The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-04-05

The army OF railroad laborers employed
to do repair work on the two great trans
continental lines in the Northwest have
nearly all arrived on the Sound, and from
April 1 work will be rushed in a manner
heretofore unheard of in Western rail-
reading. A large portion OF the iaborers
are Italians.
The work to be done on the Great North
ern has already been announced through
the newspapers. The Northern Pacific,
while employing the greater part OF Its in
creased force in Washington and Idaho,
has much work to be done this season on
all sections of the line. Among the great
est improvements. it is officially an
nounced. viii be the relaying OF the entire
line and many OF it's principal branches
with seventy-two-pound steel rails. All of
this portion of the work, 1t is expected,
will be done this year. Simultaneous with
this change there figures the reduction Of
grades over the entire main line. Says are
being filed. banks widened from fourteen
to sixteen feet and heavy coatings of bal
last being provided Hundreds of miles of
fencing are being set US. These changes
arc made necessary by the increased
weight and power of the new engines soon
to be used and which mean much heavier
trains. Sidings are being heightened TO
accommodate the increased length of
trains and additions are being made to the
shops, warehouses, fuel stations, water
tanks, etc, along the main line.
There are also extensive improvements
to be made about the company's docks at
Seattle. Tacoma. Duluth and West Supe-
rior. Heavy installations of electric ma
chlnery are being provided for divisional
and terminal points in connection with
lighting, heating and pumping powers re-
quired by the road. Interlocking systems
are being installed at various points. Spir-
ling ends on curves and tie plates on all
curves are being added The road has
made It a point to utilize from 1000 to
5000 tons of steel in new bridges, masonry
and substructures annually, and this year.
II is understood the same custom will be
observed Since 1890 eighty lineal miles of
timber bridging have been permanently re-
placed with steel bridges. culverts and i'm
proved entertainments.
All the timber trestles on the Rocky,
Cascade and other mountain districts have
been replaced by permanent structures.
Three tunnels on the main line, one at
Avon, Mont, and two on the Cascade
mountain line. have been taken out as
open cuts and permanently refined with
concrete and masonry. In the past the
road has suffered from disastrous fires re-
sulting from timber in the use of these
tunnels. Besides this. places are being
prepared for several new depots at differ
ent points along the line,
The extensions OF the road include the
Lapwai branch of twelve miles, the Pal
mer cutoff, which shortens the distance
from the Twin Cities to Seattle by twenty
one miles. In the Clearwater the main
branch has been completed with traekiay-
ing, and ballasting Will he through within
thirty days, although trains are now In
operation. The Cooperstown extension
from Cooperstown to McHenry, a distance
OF twenty-six and one-half miles. has been
completed and Is In operation. The Sykes
ton extension from sykeston to Dowdn.
\. d. fifteen miles, is completed and In
operation The Portage and Northwestern
branch in Manitoba, on the main line run
ming twenty miles northwest from Portage
la Prairie, has also been completed, as has
the lake branch of the same nine miles
due north from Portage la Prairie.
The extension of the Bitter Root branch,
south OF Missoula six miles, is under con-
structiun and nearly completed This en-
braces the initial and terminal from
Grant sdale TO Evelyn, the Sunset branch.
The CoueF d'Alene, from Wallace north
erly to Sunset mines, five miles, is under
construction and about completed.
Many surveys are being made in addition
TO the branches ana extensions mentioned.