The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1867-04-18
Tho Highwar to the paclao.


Few persons arc familiar with tho
progress which is boing made upon
iho Great Pacific Railway, the link
which is to biud tho golden limits OF /
Tho country, aud bring us nearer to
populous empires Of Eastern Asia. -
II has been so long talked about, aud /
so long desired by our kinsfolk in the
Far West, aud indeed by all we'll.
wisbcrs Of the community, that We
had come to consider il as thing
which would DO welcomed BY the next
generation. Information comes to
band, however, which puts its com.
plction beyond reasonable doubt at
so early day as 1870; and tho most
critical portion cf Il at much ca,li-
er period. AS early as 1861 a com.
pany was formed in California to
build road from the Pacific coast
eastward till connection was form.
cd but it was not until 1868 that
work was actually begun upon it at
Sacramento, tho head Of navigation.
The existence Of tho war temporarily
checked the progress at this end of
the line. In 1862, however, such
was the pressing need Of tho road for
great national purposes, both military
aud commercial, that Congress con-
S dcrately granted large amounts Of
public land to such corporations as
would undertake so gigantic a work;
aud also loaned the Government orod- =
IL TO an amount nearly half sufficient
to build the road, aud proportional
to its length and difficulty. 1t was
so apparent that il would be real
economy Cor tho Government to build
the road outright, if ,hc building Of
railroads were a part Of its functions;
and in 1864, as a further inducement
to private capitalists to enter upon il
at once, subordinatcd the claims of
the General Government to such 9th
er claims as capitalists would assume.
la other words, the Companies at
each end of the road we're authorized
to issue an amount of First Mortgage
Bonds, Of equal amount, aud alike in
tenor, date, time Of maturity, and
kind Of payment, as the bonds issued
by the Government, which should be
the Grst lien upon the road, its prop
erty, franchises, &C., which is to say,
that supplementary loans might be
madc to construct the road; aud the
Government, in view ol' the immense
benefits it would confer upon the Far
West, would look to a small tax up
on its future traffic for the repayment
of its own generous advances. With
these tempting aids, the enterprise
was again seized, and in 1866 the
Eastern link, the Union Pacific Rail-
road, had completed 300 miles west
of the Missouri River, and will prob
ably reach tho base Of the Rocky
Mountains, 200 miles further the
present year.
On the other end, the Central Pa
cifc Company, less affected by the
presence Of war, and more earnestly
inspired by the immense traffic which
was waiting for the road, pushed res
olutely forward with all the energy
and all the means it could summon.
California, though young state,
with hundreds Of millions invested in
her lucrative mining enterprises,
over thousands of square miles,
found money enough to keep smal
army of laborers employed building
the road. Upwards of thirteen mill
ions a year has been spent in hauling
freight across tho high mountains
separating her from tho Teritories,
exclusive of the return freight upon
double that sum of precious metals.
This was in itself sufficient motive
for the utmost effort ia building the
road. The result is that in NOvem-
ber las. they had nearly a 100 miles
of road in running operation. This,
however, is equal ia cost and expend-
ed energy to five hundred miles over
the level plains on the eastern end;
SO that to-day the western portion Of
tho road, Notwithstanding it is so
much further from its base of sup
plies, is relatively farthest ahead
Both, however, are so far done, and
have such powerful stimulants, i'm
mcdiately before them, that with the
muni6ccnt Government, the gap will
be rapidly closed. We may already
reckon upon the time when the loco
motive will be coursing across tho
great interior plains, over the two
vertebra, bearing with them
the blessings of civilization, peace,
and settlement one way, aud a rich
tribute of mineral wealth the other.
In order to appreciate what has
been done, and what remains to be
donc on the western end Of the link,
it must be understood that the dread
ed Sierra Nevadas had to be crossed
at an altitude of 1850 feet, Seven
miles east Of Sacramento the rise
and the greatest eleva-
z