The Central Nevadan. [volume] (Battle Mountain, Nev.) 1885-1907, 1903-12-03
GREAT BRIDGE
OVER SALT
LAKE.
The Ogden-Lucin
Cutoff Finished.

vi iudbh5glVluB udy, ITcniucut Ilhf-
riman of the Union Pacific drove the last
spike in the great bridge which has
been constructed across Salt Lake.
This was the formal ceremony which
marked the completion of the great en-
gineering feat. The spike was of gold
and was Immediately withdrawn and en-
graved as a souvenir of the event. An
enormous crowd witnessed The dedica-
ton, which proved most impr ssive.
Trains will soon be regularly run over
the new tracks and the world will see
full speed made over the widest strip of
water covered by any road in the world.
There will be no slow down on the Lucin
cutoff, as it is called. The locomotive
will take bee-lipe for Lucin, and arrive
after fifty mile dash over swamp and
water and d forty. mile dash over the
desert without encountering a single
curve Of any moment. In the near fu-
ture great hotel will be constructed in
the middle of the lake, five miles off
Promontory point, which will be as
unique in its way as the hanging gar
dens OF Babylon.
Great Salt Lake, it will be remembered
is shaped roughly like v with its arms
extending towards the north. The right
arm of this Y, as one looks at the map,
is filled with shallow water and marsh
land. A Temporary structure four miles
long was thrown across this aud gravel
trains run over it until solid embank-
ment rose from the surface, strong
enough TO bear the weight and jar of the
heaviest express going at full speed. A
number OF pile stations or groups OF
huge tree trunks, driven by scow
firmly iDto the mud, were first construct
ed. Then top drivers were erected on
the top OF the stations and moved along
over line OF piles OF their own driving
till a continuous line, three abreast and
about ten feet apart, reached out to
Promontory point, four miles from the
yet toward the west. 1t is at the ter
mination of this work that the great hotel
will some day be built. Caps, heavy
pieces of tim Der twelve inches wide and
twelve inches thick, were fastened across
the tops of the triple line, and huge
s;ringers laid over the caps. The ordi
nary cross. ties and rails were put into re.
QUESTION and the gravel train gengs set
to work close upon the heels o; the top.
drivers. A precarioes t.este was thus
turned into a solid roadbed.
A bad sink. or crsvice, in the earth's
crust filled witt loose materials, gas on.
countered some distance from shore. aud
cubic mile Of earth had ta be dumped
into it before the embansment AT that
point would bear the weight of the
gravel train This delayed the work and
the greater part of Elk months was con-
sumed in stopping this almost bottom
less pit. But finally the filling took
hold" and now this part of the route is
as firm as any other.
The completed structure has cost at
least S6,000,000, but the railroad con-
sders it eood business Investment,
owing to the time it will cave. Some of
its piles are 125 feet long and the whole
furnishes as safe roadbed as could be
built on dry land.
In connection with this recent en-
gineerlng work, il is interesting to note
that the present Great Salt Lake is only
small remnant of its SELF To recent
geological times it covered most Of west
ern Utah, was 1000 feet deep and had an
outlet through Red Rock Gap into the
great Columb bia River. The water was
then fresh. This lake, now known to
scientists as Lake Bonneville, was 49,.
900 square miles in extent The outlet
river gradually wore away its limestone
bed, the consequent drainage reducing
this magnificent lake greatly in area.
This brought about great climatic
changes which gradually created an arid
country. Finally the lake dried up to
ahnut oavaptvf;va mil.a lonu NV fifty