Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1907-09-19

20 feet of the miles of trestle con=
tains 6 piles driven deep into the
ground, and fastened by cross pieces.
Only a definite idea Of the i'm
mense work accomplished this season
and since the.entire work began can
be had by actual visit to the scene
of the operations. The figures show
ing the removal ,of earth are so i'm
mense that the average. mental arith-
metician can scarcely comprehend
them. There have been moved this
year, NEARLY 100000 yards of earth,
earth that has been.' excavated by the
powerful steam shovels, loaded on
cars, hauled several miles and dumped
into other portions OF the track.
This excavating work has required,
the services of ten steam shovels.
An idea of the immense work be-
ing done by this RAILROAD Company,
private corporation, .can be gath
cred by comparison of the results
obtained in Minnesota with the work
on the Panama canal, national un-
dertaking. On the Panama canal
there are at present according to the
latest advices, 60 steam shovels of
the 80 ton tpye, with five yard dip
pers. During the month of May the
30 ,,fl l,
amounted to 100000 yards with the
ABOVE equipment of steam shovels.
On the Northern Pacific work in the
month of July, there was moved 1885,
900 yards with only ten steam shov-
els, of from Is to 80 tons capacity,
and three to four yard capacity dip
per. The cars used by the Northern
Pacific for hauling..this earth contain
from 81 to 40 ecu. yds. each. One
scoop Of the dipper is sufficient to
load four ordinary wagons, and -four
teen clippers to car. Of course, in
the co mparison OF the work with
that on the Panama canal, it must
be remembered that conditions of
the latter are very different from
those in Minnesota.
In the Northern Pacific work it is
said that the earth has been moved
at cost Of 20, cents yard against
the cost of 81 a yard on the Panama
canal. The.-estimated cost of the
Nnvtbo~n Doo;6o 1r,orlz Of thic noipt
on the system was 50, 50O,O 600, which
are said to have been set aside for
that purpose. The expense Of dig
ging the Panama canal by the ma
tional government is running up into
millions rapidly. It is said that the
Northern Pacific enterprise is at
present the biggest road construction
work being done in the entire United
States as one specified piece of work.
The success and rapidly with which
it has been accom- plished are wonder
ful and shows that private corpor-
alton with sufficient resources, can do
as effective, as rapid. ana as scien-
tific construction work, and at less
cost than the general government,
wherein millions are naturally wasted
in red tape, salaries, and other ex-
penses that are purely incidental to
the work itself.
The engineers of the N. p. will
turn over to the Operating depart
ment November 1.-the entire line be-
tween Glyndon and Lake Park, and
by the first OF the year 1t is probable
that the regular trains will be using
the new track, on which the surfac-
ing and rail laying have been COM
pleted, with the exception of the
trestle portion. The trestle work
yet remains to be finally completed,
and at the east end of the ,restle the
connection with the present main
line of the road will be made,and the
use of the double track as we'll as the
present temporary main line will
10th be had. 1t is probable that the
present main line track will remain
unmoved for several years.
With the final completion of this
work, as we'll as some smaller Jobs Of
the same character, in the revision
of the roadbed. being done at Detroit
and other parts OF the system, the N.
P. will have complete double track
line between St. Paul and Wheatland,
N. D. and next year 1t is probable
that the double. track will be exended
to Jamestown. There will be no
greater grade between Fargo and
Staples than arrthree tenths per cent
grade. This work has eliminated q
great many curves that we're made
by the old surveyors. The Minnesota
work is in line with the construction