Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-03-14
CONSTRUCTING RAILROADS
Reballasting and Resurfacing
the Line Of the New West
minister Southern
Two Trains and Two Hundred
Men Employed on the
Work
Progress of Construction on
the Branch to the Coal
Mine

The quietness that seems to prevail in
railroad circles In and about Fairhaven
is simply calm before storm. Within
short time the water front will be a
scene of great activity, and will be alive
with men building wharves, laying new
tracks and erecting dcpots and ware
houses. The work already planned will
| employ great many men and will in
J yolve the expenditure of a large amount
of money. Chief Engineer j. }. Donovan,
on whom falls the greater part Of the
work OF preparing plans and specifica-
/ ti0Hs, is the busiest man in the city.
! When he is not at work himself, he is
| giving directions TO subordnates, and he
| finds but little leisure time during the
day to devote to anything but the bust
ness Of his office.
| Two trains and 25O men are employed
on the New Westminster Southern in
ballasting and surfacing the road. Every
! inch Of the road is being oyerhauled for
the second time and is being resurfaced.
Wherever a settlement Is found or de-
| preston exists it is filled up, and it is
/ expected that in ten days the entire line
Of the New Westminster Southern will be
/ in as good condition as the Fairhaven and
Southern from Fairhayen to Sedro. A
heavy slide at the Fraser river occa-
] stoned loss of time and involved consid
cradle expense, but it is all emoyed and
work is now concentrated on other sec
| tions Of the road
I Work on the coal branch is progressing
very favOrably, In order to facilitate
/ the work two miles of American
| steel that was laid some time ago on the
New Westminster Southern was taken up
and replaced with steel bought In Great
Britain. But even with this there is still
/ shortage Of steel with which to COM
piete the branch but a sufficient quantity
was ordered some time ago from st. Paul,
and is expected TO arrive daily. Switches
and sidings and other necessary material
! has also been ordered and will probably
arrive with the steel Five miles and a
| half OF track has already been laid on the
| line leading 10 the coal mine, Three
miles Of this has been laid on the main
on the coal mine branch. BY
this evening the track will be
! laid against the only import
ant trestle or bridge on the branch
and will probably delay tracklaying about
ten days when tits expected that steel
and all other necessary material will be
/ on hand to push the work to completion.
The trestie will be $50 feet In length, from
fifteen TO twenty-five feet in height and
will be built entirely Of piles.
There is about seven miles Of surplus
/ steel In British Columbia belonging to the
! New Westminster Southern but the duty
on 1t is so high that all thoughts Of bring
1 ing It 10 the American side have been
/ abandoned. A short time ago 10000
pounds Of British railroad spikes was
| brought from Liverpool to be used on the
coal mine branch and the duty was found
to be one and eight-tenths cents per
pound or two-thirds of the
cost Of the material in America and IL
was concluded that no more British iron
would be brought by the company TO
/ America.
! The work train now being employed on
the coal mine branch will be brought to
Fairhaven Monday and will be used In
the Sehome cut. There is a vast amount
of earth to be removed there, and the
train will be busily engaged pending the
| CONF pletion Of the treste on the coal mine
branch.
As soon as the proper papers are drawn
and the deeds are signed, all OF which
will be done in a few days, the work Of
timbering the big cut Immediately in the
rear Of the Bellingham mill will be com
menced The cut Is 800 feet in length and
an immense amount OF lumber will be re-
quired to timber It.
The bids and figures for wharfing, pill
ing, and for poles for the telegraph line
between Sedro aud Liverpool have been
forwarded to Chief Engineer Becker, Of
the Great Northern, at Helena, and a
telegram authorizing the commencement
Of the work is expected daily. Plans are
complete for the freight and passenger
depots at Fairhaven and Whatcom, and It
is expected that work on both OF these
structures will commence early next
week.
The railroad track on Bennett avenue,
between Harris and Mckenzie avenues,
was taken up yesterday for the purpose Of
giving the city an opportunity to improve
that thGroughfare. The railroad com
pany had certain rights reserved in
the original dedication on both Ben
nett and Mckenzie avenues, and had
occupied them up to the time when the
city expressed its intention Of improving
the streets, when the company tore up all
Of its tracks, switches and sidings In
order to allow the work 10 proceed with l.
out interruption. After the streets are
graded and improved it will be impossible
to use them for the purposes intended. as
the grades will make them absolutely
worthless for sidlngs and switches. The
action Of the company in abandoning the
street and their rights, is I'm direct con-
trast with that Of the railroad companies
in Seattle. For several months Seattle
has been fighting to recover fits streets.
wishing to improve them. but the rail-
road companies refuse to move and have