Progress of survey, 1887-01-08 (2 of 2)

Electronic reproduction of: Transcription of newspaper article : Mining journal (Marquette, Mich.), Jan. 8, 1887.

Source: The Mining Journal Marquette, Mi. January 8, 1887 Saturday Progress of the Survey The corps for the survey of the line for the DSS and A is now fully organized and work is progressing all along the line from Sturgeon west and from Sage Jct., to the Sault. J. F. Stevens, the engineer highest in authority under Mr. Latcha, the chief engineer and superintendent of construction returned to the city yesterday, after visiting the western division of the line and starting parties there. The line west of sturgeon is divided into three divisions for the survey, known as the Summit . Gogebic and the Western divi- sions. Each has its own engineer in charge, Isaac Dox having the Summit divisions, Col. J. B. Fink the Gogebic and George L. Cumine just appointed, the Western. W. L. Webb is the engineer on the Sault branch. On the first of these engineering divisions there are three parties at work, in charge of engineers Marsh, Gerchen and Bush, respectively. on the Western division there are two parties under the charge of Marsh, Comstock and Young On the Gogebic division there are also three parties at work In charge of Messers, Abercrombic, Strong and Lafale. On the Sault branch three parties have been at work under the charge of members Holmes, Stilwell and Sawyer. The location survey on this division is about concluded and the contractors, Bedford Bros. and Hodge have all ready commenced operations. They have sublet most of the work and have one crew at work themselves on the road and two tie camps running. This gives a very large organization for the work on the survey, there being a chief engineer and principal assistant engineer, with offices in Marquette, four division engineers with officer on the line and eleven assistant and resident engineers in charge or the line. The parties at work west of Marquette average two . men each or about 180 men in all of men out of the line at present up to more than 225. George A. Marsh, who is in charge of the first party, which was sent out on the line is now in the city. His party started out from the MH and O near Sturgeon and has run the preliminary survey 22 miles to where Gerchen's party started in. He is not at work on the locating survey and already has eight miles of the road looated. Some of the work has been very slow, one day not more than 40 stations being made on account of the heavy cutting necessary. Axeman have to "make haste slowly" when going through the dense growth of a cedart swamp. Extraordinary progress has been made though, considering the obstacles presented by the country through which the line runs, and the additional fact that all the work has to be done on snow shoes. George A. Marsh, in charge of the first party sent out in the DSS and A survey is in the city. He returned to his party Monday. J. F. Stevens, assistant engineer office DSS and A arrived in the city yesterday, accompanied by his wife and children, who came from St. Paul to Join him here.