OCR Text |
Show THAT FEATHER RIVER CANYON. A great railroad construction company, almost, recoils before the immensity of the work of con- structing a railroad grade up the north fork of Feather river, from Oroville to American valley, and has decided to suspend the other work on the route from San Francisco bay west, for two years, until that Feather river canyon problem can be solved. It Is not surprising news. Engineer Judah, the real father, or at least the John the Baptist of the old Central Pacific road, wanted the line that way but was overruled. The route has two immense factors in its favor. It isl,G50 feet lower than the Donner lake route. That is when a road is finished there, it will do away with the lifting up of every car crossing the Sierras 1,650 feet. Again it will be beneath the snow-lino. But, for forty miles, It is a tremendous canyon. When the finger of omnipotence marked out the way for the river through those mountains, it was a challenge thrown down to the race that was to be, to make a path for the steam or electric elec-tric car which was also yet to be. Neither existed then, nor for millions of years thereafter, except in the mind of God. But the river began its flow and its song, it has been flowing and singing ever since, and waiting for man and man's evangel that are redeeming the world's wildernesses. But it will be almost super-human work. For forty miles the road way will have to be blasted from the face of the cliff that stands almost perpendicular above the river, Ave hundred, six hundred, a thousand feet high. Then the canyon Is as crooked as the trail of a serpent and if we remember correctly, the turbid river will have to be bridged some sixteen times to make the road possible. When it shall be completed immmmmmmmmmmmamaaummmmmammmmaamamammm '"i 'IH.I..I inr1 hum iimi i i I t mum mn I I lldttJIC.I- i H the wonders of the "Royal Gorge" will sink into H insignificance by comparison. H But we can understand that the tliought of H doing the tremendous work must thrill the soul of H an engineer who has the inspiration to dare to M undertake such a task to surmount the obstruc- fl tions which nature has there heaped in his path :H and under the electric lights of science to unddr- H take to push them aside and make a smooth and H safe trail for the chariots of steam to sweep H over. H It will be a triumph greater than was Involved H in the preparation of either of the old world's sev- jH en wonders and will give to commerce a new path H that will be a world's glory to the end of time. H |