The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25

to the twenty-five miles already laid. Loco
motives have been ordered and are now
here working daily in the further construc-
ton of the road. Cars, built in California
manufactures, are taking material to the
front. All kinds and classes of material
have been gathered together from all parts
of this great country, and these ale to be
used in the construction and equipment of
the Valley road.
Next, surveys have been made for the
entire length of the San Joaquin Valley,
explorations and examinations of rivers
and study Of grades, trial lines have been
run everywhere searching for the proper
combination that will injure the Individual
property issues least, will give reasonable
cost of construction. that will be economi-
cal to run trains over, and, finally that
will most benefit the entire valley.
This information has been obtained, the
various claims and needs taken into &C.
out the entire length OF the valley. The
final survey has been made and the center
line of the road mapped out for over $50
miles. The work involved in this is great,
although the popular idea of the San
Joaquin Valley is that it is one level plain
with little or no work to prepare a road
bed, and that all that is necessary to build
a railroad through it is to lay down the
rails. In place of such an easy and COM
Portable way to build, there exists q
slightly rolling country that is level enough
for wagon road, but requires much study
for railroad. owing to the necessity of
avoiding grades. Then there are mighty
rivers to cross, some of them with bottom
lands on each sides for mile in width,
and these rivers are sunk in all cases far
At these rivers narrow places must
be sought, borings made and the
nature OF foundations for bridges
determined, depths of water found,
bridges designed, material ordered and
brought from ali the four corners Of the
country and put together in the form Of
long, high bridges and viaducts. There are
no fewer than five of these rivers to cross in
this way between Stockton and Fresno.
All these rivers have been studied in this
manner and some of the bridges are now
being constructed in Stockton. So rapidly
has this part OF the work been pushed tina
there is now timber being framed into
bridges that was waving in the forests of
Puget Sound when the Valley road was
started. The surveys have determined
the different owners of land that the line
will cross, and all the owners along the
line from Stockton to Bakersfield are now
known by name, and the exact position of
the line across the land of each individual
owner.
Following close on the surveys have
been the right of way matters, and
although in the lower part of the valley
this could not be undertaken, owing to the
non-completion of the surveys, yet there
is now forty miles of continuous right of
way in the possession of the company,
and earnest men are at work all down the
valley getting the necessary rights OF way
and station grounds from the end of this
forty miles to the CITY of Bakersfield. and
as soon as this is obtained work will be
begun in several places at once. This part
of the work has been undertaken with a
determination that works wonders, and
favorable reports are coming In from all
along the line. In the face OF these facts,
can any one doubt that the Valley road
has come to stay? But this is not all.
Active construction has begun. Nearly
| thirty miles of road has been graded,
trestles and bridges built, and there are
now LAID twenty-five miles of continuous
main line, besides two miles of sidings,
and large areas have been filled in for
yards in the city of Stockton, and this
work is still going on.
The portions already filled in are now
piled high with ties from. Mendocino, with
piles from Sonoma, with timber from
Puget Sound. Barges are daily discharg-
ing cargoes, and busy men are building
these mountains of material higher and
higher, while other busy men are tearing
them down and loading them on the cars
of the Valley road. Putting locomotives
are switching in and out, and finally 60
off toward the south, and the track con-
tinues to extend itself toward the great
waiting valley, and beyond the end of the
track are horses, and men, and wagons,
and machines and engines, throwing up
embankments, leveling down hills, build
ing bridges, cutting, leveling and filling.
In the face of these facts can any one still
doubt?
Ore that was on the Atlantic coast when
the road was organized has been rolled
into steel rail, the rail shipped over the
sea for thousands of miles, and is to-day
carrying the locomotives and cars of the
Valley road southwark, toward the south
ern terminus. Ties and timber that were
growing trees last February are now part
of the Valley road. Locomotives that
were not in existence when Claus Spreck-
els came to the rescue of the State, ten
short months ago, are now daily making
runs Of over 400 miles on the tracks of the
Valley road, and cars that were made by
California mechanics are carrying ma
terial to the front to assist in the good
work. Will the Valley road be a success +?
1t is a success.
And though much has been accom-
plished much remains to be done. The
western terminus must be San Francisco.
Stockton was selected as q point to begin
work, because a railroad into the valley
from that point, working in conjunction
with the present steamship lines, would
give the quickest relief by affording true
competition. Hence, while work is being
| rapidly pushed from Stockton southwark
much work has to be done between this
City and Stockton. The surveys have vet
to be made, estimates calculated. a ter.