The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-07-08

Seven hundred men-engineers, artis-
ans and laborers-are now at work,
between Carbondale and Wilkes-Barre,
rushing the construction of the new
cannon BALI electric road.
The walls Of the power house and
foundations Of the car shops, on the
terminal property along Roaring
Brook, where the old rolling mill stood,
are under way; the first shipment Of
electrical machinery. including boilers,
which are to generate the 10000 horse
power for the operation Of the road has
arrived; the grading Of the terminal
plot and the roadway throughout the
terminal property is fast nearing COM
pletion, and in the course of u few
weeks the big task Of confining the
wandering Roaring Brook in q straight
and narrow sluiceway will be undertake
en-.
Four miles Of double track have al
ready been laid on the Scranton and
Northeastern stretch of the road be-
tween this city and Pttston. Yester-
day, a stone crusher plant was put in
operation near the Connell brick yard,
on the meadows" in South Scranton,
which will prepare a thousand cubic
yards Of ballast every day. John r.
Lee, who has the ballasting contract,
will begin this work at once.
GRADING ALMOST DONE.
The grading between Scranton and
Pittston Is practically completed. A
short stretch, near Moosic and from
the Pittston city line to the Pittston
terminal, Is about all that remains to
be done to make the whole line ready
for rails. The $50 foot viaduct which
crosses the Delaware and Hudson and
Lehigh Valley tracks and Main street
in Avoca, at maximum height of
eighty feet, is more than half in place,
and will be finished by the end of the
month. 1t Is of heavy steel construc-
tion and will permit Of trains crossing
it without slackening their speed.
The 5000 tons Of rails required for
the entire line have been manufactured,
and all of them delivered and distrib-
uted except those to be used on the
Northern and Lackawanna line, which
extends from Scranton to CarhOndale.
Orders for the shipment of these lat
ter were sent yesterday from the COM
pany's Office in this city. All of the
POS, 900 eight-foot ties are on the ground.
Three sub-contractors are at work
grading the Central Valley Rapid
Transit company branch of the road,
which is to connect Pittston and
Wilkes-Barre. There Is comparative
ly little cutting or filling to be done on
this stretch on account of the level ma
ture of the country, but the construc-
ton will be, nevertheless, very expen-
sive as a number of steel bridges will
have to be put in to avoid grade cross
ings.
ROUTES SURVEYED.
The route between Carbondale and
Scranton has been surveyed and the
right of way nearly all acquired. For
obvious reasons the company has not as
yet made public the location of this
route. Like the rest of the road; how
ever, it will be over a private right Of
way and free from grade crossings for
every foot of its distance.
Temporarily, the road will come into
the centre of Scranton by way of
spur along the south bank of the Roar
ing Brook, and the old gravity road,
from the point where the main line
reaches the southern end of the city.
it will come direct from the
corner of Elm street and Irving avenue
a terminal under the South
Side which will follow the course of
Irving avenue. The old mine workings
under the South Side will be utilized in
part for the tunnel, there being main
road extending almost straightaway
along this course.
The poles which are being erected
along the graded right of way give
some the impression that the new road
is to use the trolley system of power
This impression is err
roneous. The poles are to carry the
cables which will transmit the power
from the central station to the sub-sta-
tions. but not to any trolley wire. The
power will be transmitted to the cars
by another method. What this method
is has not as yet been fully disclosed.
1t Is understood the method to be en-
ployed is something absolutely new,
which the Westinghouse people will in
stall for the first time on this road, and
whieh is one of the chief things relied
upon to demonstrate the companys
claim that electricity Is to eventually
supplant steam on railroads.
TELEPHONE SYSTEM.
The poles will also be utilized in
carrying the wires of the telephone
system which the company Is installing
the whole length of it's line.
Before another year has rolled by the
company will have spent $l2,500,000 In
the Lackawanna and wyoming valleys.