The Aberdeen Democrat. (Aberdeen, South Dakota) 1???-1909, 1904-01-29
BRIDGING AN INLAND SEA.
stupendou. Engineering.

We have in times past been told much
of wonderful ieats in railroad building,
and much has been written of the en-
cheering skill and daring that directed
the course Of the iron horse across the
plains and mountains that lie between
/ the Missouri river and the Pacific Ocean.
In the grandeur and magnitude of the
undertaking. the Union Pacitic-Central
PACING has never been equaled. Tho
energy and perseverance with which the
work was urged forward, and the ra-
pidity with which it was executed, are
without a parallel in. history,'' were tile
statements of the special government conf
missioners to the Secretary of the In
| terror.
Thirty,fve years ago there was no time
to spend on work similar to that which
has just been completed. Then the world
was watching while the builders of the
Union Pacific and Central Pacific raced
for supremacy. 1t was a magnificent con.
test, bnt nowadays the owncrssSof the
road have beef brought to consider other
problems One Of these necess.tdted the
solution of the grade question and the
Strengthening OF the track.
One of the most interesting and diff
cult feats Of RAILROAD engineering ever
nndertakera has iAst bsaasnfacoRpleted by
The: owners OF sghss S 4 Route
Upon Pacific and sohtKerSsaAPacific Rail
eSSstts Bait on Lake 5sts : sgfa aGa across rt tis
~HsS re- t<ohS pSoNEES1N SSNSh. y loAs
The wort beng praetsraH caapletsa~
the new track was formally op&ned on
Thanksgiving Day when Mr.. f. I'll. Har-
riman, head of the Hartman Lines, and
a big party. Of railroad magnates partook
die OF Great Salt Lake.
The ogden-Lucin Cut OFF, is lO2
miles IN length, u miles on land and 30
miles On trestle work 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 encoun-
tered. -
The use of this cut off will throw out
the trans.sontinental traffic over the old
line from Ogden to Lucin, Nevada, around
the Lake. This "trip Of track is one
4 system. the maximum grade over the
long F%romontorg hill is l04 feet to the
mile and helper engines are always neces-
sary. The elimination of the use Of these
ngine will mean the saving of at, least
$l,5OO.0 a day in operating expenses and
time. -
Active work was commenced in 1902,
and thus the almost impossible task was,
completed in about % months. The last
pile was driven during the last week of
$ 1900, 00o.O 90.
The cut off runs from Ogden west 10
miles over level country before reaching
the lake proper, then across the east ar,n
OF the Lake 0 miles to P~romontory. Then
five miles of solid road bed and then ~
miles west over the west arm of the Lake
toward Lucin and thence across the Great
Salt Lake Desert to Lucin, Nevada.
Across the east arm of the Lake, it will
be almost a continuous film supported
by trestie. Near the middle of this will
De a gar, of 900 feet OF open trestle work
left for the waters of the Bear river which
flow into the arm of the Lake.
Across Promontory Point runs five
miles OF solid road bed and here difficult
work was encountered. A cut of 5000
feet long in sand and rock of barren
bluh beng necessary; At this point, the
most beautiful on this inland sea. sur.
veys have been made for an immense sum.
mer resort.
Across the west arm of the Lake is IL
miles OF trestle work with y film APP
proach at each end of four miles. In
completing The work OF spanning the Lake,
the east arm by the settling of films and
trestle work. This was cause by the salt
OF the flow of the Bear river having col
iected for centuries over the bottom Of
the Lake and having formed a salt wall
Of Aoo 1eet. 1t took 1000 tons of rock in
pAes which appear to have reached the
bottom of the Lake proper and which has
resulted in a firm and splendid road bed.
In a speech which he made at the Alta
Club, Salt Lake City. on the eve OF the
opening of the Cut OFF, Mr.. Hartman
said:
1.-THE completion of this undertaking
will reduce the distance between San
francisco and Salt Lake by Al miles. and
will eventually bring the time between
the two cities down to % hours.
1T is intended to reduce the running
| time from ~ Salt ~ I D1-o F. H.. Cl :. Sci %
hours, and put passengers into New York
in SO hours from Salt Lake
These two railroads-Union Pacific and
Southern Pacific-have spent in the last
three years somewhere near $4,000
10000 in repairs and improvements aside
from the expenses of operation or main
tenance.'
Asoft Heart.--Freddy-"B oohoo! sissy.s
gone and Killed that little fly on the win
dow. Mother-"Im glad to see ny little
Freddy is SO tender hearted Freddy
1T isn't that. l w-wanted to k-kilI Il