The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-18
THE LAST TOUCHES.
Great Northern Grade Almost
ALI Ready for Rails.
HASTINGS TUNNEL ABANDONED.
Oatiaw1 Den at Martin Creek-The
Union Pacific In Good Shape-A
Projected Idaho Road.

". A. Jones returned yesterday from uip
along the Great Northern line west OF the
mountains and says that the grade is nearly
ready for trackIaying. He said, in describing
the progress made:
Track IL stopped within 200 yards Of the Sui
tan bridge for lack OF material. Across the
river they may have trouble. A man whose
name ] have forgotten has leased logging
road and the railroad grade has been built
across Il a. two feet n,gher ginde, r., h si nss
the railroad TO cross unless the company hxes
his road. A mile and half east OF Wallace
they are putting ties and stringers on long
trcstle. which win be finished In two or three
days. Leary's rock cut. six OF eight miles east
OF Wallace, which was one OF the heaviest
pieces OF work on the road, is all finished ana
only surfacing remains 70 be done as far MS ln-
dex. They are putting the top stfingers ON the
trestle above Granite Point. Al Index, where
the road crosses the north FORK 10 go up the
south fork OF the Skykomish, the bridge Will De
completed In about week; ties were laid
across for third of the distance. There IS not
aweek's work TO do between the Sound and In
dex, distance of forty miles.
At Index you come TO what was called Hast
ings mud tunnel II cut through hogs back
for about 500 feet, which proved 10 be full OF
soft blue clay and quloksand This stuff kept
cAving in and had TO be taken out almost with
ladie and ran out through chnte. Hastings
lost money on the contract and threw il up and
they changed II into cut about 10 'eet deep
.ith blue clay and qucksand on one side aud
outcfoppings of granite on the other Mclean
took this work and has big force of men on IL.
He IL doing some heavy blasting, about the only
blasting now being done on the road. it VIII
take about three weeks TO finish. Meanwhile
they have built a temporary loop around II with
a tcn-degrec curve aud are now laying the ties.
For aooGt thirteen mics further TO Rocky
Point the grade Is completed. except little
patches. Then, except Tor occasional small
trcstics. 1t il practically ready for twenty-oge
miles To foss river FROM there on to Martin
creek the road is in good shape but for an oe-
casional little cut but there IS nothing to delay
It. Al Martin creek there is another TUNE,
which will take quite little while and they
contemplate putting temporary track around
Martin creek Ia one OF the toughest rlaces on
the road. The place consists OF over 100 houses
built by saIatters with logs aud shakes, and is
Inhabited BY saloon keepers. gamblers. dissoiuts
women and thieves. Taey used to hold up peO-
pie In broad daylight, bus deputy sheriff is
now stationed there and tbs saloon keepers
have Clipped in for night Waterman, SO that
IL il somewha improved.
At Stevens pass the work is all on the switch
back and they are pushing that as fast as they
can. They are crowding all tho men possible
on the upper work, because they are behind
there. The late spring delayed them. but. il the
present good weather continues, they viii get
through all right There is II sawmiii near Me-
Leans cut getting out bridge timbers ana ties.
Another was near Index and has been moved up
10 Rocky point
On the way down | met two construction
trains near Fern Bluff. steam shovel was
taking out gravel from the blum and loading il
on cars for suriacing. The tracklaying gang
has moving camp of seven houses built on fiat
cars with hunks fitted In them.
/ beard that as soon as track gets TO Index n
regular daily construction train, with some sort
OF passenger car, will be run to that point.
Index IL the point where the tran turns off to
Silver creek, and the miners would furnish
good deal OF business. The railroad com pany
would sso get supplies in that way instead of
oy the big tonr-horse wagons now used.