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12 Gro. 5 ENGINEERING AND Economic FEATURES. R 7

Location,

_ The locating engineers of this line are to be complimented in their successful locating of a
line to fit the contour of the country. I have never been over a line the length of the Pacific
Great Eastern Railway where one could find so few points of detail in location to criticize. The
curves of 2° and over are all spiralled and the line so located as to make excavation balance
embankments, all of this tending to economic construction if it were not for the adverse physical
features of the country.

B.—PHYSICAL FEATURES.

I have never before seen such a large area of country where the physical features were so
adverse to the economic construction of a railway. First, the amount of clay, sand, gravel,
gumbo, and other such material compared with the amount of solid rock is very much larger
than would be expected in the mountains. Second, the unstable condition of all material (other
than solid rock) when wet is the cause of forcing the line from the valleys of the Fraser to
higher ground, thus preventing the line being built on a reasonably low rate of grade. In climbing
out and dropping into the valleys, the line encounters either sheer rock bluffs with ragged contour,
necessitating comparatively heavy tunnelling and heavy rock-cuttings, or encounters this unstable
material which increases cost of construction and makes the cost of maintenance almost pro-
hibitive.

I am sure that your present maintenance charges on the first 8 miles south of Quesnel are
more than the total earnings of Quesnel Station, and that this condition will continue every year
for three or four months each spring. All of these combined adverse conditions makes it
impossible to construct an economic line. If it were not for these adverse conditions, combined
with the adverse financial conditions during time of construction, there is no doubt but that
the Pacific Great Eastern Railway would have compared most favourably with other lines in
the matter of economic construction.

We were of the opinion that the ‘Panama gave an unusual amount of trouble, but I believe
that if the percentage of solid rock to other material in the Panama was as small as it is on
the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, and if this other material on the Isthmus was as unstable
as the material on the Pacific Great Eastern, then the canal would never have been completed.

C—AMOUNT CONSTRUCTED AND GENERAL TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION.

The line is constructed and in operation from North Vancouver to Whytecliff, a distance
of 12.7 miles. From Whytecliff to. Squamish, a distance of about 29 miles, no construction has
been undertaken. This portion of the line follows a very rugged shore of rock bluffs, and the
construction of this portion of the line is estimated to cost from $3,500,000 to $4.000,0C0.

From Squamish to Quesnel, a distance of 350 miles, the line is constructed and in operation.
From Quesnel to Prince George the grading is completed with the exception of cleaning out slides
that have occurred since the line was graded some six years ago. The track is laid from Quesnel
to Cottonwood River, a distance of 17% miles, and also from junction of Pacific Great Eastern
Railway with Grand Trunk Pacific Railway (about 1 mile east of Prince George) to Red Rock
Creek, 18 miles south of Prince George, leaving a gap of 45 miles with no steel. The steel track
fastenings and ties for this work are on the ground. Cottonwood River is to be crossed by a
steel viaduct, requiring about 2,450,000 lb. of steel. Of this amount, 2,262,565 lb. has been
fabricated and is now at Walkerville, Ontario. The cost of this steel and fabrication has been
paid for. There yet requires to be ordered about 190,000 Ib. The cost of this amount, with
freight charges on the total, will have to be met if the line is completed. None of the concrete
foundations for this viaduct have been started. In addition to this, there is some 8,000,000 feet
B.M. of trestles to be put in. Nearly all this timber is on the ground and paid for excepting the
stringer, about 840,000 feet B.M. To complete this gap and put the line in condition to be operated
is estimated to cost from $500,000 to $600,000. If this additional line is put in operation it is
estimated that extra equipment to the value of $1,500,000 will be required; that is, to put the
line from Quesnel to Prince George into operation will require over $2,000,000 new capital.
To complete both gaps between North Vancouver and Prince George would require about $6,000,000
new capital. :