The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-14
THE SOUTH BEND RAILROAD.
Five Hundred Men Making the Dirt Fly
A Trip Over the Line.


The Chehalis Bee says:
The track Of the Chehalis & south Bend rail-
road IS balIssied and in pretty good shape as far
OUT as Blacks station, thirteen miles up the
river Webster, kelso < Dare have over 10
men at work on the bailast.ng, and five or six
train loads Of gravel Of about eighteen cars
each are taken out every day for this work The
grave. i. brought from Mound Prairie. west
Of Ceutralia Five engines and crews ara
employed hauling the gravel. One engine Is
kept busy al the pits; second harls the loaded
cars from the pits TO Grand Mound station and
comes on 70 Centrelia after the load Of emp;ies;
third engine brings the loaded train from
Grand Mound 70 Chehalls, returns the efapties
To Ceutralia and then goes for another load;
fourth haUls load 10 Ward, six miles west Of
here, and the fifth takes Il On from there to near
Blacks station after returning the empties Tor
the engine which taxes the load to Ward With
gravel trains going and coming all day long, in
addition TO the large number OF trains which
always pass here. the Chshalis railroad yards
present q busy appearance.
There arc three bridges across the Chehalis
river between this city and Blacks. Three
miles further ont big channel has been made,
saving the construction Of two bridges. Three
miles from this channel change is the com
uissary Or headquarters CT the contractors.
Here & good quantity Of supplies are always
kept TO feed the hungry. About half mile BE-
the Cbehsils. This is the point at which the
construction has been delayed so long, the false
works Of the bridge being washed out by the
high water. This bridge has been completed
and trains have passed over il for two weeks.
Beyond the bridge about three miles is Jones
creek. Track was laid to this stream
Sunday and it was expected TO bridge it in
aboat two days. From Jones' creek into Pc Ell
the distance is two and half miles. A con-
siderable portion Of this Is across Pc Ell prairie
and tracklayiag VIII be rnparstivey easy, IS
the grade is dry and the ties stEewn most OF the
wey.
Webster. Kelso & Dare have over a00 men at
work between Chehalis and Pc Ell. The largest
force IS employed with the bailasting. Along
the line there are small gsngs employed in max
ing cuts and fills and other wore necessary for
the proper completion OF the road. The men
employed are of all na;ionslties, but there IS q
good sprinklng OF Italians, sYedes and Irish
West OF Pc Ell the grade is completed & con-
siderable distance beyond the Chehalis river.
The rIgh:-oi-way is cleared up Roc& creek al
most the entire distance to the summit where
the moGntains are crossed. There are three
principal sub-contrac;ors on Rock creek NJ.
Bergen has a portion OF the work next 10 the
river. West OF Mr. Bergen Bill and Lou IcLaueh-
lin have q large force employed. Jerry Rust
has contract fox some heavy work west Of Nc
LAughlin's. There are some heavy cuts and fills
to be made on Rock creek A number OF the
cuts are through solid rock, and the roar of the
blasting can De heard at almost any hour Of the
day. Much OF the work on Rock creek has been
done BY small sub-conraetors with wheelbEr-
rows, where the surroundings were such ;bat
! dump-car.s and scrapers could not be used to
advantage.
There are three engineering outfits employed
on this end of the road M Birsisalls party is
at present making It's headquarters in the depo,
building al Ward on " L Bakers r-ece
and hal mil - 81 d.
[ Odaker S party has been in camp all summer.
/ c. +. Funkes party has been in camp all sum
| mer on Fred Hoerth's place, four miles west o!
| re Eli.
! Altogether about so men are at work on the
road, and new recruits are arriving daily The
'meu are paid sL7j day aud are boarded at 8 a
I week. supplies are frei,hted in 10 the cams
I on Rock creek by pack trains. Zach animal
carries about 200 pounds s: load, and the
4 freight costs from 10 cents E pound