Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-05-20

was a hazardous undertaking. Near
Fort Wallace, one day in June, coach
which carried five passengers. one sol
dier and driver, had running fight
for five miles with hundred mounted
Sioux and Cheyennes. The travellers
made the best resistance they could
with their rifles, and kept the saya2es,
at little distance, while the driver put
his horses to their almost speed. Every
man en- board, except enc, was killed or
seriously wounded. An old frontier
friend Of mine, Charles r.. Blake, hap
PLY escaped with . broken arm and a
wound in the head. At last the vehicle,
with its bleeding and dying inmates,
reached the shelter of Big Timbers sta
ton, and the savages sullenly retired
without having taken single scalp
The fight was probably one of the last,
aud certainly one of the most remark
able in the history of the plains The
Union Pacific road found for the first
500 miles west from Omaha the easiest
route every followed; the Central Pa
cific, for I30 miles east from Sacramento.
one of the hardest. Before receiving
any government bonds the latter COM
psny must build and equip forty miles,
which would carry tho track far up the
Sierras, and cost s., ,000, 600. Money was
worth two per cent, a month in Califor-
MIA. The corporatOrs put in their en-
tire fortunes, aud obtained help both
from San Francisco and the State, but
all was only drop in the bucket. To
surmount the range would cost millions
upon millions more, and it seemed i'm
possible to obtain the money either in
United States or in Europe, for a line
that was to become one of the worlds
main arteries. "t
Huntington, the Vice President and
Financial Manager, was in New York,
vainly endeavoring to procure the ne
cessary rolling stock and material In
casting about for help, he encountered
Fisk & Hatch, dealers in Government
securities, who had done much to sus-
tain the national credit during the dark
est days of the war. "Yeung men for
action" While older capitalists were
shaking their heads, these young bank
the company with whatever money was
needed, and as fast as it was needed
The amount proved to be from S., ,OO0, 900
to $40, ,000, 900 per year; but they fulfilled
their agreement. They went into the
work in. earnest, laboring with heavy
capitalists in person, investing their
own money in the company's bonds,
which they put ON the same basis with
these of the Government, and calling
to their aid Richard T. Colburn, an able
and experienced journalist, whe, with
great skill and energy, sent forth upen
upon the wings of the press fact after
fact showing the greatness of the work
and the value and safety Of the security.
At first money came in slowly, but it
soon accumulated like = rolling snow
ball. The bonds were rapidly advanced
in price to keep them from selling fast
er than funds were needed, and finally
= party of European capitalists sub
scribed at one transaction $4,000, 900 or
SIS ,000, 900 worth on condition that the
loan should be closed on the part of the
company. After reaching the summit
Of the Sierras, the company rushed for
ward with wonderful vigor.
There was no connecting roads from
which to borrow rolling stock and all
their iron, Locomotives and other ms
terial had to be shipped Is 900 miles
around the Horn; yet, under these dis
they built: