The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1869-05-14
THE ROAD THAT Is BUILT.


Now that the east and west has heen
placed in communication by rail, bv the
completion Of the U. p. and C. p. Rail>
roads, brief account of the inception
aud construction of the herculean won-
der is appropos. The general facts and
figures here given, we take from a very
complete article on The Iron Road" in
the MAY Overland. As early as 1886.
the project of a railroad across the Com
tinent was suggested by Carver, Clarke.
Benton, Wilkes. Whitney, and John
Plumb. an engineer of Dubuque, Iowa,
the latter making il a speciality. and Ia
boring earnestly though ineffect ually TO
bring IL TO the favorable consideration
ot Congress, until his death after the
California gold discovery. In 1867,
Asa whitney suggested a land subsidy,
and in 1858 and 1854 appropriations of
S34OOOO were made for explorations
and surveys and nine expeditions organ
lied under Stevens, Mcclellan, Saxtop,
Gunnison, Beck with. Whipple, Will
hanson, Parke and Pope, who surveyed
ten routes, including. and we believe
recommending most highly. the North
ern Pacific route.
In 1862 Congress passed the first Pa
ciic Railroad bill, which waa approved
July ls,. making appropriations ot land
and money subsidies. The California
company organized in 1861, under the
name Ot the Central Pacific aud made
preliminary surveys in the sgme year.
In the autumn of 1862. the working
surveys were made ftIy miles, extending
east at Sacramento. and ia January 1863
grading was begun. The company
worked against very discouraging cir
cumstances. and il was not until mid
summer ot 1867. that the rails were laid
to the sumiJ of the Si-rras, 7,042 feet
above the sea, and 105 miles east of
Sacramento. having tnnneled in fifteen
places, aggr-ga'ing 6 262 tert. and crawl
I'd up the Sierras nearly 100 feet grade to-
the mile The first passenger train
reached the summit Nov 30. 1867. The
company employed from 10000 to 49,
900 men and l. 800 teams in grading and
construction. and has in one instance
laid seven miles of track in a single day.
Although the U. p. was chartered TO
build to- the California line, the act was
amended to permit the Central to- CON-
Iinue east until the Union was met. and
by extraordinary energy the Central has
been pushed forward To Promontory
Point. 500 miles east of San Francisco.
In the summer of 1866, eighteen
months after the commencement of the
Central work was begun by the u. p. at
Omaha, and up to June 1st, 1866, had
only extended TO Columbus. 91 miles.
By November il had reached the North
Platte, 30S miles. IL reached Cheyenne
at the base ot the mountains. in the fall
of 1S67-5l0 miles from OuHha-apd in
a
MANI 54S miles from Omaha, at an
altitude OF S242 feet. the highest point
between the two oceans. BY the 1st of
January. 1869. il was in Echo Canyon.
nearly 900 miles west of Omaha, and
on the 10Th OF May united with the Cen.
tral at Promontory Point. The distance
between Chicago and Omaha is 497
miles. Omaha and Sacramento 1.727;
Sacramento add San Francisco 124 miles
total 2 34S miles. The road between
San Francisco and Sacramento will be
completed In July 1869. The govern
ment land grants To- the roads was H.
800 per mile-nearly 16,OOOOOO acres IN
all AT the government estimate OF
value-S2 so per acre-this would be
$32 600 per mile. Hggregating about
$40 OnO 600 The bond subsidy
aggregates S52 976.000-a government
subsidy OF 500 .976. 900 from Omaha TO
Sacramento, and 1886 600 more from
Sacramento TO San Francisco-s total
OF 500 .352, ,000 From 90 600. TO $4,000
men, and from 5000 to 5000 teams have
been engaged for the last year, nearly
all of whom found their occupation sud
denly gone on last Monday, when the
golden spike was driven. Soon this ar
my OF laborers will have gone; the de"
bris will be gathered up; the Inner
rings" will have pocketed thirty or :orty
millions profits, on each road. (~hen
they fulfill the contracts); the towns
will settle down to- legitimate existence.
pursuits, prosperity or decline; trade
will begin TO flow through the new
channel, and the bene6cent influences
/ ot the great enterprise be radiated from
| Occident To Orient: mind in the mastery
\ of matter reap the sweet fruits of the
| brilliant victory. and all the world learn
| the great lesson of the Nineteenth Gems
tury, that nothing is impossible To the
/ irreprsssible Yankee with steam. green
backs. grit and lightning subject to his
| command.