Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-11-21
TRIP PROVES A
REVELATION
Tri.City Business Men, as Guests OF
Rock Island Southern, In
spect the Work.
SEE STEAM SHOVELS DIG
Thousands of Yards of Earth Are Be-
ing Shifted in Construction OF
Interurban Lines.

To the sc members of the tri-city
commercial clubs and the representa-
tives of the press who were the guests
OF the Rock Island Southern yester-
day on a trip to the route of the cleo
trio road where the construction work
is now going on, the trip was in the
nature of a revelation, for none OF
them expected for single instant
when they decided to go to see work
of such a magnitude as that being
done in building the road. The party
left the Rock Island station on TWEEN
tieth street about $3.50 in the morning,
and Il Rock Island switch engine haul
ed their coach to the junction OF the
new road with the Mercer county
branch of the Rock Island, which is
several miles from Presumption. There
one of the traction engines of the
Walsh Construction company took
charge of the coach and drew it out as
far as possible on the new track
which has been laid along the right of
way, which has already been graded
and made ready for the laying of the
permanent track From there the par
ty walked all along the line where the
road viii be located, and every detail
of the work and the plans for the flu
ture were carefully explained 10 them
by representatives of the Walsh Con
struction company.
Ii Big Undertaking.
Most of those who went on the trip
" bn YN1a M
ban project and also that the work OF
reducing the right of way to a suita
bic grade was being done, but the
magnitude and thoroughness of the
work was not realized until the scene
was visited. Between the junction OF
the new road with the Rock Island
branch and Edwards river, some sly
or seven miles away, there has beer
about four miles of construction tract
laid and the advance guard is rapid!
nearing the river Within two mile!
there are 800 men at work. Abou
200 of these are at work with the mule
teams and scrapers which prepare ;
way for the huge steam shovels which
follow The advance does little more
ravines enough to lay temporar.
tracks so that the steam shovels cal
work They leave behind them
rough road about 10 feet wide ant
closely conforming with the surfac
of the earth. Then come the tw
steam shovels digging away at tn
rate of 1000 wagon loadsEof earth
day. and rapidly cutting into the hill
and furnishing ground with which t
make the deep fills which the man
ravines make necessary.
Many Natural Obstacles.
The company has been forced
overcome many natural obstacles i
laying the roadbed for the new lint
but they are fast disappearing as tn
engineers take them up one by on
and dispose of them. In the first plac
the country is far from being the rol
ing prairie for which this state
famed. On the contrary, it is a SUI
cession of high hills and deep guile
AS nature willed it, the gullies nearl
all run in an easteIly and ives
erly direction, while the ele
trio line is being built O
a line north and south. Fill after fl
and cut after cut is necessary to g
to the Edwards river, from which poll
fewer obstacles are, met with. Owe
$4,000 was spent by the Rock Islam
Southern during the two years tt
course was being determined in ma
ing surveys and maps of the lar