Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-07-16
Railroad N ews.

The work of grading the Butler and
| Pittsburg Railroad, said the Dispalch oil
| last Sunday, will be commenced toner
row. c. l. Mcdonald VIE secured the
! contract tol the entire 80 miles north OF
the Allegheny river, awarded the con,
tract Yesterday for ten miles of the road
| south Of Butler 10 the Ferguson Contract
| ing Co., of Corning, n. Y. The contract
| for two miles of grading north of the Allie
ghenv river. was awarded to 7. A. Maselll
of Columbus o. The masonry, exclusive
of the tunnel work. was awarded to Grady
Coda & CO., of Beaver Falls. The tunnel
work and the res. of the line will bo award
ed this week.
Mcdonald contracted to grade and han
die |, go, 600 cubic feet of earth for prlce
that will reach 500, 900, as exclusively
stated in The Dispatch. In the ten miles
the Ferguson company contracted LOT
there are 24S 600 cubic yards, and IN that
of T. a. Maselli there are ll6,0O0 cubic
Yards. This makes about One-thlrd OF the
entire work already let by ub-contract
Contractor T. NJ. Ferguson left last
night for New York to send the machinery,
horses and apparatus for the work to PITTS,
burg, He was one of the unsCccessful
bidders for the entire road, but has done
good work on large contracts. be oullt
l3O miles of the Evansville and Richmond
R. lroad, and did some heavy %Crk sue
cessfullv on the Cleveland, Loraln ana
Wheeling.
Has HAD A COOP EXPERIENCE
Naselii is also a large contractor, and
did a share of the work on the Cleveland
road under Ferguson. He has also ouilt
portions of the Norfolk and Western, Ohio
Central and Hooking Valley Railroads
Grady. Coda & Co. have held large con-
tracts for masonry on most Of the large
roads
Contractor Mcdonald will leave tomo1'
row to travel over the line from Denny
station to the big cut near Saxonburg, 10
inspect the tunnel sites so the contracts
for the construction of these can be let.
He will be accompanied by several promi-
nent tdunel contractors. One of the tun-
nels is two miles north of the Allegheny
river and is $50 feet long, and the second
is ten miles north of the river, and Is 30O
feet long. The great summit cut ls three
miles west of Saxonburg and 10 miles
north of the Allegheny river. 1t is 3.oOo
feet long and 30 feet deep, and contains
l3l 900 cubic feet of earth. This is going
to prove one of the most difficult under
takings in the entire work, but Contractor
Mcdonald is making abundant provision
to do it successfully.
Two monster steam shovels and four
locomotives will be used at the cut and
three miles of double track railroad LOT
the distribution Of the excavated earth VIII
be built. Over 100 earth cars will be pro-
yiJed. All these, with the engines and
shovels, will be transported six miles over
land from Saxorburg. The water supply
at present at the point Of the cut is made
quate, and q two inch pipe line will be lad
60 never failing source and an abundance
of water will be pumped.
OVER ONE MILLION BRICKS.
All the tunnels will have masonry side
wall to the spring of the arch, and the
arches will oe constructed of brick. Over
l 900 900 bricks viii, be used in the two
tunnels, and to facilitate the work large
brick kins will be erected at suitable
points near the tunnels. The clay at the
two points makes first class brick. The
contract for the tunnels will be let this
week, so that start can be made. Con-
tractor Maselli will begin work on his con-
tract tomorrow, and he expects to tuish 1t
by December.
Since Contractor Mcdonald was award
ed the contract he has been besieged with
Italians, labor agents and negroes seeking
work on tn line. The stopping OF work
on the extension improvements along the
Pennsylvania Railroad has turned adTitt
thousands of laborers, who want to work
on the Butter d. Pittsburg road. McDon-
aid has had offers OF 5000 laborers from
one employment agency alone. and scores
of letters and visits have been received
from labor contractors of West Virginia
and otaer Southern States. Many negroes
have been offered for the work, but local
men, who have become acclimated, Will
probably be hired. He said he would ind
| little trouble in getting an efficient force
together to begin work Immediately.
President James T. 0dell left for New
Y ofk last night. He said the plans OF the
| line located betwee the Allegheny and
| M0Hogahela rivers were being pushed rap
| idly 10 completion, and that contract
would be ready for award this month.
WnERs SHOPS WILL BE LOCATED.
4he Butler d PiCtsburg directors have
practically decided to locate the round
house, machine and repair shops of the
road on plateau near the south erd of the
big ., 700 foot tunnel. These will be large
| buildings and will be included in the con-
tract for the construction OF the roal be-
tween .he two rivers The site is in an
| elegant location on Thompson's run, al
| the end Of The Union railway. No plans
haze been prepared, but the structures wall
be built large enough to do the work for
the entire line TO Lake Erie, including the
Pittsburg, Shenargo q Lake Erie road
The poBe station for supplying the elect
| rical power to he Union railway will also
| be located at this point. The railroad
company controls plenty of property adapt
ed for the shops
Chief En- gneer f. e. House and Secre
| tary r. A Franks returned yesterday from
| a tramp over the route from this Allegheny
river to Butler They were delighted with
| the country and the low grades obtained.
| Shanties are already being erected for the
housing of the laborers at different points
along the .oute. A special provision in
| the contracts with the sub-eOntractors pre-
hibits the taking of whisky on the work,
and Mcdonald therefore believes the sub