Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1909-12-18

"A YEARLY 40 years and six months
after the completion of the first
transcontinental railroad acro.s
America. tho last spike was
driven on the second railroad to span
the continent and connecting Salt lake
with the Pacific coast-the Western
Pacific. on May 10, 1863, the steel
bands of the Union Pacific and Central
Pacific roads met at Promontory
Point, In Utah. On Nov. l, 1902 the last
rail connecting the two stretches of
the Western Pacific track was laid in
Nevada, at a point about 80 miles
north of Reno and 16O miles west OF
Winnemucca.
This long looked-for consummation
followed six years of strenuous rail-
road building. The stretch of s23 miles
lying between Oakland pier on the west
with Salt Lake City on the east was
bridged with steel in this short period,
and the rail laid down was placed on
a grade which nowhere on the entire
line exceeds l per cent. and built so
solidly and so evenly that the coaches
speeding over them ride with the ease
OF q motor car on an asphalt pave
ment.
On Wednesday. Nov. 10. at in the
afternoon the first train to make the
trip from the Pacific to Salt Lake ar
rived in the latter city. bearing on
board Virgil Bogue. chief engineer.
under whose direction the entire road
has been built; T. j. Wyche. engineer
of the eastern division of the road. who
has personally supervised the construc-
tion OF that end OF the system: c. II,
Schlacks, vice president of the road ard
personal representative of L. T Jeffery.
president OF the Western Pacific; C. NJ
Levy second vice president and gen.
eral manager of the road, j. F. Evans.
auditor OF the road and several other
officials. And while about so miles of
the road remained to be ballastcd at
that time the train made the trip with
out accident and at satisfactory speed
Until this ballasting Is completed, the
road will not be open for passenger
traffic, but it is expected that freight
trains will be running over its length
by the first of the coming year. when
the formal opening of the new trans
continental line will occur
GREAT ENGINEERING FEAT.
The completion Of the Western Pa
ciiic marks the elimination of one of
the greatest feats of engineering con-
struction Of modern times. To main
tain the maximum OF per cent grade.
almost insurmountable obstacles had to
be overcome. including the construc-
tion Of 43 tunnels with a total length
of 45,525 feet OF underground work and
the building OF 40 steel bridges. aeere
getting length OF 9.269 feet of bridge
construction. force of 6O0O mea
us well as thousands of teams, has been
constantly maintained in the construc-
C-na OF the road
ROUTE or MAIN LINE.
Ire total length Of the Western Pa
CHG. from SAN Lake CITY to Oakland
pier. Is 9237 miles From Oakland the
ferry connects with the San Francisco
terminal distance of 35 miles The
route of the road runs southeast from
oakland to Niles, 2s.6 miles. and then
cast through the Niles canyon and
over the summit of the coast range al
Altamont. $50 miles to the crossing OF
the San Joaquin river The road then
runs due north in the valley of tic
Sacramento through Stockton, 93.7
miles, to Sacramento. 1855 miles,
Marysvllle. 179 miles. and up tho
Feather river to Orovile 2Oi9 miles.
A few miles north OF Oroville the road
enters the canyon of the Feather river
and begins the climb OF the per cert
srado which from Bloomer Siding, 2ls.e
miles, Is continuous for almost 100
miles Entering Plumas county the
direction changes TO tho cast. following
the north fork of the Feather river and
then the east branch. Spanish creek
and Spring Garden creek, 1887 miles,