Arizona republican., 1901-05-25
BIC CONSTRUCTION WORKS
The s. F. P. & P. Railroad Cut Off
 and the Prescott Water Works.

matlon regarding the construction oE the new line of the s, r. r. 4 F. rail- road this side of Ash Fork. senefaily referred Co as the cutoff Much has been printed regarding 1t in d,s- connected way, and the popular opin- Ion has been that it was simply a piece of new track being laid for the purpose of shortening the line. While this is in a measure true. the shorten Ing of the line is one of the least of several reasons for undertaking the work. which reasons will be made ap- parent to the reader of the following lines,
 The cut.ofi starts at mile post No 4. thls side of Ash Fork and ends at n.lle post 30 The line .yiii therefore cut out twsnty-SIx miss and the new track vii be twenty three miles long, making a saving of three miles. That will of course, be of some considerable value to the company in the economy of operating, and also to the travelling public. But the greatest gain the com pany expects to make is In the matter of grades. At the present time that particular piece of road has some of the hsaviest grades on the line, and its location necessltates some of the highest trestles, which look forbidding to the traveller, and whie perfectly safe. require constant attention. The new road will reduce the maximum northbound grade fifty per cent. or In other words, will double the capacity nf all northbound locomotives, which Is not only a saving of machinery but a big saving in the consumption of fuel. The capacity of the southbound locomotives will be increased by thirty per cent also by reduced grades so there will be big saving both ways.
 Another big saving of time will be gained for the rsdson,that the new line has less curvature and trains may be safely run at greater speed than at present. There will, in fact be total saving of 2.500 degrees in curvature and there is long radius 10 all curves which are spiral or tapering at the ends. On the old line there are within the twenty-six miles, thirty-n nine tres ties and some of them are very high. On the new cut of there are but eight, and most of them are nothing but low bridges. This will entirely do away with the high wooden bridges. about which there has been so much com ment
 There will be on the new line but one bridge of any extraordinary heighth or length. and that will be a heavy steel viaduct planted on sold masonry over Hell Canyon. It will be 1 ahA feet long. Water lever' Is used only in formal way. for there Is seldom any water in the canyon. This bridge will cost somewhere In the neighbor- hood of s6o0o0. and will resemble in a general way the bridge at Canyon Diablo on the Santa Fe Pacific. It will be as solid as steel can make 1t and will be a sight of interest rather than fear to the average traveller.
 The nsw line will be laid with 6j- pound steel rails instead of 56-pound rai,s. of which the old track is con- structed. It is expected that the track of the new line will be laid by September lst, and that the road will be balasted and ready for use by October. and 1t will. when finished be practically prairie line. Though the s. F.. P. & r. is noted for fs high grades and its big curves. 1t has a won derful record In the six years 1t has been operated. whsn its length. the amount of business transacted and tn nature of the country through which it passes Is taken into consideration. It is a notable fact that never yet has a wheel of a passenger coach left the track.
 Mir. Drake also made the surveys for the Prescott water works and as that big enterprise will be completed and ready for use within the next two weeks he was asked to give few fig ures regarding the pant and water supply The source of the water sup ply Is at Del Rio. nintesn miles from Prescott. and consists of mammoth spring of most excellent water. The capacity of the spring Is 100000 gal Ions daily and the water works has a half interest In it. The plant and pipe line has cost in the neighborhood of sl50 900. and will be adequate for the needs of the city probably for the next twenty years, and that too, allowing rapid growth for the town.
 The present pipe is eight inches in diameter and the lower part of It is of double strength material. The water is pumped against a 75O-pound pres sure, including friction, by a Deane trlplex latest improved pump. The present pumping capacity is 500,00O gallons daily and the water is pumped into the old city reservoir on top of the hill and from there distributed through the city. A 165-horse power boiler supplies the power.
 The reservoir will furnish eighty pounds fire pressure in the lower part of the city and the newly constructed sewersystem will be finished with water from the reservoir Last summer the four principal streets of the city were graded and the many nsw blocks erected since the fire will be safely pro- tected from a recurrence of a like dis aster. Altogether MT. Drake thinks that Prescott will shortly be an up-to- date modern city with all the latest improvements, and with the general prosperity of the country and the rich resources of the surrounding region. he thinks 1t will be one of the best cities in the southwest, and there is no reason why its growth should not be rapid. Iron Springs also promises to grow in popularity the coming season and 1t is predicted that there will be a population there during the hot weather of somewhere between GOO and