Omaha daily bee., 1904-12-27
NARRoWEST AND CRooKEDEST
SnakeIiIxe Railroad in Arizona Used
for Transporting Ores from
Mines.

Between the mining towns of Clifton and
Metcalf, Ariz., there runs the steepest, mar
rowest and most tortuous railroad in the
world. Passengers as well as long trains
Of ore are raced down dizzy grades, dragged
up steep inclines. swung around sweeping
curves and carried in safety in a snake.
like course over one of the most pictures.
que bits OF mountain land In the country.
The compact and sturdy little engines
which draw the precious metal from tho
mines in one town to the smelters in an.
other or which pun and steam up to the
front or back doors of the homes of mine
owners and workers" there to await the
mistress Of the house as she prepares to
take the entire family to market or make
an afternoon call, run on a twenty-inch
gauge.
1t will be readily seen how narrow is this
railroad which winds up to the very peaks
of high mountains, hangs suspended over
deep canons. and bores its glittering way
through miles Of solid rock when the
twenty inches are put side by side with the
standard four feet eight and one-half
inches
From the mines to the smelling works IL
is pretty much down grade. The plucky
little engine with it's train of eighteen or
twenty heavily loaded ore cars, each
who takes this opportunity to secure a
little fresh air and sunlight, hugs the noun
tains for miles at stretch. then suddenly
swings into a desolate valley and tears
along a river bank until Il Is forced to
climb slight incline to a bridge which
stretches over yawning canon There are
three of these bridges from Metcalf mines
to Clifton smelling works, and the trestle
work ranges from 125 to 135 feet in height.
From mines to smelter is twenty miles
so circuitous is the route: the trains tear
down the mountain side at the rate ~
sixty miles an hour, with power at the low.
est possible gauge. Heavy brakes are used
on each ore car. aui the locomotive. al
though powerful little puller, is seldom
called into service on this downward trip.
which is made for sixteen of the twenty
miles with brakes on full.
Automatic dumping cars are used and n
fifty-four minutes from the time the train
starts from mine with Its load il is ready
to start on its backward trip empty. I'm.
up, up the train climbs, the ascent never
being less than 20 degrees. II reaches IN
sections such heights that the brain turns
dizzy at the mere thought. From a sts
ton In the valley, In the little village NJ
Metcalf, the cars seem to be clawjn1 tho
mountain sides In a perfectly perpendicrlar
line. and as the lanterns swing out when
the train takes loop the traveller seeing n
for the first time would be readily excused
for naming Ii some new mountain terror
The trip back to the mines consumes
nearly four hours,r~for the little engine
which was literally pushed down the noun
tains by the weight of its train, IL now
obliged to pull the empty cars up grades
which test Its timber to the fullest
An idea of how winding is the route will
be gained when 1t is known that Clifton is
but five miles from Metcalf as the crou,
flies but as the railroad is Obliged to VIM
Its way 1t is triie over twenty miles ro
get the credit even within this limit whole
mountains of solid rock have been tun-
neled.
For nearly one mile the Morenci railroad
carries its trains through inky blackness.
Jagged rocks are overhead and on each
side. A passageway was literally hewn and
hacked through these rock mountains. for
II was deemed dangerous to use dynamite
In many places. as the nature of the secret
gas pockets therein was unknown. Two
and half years II took to complete this
tunnel. but when It was finished II cut
nearly five miles of the route.-ChicaRo
Chronicle.