
of the Nooksack the forests have been de-
stroyed.
The Chehalis correspondent of the
PosT- INTELLIGENCE telegraphs: Rail-
road building is still as active as
ever. Your correspondent yesterday
took a drive over the Union Pacific
grade to the north of Chehalis. Half
nile out of town contractor F. Ericsson has
100 teams and about $50 men at work on
the grade through #. Donahoe's land, and
they are putting on ali the force they can
get so as to finish the work before the wet
weather sets in. The land here is rich,
loamy SOIL which becomes very sticky
in wet weather. and runs from
three to four feet deep. The grade is from
ten to twelve feet high for two miles, and
the company had to secure right-of-way
200 feet wide in order to get dirt enough
for the dump. The contractors have the
grade up about six feet now and are getting
ready to use wheel scrapers. In converse
ton with the PosT-INTELLIGENCER CORE
spondent Mr.. Ericsson, who is himself
experimenting the work, pointed out the
magnificent quality of this soil. He said it
was the richest farming land he had ever
worked. Though they were down three
feet they had never come across single
stone or rock. 1t was fortunate for him
that We had had tine dry weather, as it
would have cost him twice as
much if he had to work this
soil wet. His grade to the north
OF Centralia, on the other hand, is so grav-
ely that it is almost preferable to work it
in wet weather. Mr.. Ericsson is an old
railroad man, having contracted for the
construction of parts of the st. Paul e.
Sioux City. ST. Paul & Duluth, and Wis
consin Central railroads. He worked on
the Canadian Pacific for eight years, hay-
ing at one time 800 men in his employ.
Some of the men working for him now
have been with him from ten to twenty
FIVE years. A large number are coming
out TO him from Minnesota to go to work
on his grades. He has the contract for ten
miles on each side of Chehalis, and also
five miles at Winlock. His men have three
camps now. one about two miles north of
Chehalis. one a mile and one-half south.
and one that they are just putting up in
side the city limits. He was complaining
of the way his work was cut up on account
OF some difficulty in securing right-of-way
across some land said 10 belong TO Depot
Agent Adams, of Cen tralia. This was de-
laying his work very considerably.
representative of each street railway
in the city took part in a conference held
at noon yesterday at the Chamber of Com
'nerce 10 consider the formation of a car
building company. Those present were
DIR. A. 7. Mitten. of the Front Street able
Il L
Trunk line; Fred ]. Grant, representing
the Yesler avenue and Jackson street road
Dr. l.. G. kilbourne. of the Green Lake
elecric road John Leary, of the West
Street Il North End ROAD; and l.. H. Grit
nth, OF the Seattle Electric railway
DIR. Mitten strongly favored the project,
as he thought the cars could be built in
Seattle cheaper than in CaIifornia or the
East, freight added. Mr.. Whittier thought
that if the scheme could be put in actual
operation at an early date the entire equip
ment of the James Street & Trunk line
could be built i'll Seattle. Mr.. Grant
thought the scheme good one, and adyo-
Gated starting on a small scale and enlarg-
Ing the shops as fast as work accumulated
The meeting adjourned to allow the del
gales to refer the matter TO the directors of
the different roads. Another meeting will
be held Saturday to arrange for the incor-
poration of the company. The only ser-
Gus question is whether the stock shall be
taken by the different street railway COM
panies themselves or by the individual
stockholders in them.
The promptitude with which develop
nent follows the construction of a new
railroad is we'll illustrated by the case OF