Selections From The Splinters

Eastern Oklahoma Ry.
Office of Resident Engineer
July 20, 1900
Guthrie, Oklahoma

Mr. James Dun,
Chief Engineer,
Topeka, Kans.

Dear Sir:--

The following is the report of work in progress on the E. O. Ry. For the week ending July 21st, 1900:

GRADING: is in progress as follows: Industrial track at Coyle being graded, almost finished. Industrial track at Ripley grading completed, being finished some three days ago. Industrial track at Stillwater staked out, by not started yet. Industrial track at Gencoe, grading three-fourths completed. At Pawnee a start has been made toward the completion of the East end of the yards and the grading across the West property.

SURFACING: There remains to be surfaced on the E. O. Ry. Miles 70 to 73, 67 to 69-1/2 to 66, a distance of eight miles in all. This surfacing is going very slowly for the reason that material at all suitable must be taken from the top of the cuts and bottom of the banks, and it is therefore necessarily slow. I am working some 50 men upon it and will increase that number by about 20 men as soon as the Guthrie & Western is surfaced, which will probably be before August 1st. Men are rather hard to obtain and to hold at this season of the year; particularly as outside gangs are recruited very largely from Guthrie. After the surfacing is completed on the main line, I will use the surfacing gang in putting in industrial tracks and surfacing the same, and also in surfacing the side tracks which have not been surfaced already.

BUILDINGS: The station at Pawnee has been finished and occupied during the past week. A section house and bunk house are in progress of erection at Yost; the section house being three-fourths completed. At Mehan a bunk house was built and a platform placed on the basis of a former plan for depot. The Mail messenger has a key and this is being used as a temporary station at that point. Bunk house at Goodnight has been completed. Additions has been made to stock yards at Mehan, and we are about starting the small yards at Russell. When these are completed it will end the buildings on the E. O. Ry. With the exception of pump houses at Pawnee and Yost. Stock

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yards at Pawnee are held up by order of the General Manager until it can be ascertained whether they can be placed on Indian lands.

THE HOWE TRUSS SITUATION is as follows: First four spans of Cimarron river bridge complete. Spans over the Stillwater creek both complete, and false work being removed from last one. Material for last two spans for Cimarron river being loaded at Arkansas City. The pile driver has been working this week on each side of Stillwater, in driving piers for proposed girders and I beams.

WATER SERVICE: The well at Pawnee is now down to the first layer of rock, about 18 feet of the wall being in place. Upon this rock is a layer of two feet of water bearing sand very sharp and clean, it is from this presumably sheet water that we hope for our supply. Pump house foundations at Pawnee are nearly in. Frost boxes have been built at tanks at Coyle and Ripley. The dam at Yost is progressing. But little water was gathered in the reservoir during the last rain. The spill way is being excavated out of rock.

Yours truly,

H. C. Phillips

Resident Engineer.

D-P

Page 97 Volume 23 Splinters transcribed in altered form for the Web by Russell Crump

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