The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-05
Cst. Louis Globe-Democrat.)

(St. Louis Globe Democracy
A Cleveland COhio) capitalist is now
busy with the preliminaries of what is
unquestionably the most novel and
daring railroad construction project
ever undertaken. This is nothing less
than an inclined railroad from the rim
to the bottom of the Grand Canyon of
the Colorado River-the supreme ma
tural wonder of the world When it is
taken into consideration that the mon
ster chasm in Arizona is thirteen miles
wide and mile deep at the point
where the road is to descend, and that
the rock walls are very precipitous in
many places, it will be better appre-
ciated what daredevil feat is pro-
posed.
The descent by rail to the bottom of
the deepest and most picturesque cleft
in the surface of the earth will round
out campaign of railroad construction
designed to make easy of access to the
American people their greatest natural
curiosity. Only a few wears ago the
Grand Canyon could be visited only by
those sightseers who had the time and
money to make a seventy-mile trip by
stage from the nearest railroad sta
ton. Latterly the Santa Fe railroad
has built a branch line that carries
tourists TO the very brink of the ire
mendOuS abyss, and now the new in
cline road will provide an easy and
comfortable means of descent to the
banks of the river. a mile below "a
journey which now involves an all
day trip on horseback down a tedious
and tOrtuOus trail. where one misstep
by horse would send his rider hurl-
ing into space.
The almost perpendicular railroad
that will penetrate the depths of the
famous freak of nature in the south
west will be in technical character
istics very nearly the counterpart Of
the ingenious cog railroad which nov
enables the twentieth century globe
trOtter to climb Pixies Peak by steam
power. The Grand Canyon railroad
will use the rail rack seen on the
Pixies Peak road, and which forms a
continuous double ladder, into which
the toOthed wheels of the locomotive
work. The maximum grade of 20 per
cent on the famous railroad in the
Rockies will me exceeded on the line of
this novel new carrier in Arizona. The
Pixies Peak road, in a length of less
than nine miles, overcomes an eleva-
ton of 1913 feet, and ranks to this day
as one of the most wonderful achieve
IQGnIS III TdllGOdQ DullOIiiS III lAlS VI
any other country.
To prevent the moving or sliding of
the track OF one of these cog railways.
owing to its enormous weight and the
effect of varying temperature upon iron
and steel, scores of anchors are inbed-
ded in the solid rock of masonry at
distances 81 from 200 to 1,400 feet apart,
according to the grade. The common
I rails, weighing forty pounds per
yard. are used, and they are laid to
standard gauge. The office of these
rails is to carry the weight and guide
the train, all the pushing force being
exerted upon the rack rails. These
latter are made from the best Besse
mer steel, the teeth having been cut
from the solid piece by means of Spe-
cial machines. The rack rails are
eighty inches i'm length and vary in
weight from twenty to thirty pounds
per foot, the heaviest ones being used
on the steepest grades The rack lad
der (set in the middle of the track is
formed by two rack rails set about two
inches apart. The rails are laid on so
as to break joints and the locomotives
have practically an even bearing at all
times.
The locomotives are each provided
with two double steel cog wheels,
through which the power is applied.
Extending from the sides of these
wheels are four corrugated surfaces,
upon which the powerful steam and
hand brakes do their work. Either of
these brakes is sufficiently powerful to
stop the locomotive and the train. The
steam cylinders of the locomotives are
also fitted with water brakes and are
utilized on the downward journey to
regulate the speed Of the train The
locomotive pushes the car in ascend
ing and Drecedes it when descending,