Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-04-16
CONTRACTS REJECTED.
Iowa Central Concludes to Do
Its Own Work in Grade
Revision.
Large Amount Of New Machinery
Purchased for This
Purpose.

EuTCHaSeU lOE Ills
Purpose.
The visit of Chief Engineer a. G.
Kelley. of the Iowa Central, to the city
on Sunday resulted in the final decision
of the engineering department TO do a
portion of the grea, amount of work in
grade Improvement and revision laid
out for the summer, instead of placing
1t in charge of contractors. This decis-
ion was arrived at after receiving the
bidsof the various contractors Of this
and other states and ascertaining the
fact that the contractors could not
guarantee TO finish the work in the re-
quireG length of time stated in the
Specifications number Of the larger
contracting firms have great
deal of work on other roads already
under way and as the work of the Cen.
trail is Of large proportions It Was not
possible for them to see their way
clear to guarantee its completion by the
latter part of the summer or early fall
Several Of the important pieces of work
will be done by the company including
nearly all that vas laid out between
this city ard New Sharon. The COM
pany' = forces will start in on the beer
garden hill" just east of the Marshall
town yard limits, which is a heavy
piece Of work in itself. and after cut
ting that down and reducing 1t to the
Northwestern grade, established last
year, will cut down the Dillon hill and
in all probability the New Sharon hill.
The work on the school house Hill,
Which is the ruling grads. between here
and Os'kaloGsa, will probably NOT be
reached this season, but the company
will likely do that also. If the work
progresses beyond the present ex,pecta-
tions it may be possible that this work,
too can be completed. The school
house hilli begins at the G.. & NJ juno
Ition, just south of (irinnell. and extends
all the way 10 Searsboro. There is IA
heavy grade all the way and a continn-
alton of curves and reducing ii means
a mammoth Undertaking.
On account of the decision TO do the
work itself the Central has let contracts
for new machinery that will be neces-
sary to make satisfactory progress
The company has two steam shoves
and has ordered another Purchasing
Agent Wing yesterday closing a deal
with the Vulcan Iron Works OF Toledo.
o.. for a new Vulcan steam shovel of.
the latest Improved pattern. The new
shovel s acknowledged as the best
made and Will be az fine a piece of ma
lchinery in this line as is used on any
railroad. 1t weighs seventy-five tons
and has a three-yard Upper. Three
hosting engines are used in its work
one governing the turn table on which
the huge arm swings from one side to
another, a second the raising and low.
ering of the Upper and the third the
thrust the bucket as it throws out
the dirt The new steam shovel costs
$500.
Another bit of magnificent machinery
purchased and contracted for yester-
! day is Lidgerwood rapid unloader
purchased at cost of $4,000 from the
| Lidgerwood Manufacturing Company,
of New York This device is for I'M
/ loading ballast cars without stopping
the train and consists of a huge drum,
which is placed on one car With sta
/ tionary engine that reels and unreeis
two 1,000-foot inch and a kuartershrdlu
1.-TWO l,000-foot l1s-inch steel wire cables
1 that draw a pillow along the fiat cars
| and throws over to one side or the other
/ the dirt. The dirt can be placed on
either side of the track, depending upon
the use of either the center or side
plow This contrivance will be used in
making fills rapidly and transferring
dirt from cuts to fills
Contractor George NJ Kepner, of FIT.
/ Dodge. who has been delayed for few
days owing to the rainy weather. began
the work Of stripping the Belmond
/ gravel pit yesterday. Sixty or seventy
teams are engaged on the work and 100
or more teams Will be put to work later
in the week between Mason City and
Manley Junction. where the grade line
4 is to be corrected. One of the old steam
/ shovels will be sent to the Belmond pit
as soon as it is stripped.
j. The work on the beer garden HILL"
which is to be done first, will be begun
just as soon as the new machinery car
4 arrive from the east.
Distressing stomach Diseases.