Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-05-20
THE PACIFIC RAILROAD
Facts Of Interest Regarding its Orgahi-
1ation and Completion.
EFItrscts from advance sheets Of q new wor
hy A lhert d. Richardson

EsCtA "a hss
1ation and Completion.
| Extracts from advance sheets of new work
| by Albert d. richardson
In 1859, Congress authorized the con-
structisu ef three roads-a Northern, a
! Sosti:eTn, and n Central-and thus in
GicaLed our natural and inevitable trans
continental system. They were TO re-
ceiye no money endowment, but very
liberal land grants. But before any ac-
i've steps could be taken to build them,
| ali such enterprises were eXtinguishsd
| for the time by eur great war.
What Government had failed to do,
however. the steady course OF iinmigrs-
ton was accomplishing. The Mormon
hegira from Illinois To Utah the Mexi-
can war, the CalifoInis gold discoveries
| the Kansas troubles, and the rush to
Pixies Peak, had all carried settlements
westward from the Mississippi; and
across Missouri ami Iowa railroads were
following.
simultaneously, too, civilization be-
gan 10 push eastward from the Pacific.
In the Washse country, now Nevada,
enterprisins prOspecters found abundant
quartz rock, rich and sparkling with
silver. Arush 10 Washos followed, and
| q great State was founded. The travel
| aid traffic grew SO enormous that turn
pike was soon built from Plscerville,
California, over the seemingly insur-
| moantabls Sierras. The freight passing
over it in a single year paid tolls to the
amount of $500, 900 in gold, and the cost
of transporting it from California to
Washse was estimated at $13, ,000, 600
probably twice its value in San Francisco.
The absolute need of some cheaper
and easier conveyance revived the idea
of q continental railway, always pop
ulsr in California. But could the Sier-
ras be crossed by . locomotive? And
whe would furnish $25, ,000, 900 to build
road? Theodore D. Judah, a sapguine
engineer of Sacramento, insisted that
the project was practicable, both topo-
graphically and pecuniarily. Neighbors
laughed athim, but is always
contagious. Through many long
winter evening he talked upon his fav-
orite theme with group who frequent
ed the hardware store Of Huntington &
Hopkins, a firm Of wealthy but cautious
and frugal merchants One partner,
with his family, lived in their store bull
ding, separated from their goods by
board partition made from boxes carried
around Cape Horn, all the way from
Boston. In country where everybody
speculated they had never invested a
dollar in mining, but had adhered
especially TO their legitimate business.
HUNTINGTON was the first convert. Soon
Hopkins, Crocker, leading lawyer, and
two or three of their neighbors, were al
so amenK the prophets. In the spring
of 1880 these gentlemen subscribed $50
apiece to enable Judah to devote the en-
tire summer to . careful mountain sur
vey. Other Californians had advocated
Pacific railway; Legislatures and pub
lie meetings had indorsed it; but this
wasthe first money paid-the business
germ of the greatest enterprise the world
has ever seen. In the autumn Judah
anI his corps returned to Sacramento,
ragged, jaded and hungry; but with a
report so favorable that 81 500 more was
promptly raised 60 support them through
the next season. a second summer
vas spent in surveying. with equally
encouraging results. Then judah was
dispatched TO San Francisco TO secure
subscriptions for incorporating the com
p&ny; but after month OF faithful can
Fas,ing, returned home without having |
obtained dollxr. A poor engineer had !
started tbs paper; two plain hard ware |
merchants had put in shape and now,
siOt rich San Francisco, but unpreteEd- |
ing little Sacramento, WAS TO make il a !
success. Even after the Central Pacific |
Company was chartered by the Cali
fornia Legislature, only TIVE San Fran !
ciscans subscribed for shares, and one of
them was q woman.
The company sent Judah to Wash |
ington where ne hung up his charts in
the committee rooms, explained that
California WAS ready to take hold in
earnest, and though the civil war WAS
raging, invoked the aid of the nation
A few railway enthusiasts from New |
York and Massachusetts were already |
pressing the same request. At LAST the |
hour was propitious. Neither Congress
or the eastern public comprehended that
our commerce and travel demand such |
read. Public opinion was not yet ripe |
for it rs . business enterprise. But the
conflict for the Union had already &C.
customed the north tosuch lavish outlay |
that the expense seemed less frightful |
than Of yore. 1t had also shown that |
in case of foreign war the isolated Pa |
cific coast would be our weak point, and |
even now some mutterings were heard |
about Pacific republic. In the Lam
guage Of the hour, acontinental railway |
was . military necessity and ss such,
in July, 1862. one was chartered from
the Missouri to the Pacific, with an en-
Themas G. Durant and few other live |
spirits of the Union Pacific (ths east end |
of the line) were full of faith in the en-
terprise but old and "safe" New York |
capitalists regarded it rs chimerical, and |
the franchise as practically worthless.
The charter could not have been sold in |
Wall street for$l ,00Q, 900. But the Union |
Pacific, after many struggles, at last |
made beginning and built;