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Show WASATCH AMD JO ED AS TALLET RAILROAD. Ground was brrken jesterday afternoon after-noon by the officers of this corporation, io the presence of several of the stockholders stock-holders and invited guegta. The directors are William Jennings, William H. Hooper, H. 8. Eldredge, H. B. Clawson, and Frank Fuller. Mr. Win. Jennings has been elected president, Mr. Hooper vice-president, Mr. Fuller secretary, and Mr. James T. Little, treasurer. The engineers are Messrs. Jesse W. Fox and Charles W. Hardy. The road will be of three feet gauge and will run from Sandy station to Alta City, in Little Cottonwood CaDyoo. The company have Eecured from the Utah Southern road the three and a half miles of excellent road bed constructed last summer towards the mouth of Little Cottonwood, which leaves less than three miles to grade to reach the entrance to the canyon, i Seven miles of iron have been ordered and it is expected to have trains running over this extent of road by December 25th. The preliminary survey, completed last week, ehows some heavy work, but "no great difficulties lo be surmounted. sur-mounted. The elevation, at the point, selected as the terminus at Alta, was found to be 4,160 feet above Sandy station an average of 260 .feet to tho mile for the entire sixteen miles of tbo road. A detour will, however, be made before reaching the canyon which will lessen the grade while lengthening the line. Switchbacks Switch-backs will also be resorted to wherever demanded along the line, by which means the grade will be reduced to an average of less than 200 feet per mile, I and the entire length of tbe line wilj be about twenty miles. If the season proves favorable, work will be actively prosecuted without cessation until the completion of tho railroad. In this 07ent the entire line will be in operation opera-tion in season for the opening of business busi-ness next spring. To insure more rapid transit than is usual on heavy grades, the device of colonel James 8. French, of Virginia, will be employed. This invention con-1 con-1 sists of a supplementary pair of driv-, driv-, ing-wheels attached io the rear of the ordinary locomotive drivers. These additional drivers are grooved at the tread, and tho groove rests astride tho T rail when ascending a grado, or at the moment of starting, and are lifted from the rail at other times. Traotion, ordinarily Bccurcd solely by the weight of tho locomotive, is thus attained mechanically, and much more efficient adhesion is thereby induced. A locomotive loco-motive has been run up a grad0 elevated for tbe purpose, at the rate of 1,000 feet to tho milt; a thing of course impossible with an ordinary locomotive. With the application of this improvement it is found practicable practic-able to ascend heavy grades with but "light diminution of the rate of speed, and without lessening tho weight of the train. It is probablo that the device de-vice will bo applied on all mountain roads its addition to the ordinary looo motive having been found to lessen tho cost of construction by reason of tho diminished weight of tho engine. The point selected for commencing tho work yesterday, was at the eastern end of the grade horetofom mn" tho Utah Southern, thre ad a half miles from Sandy. President Jennings stripped off his coat and wielded the shovel with such dexterity as to elicit tho remark from gcnoral Barry, of tho Union National bank, Chicago, that a hundred such stalwart laborers would complete tbe on tiro road by New Years'. The ' Honorable delegate Hooper workod actively, and it was noticed that he threw very large shovclfulls. All labored with a will, and tho result attained at-tained was a single rod of as excellent ' road bed as tho country has Been. Three hearty oheors were then given i for tho Wasatoh and Jordan Valley 1 railroad, and tho company left the ground. It is ovident that they mean . business, and equally clear that when such men undertake an enterprise they will accomplish it. |
