Show i western VT estern Pacific Pc Closing 1 I If I I f u Ut the Gafa Ga to the tie Coast EARLY ARLY 10 40 years ears and six months NEARLY N after the tho completion of or the first transcontinental railroad acro F America tho lost t spike was driven on the second railroad to span the continent and connecting Salt Ilk with tho the Pacific coast the Western pacific P Pacific On May la 10 1869 the steel n bands of tho the Union Pacific and Central i Pacific roads road a met at Promontory i Point in ia Utah On Nov 1 1909 the last mil connecting tho the two stretches of ot 1 tho the Western Pacific track tuck was laid ald In ht I Nevada at a point about riO 60 0 miles north of or Reno and miles mile west of or WInnemucca This long consummation followed six years ears of or strenuous rail rall railroad railroad road building The stretch of ot napes 1 ing lug between Oakland pier on the west with Salt Lake City CIt on tho the east cast was bridged with steel In this short period i and the rail laid down was placed on ona ona a grade which nowhere on the entire r line Ine exceeds 1 per pel cent and built fao so hi solidly and an to so evenly that the coaches speeding over them ride with the tho case ii of a motor car on an asphalt pavement pave pavement pavement ment mentOn mentOn t On Wednesday e nesda Nov No 10 at 3 in the he i afternoon the first train to malte make the I trip hip from free the Pacific to Salt Lake ar arrived arrived arrived rived in the Ule latter city bearing on onboard onboard I tl board Virgil Bogue Doue chief engineer I under whose direction the thc entire road I t It has been built T J Wyche engineer I m I of o the eastern division of o the road who has personally sui supervised the construe I lion tl n of that end of or tho the system C II vice president of the tho road and J personal representative of E T Jeff Jeffery cry president of the Western Pacific Cr C M L LIe Levy Ie second vice president and gen general general eral manager of oC the road J F Evans Eans auditor of or the tho road mad and several everal other ri 4 officials And while about SO miles of or orI I the tho th road remained to be ballasted at atI that time the train tarn made ma e the trip with without without out accident and at satisfactory speed I Until this ballasting Is completed the road will not be open for or passenger traffic but It Is expected that freight I trams trains will avail be running over its length by the tho first of the coming year ear when the formal owning opening of the tho new trans transcontinental transcontinental transcontinental I continental line lino will occur GREAT ENGINEERING FEAT I The Thu completion of the Western Pa Pacific PaI elite marks tho the culmination of one of o othe I the greatest feats of engineering con construction construction construction of modern times To 10 main mam maintain mamI I tain the maximum of or 1 per cent grade grado i almost insurmountable obstacles had to tobe tobe II be overcome Including the construe construction tion of oC 43 tunnels with a 0 total length of feet of underground work and aUll the tho building of ot 40 steel bridges g a of foot of bridge construction A torte force of men mea menas its us well veil as thousands of oC teams team has been en maintained In tho the construe uj of the road load or OP MAIN MUN LINE I i total length of C the Western Pa Pacific PaI I irom Sail Salt Lake eke l to Oakland I I pier IB Is miles From Oakland the 1 I foray ferry i connects t e with the tho o San a Francisco nc ncI I I terminal ln a distance t of 35 3 miles The I I route of or the road rond runs southeast fron from I Oakland to miles and then east att through the Niles canyon and andover andover over the summit of or the thc coast range at Altamont Allamont miles to the crossing crossin of I the San Han an Joaquin river The rho road then runs run due north In the tho valley of tr thra a Sacramento through Stockton 01 i miles to Sacramento 1385 1386 miles 14 Marysville l 9 miles and up tale tho th Feather eLther l river to 2019 miles A few miles north of ot the road miters the canyon of ot the Feather river and begins gins tho the climb of oC tho trio 1 per r r cent grado Tado which from Bloomer Siding 2189 miles Is continuous for almost III rattles miles Entering Plumas county count he th direction changes chanes to the tho east following III the north fork of the tho Feather river and then the east branch Spanish creek and Spring Garden Gar en creek creck 2937 miles M rJ crossing a divide through Spring Gar den lon tunnel 2972 Wi miles feet long I to the valley valle of tho the Middle fork At t Spring Garden tunnel the elevation ij ti 1043 feet Just before reaching the tunnel to maintain the maximum ma of 1 per pel cent grade development work was ml necessary and the approach to the tun tunnel tunnel tunnel nel was accomplished by means of cf c what Is known as the Williams Loop DIZZY STEEL VIADUCT At mile post roOst 1 i the line crosses Willow creek viaduct the tho highest steel ste 1 structure on the line ire 17 foot feet high and 1340 1310 feet long Four 1 miles beyond be ond Is I reached the head bend of ot the 1 per cent grade glade miles Running cast east the tho thene I line IIno li ne crosses the continental divide at atan atan atan an elevation of ot feet teet at Beckworth Pass Pas through Beckworth tunnel feet long miles mlles After Arter leaving this tunnel the line turns due north and an runs to Honey Hone lotto lake then east again crossing Into Nevada and northeast across Smoke Creek Crook desert Granite Granito Creek desert and Black Rock desert to Deep Hole 1303 miles then due east cast to Winnemucca miles milos where it reaches the valley a 11 e of ot the Humboldt river adjacent to tho the Central Pacific railway ralla The rho road then follows tho the Humboldt River valley valle paralleling the Central Pacific to Wells Yells miles then turns southeast to Flower Lake pass OSS T which Is crossed through the Flower Lake tunnel 6 feet long 1537 miles Turning northeast the tho Sil Silver Sil Silver ver er Zone Zono pass is crossed cro ed by b means of or ofa ora ofa a horseshoe curve five miles long run running running ning thence then co southeast to T Wendover SOS 7 miles From Wendover the line lino crosses the great salt desert on a tan tangent tanI tangent I gent of 43 miles to Knolls miles mileson on tho iho cast edge of ot the desert then generally easterly to tho the southern end of Great Salt Lake near Grants miles It then crosses cr asset the lake in low water twofer for seven soven miles and follows the lotto lake shore to Garfield and thence directly cast to Salt Lake l k City Tho The scoters scenery on the Western estern Pacific is claimed clasped to bo to unsurpassed un d In America The Feather river country count Is a con of oC the tho scenery on the Denver Rio Grande of which tho the Western estern Pacific Is the coast connecting line The completion of o the road marks an epoch In hn railroad building and In the com cout commercial I mercial mercia development of tho the west malt mal ing l ug for tho the advancement In n material prosperity p o n of tho the great section through which It passes passe and Incidentally for fer I the whole country countI |