The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-11-12
ON TO THE STAN|SLAUS.
A Mile Of Track a Day Is
Being Laid on the
Valley Road.
WILL HAUL THE NEXT CROP.
The Directors Are Pleased With
the Results of Their
Inspection.
WILL HAUL THE NEXT CROP

The directors of the Valley road have re-
turned from their trip, and express them
selves well pleased with the way they
found things going. The party, which
consisted of President Claus Spreckels
Directors Magee, Payson, Watt and Pres
ton and Chief Engineer Storey, went first
down to Fresno to decide upon which of
the entrances to that town offered they
should accept, and coming back to Stock
ton took their first ride on the new road.
They were Joined at Stockton by John ID.
Spreckels and Leon Sloss, and the whole
party, after a ride on a fatcar over the
track completed, took teams and drove
along the line OF survey to Modesto, to in
spect the route generally, and particularly
the bridge sites on the Tuolumne and Stan
islaus rivers.
Robert Watt, in speaking of the trip yes
terday. said: "Our object in going to
Fresno was to determine which of the two
entrances to the town, that along Q street
or that along Fl street, we should accept.
Q street was decided upon. We are offered
there five half blocks on each side of the
street for depot facilities, ten half-blocks
in all. 1t is not more than we required,
but will be sufficient.
From Stockton we rode oyer the line in
flatcar. 1t was our first ride on the new
San Francisco and San Joaquin Valley
hdllTOdu. 1ueIl we lOOh lSdUS anu drove
along the line of the surveys as far as Mo-
desto. Our object was to make an inspec-
ton of the line and particularly the bridge
sites Both the Tuolumne and Stanislaus
rivers are difficult to cross. When you go
east of the main line of the Southern Pa
cific the banks get high, and long ap-
proaches are made necessary to avoid
heavy cutting. At the crossing of the
! Stanisaus we must build on one side
three spans so feet apart, a main span Of
$50 feet over the river and one OF so feet on
the other side. The piers are now being
built, and the work pushed ahead as rap
| idly as possible in order to get them in be-
fore high water comes. The bridge has
been contracted for, and is being built at
/ Stockton. The work on the road is going
! on well, and about 1000 feet or nearly a
/ mile OF track day is being laid between
| Stockton and the Stanislaus River. If
! there are no rains we shall have the track
built to the river in three weeks. The
! bridge we expect to be ready for erection
in six weeks time"
Asked about when he expected the road
to be open for traffic to Stockton, Mr.. Watt
| said: eve should be ready for the next
crops. We hope to be near Fresno by that
time. How far we shall be able to build
will depend largely on the weather. If
high water should come before we get the
| foundations IN for the bridges we may be
delayed. We have enough money to build
the road to a little beyond Fresno. OF
course the road from there onsto Bakers
field will cost much less. The round
houses and terminals at Stockton will take
considerable money, and this will make
the cost of the first part of the road higher
than that beyond Fresno. Then again we
| shall not have any bad river crossings be-
yond that point and the rights of way will
all be free"
Chief Engineer Storey said that part of
the steel for the drawbridge at Stockton
across Mormon Channel was shipped from
the East last week. THE piles will soon
be all driven" he said, land the work on
the line generally is going on very we'll.
We are hurrying on the tracklaying and
grading as fast as possible for fear of bad
weather. Over a mile of track was laid
yesterday. We have the right of way clear
to the Stanislaus River and expect to have
the grading to that point all done in ten
| daVSN