KAII.KOAI.'S. 



871 



construction of l-">n miles <.(' iiioiuit:iin 

 .!'!.! ll:i', t"" 



form: s in tin- world, when- -o few 



important .-t reams are crossed, ami .so small 1111 

 amount of bridiriit'.: actually required, presents 

 an anomaly in the history nf railroad cntcr- 



Th.- company are building :m<l equippii; 



in a ant-class-manner throoghoat; their 



i"!i\c-, cars, etc., an- of superior material-; 



and workmanship; ::nd the iron rails are of the 



\nirrican pattern, w'ighiii:r I'- 1 ' 



pounds per yard, the joints of tin- rails being 



: with wrought-irou plates, bolts, and 



TIi-.' tunnelling is not of any great extent, and 

 1 is g -in- rally of such a 



character as not to require lining. The longest 

 line is at the summit of the 

 Sierra Nevada, and it will extend 1,658 feet 

 through a very hard tough granite. The prog- 

 iiere was rather slow iu the outset, hut 

 the introduction of mtro-glycerine as a substi- 

 tute for powder lias enabled the company to 

 make rapid progress since. All the other ttra- 

 . re completed. Whenever cuttings have 

 .d in constructing the mountain work, 

 -en found in all conditions of hard- 

 ;Voin the softest slates and shales to the 



;>ci)tiiic and granite. 

 Wherever trestle bridging has been employed, 



it has been planned with a view to tr 



. ai.d durability, t! . 



nd cap> ! 

 1'uget's Sound (nearly MWU to oa'. 



. !.ra--e<, sill-. :;i!il pflei "f redwoo<l. 

 main po-ts, 12 incln- MpflTe. 

 pi-ndieiilarly, let into a sill 12 inches xjnan-, 

 with mortice and tenon, directly under the 

 l.eariirr of the t:-ar!. 

 inches by 1^ 'HP d down on t!i 



' the main po-ts, with a run of 1 loot in 

 .". feet to the sill, to which they are tenoned. 

 being also bolted at the top to the main posts 

 with inch bolts and cast-iron washers. The 

 sill-j rc-t on piles, on stone foundations. When 

 piles are used, they are so driven as to come 

 directly under the main posts and br. 



The posts are capped with a timber 12 

 inches square anfl 9 feet long, into which the 

 po-ts are tenoned and pinned. Upon the caps 

 rest the corbels, 12 inches square and 9 feet 

 long; upon these corbels are laid the stringers, 

 12 inches by 15 inches, which are secured by 

 iron holts passing down through the stn; 

 and corbels. The caps are notched 1 inch to 

 receive the corbels. Upon the stringers rest 

 the cross-ties (or sleepers), securely fastened 

 down to the stringers, aud on these are laid 

 the rails, which are secured in the usual man- 

 ner. The "bents," or frames, are placed at 

 intervals of 15 feet from centre to centre. 



Trestling constructed after this manner will 

 last from eight to fifteen years, and when re- 

 Is are necessary it can be replaced at 

 small cost, or filled with earthen embankment 

 by transporting material on cars at much less 



cost than would have been incurred in making 

 the embankments originally. 



The revolution in the communications with 

 China, etc., must be great when this railroad 

 is completed. The tide of traffic across the 



