The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-11-11
THE NEW TRUNK LINE
Trip on a Construction Train
on the Great Northern.
THE GREAT skYkomIsH VALLEY.
Difficulty OF Running Trains Without
Orders-Grand Scenery, Rich
Land and Mines.


construction train ON the new main line of the
Great Northern. A PosT- INTELLIGESCER re-
porter has lately returned from q journey to the
end OF the track and can give some faint idea OF
what It IL Ike but the trip only be fully ap.
preciated when actually experienced.
On reaching Lowell on q sunday evening he
found that train would leave for the front
about o'clock. The indefniteness of this in
formation made wstchfuiness necessary in
order 70 avoid getting left, 30 the traveller went
TO the material yard soon after and remained
on guard. He was directed to . box car az the
caboose, and on entering IL BY climbing rough
ladder nailed against the door, found four
hunks ut one end, An upper and lower In each
corner; table and couple of benches, stove
and several trunks to constitute the furniture.
The engine spent an hour and half In gather.
ing up q number of cars loaded with rails and
bridge timbers. while the caboose gradually
filled up with laborers for the front, train hands
their beds with them. like the sick man OF the
Bible. A single lantern gave just enough light
to enable one to distinguis their faces.
At last the train began to bump over the I'M
balIasted track, the passengers bracing them-
selves on the benches or reclining on the floor,
using their blankets as pillows At Snohomish
another gang of leborers boarded the caboose,
filling IL SO that it took very careful stepping TO
avoid hurting some body g feelings On arriving
mt Fern Bluff in pouring rain tho train came
70 halt and after lying there for an hour or
two back ed down several miles to allow another
train to pass which had the right OF the road.
This is the chief peculiarly OF construction
trains when the telegraph line is not stretched
g. the same time the track is laid. As no tele-
graphic order can be given, one train cannot
know where another is until the two meet.
Then one has to back in order to avoid repeating
oft-attempted experiment which has always
ended disastrously. Usually orders are given to
allow a certain train to have the right OF way,
but further than that trains run wild.
After this the train made not a move for
hours, or until the moist, chilly dawn, and the
passengers laid on the floor and snorod without
regard to time or harmony of sound. When it
did move, IL moved the wrong way-bsck nearly
to snohomish. Then the caboose was cut OFF
and a second-class car was coupled on, which
was instantly dubbed the palace car, from the
contrast it presented to the customary accom-
mediation in the era of construction. swarm
OF laborers came out OF a cook house beside the
track aud into tho palace car, only TO be sent
into box car which was innocent of furni-
ture, after they had travelled a few miles in
luxury. The train now made rapid progress I'M
til II came to Granite Point, where the gang OF
laborers warmed themselves by loading ties on
dat cars, q task which occupied several hours.
A seat on timber car was found more comfort
able than the box car, though decidedly breezy,
for the rest OF the trip. The boarding cars, in
which the tracklaying gang eat and sleep, were
reached at noon on Monday, just in time for
dinner They were located on a sidetrack about
forty-four miles east of Lowell, and were
crowded with hungry men. They are simply
rough board houses built on fiat cars, one fixed
up as dining room, another as a kitchen and
four others as bunk houses. Here all hands
were served with an abundant, well-cooked
meal, which was thoroughly appreciated. These
cars ara moved forward rs track advances, and
are never more than two miles behind it.
walk up the grade soon brought the re-
porter to the tracklaying machine. descrip-
ton OF this apparatus would not be new, but
the perfect organization OF the force aud di-
v.sion OF labor is worthy of mention. First
comes q man who marks Off with stakes the
points where the ends of each pair of rails must
rest, using steel rod for the purpose. Then
comes another man who marks with smaller
stakes where the end of each tie must come.
gang of men follows, taking the ties Off tho
machine a. it brings them to the end of the
carrier. and placing them in position on the
grade. Another gang takes the rails from the
carrier on tho other side of the machine and
places them, a boy takes fshpates, nuts and
bolts from bins in front OF the first car and
carries them to men who put couple of bolts
in each fshplate and spike down the rail
at intervals. Another gang follows after the
machine to space the ties and put in the rest of
the bolts and spikes, which have been dis
tributed in due proportion in advance of them.
The whole body moves with the regularity of a
machine aud in the various steps of the work
not moment is lost by one man in waiting for
another rail is no sooner laid than at a signal
from the donkey engine operating the machine
the locomotive pushes it on another rail length.
This part of the work Is in charge of Phil Con-
lev. an expert trackiayer, who has done good
service ON some of the Great Northerns Eastern
lines.
All the work on the lower part of the line il
completed, with the exception of few odd
pieces, and the construction forces are now
concentrated on the mountain division Bal
lasting is being pushed on the track which 10
already laid, the material being obtained from
Fern Bluff, Lowell and Granite Point Tho
roandhouse aud machine shop for the mountain
division have been located on a level stretch of
lard four miles west of Foss river, just below
the point where the heavy grade begins, and
grading for the side AMI yard tracks has been
done.
Taeir forces having been withdrawn from the
lover part of the line, Shepard, Henry Co.
have removed their commissary headquarters
from Sultan to Foss river.
The work on the upper end OF the line remain
Ing 10 be done is all rock cutting, which can be
prosecuted in any weather. There are num-
Der Of places on the line which will require a
great deal of care To keep them clear. Deep cuts
have neen made IN hanks of soft earth aud blue
clay. which simply melts away when thoroughly
HAtuiAteI Win dh ~ Wias oSeoiiic sEe
winter il over. slides have already occurred in
sueh rasces. aud the best implement to remove
the seems TO be a soup ladle, 80 liquid Is the
staH and Indifferent to the attacks OF blast.
Ing powder. These are. however, being cleared
rs tast rs they occur. and the company Will have
the $ vantage OF getting rid OF the worst of
these : fEcaities before actual operation OF The
road b.rius
From what was seen Of the part of the line
west - Rocky Point, IL will be by no means
LACK n fine scenic features On nearing sui
tan. IN has grown to DO quite prosperous
TOYS r.ee the construction of the road began,
one "cl1 9 in sight OF the three Index mountains
18th v~1isuari of the army OF peaks constitut-
Ing Cascade range. One of these, North
infst sss fully $500 feet and divides the north
sne a forks of the Skykomish river. Its
suoen' sagreat mass OF rock. of which the
ont The strata can be clearly distinguished,
Wit eiinstou 10 the north. suggesting the
Hane x. As one travels eastward. the SKY
kenas' YER presents some grand sights. as
u ~ over its rocky bed between
Arost fctches OF blaek-soled bottom
land. etsin ridges 1000 TO 1900 feet high
taeeAU' the view to RICH, aud lett, with Il
lerrt recession OF frs and cedars climbing
tselr aides. At Index, where the road
rtkkes Up 20 get across the north fork in
order in ascending the south fork OF the
RIVER and West Index come into view,
t5waEu from the sonth bank scarcely II
isne - 20 track. West Index has a summit
. safa IN rock. the strata being shown by
c easiy hed lines pointing northward like
those q or'h Index deep gulf. whose
naiIows allied with snow fields, separates