The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-03-20
a RIVERS BED CHANGED.
| How the Southern Pacific Will Run q
Stream Above It's Tracks.

Stream Above It's Tracks.
From the san Francisco Examiner.
Railway construction in California that
necessitates forty miles of snow sheds across
the Sierra Nevada mountains, the famous
loop over the Tehschapi PASS and the novel
piece Of engineering 10 the shape Of switch
back TO overcome the great grade between
the head Of the Sacramento river canyon
and Strawberry valley, at the foot OF Mount
Shasta, is 70 be supplemented by diverting
the course of a mountain stream in the Santa
Cruz mountains so that it will run over in
stead of under the railroad track.
This unique bit of engineering work is
now being considered by the Southern Pa
Ciic company. and when it is completed the
stream will run over a stone arch, beneath
which will be the track, and the water will
fall from the arch on the other side Of the
track to distance that will without doubt
make it the largest aud prettiest artificial
waterfall in the world.
The Work will be undertaken in the vicin-
ity Of Wrlght's station on the Southern Pas
citic Coast road. As is known, the road has
been closed for a number OF weeks on ao-
count of a heavy landslide that caved in the
northern end Of the longest tunnel on the
road and covered the track for a consider
able distance farther along. The tunnel is
about % miles in length, and so great was
the force of the slide that it caved in fully
$50 feet of the north end of the tunnel and
piled mountain Of dirt along 100 feet more
of the track.
CHANGED THE TOPOGRAPHY.
The slide completely changed the topog-
raphy of the locality. making formidable
bills where formerly there were canyons,
dlvertinR the course of streams in some
places and raising their beds several feet at
other places. About 100 feet from the old
mouth of the tunnel a small mountain
stream that formerly ran under the track
now runs over it. 1t is probably four or
five feet higher than the track now, while
before it was three or four feet below it.
At this point the 200 men at work removing
the slide have taken out over 500 carloads
of dirt. Much more remains 10 be taken
GU and when they have practically cleared
the track at this point the stream running
across it and the pile of dirt on one side of
the road and on both sides OF the stream will
be continual menace to its safety.
In the same way the track exposed be-
tween that point and the new mouth of the
tunnel made by the cavinR in OF $50 feet of
it distance Of $50 feet will be similarly ex-
posed, and If the plans now being consid-
cred are carried out the tunnel will virtu-
ally be extended north 250 feet in the con-
struction of a solid, gigantic, stone arch COM
pletely inclosing the track and putting the
tunnel in a better condition than it has
ever been. At the point where the stream
now crosses the track the arch will be made
the thickest, and the water will flow over it
and down on the other side IN a pretty
waterfall.
AN EXPENSIVE ARCH.
This stream, which runs into the Los
Gatos river, which the road crosses a short
distance north of the proposed masonry
work, Is virtually dry during the summer
season. For this reason the arch will, in all
probability, be constructed during the
coming summer months. 80 that If the bed
of the stream is not now high enoughEit
can easily be made flush with the top Of the
arch. The work will be of an expensive
character, and, together with the expense
Of removing the slide, will represent not
less than $500, 900.
The road will probably be in condition
for trains TO run through to Santa Cruz
next week. A good deal of dirt has yet to
be shoveled from the track, but 1t is thought
it will all be removed within the next six
days. Up TO yesterday no less than 1900
carloads or A, 600 tons Of dirt have been re-
moved from the $50 feet of the buried tracks.
The work has been slow because of the
difficulty OF getting at it. The Workmen
could only WORK from the northern end of
the tunnel. An attempt was made to send
men through the tunnel SO as TO get at the
south end of the slide, but the water and
gases in the tunnel prevented them from
doing anything. In fact the gases in the
tunnel meant death TO any one who re-
manned in it for any length Of time.
This is the first tunnel on the lines of the
Southern Pacific company that has ever
caved in, and the slide that caused the cave
was the largest it has ever experienced, ex-
cepting that in the Cow creek canyon, in
Oregon, three years ago. In the latter case
uknla ,fafVn or ali
canyon, 30 completely changing the topog-
raphy of the locality as to necessitate the
construction Of new roadbed for distance
of about ten miles.