The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1902-06-26
WEATHER VS. WORK.
Difficulties Being Encountered
by the Iowa Central.

The recent heavy rains have
worked greatly to the disadvantage
OF the road bed and grade improve
ments in PROGRESS on the Iowa Central.
Win Woodruff and bis gang of cement
workers who are engaged in putting
in the culverts for the Cooke Con-
struction company were at work on a
culvert about one and half miles
north of New Sharon. The rains fell
aud the floods came and beat upon
that work and even though it was
founded upon concrete base it was
washed out three different times. All
sustaining timbers were washed away
and three different times the work
had to be done over. The gang is
now at work on the job for the fourth
time and are building large Golfer
dam about their work to protect it
from any other floods that may come
down again.
One of the culverts completed be-
fore the floods was found ample to
care for all the drainage and the con-
structiou trains and gangs are now
engaged in filling up the old tress.e
work. The train loads of dirt are all
dumped in the one spot and even
though tons and tons of the clay and
dirt are deposited at the place day
after day rather slow progress seems
to be made in filling it up. The man
ner of unloading the dirt all in one
spot is interesting. The apparatu:
that empties the train is started and
the dirt begins to fall from the tressle
work. Then the train is started
slowly backing and in this manner
the car that is being unloaded is KEEP
over the place where the dirt il
wanted.
The cut at New Sharon is moving
forward as rapidly as possible. The
steam shovel is now on it's SECOND
trip through the top of the hill. The
passing of trains interferes with the
work to marked degree and tht
number of cars loaded totals lest
than one hundred. There is an i'm
mense amount of labor to be per
formed at this point yet before the
closing of the season and more labor
ers may be placed on the work.
New Sharon people are somewhat
disturbed over the fact that the rail
way station is to be moved to the
south of 1.-THE present site severa
hundred feet. A majority of the
Sharonites had hoped that the
Central would place it at the foot o.
the fair ground street. This was ar
impossibility in the face of the exist
ing conditions and the location wat
made at the best possible place
There will be a sixteen foot
wide platform on the east side and
al eight foot platf. rm on the west
side. The main line will be on the
east side and the Newton branch will
be on the west side. The stock yards
\ that have at times caused some Of
the citizens of New Sharon to make
complaint have been removed to 6
point al the extreme south part Of
the yards.
The grade of the Newton branch
track is not to be changed at present
but the track will be extended from
its present junction point to a point
near the new station site. The wagon
road crossings will be over head
which will do away with any danger
! to teams.
The filing of the low places ano
the raising of 1.-THE track is moving
along as rapidly as possible. The
dampness of the weather has made
the work arduous and difficult anc
the track in a.number of places has
caused slow orders to be issued to al
trains. One advantage OF the rains
however, has been to settle the new
fills so that it approaches point o.
solidity that could hot nave beer
reached otherwise.
The work north OF the city on the
Skunk river hill is getting along
rapidly. The shovel is working til
way through the hill and dirt is nov
being placed in the Quaker sag"