Omaha daily bee., 1902-04-22
SOME FAST TRACK LAYING
Work Of Placing Heavy Rails on ElkhOrn
Goes On Rapidly.
MILE A DAY is THE RECORD TO DATE
Burning out of Bridge on Union Pa
cIhc, Near silver Creek, Delays
East Bound Passenger
seven Hours.

Ehat bOunu EbHNt"BNE
seven Hours.
For three weeks past 900 men have been
working on the main line Of the Fremont,
Elkhorn & Missouri Valley railroad west OF
Stanton, Neb., ~relaylng It with standard
steel rails Of the seventy-two-pound size.
No information concerning this work leaked
out, however, till yesterday, when the gangs
started In on the fourth week after having
completed twenty miles OF the ninety they
will rebuild.
Elkhorn operating ~oficials are proud Of
the progress which has been made. Said
General Superintendent Hughes:
we have laid a mile a day so far, which
Includes not only the actual setting OF the
steel, but entire new ballasting with gravel.
We will rebuild more Of the main line this
year than In any year since we began the
substitution four years ago, and will relay
almost as much as the entire four years
previous work has accomplished.
THE reason for this especial effort is that
we need the rails on this trackage at pres
net for use on the Verdigris extension,
They are sixty pound rails, plenty heavy
enough for that line. The ninety miles
Of them which we will tear up on the main
line VIII easily furnish seventy miles neCeS>
sary for the Boyd county line.
This new trackage will extend from
Stanton west to o'Neill, and when It lie
completed the entire line from Missouri
Valley to O'Neil will be laid with this
heavy steel, 191 miles in all. The portion
from Missouri Valley to Stanton has been
put down section by section each year since
1897.
This piece Of track which we are relay
ing has been lying on the prairie, on dirt
ballast. Nebraska soil Is peculiarly
adapted to ballasting and is really good
enough. That is because Of it's dry, Shard
clay composition, which makes 1t solid and
firm. But we will put gravel under our
heavy track. On the Verdigris extension
we will lay the track on the prairie"
Bridge Burns out.
The burning out Of a small bridge on the
Union Pacific main line in Platte county
early yesterday morning coused some delay
in passenger and freight trafhc. The bridge
was fifty feet long and is three miles east
OF Silver Creek, a small station 100 miles
west of Omaha, between Columbus and Cen
trail City.
Passenger train No. I, eastbound from
Ogden. passes Silver Creek at 4:19 In the
LlOi III ahu was w NHV soy
in the line. 1t was thought at first that 1t
would take till late afternoon to rebuild
the bridge and there was talk of sending
No. 4 around on the Burlington to Omaha
via Lincoln. Later. however, it was seen
that the repairs we're not such a great task
and at II o'clock the line was opened and
No. 4 sent on. 1t reached Omaha at 2
o'clock yesterday afternoon, seven hours
late.
No westbound trains were delayed. The
Overland flyer, No. 1, found an open track
by the time 1t was ready to pass Silver
Creek at 1891 yesterday afternoon. The
fast mail, No. 101, was similarly treated at
1910. A few freight trains were caught
and held for different periods Of time.
Changes In Burlington Time.
Advance proofs Of the new time cards for
the Iowa and Illinois divisions have just
been received at Burlington headquarters.
They show that No. IS, the new through
train for Omaha, will leave Chicago at 9:15
a. m. reaching Galesburg at 12:43 p. m,
Burlington at 1850 q. m. and ottumwa at
1928 p. m.
This will make Il a fast train to Of
tumwa, and from there on to Pacific juno
tion It will do a local business, reaching
Pacific Junction at 1910 p. m, Council
Bluffs at 10:45 p. m, the Transfer at 1850
p. m. and Omaha at IL. Ten minutes later
1t leaves for Lincoln. This train has here
tofore been fast to Creston and local from
there to Pacific Junction. Now, however.
it's local feature begins at Ottumwa, east OF
Creston.
To correspond with this, No. 8, the local
daily except Sunday from Galesburg to
Creston, will after May 4 stop at Ottumwa,
reaching there at 1:20 p. M, as No. 10 will
do the local business from there on to
Creston. No. IL, also eastbound from
Council Bluffs to Ottumwa. will after May
4 run only to Creston, reaching there at
8:45 p. m. No. Is will make its first trip
through Omaha on the night Of May I. It
has been running around by way Of Platts-
mouth and Oreapolis.
First Summer Excursion.
The Wabash road brought the hrst OF Its
summer excursions from southern points
into Omaha Sunday. The Inauguration OF
this weekly scheme was a great success,
$50 people from Missouri and lows points
being carried in here on a special train at
10 o'clock The train was started at Stan
berry, Mo. aHd picked up recruits all along
the line, there being a greatly reduced
rate. The visitors scattered over the city,
attending the churches in the morning and
the ball game and theaters In the afternoon.
They were taken out at 1880 at night.
There will be an excursion imilar to this
one every week.
Trip for ShFiners.
Tangier Temple OF the shriners has al
ready reserved two special Pullman cars
for the trip to the Imperial council at San
Francisco in June. The Burlington road is
the oficial line for this temple and will
reserve additional cars as fast as required.
II has planned a little touring trip for the
Shriners as follows: Leave on sha at 4:25
p. n. June 4; reach Denver the next morn
ing and run down to Colorado Springs and
spend the day: go on to Salt Lake City and
spend all of June Z there reach San Fran
cisco at S:45 on the morning of June Q, The
council opens on June 10, lasting through
the 14th.
Railway Notes and Personals.
John Mellen, travelling passenger agent
for the Chicago q Northwestern railway, is
in the city.