Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume III

FIRST AMERICAN TRANS-CONTINENTAL RAILROAD. 137 so that the line is kept open all the winter through without an excessive amount of labour. The amount of snow that falls in the Sierras is at times enormous. In the winter of 1866-67 there were forty-four snowstorms, varying from a short squall, with, its quarter of an inch of snow, to a gale lasting a fortnight, and depositing a ten-foot blanket. The freshly- fallen snow was very light, and impassable except on snow-shoes. It lay for a long time. One of the constructing engineers related how in June a road had to be cut through a twenty- five feet drift in weather so warm that within a week watering carts were being used to lay the dust on the road between the partially melted banks of snow. The courage required to put a line through this country can hardly be appreciated to- day. It must be remembered that in 1863, when the road was started, there were no precedents for a work of this magnitude, es- pecially at such elevations, which were more High Elevations. than twice as great as any yet attained by a railway in the United States. The following table of elevations on the Central Pacific is instructive :— Between sea-level and 1,000 ft. altitude, 31^ miles of track. „ 1,000 ft. and 2,000 ft. „ 14“ „ „ 2,000 ft. and 3,000 ft. „ 1G „ „ „ 3,000 ft. and 4,000 ft. „ 22 i „ „ 4,000 ft. and 5,000 ft. „ 460 „ „ 5,000 ft. and 6,000 ft. „ 125A „ „ 6,000 ft. and 7,000 ft. „ 55 „ „ Above 7,000 ft. ,, H ,, ,, Experience has shown that the snows ar© not the formidable obstacle that they were expected to be, and has justified fully* the good judgment of the engineers in carrying the line where they did. The tunnels on the Central Pacific aggregated 6,213 feet, the longest item being but 1,658 feet. On the other hand, many miles of snow-sheds—arti- ficial tunnels, in fact—had to be made to pro- tect the line from avalanches and earth slides. From Summit to the great interior basin, which lies 4,000 to 5,000 feet above sea-level, the descent was comparatively easy. By the time that the Union Pacific Public Interest aroused. had reached the eastern slopes of the Wasatch Mountains and the Central Pacific builders TRESTLE OF LUCIN CUT-OFF. (Photo, J. E. Stimson.)