Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-02-12
AMONG THE RAILWAYS.
Locomotive Fireman's Marvel
Gus Record of Endurance.
ooRKsoREw RAILROAD IN ARIZONA

How a Mining Company Overcnmc
Great Difficulties - Communication
From Cairo to Fxhurtum Direct by
RaiI-Famous Alpine Tunnel Com
pIeted.
For physical endurance Fireman
Charles Bellamy of the Chicago, Bur
Iington and Quincy road is entitled to
all premiums, says a Creston Qa) dis
patch to the Chicago Times-Herald
His career is remarkable one and his
endurance the mSt.vel of railroad men.
In 1885 he commenced working for
the railroad company at Galesburg, en-
tering the shops. He worked 4 years, !
months and 10 days without losing a
day. In 1890 he commenced firing and
for IL years has held one of the hardest
runs on the road and has not lost a trip.
Here is service of 16 years without a
days absence. Bellamy is now firing
the fast mail between Burlington and
Creston and has been on this run for
six years.
He has in all his railroading escaped
Al ~
was wrecked few weeks ago near
Briggsville. it was Bellamy's run out,
and his engine was waiting in the Bur-
lington yards ready to pull the fast
mail 100 miles westward. Owing to
the wreck and the destruction by fire
of two of the cars the mail was an
nulled, but the engine crew that was
ready to take the train was given OPP
portunity to double the road so as not
to lose trip, and Bellamy remained
with the machine.
During his IL years firing he has
made 606,S40 miles and burned 32.501
tons of coal. On his maiden trip the
engineer repeatedly suggested to Bel
lamy that he put in more coal. Bel
lamy said that he would put in a few
shoyelfuls and then take seat, but the
engineer Kept him busy. Ever since
that trip" says Bellamy, II have been
trying to keep the firebox full of coal.
but have always found room for one
mere shovelful''
Some of the most formidable obsta-
cles to railroad construction were over
come i'll the building OF the Morenci
Southern railroad, n corkscrew route,
which has just been completed in
southeastern Arizona. says n Phenix
dispatch to the Chicago Record. The
road is only Il few miles in length, but
represents n marvellous piece of rail-
road engineering work. 1t is owned by
the Detroit Copper Mining company,
limited. Phelps. Dodge x Co. of New
York concern. and lies between that
companys big copper mines at Morenci
and Guthrie, n point on the Arizona
and New Mexico railroad. which joins
the Southern Pacific at Lordsburg,
N. NJ.
A railroad over the San Francisco
mountains and several great canyons
and gorges in a section of very for
midable contour was necessary to fur
Their development of the mines, but sew
eraI well known civil engineers de-
clared the scheme inpracticable. They
found that they had an elevation of
$50 feet to overcome in a direct line
of less than seven miles. Several of
the grades would be steep. even for a
mountain wagon, but the Detroit Cop
per company ventured into the bold en-
terprise, and after a vast outlay of
capital the engineers solved the diff
cult problem of running r narrow
gauge road over a winding roadbed. a
great portion of which is over trestles
between rims of canyons tow
ering 400 or 500 feet above the bot
toms. Thousands and thousands of
yards of masonry were made to hold
the roadbed in the canyons aud on the
steep mountain sides, and much of the
was through solid rock of
conGlomerates and malapais.
According 10 q Cairn cnrre snnndent q