Selections From The Splinters - Volume 14

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St. Louis, Mo. Jan. 8, 1872

J. Blickensderfer, Jr.,
Chief Engineer, A.& P. RR.

Sir:

I have the honor to submit the following report of surveys made in examining the different routes leading from the headwaters of the Canadian into the valley of the Rio Grande.

Rio Grande Valley Line from Albuquerque to Isleta. Beginning at Station 2514 of Hodges Line at Albuquerque, the line follows the valley of the Rio Grande and crosses the river at a point opposite the town of Isleta. Station 690 is on the east bank and station 701-60 is on the west bank of the Rio Grande River.

GRADES AND ALIGNMENT

Distance from Albuquerque to mouth of Tejiras canon via Rio Grande Valley and drainage of Tejiras Canon. This line beginning at Station 99+16 of the Rio Grande Valley Line, follows the foot hills of the Mesa until it reaches the drainage of Tejiras canon, thence up the Tejiras to the mouth of the canon.

The profile above 3000 feet of 90 ft. grade, but can be reduced to 80 feet on location. Up to the mouth of the cannon it will not be necessary to use a curve with a smaller radius than 1910 feet. Work very light. Distance from Albuquerque to mouth canon via Tejiras and Rio Grande Valley - 15.99 miles.

Albuquerque to mouth Tejiras canon, via Mesa. This line was run over the mesa between the mouth of the canon and Albuquerque.

This line requires maximum grade of 80 feet to the mile. The alignment is very good except the turning of the point of the mesa near Albuquerque, where it would probably be necessary to use a 5 degree curve. The work is light.

Distance from Albuquerque to mouth of Canon via Mesa - 9.83 miles

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Distance from a point opposite Isleta to Mouth Tejiras Canon - 17.25 miles.

Line from mouth of Tejiras Canon to connection with Hodges Line east of the summit of Canon Blanco. The line follows up Tejiras and at Station 1502 reaches the summit between the waters of the Tejiras and the Tuerto. Crossing this divide and following up the head waters of the Tuerto at Station 1693 the line reaches San Pedro Summit, the summit that divides the waters of the Tuerto from those of the Las Salinas. From San Pedro summit, the line descends and crosses the drainage of Las Salinas, thence ascends and crosses the Zuni ridge also the Lagunas or basins west of the summit of Canon Blanco, the line connects with Hodges line about 1-1/2 miles east of the summit.

On this line in Tejiras canon it will be necessary to use at least 6.5 miles of 116 feet grade in grade planes varying from 3000 to 11000 feet in length, also grade planes of 106 feet to the mile varying from 4000 to 10000 feet in length and amounting in the aggregate to 3.75 miles. The greatest difficulty is in the canon between Stations 840 and 1160.

The profile shows descending grades of 90 feet to the mile from the summit of Tejiras canon and from the summit of San Pedro Mountain. I think the undulation in the grade between Tejiras summit and San Pedro summit can be avoided and all eastwardly descending grade east of Canon Blanco can be reduced to 65 feet to the mile; in crossing Zuni Ridge the ascending grade eastward can be reduced to at least 80 feet per mile.

It will be necessary to use 6 degree curves in turning the points between Stations 1015 and 1090; in no other case will it be necessary to use a curve having a radius less than 1432 feet. All excavation in Tejiras canon will be solid rock and on account of the steep slope of the sides of the canon the work will be much heavier that shown on the profile. The summit of Tejiras canon is crossed by a summit cut 3000' long, averaging 16 feet and 500 feet of 47 feet cut; about 4/5 of this entire cut is solid rock, at the summit of Canon Blanco a tunnel 23-feet long on a grade 106 feet per mile descending eastward is projected. BY increasing the length of this tunnel to 3000 feet and incurring about 4 miles of heavy work east of the tunnel, the grade descending into canon Blanco can be reduced to 90 feet to the mile.

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DISTANCES

Distance from connection with Hodges line, east of the summit of Canon Blanco to Albuquerque via Tejiras Canon and Rio Grande Valley - 66.875 miles.

Distance from connection with Hodges line east of summit of Canon Blanco to a point opposite Isleta via Tejiras Canon, Mesa, Albuquerque and Rio Grande - 73.763 miles.

Distance from connection with Hodges line east of the summit of Canon Blanco to a point opposite Isleta via Tejiras Canon and Rio Grande Valleys - 68.14 miles.

Distance from connection with Hodges line east of summit of Canon Blanco to Albuquerque via Hodges line, Gallisteo and Rio Grande Valleys - 82.95 miles.

Distance from connection with Hodges line east of summit of Canon Blanco to a point opposite Isleta via Hodges line to Albuquerque thence McCabes to Isleta - 96.03 miles.

These distances show the line via Tejiras Canon and Mesa to Albuquerque to be 22.257 miles shorter than the line via Gallisteo and Rio Grande Valleys.

The line via Tejiras Canon and Rio Grande Valleys is 16.075 miles shorter than Hodges line to Albuquerque, and the line via Tejiras Canon and Rio Grande valleys to a point opposite Isleta is 27.88 miles shorter than the line via Gallisteo and Rio Grande valleys to the same point.

I think on account of the steep and undulating grades, expensive work and scarcity of water on the Tejiras canon route, the line via Gallisteo and Rio Grande Valleys should be adopted.

