On the Construction of the CPR During the Season of 1884
On the Construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway (Rocky Mountain Division) During the Season of 1884
by Granville Carlyle Cuningham, M. Inst. C.E.
WHEN the work of constructing the western division of the Canadian Pacific Railway was suspended for the winter in December 1883, the rails had reached a point about 4 miles short of the summit of the Rocky Mountains. This point is 960 miles west of Winnipeg, and 120 miles west of Calgary, the last station on
the plains, where the line enters the mountains by the Bow Pass. From here two possible routes are available for further progress westwards: one following the Bow Pass to its summit, and thence descending by the Howse Pass into the Columbia Valley; the other diverging from the Bow Pass, reaching the summit of the Rocky Mountains at the commencement of the Kicking Horse Pass, and following this, entering the Columbia Valley at a point about 12 miles to the south of the mouth of the Howse Pass. The first route presented comparatively easy grades and curvature, but crossed the summit at 1,000 feet greater altitude, thus bringing
the line into much deeper snow in winter; and it was 30 miles longer than the second. The second route, though of a lower altitude and shorter distance, would entail very heavey work at the head of the Kicking Horse Pass, in order to maintain equally good gradients. After considering the problem, the Directorate decided to adopt the shorter route by the Kicking Horse Pass, and to use a
steep gradient at its commencement, in order to temporarily avoid the heavy work that will be required on the permanent line, and thus to effect the connection with the railway on the Pacific coast by the autumn of 1885.
...page 101...
Route
(Plate 5)
The route follows the valley of the Kicking Horse River, from its commencement near the summit of the Rocky Mountains, to its entrance into the valley of the Columbia River, a distance of about 45 miles. The Columbia Valley is from 6 to 8 miles wide, and is heavily timbered. It is the westerly limit of the Rocky Mountain range, which it divides from the Selkirk range. The general direction of the valley is north, for some 80 to 100 miles, when the river makes a bold sweep round the northern end of the Selkirks, at what is called "the Big Bend," and thence flows southwards, on the western side of the Selkirk range, to Oregon territory and the Pacific Ocean, The railway, entering the Columbia Valley at the point above mentioned, follows it northwards for a distance of about 30 miles, until the mouth of the Beaver River, flowing out of the Selkirks, is reached. Here the line turns west, ascends to the summit of the Selkirks by the Beaver Valley, and thence descends, by the valley and canon of the Illecilli-waet, to the second crossing of the Columbia River. From the second crossing it ascends the Fagle Pass, through the Gold range, and passes by the valley of the Shoo-swap Lakes to Kamloops, to which point the rails from the Pacific coast have been laid. The distances, measured front the sumnilt of the Rocky Mountains, and the altitudes above the sea, at various points along this route, are as follow:
| Distance | Altitude | |
|---|---|---|
| Miles | Feet | |
| Summit of Rocky Mountains | .. | 5,296 |
| Mouth of Kicking Horse Pass | 44 1/4 | 2,539 |
| First crossing Columbia River | 62 | 2,521 |
| Mouth of Beaver River | 73 3/4 | 2,340 |
| Summit of Selkirks | 94 1/2 | 4,300 |
| Second crossing Columbia River | 139 1/2 | 1,600 |
| Kamloops | 270 | .. |
| Port Moodie (tide water) | 501 | .. |
Geological System
The geological system through which the line passes is the Lower Carboniferous. At the upper portion of the Kicking Horse Pass, hard crystalline limestone is found, in several instances of a quality so pure and homogeneous as to form marble of some commercial value. Lower down the pass, the shales of the system appear in every variety; sometimes dark hard slates, sometimes soft laminated clays.
...page 102...
