The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1907-09-26
PROGRESS MADE
ON NORTH BANK
RAILS BEING LAID AT BOTH ENDS
Passenger Trains Will BE Put On Soon
to Connect With Boat Lines
OF Company.

1t is expected hat the North Bank
road will be completed as far as Lyle
by October l5, and that passenger
tiains will be put on to connect with
the boat line at that place as soon as
the rails are laid. This is the opinion
of A. W. Zimmerman, agent for the
North Bank ana regulator line at Ihe
Dalles, who IVES In Hood River Satur.
day. MIR. Zimerman said that track
laying has pl proceeded close to The
Dalles, and Was being pushed with a
big force. There are still some rock
cuts to be made the other side OF
Lyle, but that will not delay the
work, as the treok will be laid around
bad places on the old grade, and used
as a temporary track. Fourteen crews
are now engaged In running construc
tion trains between Cliffs aud Pasco,
although no regular freight schedule
Is yet maintained. The road is being
ballasted as fast as the rails are laid,
and Is ready for business.
Track laying will be started at Van.
couver the first of the month and the
grade is finished as far as Cape Horn,
so that trains will be run out Of Van
couver as fast as the track is laid.
The road will be double tracked al
once as far as the Cape Horn tunnel,
and until the road is completed be-
tween Lyle and the big tunnel, trans
fers between these points will be made
by boat. 1t is probable that free
ferly will be- put In at The Dalles and
at Hood River, TO be run In connec
tion with the passenger service, al
passenger traffic at these two places
will be worth going after.
1t is the intention of making the
running time two hours between the
station opposite The Dalles and Port
land, in which case the road will gel
many passengers from the Oregon
side. While the o. Il. & N. is improv
ing its road great deal, and will b
able to reduce its running time, yel
the North Bank will have a mucl
straighter track and be able to make
better time, in the opinion of railroad
men, as the road has been built will
that end in view from the start.
But whether the road Is 1nishet
November 15 or May /, no one wh'
has had an opportunity to make |
close inspection Of the engineering
problems which have been accom-
plished will accuse either contract or
or engineers Of loafing Oh tie job
and the completeness and thorough
ness of the work is the admiration 0
the initiated and the novice as well
In fact it Is probably the only rail
road that has been built In this coun
try on which the grade will be ALSO
lutely complete when train schedul,
is put In operation over 1t and whicl
will allow of speed OF GU miles al
hour from the start, IL it's manage
ment sees fit to run trains at tina
rate, and they say they will. This !
a ancounted for by the fact that on th
whole line there Is not curve Of owe
three degrees; that all projections
either on grade or overhead, tha
would In any way jeopardize the safe
ty of trains have been removed, II
many instances at an expenditure 0
thousands OF dollars not included II
the original contract; that there is n
grade on the line Of over 10 feet {
the mile (about two inches to th
hundred feet) and that the roadbed
being instructed with solidity tha
will make ID an almost perfect grad
from the time the rails are laid.
Running through Lyle is two-mil
stretch that will require considerabl
work In addition to bridge which
being built over the Klickitat rivel
A mile below this is one OF the moi
expensive bits of construction on th
line. Here in a distance Of mile al
four tunnels. They have cost the ne
road $500, 600, exclusive OF the trac
laying, and are not finished yet, a
though trains could be run throug
three of hem il necessary. At tf
west end of the fourth steam scral
er Is at work removing thousands {
cubic yards Of sand that for man
months baffled the enineers and n
suited in the death of one man an
seriously injured four more. III
confguration of the ground Is of sue
a nature that steamshovels can not
used, owing to the fact that the San
crowds down ON the shovel and cbok,
il and it is now being removed
scraping off the top and going dow
to grade gradually. Workmen are
present concreting this series OF tut
, nels.
All tunnels on the new road will
[ ccncreted with the exception of Il
, one at Cape Horn, which is over 40
! feet long-the longest on the roa
} the rock in it being of nature tn
Is considered safe without the use
, concrete. The tunnels are 16 feet vii
by "A feet high and when finished W
be faced with substantial portals.
the east approach to this series
tunnels is the longest trestle on {
1 road--l00 feet over mile and sa
a by contractors to have been built
!. stand a speed strain of GO miles
g hour.
g Opposite Memal ose Island is to
# found an uncompleted section
!. grade through which runs culvt
II feet in diameter 1t is the out
: for a creek which 1t is expected to l
: for flaming lumber down from a I'll
ber belt back from the river. Like
the undercrossings and culverts aIo
the new Ioad. IL is built OF solid CT
- crete and Ia one OF the permant
pieces OF work, not usually put In
= the first construction of raiiroi
/ Directly below this, considerable re
work Ie aims to be completed, {
section of which is still to be blasl