Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1898-10-22


~ provemcnts have been cncom.
passed 10y Western railroads during
the past few years. To a person un.
familiar with the details OF the same.
an outline proves both surprising and
amazing The demand for perfect train
service. roadway accessories that oil.
able a correct calculation ON small
parts OF a minute, convenience. com.
fort uiility-all are elements in the en-
terprIse that thinks nothing of cNpcnd'
ing millions on placing the railroad OH
the most approved basis The last and
most important objec; of attention to
engross railroad arrangements has
been the advantages Of track elevation.
The enormous evils of grade crossings,
IL was found had to be done away with
safety to life and limb insured to citi.
zens. while the solving Of the problem
of rapid transit was also concerned
FOR ordinance has failed to restrict
speed. Delays and interruptions to
street traffic and travel will never he
abolished. guards and gates dispensed
with. length OF trains regulated. the
noise of bells and whistles mitigatcd-
In fact. the elevation Of tracks as In
London and rhiladelphia-wil place
the railway systems About Chicago on
kind of automatic basis. so to speak.
Chicago Is the greatest railroad cen
ter In the world, and Its mileage of
tracks exceeds that of any other city.
Within the corporate limits are found
115 lineal miles OF main tracks. This
does not include every track Of each
system. but the real aggregate-from
two to ten tracks--of each line rs one.
There are In addition 100 miles of
other tracks-switches. yards. belt
lines and the like. Nearly ten years
since the public began TO discuss how
the great loss of life occurring to per.
sons passing over these tracks could be
avoided. Fences, walls, guards-gates
even--did not entirely insure safety.
Isolation seemed necessary. AT one
single crossing 1t was found that from
morning til midnight 1l3 trains passed.
with $780, cars. During these eighteen
hours. ST street cars passed. carrying
16,5i0 passengers: = 2332 wagons. trucks,
buggics and other vehicles, with AGA
drivers and other persons. People on
foot aggregated some 10000. This was
at Il point that. from the frequency of
accidents, came to be- known generally
as Dead Mans crossing"
The movement to force railroads 10
elevate their city tracks developed very
rapidly after its first agitation. In 1892
the Illinois Central took the lead by
elevat!ng It's ten tracks on the lake
front for distance of five miles. Vast
pecunlary benefits Immediately accrued
to the road, for during the next year
OF the Worlds Fair It was enabled to
almost double Its speed In carrying pas.
sengers. The cost was something over
So,000,0O0: and the Northwestern road
soon followed the example. Within
three years the planwas In prospect or
operation with nearly all the railway
lines centerlng mt Chicago.
The result Is that skilled contractors
have reduced track elevation TO a posi-
tive science, Chicago mechanical abil.
ity bringing this about dlstinctively.
The first venture cost extra time and
money, being practically experimental.
economical results. Now. tracks are
elevated with no interruption to traf-
fc. The tracks are raised by jacks In
sections OF about 300 yards, and dirt Ia
rammed under them. The elevation Ia
so distributed as to allow gradual In.
cline from the surface level to the eleva
ton grade. A clear idea of this method
was furnished at one crossing, where
hundreds Of trains-freight and passen,
ger-climed up and over the elevation
in progress without mishap.
In building the big retaining walls to
hold the sand or dirt. concrete resting
upon solid foundation of clay is used
In the process of formation. molds OF
heavy planking are sometimes employ.
ed, one side vertical, or nearly so, the
other in a series Of Offsets, TO give the
necessary batter to the finished wall.
Into this substantial mold Is poured
the concrete mixture, which Is made 10
consistency to adapt itself readily 10
the sides Of the mold. Constant ram.
ming lnsures the solidity of the mass,
and fills all inequalities. The mixing
and handling Of the concrete Is done
by portable machinery, and the mold
Is left until the concrete walls have
thoroughly hardened.
At one point where the tracks of one
railroad had to be depressed under
those Of another at the same crossing
details We're both skillful and interest
ing. Pillngs We're at first driven down
and the dirt was then eycavated there
from, II being necessary TO put In sew
eral sets of piilngs. AT the proper stage
of the work the tracks TO be elevated
were set across the depression by
means OF pillngs fixed at intervals.
As closely as can be figured out a,
present, the total elevated and rock
ballasted trunk line trackage within tn,
limits OF Chicago, II stretched on
across the continent, would reach Sal
Lake City ten feet above the present
trans-continental grade. In short, more
than 100 miles Of railroad would be
inclosed within massive restraining
walls at the average height stated
above street grades. The great GizeI
pyramid. which took 100000 mel
twenty years to complete, cost so, 500,