Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1909-03-03
PACIFIC EXTENSION.
NEW TRANSCONTINENTAL RAIL
ROAD NEARING COMPILE
TION.
Some Interesting Facts Concerning
the Piercing of the Rockies
With Marvellous Rapidity.

practical completion of the Taft
tunnel at Taft, Mont, piercing the
Bitter Root range of mountains ly-
ing between Idaho and Montana,
marking the last big construction
work on the Pacific coast extension
of the road.
The laying of the rails through the
tunnel is comparatively easy piece
of work, the longest task being that
CT ballasting the road to permit of
the safe passage of fast passenger
trains. The road will now permit
the passage of freight trains and ex-
cept for stretch of country between
by the floods last June, is nearly in
tact to the coast.
The construction has awakened the
eyes of the west to modern railroad
building. The permanency of the
work stands out prominently. High
in the mountains where the railroad
tortuously winds it's way in and out
and around the towering cliffs of the
Rockies, is to be found massive
piers of cement supporting the
grade, giving the passenger a feel
ing of greater security as he looks
from the car window to points hum
dreds of feet below. This construc-
ton is particularly noticeable just
across the Pipestone pass, eighteen
miles southeast of Butte. Follow
ing the course of Fish creek, the
road seems fairly to hang from over
the precipitous sides of the high
mountain, and from the stream be-
across the frowning cliffs, hum
dreds of feet up the mountain side.
This canyon is known as Fish
creek, and the scenery is magnifi-
cent beyond description, culminat-
ing in the sheer walls of the canyon,
which will win a reputation among
the tourists as one of the most i'm
pressive landscapes in America.
The construction of the Milwau-
kee line is the short cut in COM
parison with the routes Of other
transcontinental lines. In eastern
Montana the Northern Pacific fol-
lows the course of the streams, wind
ing in and out along the bluffs to
maintain its grade. The Milwau-
kee, on the other hand, cuts directly
through the bluffs. East of Miles
City one piece of track is as straight
as a rule for three miles. This
grade establishment is regarded as
remarkable when the character Of
the country is taken into considera-
ton.
The Milwaukee spared no expense
in it's effort to follow the shortest
route between two points, despite
the fact that this policy entailed the
construction of innumerable trestles
and the bearing of many tunnels,
and as a result it's line is 200 miles
shorter to the Pacific coast than the
Northern Pacific's.
The most expensive construction
work on the Milwaukee's line is be-
tween Taft, Mont, and ST. Joe,
Idaho, a distance of sixty-five miles,
in which there are thirty-five tun-
nels. 1t is estimated that this por-
ton of the road has cost in the
neighborhood of S12,0O0,OOO, or
more than 100000 mile.
Four miles from Taft, on the Mon
tana side of the Bitter Root range
of mountains, is the eastern portal
of the famous Taft tunnel of the
Milwaukee, S,751 feet in length and
piercing the Bitter Root mountains.
The completion of the tunnel last
week was made an event of much
note by the officials of the company
and the people of Missoula. 1t was
known to the hour when the two
crews working from the Montana
and Idaho ends would meet, and at
the appointed time when the last
shots were fired that let daylight
through-the bore, piercing one OF
the Hottest ranges of the Rockies,
there gathered a distinguished as
semblage, and when the two tun-
neling crews shook hands through
the Jagged opening made by the dy-
Mantle, waves of applause greeted
the act.
The construction of the Taft tun-
mel, the longest on the system,
marks one of the most important
engineering events in the history of
railroading in the United States.
The tunnel is twenty-four feet three
inches high, and across the floor 1t
is eighteen feet six inches. All tun-
nelling records have been broken
by the Winston Brothers, contrac-
tors, i'm charge Of the work, more
than 700 feet being made one month,
which figures far exceed the record
held in Switzerland. Work on the
Taft tunnel was begun about two
years ago.
1t is the plan of the Milwaukee
ultimately to operate its trains
through the Taft tunnel and the
series of other bores through the
Idaho and Montana mountains by
electricity, five power dam sites
having been acquired and company
organized for the purpose of INSTALL
ing plants. These plants will be
along the st. Joe river in Idaho.
other power sites are being consid-
cred in Montana by the company.
More than 500 miles of mountain
road will be electrified and 200-ton
motor engines employed to pull the
trains. Down the sides of the Bit
ter Root mountains streams abound
and abundant power Is available for
the company. In fact. 1t is stated,
there is ample power, IL harnessed,
to operate the entire length of the
line from the twin cities to the
coast. 1t is the plan of the Milwau-
kee to devote millions to the &C
quirement and Harvesting OF these