Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-11-21

mum grade on the new line is thirty.
five feet. as against seventy-five on
the old track. Fifty degree curves
are the maximum on the new line,
whereas nothing was thought of five
degree curve when the old track was
built.
Four Mile Creek.
A quarter of mile east of Thayer
is -Four Mile creek, which is spanned
by steel bridge 125 feet long, built
like the one at Twelve Mile creek
This was also built by Alonzo Mel
lan's gang during the past summer.
ON either side is long fill which at
the bridge is about fifty-five feet deep.
"A series of cuts are to be found east
OF Thayer, and the line slopes to the
west into the town, rising again
slightly as it goes on westward. About
half mile of clay thing is being put
In along the new track in the cuts
east of Four Mile, in order to drain
the water from the road bed, and pre-
vent trouble.
Work to Be Done.
Four miles east of Thayer the east
end of the new track is reached, and
for about a mile the roadbed is I'M
finished. This mile includes huge
fill and the bridge over Seven Mile
creek. The fill on each side of Seven
Mile creek is, or will be when finish
ed, about seventy feet deep at the
creek. Van Court and VIM, a grad
ing firm, with headquarters at Omaha,
and Flick & Johnson, another similar
firm whose headquarters are at Dav-
export, have total of about 100 teams
at work on this fill, and the dirt is
being secured from borrowing pits"
The fill has given the graders much
trouble, as 1t is and has been sliding.
Nearly five feet more of dirt must yet
be put on its top, and the roadbed
will not be ready for the steel for sew
eral weeks.
The bridge over Seven Mile creek
| is yet to be built, also. This work is
to be done by Nellan's gang as soon
as the work at Grand river is finished.
About dozen men under Foremen
Jackson and Melcher are at work
there now, preparing false-work,
which will soon be completed. The
bridge will be seventy feet high and
will be similar to those at Four Mile
and Twelve Mile.
About a quarter of mile east of
Seven Mile creek the new line runs
through long cut, and twenty teams
under Contractor j. P. Shortall are
working with wheel graders there lev
cling the roadbed and preparing it for
the track layers. This work will soon
be finished SO that half a mile more
Of steel can be laid from the east.
The west end of the new track west
of Murray is about one mile from that
town and also about one mile from
Seven Mile creek. About a quarter
of mile of this piece of track Is not
yet ballasted. Several cars of ties are
standing there ready for use when the
roadbed toward Seven Mile is ready,
and in Murray steel rails and steel for
the Seven Mile bridge are waiting to
be used.
Best Of Everything.
The ties used on this new work
have been carefully inspected. They
are of, oak, and of the best quality OBJ
tainable. The steel is rolled in the
Carnegie mills. and weighs seventy
five pounds to the yard. The best of
workmanship and material are EN-.
ployed all along the line.
At Murray.
The new line enters Murray on the
north side of the old track and on the
same level. From Murray to Osceola
the track was completed last year, sc
that when the line from Murray to AT
ton is completed Creston will be the
west end of the double track. In a
short time after that, however, more
double track will be opened between
|Creston and Council Bluffs, and it is
only a question of year or two until
the Burlington can boast of a splendid
double track road from Chicago tc
Omaha, equaled by few and excelled
by none.
i The Officials.
The new work between Murray ant
1Creston is in the Ottumwa division
and thus comes under the supervision
of o. E. Stewart Of this city, superin
tendent of the division. J. C. Shehan
of Creston, is superintendent of con
struction, and visits the work daily
as does also Dan Lawler, of this city
superintendent of bridges and build
lings. The track work is ably looked
after by Roadmaster w. e. Criswell
; of Charlton. and his assistant, B. F
\ Beckman. also of Charlton, who for
merly was stationed in Ottumwa a!
assistant to Roadmaster w. H. Dou
Bile, on the Burlington division.
Superintendent Stewart stated this
morning that if the weather re
mains favorable it is probable tina
the. new line from Summit Cut to AT
ton will be opened in a short time, o.
as soon as the bridge over Grand riv
er is completed. By the time the lat
ter work is finished the steam shove
work will have been done at Alton 81
that the new line can be connected
up there. The name of Alton juno
ton will. it is thought, be changed tt
Great Western Crossing as referring
to the new station, although this hal
not been definitely decided upon a,
yet
GREAT VOLCANO OF OIL.
Beaumont Man Predicts a Terrifi,
Eruption on Spindle Top.