Show PREVENT DAMAGE FROM FRESHETS Salt Lake Route Places Its Roadbed and Track in Perfect Condition MANY BETTERMENTS MADE ENGINEERS NO LONGER FEAR COMING OF WATERS Efforts are arc being made by a corps of engineers and a large number of men mento mento mento to avert the washouts which caused more or less delay and for tor a time blocked traffic on the Salt Lake Route last winter All summer long these men have been hard at work the road putting in bridges and cul verts ri propping the streams and changing the roadbed In order to rem remedy remedy remedy edy the difficulties The greatest trouble experienced by the maintenance department of the road was in the Rainbow canyon and Meadow Valley wash country In Ne Neada Neada Nevada ada vada and Utah The rhe damage done by bJ the winter floods last year ear was so great that traffic was wa suspended at atone atone one ne time for six weeks The extent of the tIle floods In the Meadow Valley wash was about sixty miles In some places the entire grade was carried out by the floods Bridges and culverts were taken out and an im immense Immense mense amount of damage dama e was done The valley aliey Is the home of the cloud cloudburst cloudburst cloudburst burst which breaks with great fury al almost almost almost most any time during the winter Tiny Tin streams stream swell to torrents and dry ra ravines ravines vines are filled with swift rivers Profit by Experience The new roadbed of the Salt Lake Route was not In condition to with withstand withstand withstand stand the floods and the washouts re resulted resulted suited The road was traversing a new country countr the engineers were not thor thoroughly thoroughly ou hh familiar with the Ule conditions prevailing and as a result the road roadbed roadbed roadbed bed was somewhat unprotected This year however experience has x taught the engineers how to combat the floods Hundreds of trainloads of gravel grael have hac been hauled a long lon dis distance distance tance to the Meadow Valley wash to raise the grade above the highwater mark At other places great quantities quantities quantities ties of stone have been used to the streams The wooden culverts and trestles that went out with the first freshets last year have been replaced with new steel bridges In some places the course of the Rainbow river has been so 50 changed as asto asto asto to prevent its overflow reaching the railroad Eight hundred men have been at wok all summer along the railroad close to the Rainbow river There are several places s in the river where sharp bends have proved dan dangerous dangerous dangerous to the roadbed of the Salt Lake Route At these points a new channel has been made for the river by hew hewing hewing hewing ing out mft the th rocks straightening the course courle of tho the river and lessening the erosive power of the The rock taken out In changing the tile course of the river Is being used for rip rapping Avoid the Floods Th The roadbed has also asu in some cases been moved farther f from the streams in order to avoid the path of the floods At one or two points last win winter winter winter ter a mile of track at a time was re removed removed removed moved by the swift floods To avoid this the track has been baen moved higher up the side of the mountain out of reach of the water The improvements made on the road roadbed roadbed roadbed bed and the protection made against the floods which are now practically completed have cost several hundred thousand dollars The track now is in ILl almost almos perfect condition c It will take floods of an extraordinary nature to cruse cause a washout Still the engi engl engineers are not yet et satisfied with their work and whether hether or not there Is any trouble In that district the engineer engineerIng Ing corps will resume the work In the spring strengthening the weak spots where there is yet the possibility of danger from the floods |