The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-09-11
CONNECTING ROAD
ABOUT COMPLETED
Grading Is Done and Rails Laid on Main
Line and Spurs.
yIADUcTS CAUSED SOME DELAY
Material for These Did Not Arrive in
Time--One over the Spring Brook
Near Moosic That Is Fourteen Hun-
dred Feet in Length Is Being Erect
ed=-Probabiiity That the Road vii
BE Extended TO Winton Some Time
in the Near Future.

All the grading along the line of the
Susquehanna Connecting Railroad is
done, the ties and rails are laid and
about Oct. 1 it is expected that en-
gines and cars will be passing over
the new road, feeding freight to the
main line of the Wilkes-Ba and
Eastern, which is the coal field branch
of the New York, Susquehanna and
Western railroad. When the latter road
was first built it was projected from
New York to the heart of the anthra-
cite coal field, but was not constructed
further than Stroudsburg. for an ar
rangement was perfected with the Del
aware, Lackawanna and Western Rail-
road company by which that company
was to carry coal for the New York
and Susquehanna to Spragueville, a
few miles from Stroudsburg, which
was the real terminus of the road.
Several years ago the ousquehanna
people decided to have their own road
to the coal fields, and the Wilkes
Barre and Eastern railroad, which runs
from Stroudsburg to Wilkes-Barre,
was the result. 1t is used exclusively
for freight and coal, making no bid
whatever for passenger traffic. After
the Wilkes-Barre and Eastern was
completed the coal from the various
collieres hereabouts, which sell their
product to the New York, Susquehan-
ma and Western, was carried over the
Delaware and Hudson railroad to a
point near Mill Creek, where a spur
connects the Delaware and Hudson and
Wilkes Barre and Eastern. For carry
ing coal from various points along the
valley to this junction the Delaware
and Hudson was paid about 100000 q
year To save this big freight item il
was decided to build a road that would
reach these collieries and early last
! spring the Susquehanna Connecting
railroad was organized for the purpose
of building a road from Pad1y's land, ,on
| the Wilkes-Bar and Eastern to Win.
ton. w. ]. Lewis, of this city, is pres
| ident of the company. He is also 6
director in the New York, Susquehanna
and Western.
! CONTRACT FOR CONSTRUCTION.
The contract for constructing the
main line of the railroad from Paddy's
| land to Greenwood, a distance of eigh
miles, together with a spur one milt
| long from Moosic to the two Jermyr
collieries at Old Forge was awarded
to the John Shields company, extensiv,
railroad contractors and work wa!
commenced April 1 last. Between 50
and 600 men were employed and tn,
work was prosecuted with such rap
idity that the road would have beer
ready to open Sept. 1 had the materia
| for the steel viaducts arrived in time
| ha
road joins the main line, is a wild pic
turesque spot, high up on the noun
tains, four miles southeast of Moosic
From the point where the road Begin
to its terminus at Moosic there is al
average down grade Of / S5-100 feet t,
the hundred. Along the line there ar
some heavy cuts and deep fills. Th
cuts were principally through solit
stone that had to be blasted witt
powder. At one place, about one mil
from Moosic, is a cut through a har,
substance that bears a strong resem
blance to iron ore. The work all alon,
the road was of such a nature that
had to be done by hand. Steam tool
could not be used to good advantage
The road is we'll ballasted from on
end to the other and eighty-pound rail
! are used.
On the main line, near Moosic, owe
the valley through which the Sprin
Brook runs, is a steel viaduct 400 fee
long and seventy-five feet above tn
center of the valley. Delay in receivin
the material for this has prevented tn
opening of the road. 1t is now bein
rapidly constructed and will, it is eS
pected, be completed Oct. l. The Iarg
est span is the one over the Sprin
Brook. 1t is 1876 feet in length. Th
viaduct carries the road not only owe
the Spring Brook. but tracks of tn
Erie and Wyoming Valley and Sprin
Brook railroad as we'll