Progress of survey, 1887-01-08 (1 of 2)

Electronic reproduction of: Transcription of newspaper article from the 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 liine for the DSS and A is now fully organized and work is progress 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 yeesterday, 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 divisions. Each has its own engineer in charge, Isaac Dox having the Summit division; Col. J. B. Fish, 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. Abercrombie, Strong and Lafalo. On the Sault branch three parties have been at work under the charge of Messers Holmes, Stilwell and Sawyer. The location survey on this division is about concluded and the contractors, Rexford 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 prinicipal assistant engineer, with offices in Marquette, four division engineers with offices on the line and eleven assistant and resident engineers in charge of the line. The parties at work west of Marquette average two men each or about 180 men in all of men out on 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 now at work on the locating survey and already has eight miles of the road located. Some of the work has been very slow, one day not more than 40 stations being made on account of the heavy cutting necessary. Axemen have to "make haste slowly" when going through the dense growth of a cedar 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 on the DSS and A survey is in the city. He returned to his party Monday. J. F. Stevens, assistant engineer of the DSS and A arrived in the city yesterday, accompanied by his wife and children, who came from St. Paul to join him here.