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

road expected to reach the vicinity of Great Salt
Lake by Christmas. The passage Of the Rocky
Mountains has been much more easily accomplished
than was supposed possible before General q. M.
Dodge, Chief Engineer Of the Union Pacific Road
surveyed the route and found how completely nature
had prepared the way for the locomotive. In cross
Ing the mountains there are no grades exceeding
ninety feet to the mile, and these extend for but
short distances, while altitude of more than 5000
feet s attained by ascent so gradual to be en-
tirely imperceptibe to the traveller
CHARACTER OF THE WORK.
Parties have sometimes expressed a fear that
railroad constructed rapidly as the Union Pacific
must be imperfect and Others, from various I'M
worthy motives, have endeavored TO dsparage
work whose risks they unwilling to share. The
Union Pacific Railroad is built rapidly because
10000 men are at work upon 1t; because care has
been taken to provide all necessary materials and
have them where they wanted ichen they
wanted and because there are abundant means at
all times in the treasury to pay the cost The road
is examined in twenty mile sect ons by sworn Conn.,
missoners OF the government, who do not accept it
unless 1t comes up to the standard Of first class
road in every respect.
A party OF gentlemen connected with the leading
daily press have recently returned from trip along
the line, and we surrender considerable portion of
our space to their graphic descriptions. They were
invited to describe everything exactly as they found
it, and to draw their conclusions from their own OBJ
servations.
DIFFICULTIES OF CONSTRUCTION.
1t must be borne in mind that when the building
OF this road was begun at Omaha that place had no
railroad connections with the East and hence all
materials to be used in the construction Of the new
road could only be obtained at great disadvantage
and extra cost. Concerning the difficulties which
had then to be overcome the correspondent Of the
New York Ecent,0 Post says:-
"The great obstacles were nrst the fact that eve
rything necessary to building the road must be
brought from the East There was railroad for
and that river itself formed barrier to overcome
which would cost often as much as it would cost to
carry materials hundreds Of miles In the East. Eve
ry stick OF timber, every spike and rail, had to be
wagOned for one hundred and seventy-fve miles, 1t
Ssy ct e The
The cost Of some or the pine timber used was $a76
thousand feet The ties FOR the first three hundred
miles cost 50 EACH The engine used now In the ma
chine shops was hauled by mules one hundred and
seventy-fve miles. There were no workmen-all
nifty to one hundred and nifty per cent more than in
the East. Missouri coal cost at the levee $11 per
locality Such was the lack Of confidence In the
enterprise that at first the company could
get no responsible persons to take con
railroad V sSsa g ac s ana tse create tas
delay and expense OF wagoning was OF an end, the
eight miles, and four mule team could only drag
three rails. With all this for days they employed a
Of rs ef e
The first great necessty-the one thing on which the
ultimate success Of this road depended-was the
vfgOr and rapidty with which 1t should be pushed.
Until was evident that they had got too far In the
desert 10 come back, there was no certainty that
Pacific. TIL this was settled assistance could be
had from the public. Government might authorize
them there was no assistance. The men who under
took the task were equal to it, they saw that rapid
work was 1ne arst essenta AN 'his Tune tney were
the surveyors and engineers were attacked or killed,
the working parties harassed and the subsistence Of
the working parties had to be wag0ned TO them
The engineers and graders kept from fifty to one
hundred miles in advance OF the tracklayers The
brought to the end Of the track and carried in teams
beyond and get up SO as to cause no delay In laying
the track 1t is this constant provision this prOvd
ing for everything months and miles beforehand,
which demonstrates the genius or those VINO direct
cons so Rapidly OF tS D facs
that has removed the doubt to the durability of
e on M s
little band OF lightning trackayers, who are throw
ing their iron flaments across the continent"
IS THE WORK WELL DONEy
This is point Of the highest Importance. The I'M
precedented speed with which the road is being
built Is matter Of establishment to every beholder
Its solidty permanence and safety are questions In
which every fnancier and indeed every American
citizen directly interested The large grants made
by government In aid Of the Union Pacific Railroad
make 1t 30 peculiarly national work that the fin
ished road will be national pride humiliation,
according to Its character But to the emigrant, the
miner and the investor in the company's bonds the
question is more practical. Is the road built that
1t will transport the vast products which viii ere
long be developed along its line? Is strongly and
carefully built that 1t will secure and keep the tide OF
travel TO and from the Pacific coastf Has such skill
In engineering and construction been employed that
q small percentage or Its earnings Will keep 1t In
prime condition. will Its receipts be swallowed up
In constant and heavy repairs and renovations9
These points to which the especial attention Of
the recent editorial party was directed, ana every
possible facility given It's members for forming an
intelligent opinion. What that opinion was, after
examination, may be seen by the quotations below.
Charles A. Dana, late Assistant Secretary Of War
and now editor Of the New York sun, says
"a party Of thirty gentlemen have just returned
from an excursion to the present terminus OF the
Their unanimous opinion Is that the road is con.
structed In the most thorough and solid manner and
that 10 superior In rmness, smoothness and capac
rapid running to any other new road which they
have ever seen. This Is true OF the parts OF the
track which were LARD only the day before the ex-
cursion train passed over them as well those ut
the eastern end Of the line which have been In use
for some two years. The work Is well DONE both as
the thoroughness Of Its constructions; and there no
part Of it which could, under the circumstances, be
Detter tnan IL reports COntTdTy cr-
roneous and mistaken"
He also says
"The examination Of the Union Pacific Railroad was
thorough. The train was stopped at every impor-
tant point, and nothing was anywhere hidden from
observation The universal opinion was that more
solid useful and satisfactory railroad than the Union
Pacific has never been constructed In this country
The correspondent Of the New York tribune
says o.
III have seen and examined more than 700 miles OF
this road and believe IL thoroughly built and fully
equipped. For 500 miles the grades ore exceedingly
light and the direction air line. There the road
was easily built, but nowhere indifYerenty SLOW
emily. The entertainments are high enough to secure
good drainage and wide enough to make solid foun-
dation; 1880 ties are laid TO the mile the average on
Eastern roads Is 70c); the rails joined by fish,
p %ases courses are spanneS by subss sHe
tial Howe truss bridges, OF by culverts Of
timber, which is TO be at once replaced by solid