, 1899-03-24

temporary pile bridges will be made
this summer at both crossings of the
Laramie river, which will be replaced
inside of two years by permanent steel
structures. the one at Nichols ranch
having two 10 foot spans. They will
be made very solid, like the one neal
Laramie, so that trains need not slack
en- speed in going over them.
On this cutoff not only will distance
be saved but in curvature and rise and
fall there is a great saving. Over $50
feet rise and fall and 254 degrees of
curvature are avoided. This meal
that much in up and down hill climbing
and in going around curves. There are
no rock cuts on This cutoff, but there
is a dirt cut 1900 feet long and requir-
ing It's 900 yards of dirt to be moved,
and i'm all there will be three miles of
heavy work, involving the removal
of nearly half a million yards of dirt.
The grade is nearly a water grade and
follows near the Laramie river nearly
all the way crossing a number of
ranches. The owners CT the ranches
have been Unidentified by the Union
Pacific, the amount in nearly if not all
cases having been settled by private
agreement. Among the lumber whose
lands are crossed are j. ]. Fisher, r. E..
Fitch, A. Nichols and Ora Haley, and
much of this land is meadow and hay
land on the river.
The second cutoff begins at a point
west OF Lookout and nearly forty miles
from Laramie. The new line leaves at
the place known as the horseshoe
curve where the old line, in going
/ from Lookout to Harper, turns and goes
due east, curving around the hills, and
goes in a north and northeasterly di-
~rection through a kind of valley on the
plains. The point of departure OF the
cutoff is on section 10 and corners the
following sections: IA, IL, 10, 9, 8, Z,
6 in township 20. range rs; sections 10,
30, 10, Is, 7, 6, township 81, range IS;
sections 1, 2. "a, IS, 80, 20, 10, in town
ship %. range n; sections "a, 10, IA,
10, 10. 8. s., in township %, range rs.
The line crosses Rock Creek at a
point six miles west and eight miles
south of the PRESENT station, the place
being toward the F.. o. Harrison ranch
on Rock creek.
A heavy and long rock cut is %encount-
cred north of Lookout eight miles, the
ridge being an odd geological forma-
tion. 1t is a light sandstone and is
dotted with evergreen trees, and being
cut on the plains is an unnatural thing,
but to the geologist indicates a certain
formation. The cut through this rock
is forty feet deep and 1000 feet long and
as an expensive piece of work which
calls for some careful engineering.
The cutoff comes back to the main
line at Medicine Bow station. The dis
lance over this cutoff is 1913 miles and
over the old line is 35.9 miles, a saw
ing of - miles, and cuts out Wilcox
hill, which is a hard grade for heavy
trains.
Ia NoSl vi ihtSt W IN lIlto 10
roughly estimated at over a million
dollars and calls for the removal of up
wards of 5000, 900 cubic yards of dirt
and rock. In curvature it is estimated
that the elimination of curves on the
second cutoff will save 2640 degrees OF
curvature, or over seven times around
a circle 1850 degrees), over the old line
and in rise and fall of grades an aver
age of 10 feet to the mile will be saved.
All the modern ideas of railroad
building will be used in the ~construc-
ton of these lines.
In curves nothing greater than 8 de-
grees on a radius of 1910 feet is made,
while on the old line there are several
curves of 8 degrees on a radius OF 1000
feet.
The new roadbed will be twenty feet
wide on top on the open plains and in
cuts will be twenty-five feet wide. On
the old lines the width Of the roadlbed
is thirteen to fourteen feet.
Sherman gravel will be used for bal
last and the line will be ballasted this
year as far as the track Is laid. The
grading contracts cali for the compile
ton Of the work by October 18th and
the work of laying the rails and bal
lasting the road bed will follow rs rap
idly as possible. so that the new lines
will be in use for traffic by December
LIST.