Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1899-11-29
OVER A DOUBLE TRACK
Newspaper Man Views Northwest.
erns' improvements Between
LaMoills and Tama.
Army Of Men Employed in the Va
rious Departments Work to
Continue All Winter.

Present Status of the Work and the
Plans For Continuing 1t Next
Year.
Through the kindness of Hiram j.
Slifer, engineer in charge of the second
track work from Tama to Council
Bluffs. on the northwestern, represen-
tative of the Belle Plain Union took a
trip over an interesting section of this
work on Friday last. The second track I
work is now on hand all the way to the I
Missouri river, says the Union. From
Tama to LaMoille, twenty-six miles, all
but five miles are already in operation, |
Jan. I, except the iron bridge across
the Iowa river, this side of Montour.
The iron for this structure is expected |
in January and will be put in as soon as
possible after its arrival From La
Noble to Ontario. thirty-four miles, the
contract is let and the grading on low
lands is being done this fall. The hills
will be graded next spring with the ex-
pectation of having this piece of track
ready for next seasons business. The
masonry work on this line will be done
this winter. The piled rivers and bridge
builders will work the full season
through. From Ontario to Boone, ten
miles, the track is already in operation,
having been built and accepted this
season. From Boone to Ogden, includ-
ing the Boone county railroad and the
big bridge, is in charge of Engineer w.
G. Armstrong. This is entirely separate
from the second track work. This is
expected to be done next fall so that the
Northwestern will have one continuous
| line of double track from Chicago to-
Ogden, a stretch of $50 miles, which ex
ceeds in length any double track except
the big trunk lines in the east. From
Ogden to Jefferson will be graded next
year and finished in 1901. From Jeffer-
| son to Scranton, nine miles, the en-
| gineers began work last Wednesday and
ground was broken yesterday for the
grading on the low lands near Coon
river. From Scranton to Maple River
| Junction, twenty-five miles, the low
| grading will be done next year and the
| track, it is expected, will be put into OPP
| GRAFTON in 1901. From Maple River
Junction to Missouri Valley, sixty seven
! miles, the surveys are not yet complet
/ ed, but will be this winter. This piece
of work will be the last to be construct
| ed and is not expected to be put in use
before 1902. From Missouri Valley to
Council Bluffs, twenty-one miles, the
| work is we'll in hand, fourteen miles of
| which is already in operation, as far as
\ Crescent. Between Crescent and Coun-
4 ell Bluffs, seven miles, the work will be
/ done between now and the first of Jam
nary. A very notable feature concern
ling this is that from West Side to the
/ Bluffs, distance of seventy-nine miles.
j the grades at no place will exceed six
teen feet to the mile, about BIO of one
! pep cent. On this division the grades
will be no limit to the tonnage and an
4 engine can handle all the cars crew
can handle.
AN ARMY IN THE FIELD.
1t takes great force to keep all this
/ work moving. Engineer Slifer is the
responsible party for the whole work.
but he has eleven assistant engineers
/ under him; one to care for the Office 4
4 Boone, as he is in the field practically
all the time, one at Tama. quarry.
MarshalltoWn, State Center Nevada,
Ames. Crescent, Missouri Valley and
4 Council Bluffs. The carpenter and
bridge forces are in charge of gener-
all foreman, T. II. Durfee. who has the
work from Tama to Council Bluffs. he
4 has in his department five track and
Il two land pile drivers, and five other
crews who are building platforms and
changing depots, making crossings,
etc, and in all there are from l6O to 2oV
men at work. These forces viii be al
work all winter long, as there Will be
no let-up The laborers are small
army; about sixteen hundred of them
are now employed under general fore
man T. F. Maurer, who has charge OF
all the track laying, ballasting, ETC.
from Tama to LaMoille.
In addition to the above army the
company has at work between thirty
and forty work trains hauling gravel
etc The steam shovel and forty OF
fifty teams are at work in the grave
, Ipit at Grand Junction.
A RIDE ON A HAND CAR.
We want to speak more particularly
of our trip. Our conveyance was Mr.
Slifer's observation car, not exactly 6
palace car, but light. large wheeled
!. hand car, fitted with a long spring seal
in front, very comfortable for four mer
and propelled by six section hands al
the brake.
We waited at LaMoille until No. 1;
had whisked by and then mounted oul
chariot. From LaMoille to MARSHALL
town several crews We're at work anc
we made several stops. but nothing in
teresting occurred. The track hare II
I changed very little from the old roat
I way. some additional fills and {
little extra cutting is about all that ha.
been done. AT Marshalltown we Were
delayed some little time while the sit
uation was looked over and some
: changes to be made in the yard plan
: Mr.. Slifer ordered that the old turn
table in front of the two-stall rount
house there should be taken out anc
switches laid to approach this hosiery
which is used for engines only in emer
gency cases. A great amount Of worl
has been done at Marshalltown, and
!. large force is still there surfacing, re
building platforms, etc. An interlock