Durango semi-weekly herald., 1904-06-27
TO INACCURATE
NEW WABASH LINE
q O -

PITTSBURG. June 25-Alter four
years of unremitting effort and an eN.
penditure of $50 900, the new line
Of. the Wabash railroad into Pittsburg
is about to become an accomplished
fact. The first train viii be run from
this city TO St Louis tomorrow. and
VIII carry a distinguished party as the
guests OF George Gould
The event marks a victory without
a parallel in the history of American
railroads When the Gould interests
decided to carry one end Of their 15..
900 mile railroad into Pittsburg, they
faced stupeudous obstacles which
could be overcome only by iIlimltable
resources. In the first place they had
TO meet the opposition OF the Pennsyl.
vania railroad. which instituted dras-
tic reprlsas and even went to the
length OF destroying millions OF dol.
lars worth of Western Union property
along its lines.
Almost as formidable as the opposi
lion OF the Pennsylvania were the en-
gineerlng difficulties to 1e overcome
IN the construction OF The new line
its entire length OF sixty miles. the
line is a continuous series OF deep
cuts and high embankments. great
bridges and viaducts, tunnels and cul-
yerts. So rough is the country which
is tapped by the new line that scarce
ly a mile in its whole length carries
the surface length of the ground.
Exclusive of two great cantilever
bridges, there are nine important vi
iducts on the line, aggregating 1864
feet in length. The Monongahela
bridge at Pittsburg is the largest can
tileyer bridge in America and, except
ing the Firth of Forth bridge, the
largest OF its kind in the world. II
has a middle span of sl2 feet and two
end spans OF 3i7 feet each, making
total length of .50G feet The mean
pool level Of the river is cleared by
seventy feet
Second only to this bridge is that
over the Ohio river at Mingo. This,
with a central span OF 200 feet and two
end spans OF 2SS' feet. has total
length OF ,29G feet. and is 80 feet
above the water These bridges cost
nearly 81 900 600 each.
There are nineteen tunnels on the
line, aggregating 2O.459 feet. or nearly
four miles in length To reduce the
number Of bridges. the course OF Cross
Creek in Pennsylvania and West Vir.
ginia has been changed at several
places. new channels as much as hfty
feet deep having been blasted through
solid rock The entire length Is laid
with gO-pound steel rails
Out of PlttsbuTg a one per cent
grade carries four miles to the summit
at the west portal to the Greentree
tunnel Here will be the new tunnel
freight yard where trains viii be made
mp to full weight for the run 10 jew
EFT Except for this short switching
haul out of Pitlsburg. the maximum
grade either west or east. Is 81 feet
to the mile.
Notwithstanding the great cost of
he line. the Gould interests figure
that It will bring In ample returns.
The road was built with IA certain
knowledge that vast traitic, running
into the millions of tons, was to be had
at the outset. Along the line, local
business-coal. agricultural products
and passenger travels counted upon
TO develop gradually. Already through
Washington county. in anticipation of
the new outlet. coal pits have been
hug and colleries built in what were
hut yesterday grain fields and pas
lures. Oil wells nave also been sunk.
From Plttsburg the Wabash viii be
the short line TO Toledo, while to Chi
cago 1t will only be Ave miles and to
st Louis forty miles longer than the
Pennsylvania routes.