The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-08-17
WITNESSED BY CROWDS.
No Special Ceremony Attended
the Driving of the First
Spike.
ARRIVAL OF MEN AND TEAMS.
Work on the Grade to the Stanislaus
to Be Commenced on
Monday.

STOCKTON, CAL, Aug. 16.-The first
ties were laid for the Valley road this
morning, and by noon 100 yards of them
had been laid just south of Mormon Chan
mel, from the point where the barges are
discharging rails. Three lengths of rails
had also been laid up to that time, but no
spikes had been driven. as the workmen
were not ready for spike-driving until this
afternoon.
There was a crowd of workingr1en about
eagerly watching the progress of track
laying and anxious to secure work. The
force this morning on the road was small,
but in the afternoon larger force was
put on.
The track starts On a curve and then
runs between the tiers of piles and ties
and parallel with the grade of the regular
track, which is several feet higher than the
elevation of the level space on which the
track material is piled. One of the con-
struction-cars, built by ]. Hammond & Co.
of San Francisco, was placed on the track,
and, as it passed along, the distance sepa-
rating the rails was gagged with the regu-
lar instrument used for that purpose.
The gang foreman began Immediately
after the noon hour to lay the rails on the
curve when they had been pounded into
shape for this purpose. A gang of five or
six heavy men would stand on the center
of the rail while it was resting on raised
ties, and while their weight thus sagged it
down others turned their attention to the
exposed places with sledgehammers. All
this was watched by the crowd of spec
tators that had assembled to see the driY-
ing of the first spike on the road.
The driving of the first spike was not
done until after the return of Secretary
Wilbur from luncheon. 1t was not per-
formed with any ceremony, but as pure
matter of business. The first spike was
driven next to the bulkhead where the
tack commenced. All this time the busy
workmen on shore and on the barge were
piling up the ties and unloading the rails
for track-laying. The scene was full of
life and augured well for the future active
use the road will have.
Track-laying is slow work, and as soon
as the rails are laid in the material yards a
large force will be put to work in making
the regular road. This is high above the
former grade of Edison street, and has
now been packed so hard that it makes an
excellent driveway.
The Southern Pacific Company has COM
menced laying switches on the east side of
its track for the purpose of running the
engines of the Valley road from its track
to the line of the latter company. The
switches begin little south Of SCOTS ave-
nue. and extend to the south and east to
the grade of the Valley road, not very far
from Union street. These switches will
be completed before the track of the new
road is laid that far.
The representatives of the firm that has
secured the contract for grading the section
between Stockton and the Stanislaus
River are expected here tomorrow, and
operations will on Monday begin outside
of the city limits. A grading and con-
tracing outfit, consisting of eighteen six
mule teams, passed through Livermore
to-day on the way to Stockton to work on
the Valley road. This is the force that
Grant Bros, the contractors, are sending
here to begin the work of grading on the
section between this city and the Stanis-
laus River.
The graders have been busy cleaning up
odds and ends of work on the Valley road.
The crossings at street corners have been
graded, as provided in the franchise from
the City Council. On Monday next the
contractors will commence work on the
grade between Mormon and Stockton
channels. There viii be considerable fill
ing in to do there, but the contractors
have plenty of earth for this purpose and
the haul is a short one.
The Corral Hollow Railway employees
are not letting any grass grow under their
feet. Surveyor Atherton and party re-
turned to Stockton last night, after having
finished their cross-sectioning of the line
between Stockton and the San Joaquin
River. The road crosses the track of the
Southern Pacific Company midway be-
tween this city and French Canyon and
continues east south of that line, passing
beyond Lathrop to the river, where the
bridge will be located, about three-fourths
of a mile below that of the Southern Pacific
Company. Yesterday the force in the
city was kept busy unloading the cars of
rails that have arrived for this road.
Arrested for FOrUerU,