Russell Crump's Archive

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EASTERN OKLAHOMA RY.
Office of Resident Engineer
Jan. 19, 1900
Guthrie, Oklahoma

Mr. James Dun, Chief Engineer
Topeka, Kansas.

Dear Sir:

The following is the present progress of construction on the E.O. Ry:

TRACK.

Track is laid from Guthrie to station 160, which is about one mile east of Perkins,
and the bridge at that point is driven.

Today (Friday 19th) we propose laying to station 215, where another opening
occurs, and allowing the pile driver to work at that Saturday and Sunday.

SURFACING.

Track is surfaced as follows: From Guthrie to Iowa City, and from that point,
with two gaps of about 2000 feet each, to Goodnight, and from Goodnight to a point about one and one-half miles west of Perkins.

At present I have been using some 90 men (60 white and 30 colored) in surfacing
- running them out from Guthrie each morning. I now propose laying off one-half of these, and drop back and surface the sidings with the remainder; and then to withdraw men for section gangs from them and lay off the rest.

SECTION GANG.

I have one section gang working out of Guthrie, on hand-cars, and as soon as the
paint dries on the section house at Russell, which is now completed, propose putting a gang in at that point. Before laying any more track after today, I wish to finish all surfacing between Guthrie and Perkins, and my only reason for pushing ahead this 4500 feet is to release some cars of material and give the bridge gang a chance to work.

BRIDGES.

Our bridges between Guthrie and Perkins are practically all driven, and we are
now finishing the same. We are also placing pipe in the openings which were cribbed over and left for that purpose.

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BUILDINGS.

AS before stated the section house and bunk house at Russell are practically
completed, and ready for use when the paint and plaster dries, and at Campbell Foreman Harkelroth and gang have the framing in place for the depot. At Iowa City Foreman Reeder has just finished placing the piles for the foundation for the depot. At Perkins Foreman Liddington has got the sills placed for the depot.

As you direct, I will have the portions of section houses built at Campbell and
Iowa City torn down and loaded on cars, but will have bunk houses erected at these two points.

I would still like to have the pumps ordered some days since for these section
houses to use for the bunk houses. I would be glad to be advised whether you wish tool houses built, or have some old car bodies which can be furnished for that purpose.

WATER SUPPLY

As Fizgerald creek near Iowa City, the Knowles pump has been working
satisfactorily to pump in engine tanks, and we now have erected at that point a temporary tub which we will put in use just as soon as the spouts ordered are received.

I also propose installing pump (which I understand has been shipped from
Chicago) at Dugout creek, about a mile east of Perkins, and will pump direct into engine tanks until a temporary tank can be built at that point. Just received your letter saying pump was cut out of requisition. Pump ordered was #7 Knowles.

At Iowa City we will start a 20-foot well, as on Monday one days delay being
caused because a car in such bad order that it cannot be removed, has been set at Guthrie so that it blocks in the 7 cars of water service advanced from the Caney line, which I proposed taking out this morning. In this connection I would be glad to have your directions as to whether you would wish a well tried at Perkins, or whether our next well had best be at Ripley.

TELEGRAPH.

The telegraph wire is strung from the E.O. Junction to Campbell, and the poles
erected from that point to Iowa City. No wire has been strung between Guthrie and the junction, and I would like to get the views of yourself and Mr. Sholes as to whether an additional wire had best be strung, of cut made into one of the main line wires. There is at present a telephone wire from Guthrie to the E. O. Junction.

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FENCING.
Fencing is practically completed to a point about one mile west of Iowa City.

GENERAL:
I have had a box car spurred out at Iowa City and will have an agent installed
there, probably, the 20th. Freight shipment from Perkins have been fairly good all week, one day amounting to 6 cars of hogs as well as cotton and seed, passenger business has been fair, and last Sunday as Messrs Guss & Coyle had a sale of lots at Ripley on Saturday night in Guthrie, and had a number of people who wished to go out to Perkins on Sunday afternoon, and I had a passenger coach attached to the train of material which was going out in any case and had about 25 through tickets to Perkins on that car, and in order to save confusion in the accounting department, as the train was extra, I had these tickets turned over and reported by the conductor on Mondayâs regular run.

The sale of lots at Ripley has been fairly successful, and two banks (one of which
is now ready to business) have been chartered for that town.

GRADING.
On mile 39 I have had Mr. Moore put on a number of extra men upon the rock
work, and I now think they may well be able to get out of our way with one or two days delay. We shall reach Ripley sometime between the first and fifth of February, if the weather continues good, and as I wired the other day, I would like continues good, and as I wired the other day, I would like very much to obtain the plans to the bridge to be built at the river crossing, so that I could check up the piles, and see what we additional for it.

You will remember that when you were here, that you spoke something of
possibly making a low level bridge across the river at this point and putting in masonry at present. I do not know what character of piers you propose using for this bridge, nor whether our proposed bent of 5 piles for the false work is satisfactory to you. From the Cimarron river to Stillwater the grading is practically done and no delay should be occasioned between these points.

Stillwater depot grounds are now virtually completed, as is the grade for some few
miles north, and I presume up to mile 56 inclusive, will be completed by the first of the month. The heavy work beyond that point is well opened both on the contract of Shutt Improvement Company and Ware & Maney, and both of these parties have an adequate number of teams at work.

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Mr. Sparr & Stubbs and Moore have just moved some teams on to their respective
contracts.

RIGHT OF WAY.
With the exception of the Indians, the right of way situation is practically clear to
Pawnee.

Yours truly,

H C Phillips

Resident Engineer.

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