The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-09-24
UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD.


..... UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD.
| firm bed or proper elevation and breadth. -
Inc lines OF rail, whether straight or curved are
varying from snu o xy niles ner
Win the utmost steadiness and with consciousness
Oh e entire security. We ran nfty-lve consecutive
miles In sixty minutes In returning from North
Platte to Omaha, with less swinging motion than we
have often felt at twenty-five miles per hour other
roads, This Is due In part to the remarkable nrm-
ness ana soldy OF the work, and partly also to the
excellent ballasting, which is everywhere observable
on the settled portions OF the whole line.
The companys foundries, furnaces, machine shops,
construction and repair shops are all planned upon
scale commensurate with the magnitude and gran
enterprise.
Viewed as whole, viewed in its parts, viewed in
minGie ee an, the conviction is irresistible that the
Union Pacific Railroad Company keeping their
ial. a, WIN the American peoples ana us they are
WorK.ng out the great problem for the people, they
ought 10 be, as they are sustained by the people,"
The editor of the Philadelphia Age writes:-
~ might be supposed from the rapidity with which
the work was done, that it was of a temporary and
perIsnaDle character. But such Is not the case
vi the roadway 1t Is enough TO say that we
traversed 1t smoothly, safely and steadily for five
successive days at u rate OF speed varying nom
twenty to fifty miles per hour, and between the old
track and that AZ the western terminus, which had
was perceptible."
The editor Of the Philadelphia Bulletin sums up
the result Of close examination by saying:-
1.-THE road itself ~ as solidy and substantially built
as any road In America The bridges are built with
heavy and well seasoned timber; the ties are large
and very closely laid; the embankments solidly
constructed the rails are carefully guaged and the
FONTS closely Joined with "dsh pates" the road Is
wen balasted with stone gravel and earth, accord
Ing to the nature OF the SOIL and the traveller passes
over this newly built track with little conscious
ness OF Joltlng and Earring as II the road bed had
oeen settled and used for dozen years. The high
rates Of speed which be safely attained the
Union Pacific when required, attest the excellent
nature OF the whole work The rolling stock is built
| at the Company's shops at Omaha, = and is OF
est scrutiny has failed to discern any signs OF hasty
| or imperfect construction"
The Philadelphia North american says that
"The track Is nOw,beng laid at the rate of four
miles per day, and built more rapidly and better than
any similar work In the world"
Says the editor Of the Baltimore Americana
at s proper to say just here that the that
nave been put anoat in the East that the Company
Is party Of specuators, putting down rude and
poorly constructed road, that will be useless, or
nearly So when completed, Is fasehood that could
| only have been deliberately concocted and put in
circulation for reasons which would not bear ex-
laid, with heavy rail, and 1900 cross-ties to the
mile, over which the cars travel with remarkable
% AND the bs y M d
Tor use and not speculation"
The correspondent Of the Chicago Journal Of COM
nerce writes:-
Gin word, without going further into details,
1 AFFIRM without rear OF @
the road that the Union Pacific, In Its substantial
character and in view Of the short time 1t has taken
TO "put 1t through as far as 1t has gone, Is the
greatest Industrial triumph of the agea triumph Of
which the nation may well be proud and for the
accomplishment Of which those who took 1t In hand
deserve the highest praise for the faith resolution,
activity, perseverance and varied business capacities
they have manifested"
We could extend these quotations to even greater
length, finding in each one hearty commentator Of
the manner in which this continental railroad
has been built. There is no dissenting voice
among all the intelligent views which arc
given of the road and its appurtenances
1t ia to be especially noted, however, that
the directors Of the railroad company, not content
with even so good road as is here described, have
contracted for the replacing Of 600 wooden cuverts
with the best masonry, and at late meeting re-
solved to apart 49, 600 OF the companys bonds
to be expended in immediate improvement Of the
line to prepare in the best possible manner for Its
immanse traffic
THE MEANS SUFFICIENT TO BUILD THE ROAD.
The supposed great difficulties in the way Of build
ing the Pacific Railroad have diminished as they
have been encountered Contracts for the const
of miles west from Omaha, comprising much
OF the most dnicult mountain work, and embracing
| every expense except surveying, have been made
| with responsible parties (who have already finished
$50 miles, at the average rate OF slxty-eight thou.
sand and 1fy-eight dollars $6s,O5s per mile. This
price includes oil necessary shops depos, sta
tons and all other Incidental buildings and also
locomotives, passenger, baggage and freight cars
and other requisite rolling stock, to amount that
shall not be less than 81, 500 per mile. Allowing the
cost Of the remaining 1856 OF the LOO miles assumed
| to be built by the Union Pacific Company to DO
| SOC. 900 per mile
THE TOTAL COST OF ELEVEN HUNDRED MILES AND
EQUIPMENT WILL BE AS FOLLOWS.
9l4 miles, al S6sOoS.. $62 2O5,Ol2
1s6 miles, at SOC, 900. Observation-Disclosures. 16 TAO, 600
Add interest and miscellaneous expenses,
$50, 445, OLE
As the United States bonds are equal to money,
and the company's first mortgage bonds have O
ready market, we have as the
AVAILABLE CASH RESOURCES FOR BUILDING ELEVEN
HUNDRED NILES.
United states bonds; 32s 600
First mortgage bonds. 20 32S 600
Capital stock paid In on the work now
Land grant, Il,osc, 900 acres at 81 So per
acre. N,l20OO0
Although the land grant VIII not be Immediately
available the company have facilities for supplying
ample means for construction.
THE OPERATION OF THE ROAD A PROFIT TO
THE GOVERNMENT.
The prospective value OF the Union Pacific Railroad
as promoter of emigration and OF increased produc-
ton of the minerals OF the West is beyond question.
But its value and profit as q national undertaking
are by no means confined to the future. Each year
OF Its operation, It's unfinished state nsures
direct unequvocal profit to the National Treasury,
as the following figures furnished by General NJ. @.
Meigs, United States Quartermaster General, abun-
dainty prove:-
Previous to the building OF this continental rail-
road all government freight, consisting chiefly Of
supplies for the troops upon the frontier carried
by wagons under contracts given to the lowest re-
sponsible bidders. At the time Of the Mormon war
the annual expense Of maintaining troops upon the
plains amounted to about $1,000 per man, most Of
this sum being chargeabe to transportation. in
1860 wagon transportation upon route No. the
route now occupied by the Union Pacific Raroad)
cost an average Of 2s.4 cents per ton per mile. In
1907 an average Of 3o4 cents was paid for similar