The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-12-27
English Wonder at American Enterprise.

From the London Times Nov. 3d.
The close of the civil war in the United States
has been signaized by feat OF railway enter
prise unparalleled, and indeed hardly admitting OF
parallel, In any other country. Few empires con-
tain even room enough for a line of railway 5000
miles long fewer still would find the means of
bridging such enormous distances with iron rails.
The difficulty of the work, too, was much en-
HANGED by the nature of the ground. IL we sup.
pose the territory of the United States to be
5000 miles across from the Atlantic to the Pacific
it may be roughly stated that about one-haf of
this represents settled country, modern town
on the Missouri river called Omaha City marks the
limits of civilization towards the West Towards
the East this new city is already connected with
the system of American railways but at this point
the lines stop and well they may, for the dis
lance from New York to Omaha is in itself nearly
as great as that from Calcutta to Peshawur-in
other words as the whole breadth Of the Indian
empire. Nor would it, indeed, except for a ceI-
tain COL dtOn, be necessary TO extend these lines
any further at present, for beyond Omaha lies an
immense desert. We use the term not as imply
ing that the entire tract is barren or unproduc-
tive waste, but simply TO express region not yet
brought under the dominion of man. The object,
therefore, of the present enterprise is in fact, to
connect the State of California with the State of
Iowa, on the western border of which Omaha
City is situated. At present an American wishing
TO 20 from New York TO San Francisco would
have to take ship, run down 10 the Isthmus of
Panama. Gloss this neck of land, and then go up
This is by no means satisfactory to people of
whom il was said by one OF their own countrymen
that any m ian would readily risk his life for the
chance of arriving anywhere five minutes before
anybody else. SO they have determined to carry
railroad across the great desert at once. and en-
able any traveller to book through from one ocean
TO another.
The distance to be thus trsversed is actually not
much less than the distance between the old
world and the new. The additional length of
line required 10 connect Omaha with Sacramento,
and thus bridge the continent is nearly 2)00
miles. The engineers calculation gives just l72l
miles as the breadth of the gap" and the
country along the whole way is as wild and IN
tenanied as Patagonia. IL is not exactly unin-
hsbited, but the population, such as it is, only
a6ds 10 the peril of the enterprise. The vast
plains and mountain ranges over which the rail-
way is to be carried are haunted by bands of
fierce and trescherous Indians. These regions
are the last resort of the red in their retreat
TO the West before the ever moving settlers, and
we have recently reported more than one instance
of their attack upon the line and the workmen.
Gen. Sherman's duty at this moment consists in
protecting the track as far as possible with
United States troops; but the distance to be
guarded is so enormous, and the Indians are so
wary, that trains are " wrecked" in spite of all
his efforts. The country itself, with the exception
Of some formidable mountain ranges, is IN many
parts not il-suited for railway work. For some
hundreds of miles the line can be carried along
valleys and over plains without much difficulty,
and the expertness OF the Americans Is such that
the progress made seems incredible. We should
mention, perhaps, that the project itself was con-
ceived long before the civil war, and was indeed,
so favorite scheme that the inevitable suspen-
sion of tine works during the all-absorbing con-
test is occasionally spoken of as not the least
among the evil consequences OF the rebellion.
No sooner, however, was peace restored than the
enterprise was vigorously resumed.
few months after the surrender Of the Con-
federate armies-tnat is to say. at the close Of
the year ls65-the gap" Of l72l miles between
Sacramento and Omaha City existed almost en-.
tire, since only seventy.one miles of the intended
railway had been laid down-thirty-o on the
Sacramento and forty on the Omaha side. At
this monest these seventy.one miles have been
prolonged TO 1924, leaving only 400 to be added
in completion of the whole work. From Omaha
the line has been carried on for distance OF
nearly 1000 miles, so as almost to reach that half
fabulous city in which the Mormons thought to
exclude themselves eternally from the world.
From Sacramento length of nearly 400 more has
been laid, and the engineers are confident that be-
fore the close of the year now approaching the
entire line from one ocean to the other will be
opened for traffic. When it is remembered that
this lire, besides being carried through desert
gions and over lofty hills crosses the tremendous
range of the Rocky Mountains, some idea may be
formed Of the magnitude of the work and of the
astonishing expedition with which il has been &C.
complished. Next year an American citizen may
crafty himself by taking the longest railway jour
ney in the world, and crossing vast continent in
a stretch reckoned by hours.