THE ROCKIES.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2601, 8 September 1909, Page 2

THE ROCKIES.

AMERICA’S GREAT MOUNTAIN CHAIN. Every Colonial who has travelled.' to England via America has a vivid remembrance of the slow and; toilsomey albeit exceedingly picturesque,, climb over the Rockies, the- great mountain chain that ribs the Pacific Coast, writes the American correspondent of the Melbourne “Age.” It takes anywhere from one to. two days to cross the range, according to the railroad patronised. The Canadian Pacific trams are nearly two days amongst the Rockies. The time is not far distant when all these mountain trains will he operated by electricity. That the Cana-dian-Pacific-road and Hill’s Northern Pacific-road, which latter crosses the mountains in the State of Washington, will instal electricity has already been definitely announced, and now the Southern Pacific Company, Harriman’s corporation, which climbs the Rockies in California, and descends into Nevada has actually started the work of electrification. In the search for the most available power, every stream within 200 miles of the railroad has been surveyed and carefully studied, and locations for dams have been marked out. An application :ior permission to instal a power plant on the North Yuba River has just been filed by the company. Water will be carried in flumes and canals from different points to the main power station, where one of the greatest .generation stations in the world .will be erected. The plans have progressed so far that orders for electrio equipment have been placed with the large manufacturing concerns in the East: Between £2,000,000 and £3,000,000 will be expended on electric locomotives and the power plants. Not only does the .Southern Pacific promise a reduction in time and a diminution of discomfort as a result of the discarding of steam, hut it expects to effect large savings, notwithstanding, the magnitude of the initial expenditure. Perhaps the largest single item of economy will he doing away' with the necessity of transporting coal into the mountains for the consumption of its own engines.