On the Tejiras canon route there is no permanent water from Aguaji Colorado in Tejiras Canon to Canada de Los Diego in Canon Blanco, a distance of about 50 miles.

The Zandia and Manzana Mts. Are covered with good timber. A vein of coal to be 4-1/2 feet thick was pointed out about 2 miles northeast of the town of Tejiras.

The only land cultivated or that can be cultivated on account of the scarcity of water from the Rio Grande to the Pecos, is a narrow strip in Tejiras Canon, extending from Station 750 to 1370 and a small patch in Canada de los Diego, a side Canon of Canon Blanco.

Line over North Summit of Tejiras Canon - Starting at Station 1464+50 of the main Tejiras Canon line, the line bears northeast and crosses the summit between the waters of Tejiras Canon and the Tuerto through a pass 35 feet lower than the pass on the main line. From this summit the line descends into the

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A horseback examination was made of the valley of the Tuerto but it was found so much inferior to Tejiras canon that it was not considered advisable to instrumentally examine it.

Line down drainage of Canon Blanco - Starting at the point where Hodges line leaves the drainage of Canon Blanco, near Canada de Los Diego, the line follows down the drainage of Canon Blanco to the Pecos River, crosses the Pecos river and connects with Hodges line near where his line crosses the river.

A line can be obtained down this canon having either level or descending grades not exceeding 65' per mile. The alignment is very bad frequently requiring the use of 6 degree curves in fact the line is a series of curves from one end to the other.

There is much heavy work on the line cutting through rock points. The canon narrow, the line generally cuts from a point on one side t o a point on the opposite side, thus crossing the drainage and requiring bridges from 20 to 409 feet long. These bridges would on account of the great number of them add much to the cost of the work. Distances from Canada de los Diego, to connection at Pecos River, via Canon Blanco - 30.27 miles. Distances from Canada de Los Diego to connection at Pecos River via Hodges line - 28.83 miles.

The line via Canon Blanco drainage is 1.44 miles longer than Hodges line.

There is no permanent water in Canon Blanco from Canada de los Diego to the Pecos River.

From Whitmores ranche to Ft. Bascom via Rajarita - Starting eastward from Station 628 of Hodges line on the east side of Gallinas river the line ascends and crosses the divide that separates the waters of the Gallinas from those of Hurrah Creek, through the same pass that the old Fort Smith and Albuqurque road occupies. Crossing the divide between Gallinas and from those of Hurrah Creek the line follows down the valley of Hurrah Creek to Station 950 where it leaves the valley and crosses the divide between the waters of Hurrah Creek Cuerbo. This is also the divide between the waters of the Canadian and Rio Grande. Following along the headwaters of the Cuerbo, to about Station 1360 the line

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On the entire line there is no grade ascending eastward exceeding 60' to the mile and no grade descending westward exceeding 80' per mile. The grades ascending eastward can very easily be reduced to 53' per mile and the descending grades can be reduced to 70' to the mile by incurring 6 miles of moderately heavy work. It may be well to remark that the bad grades are on that part of the line which is common to this and the Ft. Smith line.

The alignment is very good from Whitmores to about Station 3358, where the Pajarita Canon from this point through the canon of the Pajarita, a distance of 8 miles, the line is very crooked but only in a few cases requires the use of a 6 degree curve, between the east end of the canon and the connection with Hodges line there are several bad points, none of them however, require a curve sharper than a 4 degree curve.

The work from Whitmore to the Canon of the Pajarita is light and through the Canon the work would be no heavier than shown by the profile. The bridges in the canon would add much to the expense. Distance from Whitmores to Fort Bascom, via Pajarita - 83.14 miles. Distance from Whitmores to Fort Bascom via Hodges line 78.88 miles. This shows the line via Pajarita to be 4.37 miles longer than Hodges line.

There is no permanent water from the Gallinas to the Canon of the Pajarita. It is said that there are permanent springs in the canon. The Pajarita frequently dries up between the canon and the Canadian River; Sabom Spring is about 2 miles north of the line at Station 720. There is very little wood on the route.

LINE VIA FORT SMITH ROAD

From Station 2646 the beginning of this line to where my survey terminated there is no grade in either direction, exceeding 53 feet per mile. In no case on the entire line from Whimores would it be necessary to use a curve of less than 1910 radius. The work in no place would be heavier than shown on the profile.

There was no permanent water on the line from the Gallinas to where the survey terminated. Water can be found during the greater part of the year in holes in the beds of Hurrah Creek, Arroyo, Cuerto, Pajarita, Tucumari, Barrancos and some other small streams but the supply is limited and unreliable.

Respectfully,
(signed) James F. Mc Cabe

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James F. McCabe of the county of Harford and State of Maryland, being duly sworn deposes and says that he is a Deputy or Division Engineer of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad Company, employed as such since the 17th day of June 1871 and that as such Engineer he did between the 17th day of July and the 6th day of December in said year actually survey and mark upon the ground or cause to be surveyed and marked upon the ground for the said Atlantic and Pacific RR. Co., all the lines indicated and described in the foregoing reports to J. Blickensderfer, Jr. Chief Engineer, of said Company, as shown by the Maps, profiles and field notes of said lines, returned to the Chief Engineer's office of said Railroad Company by said deponent.

(signed) James F. McCabe

Subscribed and Sworn to before me the undersigned Notary Public on this the 8th day of January, 1872

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