Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1868-07-31
Linking the East and
& West.
The Pacific Raiiroad--on to Salt
g.. 81 ~ Lake. #...s 8E

z The san FRANCISCO Buttetia, OF June
18th, has the following;
"a telegram from Strong's Canon,
eastern slope Of the Sierra Nevada,
announces that at twenty minutes
past eight o'clock last evening, the
last spike was driven into the last
rail to close up the gap I'm railway
communication between California
and Nevada. For six miles east oi
the Summit tunnel, the SHOWS had
hitherto prevented the laying of the
connecting rails. These down, the
Central Pacific Railroad is now in
running order from Sacramento to
Reno, a distance of one hundred and
fifty-four miles. The grading and
tracking of the Sierra Nevada, which
was anciently bugbear, and always
the only great difficulty In the way
of building the Continental Railroad,
Is now thing of the past. The for
midable barrier which formerly re-
quired many days of painful climb
ing and descending TO surmount can
now be comfortably crossed In a few
hours. Reno, which Is about twenty
miles from Virginia, can be reached
from Sacramento In ten hours at fur
thest, allowing speed of only fifteen
miles an hour; and from San Fran
cisco in eighteen or twenty hours, II
connection Is made Immediately with
the boat. Allowing for all DELAYS.
Virginia City may now be said to be
accessible In twenty-four hours from
San Francisco, a distance of two
hundred and seventy-eight miles by
boat, railroad and stage. When the
Western Pacific Railroad Is complet-
ed from Sacramento to Oakland, and
the road-bed on the eastern slope has
become solid and even, the trip ought
to be made at the average rate of
twenty miles an hour, without stop
page except for station business. In
this way Virginia City would be
brought within fourteen hours of
San Francisco.
"The Central Pacific Company can
now move the whole of their force of
5000 men upon the line of road be.
tween Reno and Salt Lake, which
presents so few difficulties that they
can henceforth rival the Union Pa
cific In the speed with which they
will grade and iron their road. The
track is SO nearly laid to the Big
Bend of the Truckee, thirty three
miles east of Reno, and one hundred
and eighty-seven miles from Sacra-
mento, that 1t is expected the cars
will be running thither by the lst of
July, less than u fortnight hence. At
Big Bend new town, to be called
Wadsworth-after the Union Cen
eral by that name who fell In the
warts projected. Grading is max
ing progress rapidly across The desert
from the Big Bend to Humboldt
Lake, and will be pushed Onward to
Salt Lake as fast as possible. From
Big Bend to Gravelly Ford, two hum
dred and twenty-seven miles, the
grading Is said to be very light. 1t
Is not improbable this space will be
spanned by October or November.
Gravelly Ford Is four hundred and
seventeen miles east of Sacramento to,
and only two hundred and thirty
four miles west OF Salt Lake or OF,
the only point on Salt Lake men-
toned I'm the company's table of dis
tances.
''Thus there will remain to be built
of the Central Pacific Railroad, after
November next, only pa miles, TAX
ing Salt Lake as the immediate OBJ
jective; but rs the company will de-
sire to push further, say to Weber
Canon, where the Union Pacific line
Is being graded eastward by Brigham
Young, farther distance Of 20 miles
must be added, making 304 miles to
be built between November next and
July l, 1869, If the Central Pacific is
to realize its expectation Of COM
plete line, uniting with the Union
Pacific, by that day. The struggle
between the two companies will
henceforth be more equal, and must
be watched all over the Union with
great interest. It is a struggle PEI
culiarly illustrative of American
and the speedy construc-
ton which it involves is quite un-
parallelled in the history Of railroad
building the world over"