The herald., 1898-06-14

KANSAS FARMERS SEND HERE
FOR LABoRING MEN
SEVERAL HUNDRED NEEDED
The Los Angeles Railway Company
Commences Putting Down the
Heavy New Rails-Notes

street so that If will soon be possible TO
cross that thoroughfare without the aid of
alpenstock and life line has commenced,
and with it began yesterday morning the
labor of relaying the tracks of the Los An
geles Railway company with heavier iron,
or rather steel.
For some time past the rails of the system,
have been In dangerous condition. They
are of the old strap style, and were adapted
for the use of light cable cars. Since the
decadence of the small car they have hal
to bear the weight of coaches as large and
as heavy as those in use on steam ROADS
fifteen years ago. The result has been that
the joints have given way and the rails
themselves have worn out. rendering the
heavy yacht" cars of the Pasadena, Santa
Monica and University lines liable to so
through them at any time, not to speak Of
the danger of the ends rising and piercing
the cars.
General Manager Wood some time ago
realized that the change would have to be
brought about, and for some months past
has been at work at the problem. The whole
work, for example, will cost million and a
half dollars, so that it will be taken piece
meal. On Saturday last the contract was
let to the Alcatraz Paving company for
the relaying of the rails and the grading
and paving of the inter-track space of the
roadway from Fourth street south to
Ninth. At the same time bids were opened
and the contract accepted, 1t now being
In San Francisco for signatures, for the
same work on the line from Fourth street
north on Spring and Main to Macy street.
AS the Alcatraz company has the con-
tract for the repairing of Spring street from
the city, they will thus be able to do the
whole work at the same time and thus
greatly expedite matters. 1t is thought
that the whole renaissance of Spring street
will be effected in ninety days at the most
and probably in two-thirds of that time.
The rails to be used are to be sixty pound
T rails OF the extraordinary length Of sixty
feet, being twice the usual length, thus
obviating half the number of joints ordi-
narily required. 1t is deplorable fact that
the system of welding the joints by cleo
tricity will not apply satisfactorily to roads
in city, but by use Of the very long rails
the Objectionable joints are reduced to d
minimum. The rails and ties are all on
hand and as stated work at the Fourth and
Ninth street division was commenced yes
terday morning.
The company has wisely already provided
all the complicated crossings, those at
Fourth and Second streets being in place.
The paving at the Second street one will
also be done today. By the time the work
progresses at Fourth street, and north from
that point, the putting in of the subways
will have been completed and then the final
labor of paving the street can be carried
through without more delay.
This work will come in at a most OPP
perfume time for the men who have found
employment in the work Of laying the sub
ways will find plenty of occupation for the
rest of the summer. for when Spring street
is completed the company will do the same
work on Broadway, so that there will be o
good market for human Drawn for some
time to come.
The change Of weight Of rails will enable
the company also to give much better serv-
ice in the future than 1t has in the past,
for the heavy cars can then be run at
higher rate of speed.
Cost Of the Southern Pacific
Some very interesting testimony was
given before the state railway commits
sion by Engineer of Maintenance of Way
Curtis of the Southern Pacific as to the
cost of the road. He showed that the cost
of reproducing the line would be in Califor-
mia alone $132, 294. 1859, this cost being figured
at the rate of s42,O25.O3 per mile for the
3139.695 miles of the system and the 9.69
miles of ferry system. One of the most ex-
pensive features of the work, according to
Mr.. Curtis, is the cost of obtaining water
in the desert regions. Many wells to supply
the engines, he said, give water SO impreg-
mated with minerals OF an injurious nature
as to require costly treatment with chem
icals before 1t can be used in the boilers.
A Questionable Compliment
The Santa Pacific people have changed
the name of Coolidge station to Dewey, in
prevalence with the general custom of
naming something after the hero of Ma
Mia. But in this case a more dispiriting
selection could hardly be made. Dewey is
q deserted station a few miles east of the
continental divide; it once had one of Col
Harvey's eating houses, but that has been
removed to Gallup, so that all there is to
Dewey is Dewey-the name.
Harvesters Wanted
This is to be a good year for the work.
ing man. He is wanted all over the coun-
try, and even Kansas has found that she
must send to California and all other por-
tons of the Union for men to gather in
her tremendous crops of corn and wheat
and hogs. Over three thousand men are
needed in that state, and Oklahoma needs
lot as well. This is why the stnta Fe
railway Is interested IN the problem which
faces the Kansas farmer, and is bestirring
80 @I,o%
get the farm products to market. General
Passenger Agent ]. j. Byrne of this city
had the matter referred to him recently
from the roads headquarters in Chicago.
and will today or tomorrow probably be
ready to announce very low rate, that
will take several hundred men from
Southern California to the fields,
where plenty of work at good
wages awaits them. The shortage
Is largely due to the enlistment of many
men from the floating population of the
central states. as well as to the wonder
fully large crops that are about maturing.
Mr.. Byrne was not able yesterday to
announces a rate for the transference of
men from here, but it Is likely to be about
a cent mile for parties who go together in
any number. The rate will be for second
class transportation.
Mr.. Byrne's advices are that at Larned
alone five to six hundred men are needed t
once, and that the same state of affairs
exists at badge City, Garden CITY
and Great Bend. In fact there
is shortage Of labor at all
points west OF Hutchinson, and the rail-
way company does not see its way clear to
getting enough men from the neipbhor.