Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-03-29

big tunnel planned by the Southern
Pacific company to pierce the Sierra
between Auburn and Truckee as soon
M the Srow melts from the flanks
OF the rang, The object of the tun.
mel Is 10 reduce the grade to the sum.
NIT by about 1900 feet. The opera
ton OF tails section OF the Central
Pacific is the most expensive part
OF the range. The object Of the tun.
OF snowsheds covering the present
track are very costly 10 maintain and
constitute n constant menace to traf-
fic through their liability to fire.
The tunnel will be about 3 $1,000 feet
ia length, and II and its approaches
VIII cost anywhere from S., 0O0, 900
TO $4,000, ca TO construct.
Big as The estimate of cost is. 1t
Is assumed that ii will be a good in
vestment and viii result in an i'm.
mems saving in the wear and tear OF
rolling stock, increase the safety and
reduce the EOS OF operating the line
and make u material reduction In the
time now consumed in crossing the
range. There will be, moreover, no
further danger Of interruption to trar.
fic by snow blockades, to which the
summit division is at present sub
ject in winter. The big rotary snow
plows which are occasionally called
out to clear the track Of snowslides
and drifts will then be permanently
laid up.
The tunnel constitutes one of the
most important changes in the Gen.
trail Pacific included in the plans for
it's betterment. which embrace the
Lucin cutoff and the Strengthening OF
the line and the reduction of it's
grades between Lucin and Auburn.
These plans have been carried out at
enormous expense as far west as
Reno. Between Reno and Ogden
there are now no material grades and
no sharp urv in the railroad, and
one locomotive is able to do more
work than two were capable Of do
ing on the division before. 1t is es-
timated that it will take five years to
pierce the range. Engineers are now
at Truckee preparing to start the
work.
Conductor A. A. Cochran is the
father OF a new son at Ration.
Trainmaster j. +. Mcmahon. came
down from Trinidad last evening.
49,
G.. B. Crane, mail agent on trains
Nos. 3 and 4, is laid up with the rheu-
matism in Albuquerque.
Conductor Harry Creswick took out
No. 9 last evening, there being no
regular passenger crews on tap.
J. j. McGrady, formerly operator at
Shoemaker, did relief work in the of.
flee at the local freight depot yester-
day.
Albert Wallis. the former Las We
gan, is now doing some contract work
for the Southern Pacific in the vicin-
ity of Deming. N. NJ.
r. X. Jackson and l.. D. Wood, Of
the storekeepers' department of the
coast lines, went south through this
city yesterday afternoon.
Operator f. H. Ferguson has come
up from Canoncito, and taken a key
in the train d~ispatchers' office, being
relieved down the road by A. +. Shat
fer.
w. w. Hutton, chairman Of the
Santa Fee conductors general griev-
ance committee, is in Las Vegas on
matters pertaining to his official posi-
ton.
Richard Devine, who is in charge Of
a commissary for Roadmaster Daniel
Elliot at Rowe. returned to his posi-
of duty from this city yesterday after
noon.
Lauriano Oyaca, in company with
nine other men, left Santa Fe for
Kingman, Arizona. where they will
work on the bridge gang Of B.. Lam
try's Sons.
Mrs. w. f. Pierce and Miss Ruby
Potts returned to Ration from rope
ka, where they had been to visit their
father. who was recently injured in
the shops there.
A new combination smoker and ex-
press car has been placed In service