The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1901-10-11

There seems 10 be no spot In the
"'orld into which American enterprise
Is not penetrating The way In which
the United States Ia building great
steel bridges In far on lands Is some
thing which win bring a wall Of woe
from the bridge builders OF England.
who have until recently had a monop-
oily OF this sort OF thing. How many
people ever heard Of the Shan State
OF Thibaw7 II is region lying be-
tween upper Burmah and southern
China. and through II runs the old
caravan route from China 10 Manda.
lay Long before the Britiih took Btr.
NAH the trade Of the Far East uttered
through Mandalay by slow stages IN
ana down the rugged hills and val.
leys. through the thick jungles and
over the mountains. finally descending
the Ghaut mountains and emerging
on an open plain. Now this Is all
changed. and a railroad winds IN the
hills and over the plateau between
Mandalay and Thibaw. American
skill, American ingenuity and Ameri-
can enterprise made this possible. for
by means OF great steel bridge and
vladuct the obstacle OF the great
mountain gorge OF the Gokteik Val
ley-an obstacle which seemed al Rrst
tnsurmountable-has been successful
ly overcome. This Goktolk Valley
slopes from the mountains on one side
to canyon 500 feet deep. at the bot
tom OF which rushes a turbulent river
Across the river preclpltous cliffs tow
or high up. forming the further wall
OF the valley. Across this canyon the
caravans used TO cross by n natural
bridge. causeway under which the
river had tunnelled. Now over the
valley and canyon stretches a spider
like structure OF steel. crossing the
river $50 feet above its surface and
striking n series OF tunnels and arti-
hcial lodges in the face OF the oppos-
Ing cliffs. by which the railway makes
It's way TO the slopes OF the next val
ley. In building this bridge use was
made OF the old natural causeway for
n foundation for some OF the bridge
piers, so that the deepest pier OF the
bridge Is only 1876 feet high high
enough. but not 80 high as Il would
have had to be had not the old cause
way been there. This Yankee bridge
Is 1000 feet long and 1000 tons OF
steel enter into It's construction. Il
was built In sections In the United
States. carried with Infinite care and
dihiculty TO this far of region and
there set up. every bolt. bar. rIvet and
truss finding It's place and fitting into
each other with the utmost nicely.
Such things are the very magic OF mo
chanies. and moro wonderful they
seem than any OF the stale old exploits
OF King Solomon's Djins. A man in
Pennsylvania takes a piece OF paper
and makes lot OF figures on IL. He
then takes another piece OF paper and
draws a lot Of lines on this calcu-
lations and his plans--the weaving of
the magic spell. Then half-naked ng-
uros In the lights OF flaming fires in
dusky, cavernous buildings make
pieces OF steel as this master mapI-
clan directs; they are his gnomes
working out the spell. These pieces
OF steel are packed into boxes and
shipped TO the far on mountainous
land. where dusty caravans wind
through the hills laden With the prod
uets OF Cathay. and the grave. white
turbaned merchants tell each other
tales OF the wonders OF Oriental sor-
Gerry as they journey. The master ma
gician from Pennsylvania waves his
magic wand, his subordinate magi-
clans spring to their work, and lol no.
fore the astonIshed eyes OF the people
OF the caravans appears n light and
airy way OF steel sprlnging across the
valley; and over It rush the iron dew
lis. spouting smoke and hre-whlch
means that the $3.50 train on the road
to Mandalay is passing. -New York
Press.