With the exception of the hard limestone at the head of the Kicking Horse Pass, none of the rock, between that point and the mouth of the Beaver, is of quality good enough for building purposes. Generally the mountains rise directly from the valleys, at a very steep slope, without any intervening foot-hills, and con- tinue with an even inclination to their summits, often from 5,000 to 6,000 feet above the valley. The lower half is covered with a comparatively thin layer of soil, resting on the smooth and slippery surface of the shale, and bearing a thick growth of timber and underbrush; the upper half is bare, affording, by its rugged surface, a gathering-place for the heavy snows that fall in winter. The consequence of this mountain-formation, combined with the friable and treacherous shale rock, is that "land-slides" are no unusual occurrence. The wash of a stream at the mountain's base wears away the clay bank, and the support for a large stretch of soil on the steep mountain-side being thus removed, a slide takes place, and acres of ground are left stripped of the covering soil and trees; while snow and ice, gathering on these steep mountain- sides, are liable to descend in spring, or during a winter thaw, with great force, bringing down boulders and trees in their course.
CLIMATE
The climate has much to do with the difficulties of railway construction in any country. In 1884, in the district under con- sideration, snow lay deep in the bush at the summit of the Rocky Mountains into the month of June. The Kicking Horse Lake, at the head of the pass, was not free from ice until the middle of the same month. Rain fell almost incessantly during July and August, which, combined with the melting snow on the mountain- tops, kept the rivers and streams in high flood. On the 28th of September, 1884, a depth of 4 inches of snow fell in the valley at the summit, and by the middle of the following month the Kicking Horse Lake was again frozen over, to remain so throughout the winter. In the Columbia Valley, owing to its lower altitude, a better condition of things prevailed. The snow was all gone by the end of March, and did not again fall, to remain on the ground, until the middle of December. Between these extremes the climate varied with the altitude, between the Rocky Mountain summit and the mouth of the Beaver. In the winter of 1883-4, a register of the temperature was kept in the Columbia Valley at the mouth of the Kicking Horse River. On the 30th of December, 1883, the thermometer registered -40° Fahrenheit, and on the 9th and 10th
...page 103...
of February, 1884, a temperature of -38° was recorded. In the interval of time between these two lowest extremes, the average temperature was â -12°. During the winter of 1884-5, in the Columbia Valley, the temperature fell to -42° on the 24th of December, and from the 15th of the month up to that day the average was -26°. At the summit of the Rocky Mountains, during the same period, a temperature of -48° was registered. It will be easily understood, with such a low temperature as this, how much difficulty may be caused by ice piling in the rivers about bridge-piers; by springs that force their way out of the sides of cuttings, and freeze as soon as they begin to flow; and by accumulations of ice that form on the mountain-sides, until they fall by their own weight.
NATURAL PRODUCTS
The natural products of the district lying between the Rocky Mountain summit and the mouth of the Beaver, capable of use in railway construction, are very few. Throughout the whole length, timber is to be had sufficient for ties (sleepers) and temporary bridges, trestles, and culverts. At the summit of the Rocky Mountains, on the margin of the Kicking Horse Lake, a steam saw- mill was erected by the end of July, for cutting up the timber growing in the immediate neighbourhood into bridge- and trestle- timber. This timber is chiefly white spruce, unusually sound, and, though not of equal strength with the ordinary American pine, is admirably adapted to the purpose for which it is required; being obtainable easily, and in large quantities, it was of much value in expediting the work. Further down the pass, better and larger timber was got, and in the Columbia Valley fine specimens of the Douglas pine (Pina ponderosa) - a very hard and strong wood - were used in bridge- and culvert-building. Everything else that was required on the work had to be brought in from the East for very long distances. The thick growths of moss on the ground, produced at the summit, doubtless, by the continuous wet weather during the period of vegetation, prevented any growth of grass that might be used as fodder for horses or cattle; and the totally uninhabited state of the country was a sufficient reason for the absence of artificial grasses or cereals in the Columbia Valley, where they might grow if cultivated. The importation of food for horses and cattle, as well as for the men employed, was a serious undertaking, and one which necessarily added much labour to the work.
..page 104..
