The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-10-18
BRIDGE BUILDERS.
MAGIC IN AMERICAN ENTERPRISE
IN THIS LINE.


There seems 70 be no spot IN the
world into which American enterprise
"a not penetrating. The way in which
the United States is building great
steel bridges IN far OF lands is some
thing which win bring a vail Of woe
Z from the bridge builders OF England
who have until recently had 4 monou-
oily Of this sort Of thing. How many
people ever heard Of the Shan state
o. fhloaw2 It Is a region lying be-
tween upper Burmah and southern
emma, and through it runs the old
caravan route from China 10 Manda-
lay Long before the British took Bur
man the trade Of the Far East filtered
through Mandalay by slow stages M
ana down the rugged hills and val
leys, through the thick jungles and
over the mountains. finally descending
the 6haut mountains aud emerging
on an open plain. Now this Is ali
changed. and a railroad winds up the
hills and over the plateau between
Mandalay and Thibaw. American
skill American ingenuity and Ameri-
can enterprise made this possible. for
py means Of a great steel bridge and
xladnct the obstacle Of the great
mountain gorge Of the Gokteik val
iey-an obstacle which seemed at first
insurmountable-has been successful
" oYercome. This Coktelk Valley
slopes from the mountains on one side
20 a canyon 500 feet deep al the bot
tom Of which rushes a turbulent river.
Across the river precipitons cliffs tow.
er high up. forming the further wall
Of the valley Across this canyon the
caravans used 10 cross By natural
bridge a causeway under which the
river had tunnelled Nov over the
valley and canyon stretches a spider-
Ike structure of steel crossing the
river $50 feet above its surface and
striking q series or tunnels and arti-
neial lodges IN the face OF the oppos-
Ing cliffs, By which the railway makes
iss way % the slopes Of the next val
ley. In building this bridge use vas
made of the old natural causeway FOR
a foundation Tor some Of the bridge
piers. So thar the deepest pier Of the
bridge is only 32a feet high high
enough. bat not 50 high a. il would
have had % be had not the old cause
Way been there This Yankee bridge
is 1000 feet long and 1000 tons 81
steel enter into its construction. n
was belt in sections ia the United
states. carried with infinite care ana
difficulty 20 this far OF region and
there SEQ np every bolt. bar. rivet and
truss finding its place ana hitting into
each other Nith the utmost nleefy
such things are the very magic 81 me.
thanics and more wonderful they
seem than any of the stale nld exploits
Of King Soiumou's Djlna A man In
Pennsylvania takes q piece of paper
and makes a lot OF figures On it He i
then takes another piece 81 paper and 4
draws q i0t of lines 0u Il -hls caicu-
lations and hts plans--the weaving of i
the magic spell. Then half-nake8 ag-
nrea IN the lights Of flaming fires in
duaky. cavernous buildings make
pieces on steel az this master maei-
clan directs. they are his gnomes
working out the spell These pieces
of steel are packed into boxes and
shipped 20 the far on mountainous
land, where dusty caravans wind
through the hills laden with the prod.
ucts q cathay. and the grave. white
turhaned merchants tell each other
tales Of the wonders Of Oriental sor.
Gerry as they journey The master ma
gician from Pennsylvania waves hts
masic wand biz subordinate mari-
clans spring to their work and io, be-
fore the astonlshed eyes of the people
of the caravans appears light ana
airy way of steel sprlnglng across tba
valley and over il rush the iron dev.
u.s. spouting smoke and are-whlch
means that the $50 train on the road
20 Mandaiay Is passing New YORK
Press.