Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-04-25
Such is the Burlington's Work East
of Ottumwa.
SOME OF THE DIFFICULTIES MET
The New Piece of Track, When Com.
pleted, Will Be a Lasting Monument
to the Progreosiveness Of the Rail-
road Company.

Work has been commenced on one
of the biggest tasks that has ever been
attempted in the history of railroading
in Iowa. 1t is the building of new,
straight track for the Burlington rail-
road between Street, telegraph sta
ton one and one-half miles east of
Agency, and Ottumwa. This Wilk ne
cessitate numerous deep cuts and fills,
culverts, the best of work from the
engineers, the employing of a small
army of men, and the expenditure by
the Burlington company of vast
amount of money for labor and mater
ial.
The public reads of deep fills and
cuts with a glibness that does not per-
nit realization of the magnitude of
the affairs. This is some of the heav-
lest, hardest work that is tackled by a
railroad in building it's new line across
the country, and this has been an es-
pecial difficulty with the Burlington in
double-tracking it's line across Iowa.
Unless one sees the work itself he
fails to appreciate the immensely OF
the achievements of the engineers and
the force of men under them, but when
he is brought face to face with the
new work he suddenly realizes that sit
costs something to build a railroad"
Hitherto, the work on the Burling.
ton has been SO far from the city that
seeing it was difficult, but this summer
the road will be pushed right into the
city itself, and the graders camp is
even now located just outside of town.
A slight idea of what the building of
this track means may be gained from
CfofnY1nn,t 40 n n1If w hn mo n
completely through Franklin Park. A
work, and the dirt obtained by cutting
will be used a short distance east for
filling where the ground as it now is,
is too low for the track.
A Courier reporter was over this
ground yesterday for the pupose Of
seeing where the new line will run.
Some time ago the Courier published
an article describing roughly the
course of the new track, but since that
time certain changes have, been made,
the land has been procured by the
company, the stakes set for the new
right of way, and the actual work COM
menced. Not until now has the work
been in position where one could
realize the magnitude of the under
taking, but this fact is made very
plain when the visitor to the new right
of way sees the stakes set up and
down steep banks, through groves of
trees. along hill sides. in places horse
cannot be driven, and presenting every
difficulty except one. The redeeming
feature is that the new line will be
almost as straight as the crow flies
from Street to Ottumwa. 1t will, Of
course, be level also or nearly SO, but
this will only be accomplished after
months of hard work.
The New Route.
The new track will leave the pres
ent main line at Street, one and one
half miles east of Agency, and will
pass through Agency on the south in
stead of the north side, as is now the
condition. This will necessitate the
moving of the Agency depot. From
Agency the new track, which, of
course, is to be double, will go west
ward in nearly straight line, keeping
south of the present track all the way.
The old and new lines grow closer
near East Ottumwa, the present end of
the double track just east of Franklin
Park, and cross a short distance east
of East Ottumwa.
B. Hermann's Land.
The new line will cut completely In
two parts each of the two large fruit
farms owned by B. Hermann on OPP
poslte sides of Sugar Creek, east of