Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1920-12-09
RAILWAY SPANS
GREAT DESERT
Read Ii Australia Crosses lnhos.
pitable and WaterIess
Stretch Of Country.
1ook FIVE YEARS TO BUILD
Daring and skl,l q Engineer, Cen.
evsss Asse osssiats Waste In
Weei1-tieat and lnssets Make
LIE Unbsarabie.

4elboufne.-When the Prince of
Wales decided 70 make his recent
Jsufasy from Perth to Adelaide BY
means Of Australia's drst transconti-
neatal railway, It was compliment
. he daring and skill Of the Austria
haD engineers who conquered one Of
eAe worlds NEST formidable deserts.
Il WAS the late Lsrd Kitchener who
suggested the line. pointing out that
fsr stratsgical and other reasons
western Australia should be linked
With The ether states Of the common
wealth By an irso road.
But the great Victorian desert lay
eetween. . barren. inhospitable and
vaterless stretch Of country. Not a
savuiet u to be found In the whole Of
this vast region. 1t 10 one dreary ex-
panse Of sand and limestone rock,
relieved here aud there BY salt-bush.
Which even cattle refuse to eat. Worse
stu arc the intense heat and the blood
sucking insects which abound.
pke Yea0 Required.
The fAet meant a Ave-year battle
against terrible odds. It was only COM
Dsatsd Just before the armistice.
The survey work alone occupied
svs yearA and cost 10000. the total
expensss Of the undertaking amounting
b ever k7.000.00 Camels had to be
reauisitisned to carry the surveyors
and their stores. The chief engineer
records how It was impossible to use
ink. % It instantly dried on the pen
az the leads dropped out Of the shriv.
el0d pencils. To secure relief from
ths rays Of the midday sun they had
to bury themselves In holes In the
sand. where they were attacked BY
Aerce insects.
The route having been decided on
do steel rails were laid simultaneous.
y from each end across the desert
~ the country was for the most part
hat, and net river or noticeable hill
tntervened, little grading work was
aecessary. It was simply q case OF
making an even bed on which the
slespers were quickly laid. Then
came the placing Of the steel rails
across them BY means Of track layer
and spiking and boiling them.
Very trying. however, was the heat
particularly during the summer
moaths. 1t was often impossible q,
Midday to touch the steel rails OF
handle q shovel without fear of bills
tering the fingers. The men had to b.
provided with rubber gloves to enable
them to handle their tools. and also t
ave their finger nails from splitting
and wear masks % protection agains
the insects. Life vas only made pos
sibie By liberal daily supply Of ice
eotained from the refrigerating car,
attached to the construction train
which followed them.
plsesvsr Water.
At Intervals Of 90 miles or 50, wate
tanks were built, the intention being t
10 these In connection with tn,
working Of the trains. They were t,
b supplied with water pumped from
tie reservoirs ct Kalgeorlie. But afte
I've and q half years work. durinl
vAich tho track had progressed at tn
rate Of abopt . mile day. the engi
asess realized that II really ehicien
seevtce was to bs maintained the pro
Dossl method Of obtaining waite
vssll havsfto be modified.
- they sent for boring plant, an,
q q Isint $50 miles from Kalgoorli
began bering for water. Everyon
aseek their heads. declaring there wa
~ water To- the whole Of that barrel
lan1. But at depth Of 1900 fee
vsses Was found.
This discovery Of water not only re
hsved the engineers Of considerably
aaxiety and greatly lessened thei
week. but It has changed the Who'll
aspect Of the country. Sheep nov
grace along the track, which q Re,
ysars ago was . barren waste. e,
peete declare that the once formidabl
aessrt Will become q great grain
n "a