The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1892-09-10
THE BIG sHovEL.
Mountains and Bridges disappearing
Below Crates Point.

A person riding over the U. P. R. be-
tween The Dalles and Portland wonders
sometimes chow on earth" the builders
managed to make the line so crooked.
They were building by the mile, you see
and the bugaboo of the frightful job and
the immense obstacles in their way, all
sin the eye" however; enabled them to
lay up savings from extravagances upon
which they have since retired to lives of
ease, and the true builders of railways,
the men who follow in the wake of the
first "gang,' are now here doing the
work over again.
1t was the good fortune OF the writer
yesterday afternoon to have an extra
hour on hand when Conductor Conner
came along with the west-bound pass
enger, and we put it into run to Row
ena, where we boarded the caboose to
the lower construction, and returned to
the point where the huge steam iron
and steel shovel does the work of 200
men daily, loading rock upon cars to fill
the bridges below Crates. The work
is carried on by two trains of sixteen
cars, each carrying a load of 1873 yards of
earth or rock. The last train-load was
taken on last evening in exactly thirty
five minutes time, by Mr.. Thrills
watch. The shovel is operated by F. A.
Glynn, engineer, T. o. Rourk, crane
man, and Pat. Nee, fireman. Messrs.
Wicke and Nichols have charge of the
locomotives, and, all told, this force
numbering twenty-six men-are practi-
cally causing this mountein of rock and
the bridges to disappear, by removing
one to cover up the other.
To see the shovel at work is thrill
ing, and at the same time fascinating
experience. It Is wonderful inyen-
ton, without which, with its attendant
appliances for furnishing the iron,
cutting and handling the timbers,
ties, etc., etc, the inventions of man
at the opportune moment, perhaps we
might not yet have. railway across
this portion of the continent.
The movement of the crane, the
scoop, the drop, etc., seem more like
that of the human frame, and makes
one feel as though the machine was
possessed of the faculty of percep-
| ton. It would be impossible for us to
describe its many intricate mechanical
connections or its noise, when in opera
ton. Sitting In position to command
the numerous levers, the engineer, Mr..
Glynn, who has almost been raised or
one of these machines, seems to handle
the whole mammoth affair about as
easily as he would drive horse and
buggy. It is all confined to car about
the size of an average freight car, which
is blocked on eide track. laid purposely
for it, and it cuts swath thirty-two
feet wide. The mountain upon which
they are now working has always given
the railway officials trouble in conse-
queuce of dangerous and almost con-
stant slides. The expense of repairs
and watching will be done away with at
this point hereafter. It is an almost
perpendicular cliff of shell rock, with a
base walled up with sufficient room only
for the main single track. The party
have, now been at work three weeks.
and at q cost of $r,40O have filed tresties
thus making permanent road, here
after free from the dangers of loss by
fire, expense of watching, ETC., equal to
the cost OF rebuilding in timber if once
destroyed by fire, thus proving the
truth of the old adage that what is
worth doing is worth doing we'll.