The San Francisco call., 1910-09-25
Rail TRAFFIC
ACROSS BAY IS
ACCOMPLISHED
Masterpiece of Masonry and
Engineering Tested and
Found Perfect
Newark Holds Big Celebration
in Honor of Dedication
of Bridge
Main Features Of the
. New Dumbarton Bridge
Total length

lraNel NstNesl (
~~-~--~>~-~~-~->>>~~~~~~-->>>
NEWARK. Sept 24-Resting secure
on the rails Of Dumbarton bridge, there
passed today over the waters Of San
Francisco bay the first passenger train.
and its whistling gave shrill mock to
the rip of the racing tides below. 1t
was the formal opening f(the bridge.
the official realization that by iron,
steel and solid dankings Of masonry
san Francisco and the peninsula were
drawn Yet closer to the continent and
the country. and that in the tall struc-
-ture. silhoutted against sea and sky,
>there was another link in the chain of
Western. progress.
=. The passage was accomplished in
> silence The travellers eheered not nor
+applauded. They gazed wonderingly
:~into the murky whirlpools sucking and
>Sapping at the strength of the short,
squat buttresses. at the pillarings and
.-piliugs driven through the Shiny depths
Of tole mud to firm foundation, at the
-~Oozing marshes from which was up
flung the gigantic mass of metal and
stone The very miracle of IL silenced
the shout kept dumb the enthusiasm.
TRAIN MOVES SLOWLY
- The train poked its way across
slowly and cautiously. 1t passed over
the long approaches OF embankment
of sand and gravel 1t rumbled its way
under the echOing spans Of arches and
shot out again 10 more embankment.
on either side sloped the marshes, 1n2
secure and crumbling. cut and under
mined by a thousand sluggish sloughs.
Here and there a bridge builder. perched
= { the edge Of a pillar, waved aloft his
hammer and gave the cry Of welcome;
but save for the occasional shout and
r the shrill whistle of the engine mock
ing the tides. there was silence.
And SO, with the whistle cutting into
the quiet OF the marshes. the first pas
senger train crossed the bay of San
Francisco and shot into Newark. And
then the sound OF the whistle was lost
in crash of music and rattle Of drums.
NEWARK REJOICEs
For Newark rejoiced exceedingly.
Day by day for three years it had seen
the battle waged between marsh and
man. tide and talent sea and skill Inch
10y inch IL watched the unstable made
stable, gazed on the impossible being
: made possible. Before its vision the
columns Of steel and iron arose from
>. 5lle marshlands and in il was the great
= - vision Of q grea ter Newark. The
ing of Newark. for with its completion
tine town would be converted into a
meeting point for trains east and west. |
.. There are TO be railroad shops. Manu- 1
!. factories are 10 appear. Industries are /
- bound u spring forth. Therefore New /
e ark rejOiced.
. The celebration was. in fact. that
OF Newark Its people raised the fund /
and its people gave open house and /
glad hospitality TO all There were /
. 5arbecues and bronco busting. speeches /
: and smiles. And one and all as they
played and laughed and danced and ate. 1
areame reams 6f the Newark which is
TO be.
REAL ESTATE THRONG
On the train were a hore Of real es-
tate agents. They cast experienced and I
critical eyes over the. marshes and they /
marked and talked and whispered and /
plotted. Assuredly there would be rail-
road shops. Also there would follow +
factories and industries. And why had /
the Southern Pacific purchased 600 4
acres Of land adjacent to the town of |
- newark The. vision blossomed and |
expanded with the talk. For the bridge /
was an accomplished fact
il has taken three years to build the
bridge and from first to last it cost 4
SS.50OoOO. The dream Of the cutoff /
was hrst dreamed by that greatest of /
vi ttSaiiitief l. IL hartman. EN 1T 35 /
miles Of haulage would be saved and
also the trip across San Francisco bav.
The work was put in the hands of VIII
liam Hood. chief engineer of the
Southern Pacific, and directly under him
. was ". F. Marsh, who built and then
died. The gap was filled by c. r. /
- Broughton and the task Of conauering
The water Of the bay continued
NASTNEsS OF THE TASK
There were setbacks and DELAYS in
Vulnerable. The tide ripped and the tide
tore; there was no grip TO the Shiny /
rule lands-but they built on. On the
east side was built a pile trestle OO2 I
1eet IN length, and on the west side /
= another 5,S56 feet long. In the center 4
rose the drawspan Of 80 feet Near
. Newark there had TO be built six $50 /
loot spans to bridge Newark slough
Ihe bridge was completed to all in 4
tents and purposes several weeks ago /
ana freight trains have been running
over II; but ii was not until today that /
the hrst passenger train passed over it's /
ralls. Also, IL viii be the last for at /
least two years. for IL is the intention |
OF the Southern Pacific to limit the
cutoh 10 freight traffic during that
time, The train today was a special
analr merely TO do honor to Newark
and 10 add 10 its rejoicings
II was not the only special There /
were Others from Oakland, San Jose
and Redwood City. The entire sur- /
rounding countryside basked in the
glory OF the undertaking. but the bask- !