Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 84, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 July 1909 — THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE C. & V. RAILROAD. [ARTICLE]

THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE C. & V. RAILROAD.

B. J. Gifford Is Accomplishing More Than Any Other One Man In Railroad Building. - That Mr. Gifford was cut out for a railroad man is evidenced by the fact that he is making good every day on his new road. Handling several cars of cattle is becoming almost a daily occurence now. Mr. Gifford has built one or two other roads before entering Jasper county, that are now doing well. The idea twenty or twenty-five years ago that a railroad could be built and operated across such a wilderness as the Kankakee marsh was totally ignored at that time. But he used the most skillful methods that could be mustered up and practiced economy all along, until thus far he has laid about thirty-five miles of track, exclusive of the oil field line. Ffom McCoysburg to Kersey, we are told by men that know, that the grade is much better than the Monon was at the same age, and from Kersey to Dinwiddle his grade is very good, and across the Kankakee marsh it is better than the Monon people have today. For quite a distance on either side of the river a dredge v was used to throw up a grade in part, enough however to lay track for the worktrain. Here over 3,000 loads of sand was hauled from a nearby pit by means of a side track, that was used to raise the track to a good serviceable height. The bridge across the Kankakee river is 850 feet long, constructed of piling and heavy timber? that form a good substantial affair, and was built by seven men in twenty-six days, which shows good engineering. Just a little beyond the river is Beach Ridge, which certainly is a lovely spot for a summer resort. Before reaching Dinwiddle there is one fill eighteen feet deep and several rods long. From here on as far as the road is completed is a fine rolling country for several miles each way. The soil is a good quality of clay, and furnishes a good firm roadbed. Immediately beyond '' Dinwiddie there is another fill three and onefourth miles long that is fifteen feet deep, and then another fill that is twenty-two feet deep. This is the deepest fill he has yet encountered, but was mastered with perfect ease, and is one foot more than the filling required to clear the Monon at McCoysburg. Switch point rails are used for the convenience of raising the track through these fills as they are not required to be cut every time the track is raised any distance, as would be the standard length rail. However only one set is used at a single fill. A number of cuts have been made. The longest one is threefourths of a mile and will average thirteen feet deep, and in some places the quantity of dirt to be removed was more than could be stacked on the right-of-way. It was right here that the kepn forethoughted old gentleman set forth one of his wise ideas that proved a time and money saver. The banks were cut perpendicular and just wide enough for the steam Bhovel to work, when once through the cut, then the banks were shoved off and used for filling. The work of making these fills and grades at the north end is being done entirely with steam shovel and dump cars, with, a comparatively small force of men too. The fact that not even a team or scraper has been used on the last eleven miles is little short of marvelous. The steam shovel used for this grading and filling has a boom of sufficient length to allow them to reach sixty feet on either side and pull in dirt with practically the same ease as one would reach out with their hand and draw in a handfull of sand. The machine has reached the speed of 100 feet per hour through some of those clay cuts. It certainly la a wonderful labor saving device and reduces the cost of handling the dirt to something like four cents per yard, which is extremely low. Mr. Gifford is running a force of men at each end of the road at present, and hopes to lay some more steel at the north end soon, and in the meantime carry on the overhead crossing work at McCoysburg. The

people of McCoyßburg and south are extremely anxious for his road to come on through, but it seems to be the prevailing opinion among all concerned that a grade crossing would have proved the most beneficial, however, all are anxious to see the wqrk pushed along. Mr. Clifford also owns 1,100 or 1,200 acres of the very finest wild grass land and this season has a crop that will easily produce from 2 to 2% tons of hay per acre. Lots of Mr. Gifford’s land will make excellent vegetable producing soil, and as soon as his road is open to Gary, he will encourage the raising of vegetables of all kinds, and furnish a special train to carry the produce fresh to market.