Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1869-06-19
The London Press on the Pacific
Railway.

ne LoAuOu ETeSS Oh IIe E2cluc
Railway.
The Times Of May 10 says: A tele-
gram from our American correspon-
dent has informed the world that last
Saturday witnessed the actual com
pietion of one of the most marvellous
undertakings of modern times. The
people of the United States have now
carried railway across the entire
breadth of their continent, from the
Atlantic coast to the Pacific The
rapidity with which this gigantic
work has been exc cuted amazes even
the Americans themselves. and we
are told, indeed, that railway rivalry
has had its share i'll bringing the
achievements so rapidly To pass
But, whatever the motives at work,
the result is equally wonderful. II
we inquire into the probable result
of this wonderful achievement, We
shall be led into many curious spec
ulations. The effects, indeed. will
be felt throughout the whole Union.
California, a. our readers know, is Il
State Of exceptional character and
Importance. 1t il q gold-bearing
State-the country which supplies
the Americans with the precious
metal. Gen. Grant, in his inaugural
''strong box''-the safe in which
those treasures were boarded which
would one day enable the Union To
pay off its public debt, and he spoke
of the opening of this Pacific Rail
way as an event tending to accelerate
the cOnsummation in view. Then,
4 cannot be doubted that the Pacific
states Will receive an impulse from
the new line, and he rapidly devel-
oped in political as well as CONNER
cial Importance. All the terrific
ry, too, now traveTsed will be
brought more within the reach and
under the dominion of man new
settlements will he facilitated, and
new states more quickly formed. At
the same time the Indians will be
more severely pushed, and the Nor
mons Will he brought into a contact
with their fellow citizens which may
not impossibly end in 4 collision.
Probably nothing but the remote
ness and isolation of their settlement
has hitherto preserved them and
their institutions from interference,
and now that isolation * lost. IN
whatever, we regard the work, we
must recognize it not only as monu-
ment OF national enterprise, but
as proof of public wisdom. All
that the Government has spent in
subventions was we'll bestoyed. 1t
was worth many vote of money
and many grant of land to connect
by an easy internal communication
the two great sections OF the republic,
and to bring territories as large as
those of all the settled States t0geth-
er within reach of the Government
and the people. If the present year
should also witness the completion
of the SHez canal, it will indeed be a
singular coincidence, but even the
cutting of the IsthmuS is a less won
derful exploit than this Pacific Rail
roau. NJ. de LesSeps viii deserve in
finite credit for his perseverance and
success, but the American engineers
who bridged with iron rails a desert
as broad as the Atlantic at the rate
of six miles i day, may certainly ad-
vance their own claims to the sur
prise and admiration of mankind.
The Daily News of May II says:
The engineering triumphs of the first
half of the nineteenth century seem
to have been but small compared
with those which the second half of
the century bids fair to accomplish.
The completion of the Union Pacific
Railroad may be said 10 have alrea-
dy given the crown and finish To the
great material works which have
characterized the age. This railway
IL the longest in the world. II COM
pleteS an unbroken line of rail which
begins on the shores of the Atlantic
and ends on the Pacific coast. It
bridges over some of the largest riy-
ers in the world, crosses the widest
desert or the most frightful and eX-
tensive wilderness which has ever
vet been explored by man, and
climbs over the double mountain
chain of the widest portion OF the
American continent. Yet no great
engineering work was ever accom-
plished with less demons tration or
more enterprise. 1t i almost aston
ishing how little we have heard of il
in England. Even in the United
States the work was scarcely appFe-
ciated at its full value till lately. All
other railroads Tsn through laudS
which are at least somewhat -u bdued.
They have towns and cities on their
route; farms, or villages, or rolling
/ prairieS fill up the intervals and a
{ friendly population regard the pro-
greSs OF ti.e work with interest and
approval. The Pacific railroad has
none of these things in its favor. Ii
was a road into the wilderness. Itleft
I civilization behind it from its very
starting point, and every mile ofrail
which was laid led only further away
/ into inhospitable deserts or trackiess
plains.