Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-12-28
Last Pin in cantiIever Structure
Over Copper River Driven
Home Christmas Day.
TRUNK LINE OF NORTHWEST
Steam Heat Necessary TO Keep Tools
From Freezing UI,-Eormcr Snlt
Lake Men In Enterprise.
tSpeclal Correrpondence.l

| N'SpSSidI tpiTeSptloeuSt-J
Seattle. Dec. Com Christmas day
the last pin in the great cantilever
| steel bridge over the Kuskuana river
| IN Alaska was driven home. And with
It's final adjustment was completed one
| of the remarkable engineering features
| of the. Copper River & Northwestern,
the new trunk line of the northwest
territory. that will open up vast
treasure house or mineral to the pros
pectors of this country.
Trains started to run over the bridge
Dec. 81. ns tho tunnel ut mile 13l was
finished simultaneously. Now track
laying can he pushed to Kcnnecott,
| about 80 milss away on the already
completed grnqlc.
10 finish this bridge IN winter has
been an undertaking worthy of note.
All the bridge gang and steel workers
were sent in from Seattle, the struc-
tural steel was made by the American
Bridge company and shipped to Seattle.
where 1t was loaded In vessels OF the
Alaska Steamship company to be trans
ported TO Cordora. the seaport and
point of commencement of the railroad.
Owing to some delay in receiving the
material the work of construction was
not commenced until November. and it
was important to rush 1t through to
proceed from that point to I<ennecott.
The men worked in regular shifts. but
each day, from II to la hours We're put
in by the different shifts. To accom-
plish this electric lights We're used and
the dreary Alaskan winter night was
turned into day in the region of this
wonderful. gorge.
The bridge with its approaches is SEQ
feet long The steel structure proper
consists of two 150-foot pin connected
spans and one 225-foot span. The four
piers are Of solid concrete set on the
sides of the chasm and the height from
the river to the top of the rail in the
center of the main span is 22525 feet.
STEAM HEAT NECESSARY.
AZ times, during construction in the
early part of December. the thermome-
ter fell to 40 aud 50 degrees below and
stiff breeze was blowing. The rvets
were all driven by pneumatic tools and
during the excessively cold days it was
found that the tools would not work. so
u steam pipe connection was attached
and the tools kept from freezing up"
BY means of constant stream of
steam. However. the weather for the
last two weeks was comparatively mild
so that quick progress could be made.
Next summer. when tourists begin to
go over Americas now scenic line. IL
told of the weather conditions of De-
rr,n hpt 1oIO Iur;,~ +,,o conference.-the,
of this bridge vii, have 1ifHcnIt time
rccnnc;linr tI,e atatcmant v,.han tho,.
cnioy the ideal weather nf th,t NORTON
of Nlasia during thc simmer n,nnths
Early last summer Il steel bridge was
acro4s tho t,onner rivo,.
nonr the Miles ana Childs Glaciers anI
here TOO Tho highest cInes ~ stool
bridge construction wns tho rnatnrc
This bridge WAC made Inc s,,hioct for a
snocioI illustrator article IN Tho rnii.
wav md E,nrincerinr I,cvinw
Nov that tho bridge is finished work
or tr,,rlrI:,,.ing hcwond r. az Mn