St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1868-01-24

Or. campbell; haagarOos; n Soul IN
Prison, etc.
Genias. Pluck, Money, and the
Union PdcUfc Railroad.
The Genius to plan, the Pluck to I'M
derts kc, and the Money to do with, are
the three grand essentials i'll all great and
successful enterprises. Each is good in
is way, but rarely that all these qualiti-
cations are combined, either in an ind-
viInal or company; but when they are,
difficulties vanish and magnificent results
are obtained. Cd Colonel Tom Ben
ton was thought a man of genius, yet he
never planned Railroad across the
Rocky Mountains, except ''where prac-
lic..ble :" but the old hard-money Sena-
tor is dead, and the world and it, people
and It's IDEAS have moved ON. The Rocky
Mountains don't look rs high rs they
did, and, Ike many other difficulties
which seemed insurmountAhle in the dis
lance. they have been got over without
Unusual effort. The locomotive will RIM
up TO their highest summit 1T grade of
eighty feet to the mile, down again on
the other side upon u slope of but ninety
feet. while the Baltimore & Ohio winds
rs climbing way over the AIeghanies at
ut an incline of one hundred and sixteen
feet to the mile, for twenty miles togeth
or.
\ few men saw tia; Pacific Rail
road must be built. There was no 9TH
cr way to TIE Pacific, without travcrsing
two oceans at great cost Of time and
money. Tie dctlcs OF the ALI were
not higher .han Evans Pass, and, as they
were beng tunnrlcd and traverscd, why
not the Rocky Mountain, SO Genius
sent out It's Typographical and engineer
ing corps. and, after two or three years
Of surveying and mapping, it was report
cd that practice line for the great in
tcr-oceanic Highway had been found
Genius iutthcy saw. that when finished,
for magnitude and amount of traffic it
would bc one of the wonders of the
world. But Arithmetic said, Nothing
less than hundred millions of money
I Ill
Ell At these figures, replied. Let us bring
i'll all the great parties in interest and do
our best with them" The United States
government wanted it the ''worst way"
Uncle sam had an immense farm of mil
lions OF square miles lying waste, of
which nobody would buy an acre until
ne made Il railroad through il and then
nothing else would cisihze those trouble
some Indian tenants. Besides, the old
gentleman was pretty deeply in debt, and
his enterprising family were willing to
help him ou;, if he would only open
way to his great gold mines and So he
came down with an offer to lend fifty
million dollars in bonds, and to make a
liberal donation of land, if Pluck would
20 to work and put the road right
through"
Pluck accordingly went to work with
will, and Congress chartered the I'm
ION Pacific Railroad Company. Most
OF the sold men laughed at him 9TH
ers would venture but trihe, while a
few brave spirits pledged their fortunes
to the result. Two brothers invested
million dollars, and several ether indi-
viduals half a million each, and the road
was begun. But Money, or Capital,
was still tirnid, and Congress wisely gave
nothing except as each section of The road
was finished. The truth was, that if the
child lived, thrived and grew strong, Old
Capital was very willing to pat him on
the back, and to lend a helping hand
but he was TO be kept out in the cold, to
see ii he had Inherent strength enough to
stand it. Then, if he did not freeze to
death, he was TO be taken in and adopt
ell INTO the great Wall Street family. He
did live ; and, under the name of Union
Pacific, he became giant, and has
built and is running longer line of rail
road than any other body or company
besides in the country. Old Capital
now runs after him, and begs that he
Will borrow his money at the lowest
rate, and the public buy Union Pacific
First Mortgage Bonds faster than the
company can continue to issue them,
at the present price. 1t is this united
and Irresistible power of Genius, Pluck,
and Money that drives the work so brave |