Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1866-10-19
The Union Pacific Railroad.

We receive many letters Of inquiry in
regard to the Union Pacific Railroad, It's
officers, directors, contractors, how far it
is completed, etc. 1t ia, Of course, i'm
possible for us to answer each Of these
letters-it would DO a mountainous labor.
Nor are we able to give exact information
upon all the points they cover. But such
as is at our command, we give with the
greatest pleasure.
Early on Wednesday morning, Decem-
Der I'd, 1868, intelligence was received in
this city announcing that the President Of
the United States had Exed the initial
point Of the great Union Pacific Railway
at this place on the western boundary Of
Iowa, and the engineer Of the road, then
in the city, was directed to i~naugurate the
great work on that day by breaking the
ground. The glad news spread like wild
FIRE through the town and over to Coun-
Gil Bluffs, and soon the citizens Of both
places were assembled at the point desig-
mated, on the northern end OF our levee,
where the interesting ceremonies were
opened with prayer by the Rev. 7. B.
Damon; after which the engineer, with
pick and shovel, broke the ground and
tdrned the first shovel full of earth, amid
salvos Of artillery from both shores Of the
Missouri river, and the shouts Of the as
sembled multitude.
From this time the vast amount OF pre-
liminary labor required to commence active
operations on the gigantic enterprise pro-
Creased steadily until the season OF 1860,
when the actual work was started on the
immense buildings which now stand on
the grounds Of the Company, a monument
to its energy and industry and an orna-
ment to Omaha. In October, 1866, layin5
track was commenced, and by the 18th
inst. fifteen miles Of the track were laid,
and a large party Of our citizens, accom-
panied by the principal officers OF the
road, and Lieut.. Gen. Sherman, who was
then visiting our city, made the first tex
cursion" behind the iron horse on the
Union Pacific Railroad.
From that time the work has progressed
with q rapidity which has marked no other
railroad enterprise Of the world, and
which had hitherto been deemed imposSi-
bic, until now-in one year-tco hundred
and hirty-tpo miles Of the road are COM
ple,ed and in daily use by immense trains
Of construction material to build il on to-
ward the great western ocean. And this
gigantic work has been accomplished I'M
der almost insupsrable obstacles in the
way Of procuring construction material OF
every kind. All the iron has had to be
transported thousands Of miles over rail-
roads $50 miles distant, and up water
courses difficult of navigation at their best
stages, and particularly so during the
greater part Of the season Of navigation.
The grading Of the road is in rapid pro-
gress, and will probably be completed to
the terminus Of the fourth hundred miles
(Julesburg) by the middle Of November.
The track-laying is going forward with
the same rapidity which has marked it's
progress during this season. 1t would be
useless to attempt q prediction as to what
what point will have been reached by tho
first Of January next. Only the arrival OF
that time can tell the story. But that the
third hundred miles will be sharply
crowded 10 certain, If It is not actually
accomplished.-Omaha Republican, Sept.
2Sth,