The Holly chieftain., 1899-08-18
CURIOUS RAILROAD
1T is ONLY % MILES LONG AND HAS
80 SHARP CURVES.
Tii. Road Is the Crookedest Ono In
the UnIteG- States. and Ore of Its
Turns Is said TO De the shortext
RaiironL Curve In the world.

This is the crooLcdes, railroad in
Aih.riky."
The train on the &c miles of narrow
gauge road from Jerome Junction. ~ T..
to the mining camp of Jerome was just
entering the hills from the plain and was
beginning To crcak aud ero1n us il round
ed il.r short curves When passenger
irancd forward from his seat and pro
jccred this remark into the ear OF Il re.
porter FOR The Star.
There are ~ curves. one Of them 45
degrees aud "a OF them 40 degrees on
this road. the voice continued. land
they are u"ariy all on 3 per cent grades.
Its the rrnnl.r'iest railroad IN Amcriky."
The speaker seemed to get cpusidcra.
bic satisfaction out Of this statement and
repeated il several times. The reporter
did not offer any dissenting opinion. for
thcr" wnS no room for argument. This
road from the Santa Fe system mp to
Jerome. where W. ~ Clarks great Verde
copper mine is situated, is indeed mar
vel in its construction and the difficulties
1t oyercnines
Leaving the Junction on the plain. 1t
runs direct or comparatively level ground
to the bills. II apparently runs againsi
mountain aud ends nj the foot. but does
not. for when the foot of the hill is
reached the track lodges in AT the mouth
OF narrow gulch and commcuees its
climb TO the summit. on the other side of
which lies Jerome.
In building this road no attempt was
made to follow other tlinn the grades
provided by nature. The bed OF the road
is cut out of the side of the hill Just
enough dirt is cut away to fli out the
grade To . sufficient width. There is not
n si.l,,e cut on the entire line except on
the very summit. where n rocky ledge Is
parted To allow OF the passage of the
track.
the engine, which is built for mountain
climbing. only takes nine cars IN its
wake. some OF these being empty and
NIL Of them freight except the rear car.
which is short combination passenger
and baggage coach. The train crew has
little time for loafing. for the bra kes
must be closely guarded. The conductor
evidently looks upon passengers as nn-
necessary freight and ticket taking as
bore. for his work is TINT OF handling a
heavy freight train upon steep grades
and thnt is not conducive to sociability
or good nature.
The putiing OF the engine md the JOLT
ing strain on the cars tells tho story Of
the beginning of the climb up the hill
Tho train hugs the hill down below the
ridges and cre"ps up Sulch but to turn
around at the head and come down on
the opposite side but few hundred feet
from the track gained few minutes be-
fore nj the cort of SO much labor.
The head OF each gulch is crossed upon
wooden trcstle. From the car window
as the train goes up. the track op the
other side seems TO run parallel to the
one the train is ON aud bnt few yards
away. OF sudden an engine comrs into
view going In the opposite direction to
the passenger coach. II needs a look ont
Of the window to convince the passenger
that this engine is the one putting his
train. for il is. and the middle cars in
the train are OH one Of the wooden tres
ties which cross the heads of these
gulches.
One of :hcsc is 43 degree curve.
claimed to be the shortest railroad curve
in the world. and whether this is true or
not il does not seem possible that a
curve could be any sharper and the ears
not Tip over ns the engine pulled them
around it. The train only crceps around
this curve. The engine puffs, snprts and
grunts. Its wheels slip on The rails and
it barely moves. The cars nearly touch
each other AT the corners. The wheels
grcnn and shrek us the fanees rub the
rails The whole train protests against
such treatment with all the voice it has
and the engine seems abou, 10 pail the
cars OF the track in its effort to get them
around the curve.
The train crew makes this trip twice a
day. hut no matter how long they have
hpnp . a. 4
anxious each day until this curve is safe
iy passed When the last car is over thc
trestle, everything telaxes. The engine
rattlcs and puffs in sort OF care free
manner and the frcights bump nlong as
though rhey did no; mind any moir.
OF n sudden the summit is renched A
short curve takes the track through cut
on the apex. The train ngaiu swings
around the point of the mountain and he
gins to slide down hill. The panorama
spread before the eye at this pon, is ,re-
nlcndous. Far In the distance rise the
sun covered peaks of the San Francisco
mountains. over l2.O0O feet high In
the foreground is the valley of the Rio
Verde. Miles and miles TO the bottom Of
this valley II seems to be. The hills arc
barren. the valleys are bnrren. not II
tree or blade u green anywhere. 1t Is
nn inferno burned out and left to soli-
tudc
Not for long. however. for straight
! ahead Of tn" train hangs II blue haze. the
smoke aud flimes from the roasting cop
per The train keeps high above il all
Far down the hillside are the long rows
OF ronsting heaps. yellow in their crests
and each one adding its quota to the
haze and sulphur in the air This is the
real living inferno Figures OF men far
| down the hillside look like ants as they
move about. Everything Is in miniature