Morgan County democrat. (Versailles, Mo.) 1900-1906, 1904-01-29
bRIDOISG AN INLAND SEA.
stupendous Engineering.

StupSuuVuN
We have in times past been told muck
OF wonderful icAts in railroad bull1lngr
and much has been written Of the en-.
ginccring skill and daring that directcd
thu course of the iron horse across tho
plans and mountains that lie between
The Missouri river and the Pacific Ocean.
I'm the grandeur and magnitude OF the
undertaking., the Union PacliicLCentral
Pacific has never been equalcd. 1h@
energy and perseverance, with which tho
work was urged forward, and the IA.
pidlty with which it was executed, are
without "A parallel in history" were the
statements Of the special government com.
terror.
Thirty.ive years ago there was no Tins
20 spend on work similar TO that which
has just been completed. Then the world
was watching while the builders of tho
Union Pacific and Central Pacific raced
for supremacy. 1t was a magnificent con-
test. but nowadays the owners Of tho
road have been brought to consider other
problems. One Of these necessitatcd tho
solution of the grade question and the
Strengthening of the track.
One of the most interesting and din.
cult feats of railroad engineering ever
undertaken has just been completed by
the owners of THE Overland Route"
Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Rail-
road building of a bridge across tho
Great Salt Lake between Ogden. utuhs
and Lucin. Nevada.
The work being practically completed.
the new track was formally opened on
Thanksgiving Day when Mr.. +. II. Har-
riman. head of the Hartman Lines, and
a big party of railroad magnates partook
of Thanksgiving Day dinner in the mid.
die of Great Salt Lake.
The Ogden Lucin Cut OF" is lO3
miles in length, 70 miles on land and 10
miles on trc,tlc worl, and films over the
waters of Great Salt Lake. 1t presents
a practically level track except for a short
distance on the west end near Lucin. Ne
vada, where a slight grade is cncoun-
tered.
The use of this cut of will throw out
| the trans continental traffic over the old
line from Ogden to Lucin, Nevada, around
the Lake. This strip of track is ono
of the most expensive of the Hartman
system, the maximum grade over tho
long Promontory hill is lOi feet to tho
mile and helper engines are always neccs.
sary. The elimination of the use of these
engines will mean the saving of at least
81, 5000 n day in operating expenses and
also a saving of several hours IN running
time.
Active work was commenced in 1909.
and thus the almost impossible task was
completed in about - months. The last
pile was driven during the last week Of
October. This great work has cost over
H,2W,OOD.UO.
The cut of rum from Ogden west 10
miles over level country before reaching
the lake proper, then across the east arm
of the Lake D miles to Promontory. Then
five miles of aolid road he'd and then n
miles west over the west arm Of the i:oke
toward Lucin and thence across the Great
Salt Lake Desert TO Lucin. Nevada.
Across the east arm of the Lake. il will
be almost a continuous film supported
by trestle. Near the middle of this will
be n gap of 900 feet of open trcstlc work
flow into the arm of the Lake.
Across promontory Point runs five
miles of solid road bed and here diGicult
work was encountered. A cut of 1900
feet long in sand and rock of barren
blun being necessary. At this point, the
most beautiful on this inland sea. sur.