The Monticellonian., 1904-01-28
BRIDGING AN INLAND SEA.
stupendous Engineering.

l We have in times past been told much i of wonderful feats in railroad building and much has been written of the en- zineerlpg skill and daring that directed the course of the iron horse across the 1 plains and mountains that lie between 1 the Missouri river and the Pacific Ocean. Tn the grandeur and magnitude of the undertaking, the Union Paclhc-Central Pacific has never been equaled The l energy and perseverance with which the work was urged forward, and the ra- piditY with which it was executed. are without parallel in history" were tue statements of the special government com mlssloners to the Secretary of the h. terior.
 Thirty-Gve 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. It was a magnificent con. test, but nowadays the owners of the road have been brought to consider other problems. One of these necessltated 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 undertaken has just been completed by the owners of "The Overland Route, Union Pacific and Southern Pacific Rail road the building eff bridge across the n. and Lucin Nevada
 The work being practically completed. the new track was formally opened on Thanksgiving Day when Mir E. II. liar rlman. head of the Hartman Lines. and big party. of railroad magnates partook ott Thanksgiving Day dinner in the mid Gle ot Great Salt Lake.
 The Ogden-Lucin Cut of" is l0e miles in length, 2 miles on land and 30 mics on trestle work and films over the waters of Great Salt Lake. It presents | 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 of will throw out the continental traffic over the old line from Ogden to Lucin. Nevada. around the Lake This strip of track IS one Of the most expensive of the Hartman system, the maximum grade over the long Promontory hill is l04 feet to the mlle and helper engines are always neces- sarS. The elimination of the use of these engines will mean the saving of at least Sl ,5O0H day in operating expenses and also saving of several hours Ill running time.
 Active work was commenced in 1902 and thus the almost impossible task was l completed in about 9 months The last l pile was driven during the last week of October. This great work has cost over | gf.-pb,ubhLUU
 The cut off runs from Ogden west Is miles over level country before reaching the lake proper, then across the east arm l of the Lake 9 miles to Promontory Then five miles of solid road bed and then D miles west over the west arm of the Lake toward i4ucin and thence across the Great Salt Lake Desert to Lucin Nevada Across the east arm of the Lake, it will be almost continuous fllin supported 1 by trestle. Near the middle of this will be a gap ot 500 feet of open trestle work left for the waters of the Bear river which How 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 l feet long in sand and rock of barren l bluff 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 II miles. of trestle work with fllin ap- l proach at each end of four miles. in completing the work of spanning the Lake ore great difficulty was encountered across the east arm by the settling of .fillins and 1 trestle work This was caused bV the salt of the flow of the Bear river having col. lected for centuries over the bottom of the Lake and having formed a salt wall l Of 100 feet 1t took 1000 tons of rock in piles which appear to have reached the 1 bottom ot the Lake proper and which has resulted ill d firm and splendid road bed.
 In speech which he made at the Alta Club, Salt Lake City, Oil the eve of the opening of the Cut of; Mir. Hartman said
 The completion of this undertaking will reduce the distance between San Francisco and Salt Lake by fl miles, and will eventually bring the time between the two cities down to % hours.
 It IS intended to reduce the running time from Salt Lake to Chicago to 36 1 hours, and put passengers into New Yorl,
 iii 56 hours from Salt Lake.
 These two railroads Il nion Pacific and Southern Paci6e-have spent in the last three years somewhere near Sl3O, ,O00.- 1 10000 in repairs and improvements aside from the expenses of operation or main i tenanee.'