The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1901-08-31

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So pelithtf.i sss.sy Ass-sss - Z
Eralisg nlts Atf,-5 ne Rsekssa
A unique oxeurslon uas. rscsntly q.
fanEed b. tie Union pacl6e Railroad
company. About sixty neHggapEI
men, rCrrcEcnting the leading metro
Dolitau journals % the c0uatFy, were
invited - meet Rt the Brown Ealaco
hoicl. Denver. Colo. Tor q trip O. ~
wyoming division, Tbs Overland
RcEi1.H Cor thu purpose e Missing ne
otarendoua ouginsoring achlsEoInenla
reoeatly undason that line.
Ths train .Nas made ~ g tu8 pEi.
Eats cara thrso P1llman raiaes alsap-
oEH. dining ear. drsWn III ono 6 ths
new compound engll11S 4llh "a ooSer-
walton caF-conSErucesd "a the sane
plan 60 . trolley ear-ahead % The
engine.
10 more striking example Is aAord-
"a % the progress OF today than the
gigantic undertaking Of the Union
Paciae.
One hundred and nfty-eIsht ana
four-tenths miles Of new track laid.
reducing the mileage between Omaha
and Ogden By So.S7 miles. and redue-
ing gradients which varied from 45.a
70 S7.sS feet % the mile 10 q maxi
mum Of l3.3 feet, and curves from s
70 degrees, while q great deal of bad
curvature has been eliminated en-
tirsly.
A mountain removed and lost into
. ehasm; huge holes bored hundreds
Of feet through solid granite; an under
ground river encountered and over
come; an army OF men. with al sorts
OF mechanical aids. engaged IN the
work for nearly q year; the great I'M
ion Pacific track between Omaka and
Ogden made shorter, heaYy grades
eliminated. old scenery changed for
new, and the business OF the great
Overland route flowing through q new
channel, without the slightest intsr-
rupbon.
Millions Of money have been spent
% reduce the grades and shorten the
distance.
This reduction is the result Of
STRENGTHENING unnecessary curves. and
the construction Of several cutoHB be-
tween Buford and Bear river, Utah.
Buford e on the eastern slope Of the
Black Hills, 6l5 miles west Of Coun-
ell Bluhs and tWenty-seven miles west
Of Cheyenne. The eutofs required the
construction of 15S miles, OF which
1853 miles are between Buford and
Laramie, 1884 miles Bowen Howell
and Hutton, saEinc al miles; 80
miles on the laramie plains between
Cooperis Lake and Lookout, saving IS
-
cut and Msdieine Bow, ain further
west. saving l2.oS miles; SIS miles
between Allen Junction and Dana, aaV-
ing 3.G7 miles: 42.sS miles between
RaWlins and Upton, saving LA
miles; 1854 miles between Green River
and Bryan, saving As Of q mile. and
21.5s miles between Leroy and Bear
River, saving SIS miles.
The curvature saved is about one
hall. the grading about the same.
while the singles are reduced nearly
tWO-thirds.
The superiority Of these changes 70
apparent 20 the practical railroad en-
gineer. IL Is also apparent 70 the op-
Grating department IN the reduction in
operating expenses, and 70 the traY-
eler In the increased speed the trains
can make. The change IN alignment
Of the line Is marked. West o. Blu
ford the track ran northwestWard 70
the Ames monument, near Sherman.
and then took q sharp turn TO the
southwest over Dale creek. crossing
Il By q bridge 1s5 feet high-an ele-
walton trying 70 the nerFes-and from
thence due north 70 Laramie. The
new lire runs due west from Buford.
a~oId.ag the high huls and eighty
elEht-fOOt grade from Cheyenne, and
piercing through cuts and the big tun-
mel, crosses the Black Hills ct q grade
Of less than one-half cas- feet) over
mOuntsin attitudes. From Leroy the
country g literally q coal bed. Here
and enters the Bear river valley on an
easy grade.
From q constructive standpoint the
line q remarkable for the amount q
Material required IN the construction
81 immense embankments and the
building OF large tunnels through
solid rock. The construction Of the
new line between Buford and laramie
alone has involved the excavation CT
6oo, 900 cubic yards Of material. one
third Of which fexclusiVe Of the tunnel
sxcaVation) has been solid rock. or
something over 10000 cubic yards per
mile.
Some Of the embankments Of the
new roadbed have been remarkable
for their height and the large guam
tities of material 10 construct the
same over seemingly short distances.
The two most dfmcult embankmsnts
were g Dale creek southwest % Sher-
man, and across the Sherman branch
81 the Lone Tree creek. southeast Of
Sherman. The embankment e the
crossing q Dale creek & 40 fest
high, 800 feet long, and involved the
handling 81 60o. 900 ctbie yardas At
the crossing Of the sherman breach
of Lone Tree creek the embankment
Is rs feet high q It's point - great
est helghth and Involved the handling
cf over 81. 900 cubic yards
Too much credit for this work can
not Be given to Horace @. Burt. pres
idont q lhe Union Pacific railroad,
for boldno11 81 conception of these I'm
proTemente; for ability 70 convince
the company Of the wisdom q the cut
lay, and following the necessary ap-
rrfnrfrtirn ~ ffns eomuRnr. for TIA