The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-11-15
MEANS WORK FOR MANY MEN
BIG IMPROVEMENTS BY THE
RAILROAD COMPANY.
North Levee to Be Widened and
Double Track Laid-No Trains
Over r Street.

The Southern Pacific Company is
about to begin extensive Improvements
on it's system in and about Sacramento
that will involve the expenditure of
tens of thousands of dollars for labor
and material, and which will give en-
ployment to many men during the
winter-just the time when it is most
needed by the laboring element.
Colonel ]. B. Wright, Division Super
intendent, yesterday informed a Rec
ord Union reporter that he had re-
ceived authority from the management
of the company to go ahead with these
Improvements, and that Resident En-
gineer Robinson had already outlined
the work to be done.
In the first place, the company has
from the R-street track and transfer the
traffic that has hitherto been done on
that stretch of road to the track east
of the city and running to Brighton
Junction The R-street track will then
be used only for local switching pur-
poses to and from the stone yard at
Tenth and R streets, the Buffalo Brew
cry, wineries, etc., in the eastern part
of the city, and which were located
where they are because of the railroad
facilities afforded
This CHANGE of all ,aO,,lor traipc tho
now run over the R-street track and out
to Brighton will require the relaying
of a new and first-class track from the
American River bridge to Brighton on
which has been in disuse for a quarter
of century, except for side-tracking
cars not in use, has been more or less
impaired by livestock, and will have to
be widened somewhat and placed in q
thoroughly good condition for the new
track.
This change will be great relief to
residents of the southern portion of the
city, as they will no longer be aroused
at all hours Of the night by the rumble
of trains and the hourly screeching of
the danger of collisions with trains at
so many street crossings
But the most extensive, and perhaps
the most important part of the work
about to be commenced is the enlarge
ment of the north levee from Twelfth
street to the American River bridge
and the laying of double track be-
tween these points. This will require
an embankment nearly if not quite twice
the width of the present levee, the outer
face of which will be protected all the
way by granite, thus putting at rest for
all time the question of possible trouble
from high water on the north side of
the city, the only real point of danger
in the past
West of Twelfth street the embanK-
ment is already wide and strong
enough, besides being protected by the
embankment and track built by the
company few years ago to the north
But this is not all. It is the pur-
pose of the company to fill in a portion
of the basin northeast Of the shops for
the purposes of a lumber yard. This
will require $4,000 cubic yards of earth,
according to Engineer Robinson's esti-
mate, and will give work to scores OF
men and teams.
The rise in the American River did
not seriously interfere with the work
on the new steel bridge across that
stream. In a few days more it is ex-
pected all the concrete piers on which
the new bridge is to rest will be COM
pleted, and then any sudden rise in the
stream will not interfere with the work
which will all be out of reach of the
water
The scene at the bridge is very ami
mated one, and the work that is being
done is of solid and permanent char
acter. The new steel b. idge will be sew
eral hundred feet in length, connecting
at either end with the present long and
heavy trestles.