Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1903-12-08
BURLINGTON ENGAGED in Eek.
TENsIvE OPERATIONS.
TO PREVENT DAMAGE BY HIGH WATER
Five Miles Of Track to Be Elevated,
Four Mile Bridge to BE Raised and
levee to Be Built to Prevent inter-
ference From Spring Floods.

The elevation Of nearly five miles of
double track, the raising of one end of
the four mile bridge, the widening Of
the channel of the Des Moines river,
and the building of levee extending
from the Burlington main line right OF
way on the east side of the bridge to
the foot of high ground nearly one-half
mile distant are the plans which
have been adopted by the Burlington
railway company to prevent a recur-
renee of the disastrous experiences
caused just west Of Ottumwa by the
high water of last spring.
Since the falling of the water about
the middle Of last June after it had
reached a stage higher than ever be-
fore known IN the history OF railroad
ing in Wapello county hardly day
has been lost by the company in its
effort to get it's tracks safely above
this last high water line. At the pres
ent time over a hundred men, about
thirty teams, big steam shovel, a
large work train, two switch engines
and an outfit for the building of con-
crete piers are engaged daily in the
big task of carrying to completion the
plans mapped out by the engineers.
One Track Elevated.
The first work done after the flood
was the elevating Of the south main
line track from the point where the
Burlington crosses the Milwaukee. q
distance of nearly four miles. This
track for almost the entire distance
was covered with water last spring. 1t
has been elevated about three feet
higher than it stood at that time. The
north main line track has not yet been
raised and will not be until the work
at the bridge and for a mile further
west is completed. IL is possible that
the whole work cannot be finished be.
fore the food of next spring and 1t is
the desire of the company to have at
least one track between Ottumwa and
the bridge that is safe from interior
ence by any high water that may come.
Work on the Grade.
The most extensive part Of the en-
tire work is the broadening and filling
in of the grade on the west side OF
the bridge. This grade when com.
pelted will be on an average about
twenty-three feet wider than before
the work began and at one point will
be nearly seven feet higher. A strong
curve that has been somewhat of a
disadvantage will be greatly reduced
and the track will be practically level
from the east end Of the bridge to a
point something over mile farther
west
1t Is on this grade that the work is
being pushed most rapidly at present.
The material for the grade is being
taken from the sand bar formed on the
west bank Of the river. A big stream
shovel is located in what is practically
the river bed just north of the bridge.
The big scoop on this shovel outfit
picks up and dumps at each operation
two cubic yards Of sand into car.
An ordinary car has capacity for
about thirty yards and 1t takes less
than FIVE minutes to load. When it is
considered that cubic yard Of sand
weighs about one ton and that this
machine handles about fifteen hundred
yards per day, it will readily be seen
what glutton for work it is. and one
can only guess what an army OF men
would be required to handle like
amount of sand in the old fashioned
way.
Keeps Them Busy.
! A side track from the steam shovel
has been built leading beneath the
bridge to the south side, and then UP
the incline to the top of the grade.
A big road engine is kept constantly
busy spotting cars for the shovel, and
switch engine 1898, in charge OF Will
Clifford, which picks UP the loaded
cars, scoots down the track, dives be-
meath the bridge, and then puffs and
snorts in vicious manner, showing
them up the steep incline to the top
of the grade, is the busiest machine on
| the works.
Unloading the Cars.
Once on top of the grade the rest is
easy. A road engine picks up the
cars and as soon as it has eight OF
nine loads, or enough to make II
worth while the trouble, it takes ita
train out and unloads the sand. In
front of the road engine is car con
tanning stationary engine, a huge
drum and a two inch wire cable.
| AS the train backs off from it's start
| ing point the end of the cable il
nitched to a stationary fastening be
side the track. The backing Of the
train draws out the cable TO the end
of the train. The cable is then ZOOS
ened and attached to big movable
scraper on the last car. A hasty run
back upon the grade is made and al
a given signal the stationary engine is
started and the cable draws the scrap
!, err from car to car showing the sand
through the swinging sides of the
dump cars upon the side of the track
Unloading the train requires about
four or five minutes.
Spreading the Sand.
The spreader next comes into play
The spreader is a specially built car
and is Immediately behind the engine
On either side Of this car there is a
heavy steel faced three inch oak
swinging leaf that is SO arranged that
1t can be raised and lowered by com
| pressed air and the loose end of ii
can be swung out until it extends
! about sixteen feet from the sides OF
the car. When this wing Is extend.
ed II Is lowered till it strikes the sand
which has been unleaded and the en-.
tire train starts back toward the
bridge The big wing spreada the
sand evenly over the top Of the dump
or throws It entirely to the edge as the
operator desires. Four or five minutes
are sufficient for spreading the entire