Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-07-19
GOULD SPENDS
=. MILLIONS IN EAST.
Huge Undertaking TO Capture
Immense Tonnage OF Pitts
burg Pa
ON TO PHILADELPHIA NOW.
Project Has Required an Expenditure
OF $4,000, 600 and the Combat.
ting Of Many Obstacles.

While Gould is contemplating extern
slve railroad construction In the west
he has been spending money with a
lavish hand IN the east In order 10 tap
the greatest freight producing region
IN the world In order to reach the
country's richest tonnage storehouse
the Gould interests are credited with
having spent SIS, 200, 900 for the Wabash
extension into Pittsburg 1t is now as
serted that the objective point OF this
system Is Philadelphia.
There is one distinguishing thing
about the new Wabash line. II enters
the contest in the Plttsburg field fully
armed, It is not the development OF a
small road, as SO MANY trunk lines
have been, Its equipment is complete
and modern In every respect, and 1t will
seek lts share OF traffic on par with
older rivals In every physical sense,
The extension was laid out and built
for time to come, Through a country
averaging as difficult for railroad con-
struction as that trayersed by the
Plttsburg division Of the Pennsylvania,
the Wabash engneers were directed TO
build double track line which from
the beginning should be as good as
the Pennsylvania, now virtually rebuilt
at cost Of many million dollars.
Economy In operation Is of vital Inn
portance on a line like the Wabash
extension. Low grades. ensy curves.
solid roadbed, strong construction, par
tlcularly In bridges, were controlling
factors All these have been attained
Mt construction cost averaging APP
proxlmately $4,000 mile for the en-
tire line.
Exclusive Of two great cantlleyer
bridges there are nine important Via
ducts on the line, aggregating 1894
feet In length. The Monongahea
bridge at Plttsburg is the largest cam
tllever bridge In America. and, ex-
oepting the Firth Of Forth bridge the
largest OF It's Kind IN the world. II
has a middle span Of Sl2 feet, and two
spans of 3l7 feet each, making total
length OF 1906 feet, Mean level Of the
river is cleared by 10 feet.
Second only 10 this bridge Is that
over the Ohio river AZ Mingo. This,
with a central span Of 700 feet and two
end spans each OF 29S feet, has a total
length of 1895 feet and is 30 feet
above the water. These bridges cost
nearly 81 600 900 each
There are 10 tunnels on the line, ag-
gregatlng 2O45g feet or nearly four
miles In length,
To reduce the number Of bridges the
course OF Cross Creek In Pennsylvania
and West Virginia has been changed
at several places, new channels as
much as so feet deep having been
blasted through solid rock. The entire
line Is laid with 90-pound steel rails.
out OF Plttsburg O per cent grade
carries four miles TO the summit at
the west portal Of the Greentree tun-
mel Here will be the terminal freight
yards. where trains Will be made up 10
fun weight for the run 10 Jewett.
Except for this short switching haul
out Of Pittsburg, the maximum grade.
either west or east, is 81 feet TO the
mile.
From Pttsburg the Wabash Will
be the short llno 10 Toledo. while 10
Chicago II win be only five miles and
20 ~ Louis 40 miles longer than the
Pennsylvania routes.
The Wabash terminal I'm Pittsburg,
at Liberty and Ferry streets, ~ more
centrally located than any other rail-
road station In that city. II Is within
three minutes' walk Of the business
district and Of the big office buildings.
Passenger station and office building
combined Will cost more than 81 900
OOO Before the freight terminal sys-
tenn Ia completed another SO 900, 900
VIII have been expended