The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-02-09
SWITCHING OYER THE CASCADES.
An Interesting Expedfent In Railroading
while Waiting for Tunnel.

The switchback, by means OF which
the Great Northern railway crosses the
Cascade mountains in Washington, is a
wonderful piece Of engineering. When
Tim Hill, the president OF the Great
Northern, decided to push his road from
Spokane to Puget Sound he had COM
paratively fair field at all points save
one. At that point he was confronted by
a solid mass of granite which blocked his
line for about three miles 1t was deter
mined to tunnel the mountain. but as the
excavation would be nearly three miles
In length and take three years to com
plete, 1t was decided to build tempo
rary road over the mountain In order to
open through connection with the coasS
as soon as possible.
The temporary road crosses the crest
of the range through Stevens Pass 1T an
elevation of 4,O6S feet, and the different
attitudes are reached by a system of nine
switchbacks. The road at enc place re-
turns three times to within 500 feet of its
former line, only little higher up the
mountain side, but II thus covers Il dis
tance OF four miles in curves. II starts
from Tunnel City, on the east side Of the
mountain, and runs TO Stevens City on
the west side. Both of these places are
the points where the tunnel will connect
when 1t is finished, and they are two miles
and three-quarters apart; yet TO reach
them over the switchback a distance of
fifteen miles must be trayer sed.
There are five switches on the western
side of the pass and four on the eastern
side, while the heaviest grade is 2ll feet
to the mile. The survey was begun last
July, and when completed a force OF 700
men were put to work and the road rapid
10 h.4H ord
nected January 18th. al which time the
first train went over the road Two
freight trains a week are now being run
over 1t, but IL will not be onened for
passenger traffic until March or April.
c. G. Conkle, one Of the engineers en-
gagged in its construction, said recently
that II was a very fine piece Of engineer
in2.
1T is similar" said he. ITO the engi-
neering work over the Marshall and Teha-
chipi passes. with the exception that there
Is much more trestle work demanded.
The whole country seems TO be cut up
by large and small canons. and is very
rough. while the forests which cover the
mountains are almost impenetrable
There are no roads. and the pass is
crossed only by an Indian trail. The
party to which | was attached started
In last July on the west side of the
range. All our supplies had to be brought
In on pack animals from Sultan city,
siXty-eight miles from the summit. our
headquarters were at Stevens City, and
from there We pushed our lines to meet
the party advancing from the opposite
side. The scenery through which the line
runs IS wild and picturesque. and no
doubt would BE- appreciated by tourists.
but when one Is running Il line that sort
of thing rather loses its charm
THE building Of the road cost rather
more than the first estimate, but that was
due to improvements on the original
plans. Very little change was made how
ev-l, and you might say the cost Of the
road when figured on paper hardly eX-
ce eded the outlay in building IT. After
ground had been broken the road was
pushed rapidly and connection was made
with the main line on January 18th. When
the line was finished there were seven
fee; Of snow over the whole inc, and 80
men were employed in shoYeling it off.
in order that forty men following them
could lay the track. Trains are run
across with two engines. They head in
one switch, and then back out into an
work their way over the pass
1T Is he intention OF the conn any TO
abandon the road after the completion of
the tunnel That will not take place,
howeI or. for three years at least The
tunnel will be 1913 feet long, nearly two
miles and three-quarters and IL will be
seventeen feet wide. San Francisco
Chronicle.