Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1869-05-14
The Last Rail Laid

The Last Rail Laid!
The driving of the last spike on the
Central Pacific Railroad took place on
Saturday last, May 9Th, at 10 A. NJ.
The event was duly celebrated by the
firing of cannon, ringing of bells, pro-
cessions, banners, and grand illumina-
tions in Sacramento and San Francisco.
The Union Pacific branch could not,
for some reason, complete their road
to the place of junction until Monday
last at IL M, when the great event
was witnessed. The following was
the telegraphic announcement:
PRoMoNroRY SUMMIT, Utah, May 10.
The last rail Is laid. The last spike is driven. The
Pacific Railroad is completed to the point of junction
east Of Sacramento. LELAND SANFORD,
gneD #aa supt. c. P. r. R.
The rapidity with which this gigan-
tic enterprise has been pushed to COM
pletion is unparalleled. The prelimi-
nary survey was ordered during Mr..
Buchanan's administration, by JEFF.
Davis, then Secretary Of War. In
speaking in favor Of building rail-
road from the Mississippi to the west
ern limit Of the territorial possessions
of the United States, across the CONT
nent within the limits of the United
States, from one to sea to another, that
parsonage said: at is not that /
"have any want of confidence in the
attachment of any American citizen
"to the Government of the United
States for I have an abiding conf
"dence in that attachment. I believe
it is not to be broken off, however
widely they may be separated from
"the Government" These brave
words were spoken twelve years ago,
and only four years afterwards
their author became the head of
great rebellion to destroy that very
Government in which he protested
such an "abiding confidence" short
time before. Notwithstanding the
treachery of Mr.. Davis, with his many
followers, the Government Of the Uni
ted States went on in its majesty
quelled the most gigantic rebellion the
world ever knew-and progressed with
improvements to an extent never be-
fore witnessed in any country.
In the midst of the war, in Septem-
Der, 1863, the Union Pacific Railroad
Company was organized. But little
progress was made for the, first three
years. AT the commencement of 1866
but forty miles had been built. Of
the progress since that time the Chica-
go Post says:
How rapidly it has progressed since has
been daily marvel, which the public has
not wearied in hearing. One thousand
eight hundred and forty-ive miles from
Omaha-a city chat came in the night,
" like the Jews Mordecai sitting at the
Kings gate" to startle Council Bluffs in
to looking out for an Eastern connection
on has the road ogressed-through the
rich Valley of the Platte--over the Alkali
Plains--over the summit of the Rocky
Mountains-by the great Salt Lake-lift.
ing its engines to the clouds on the tops
of the Sierra Nevada, at more than twice
the height of the Semmering Alp, the
crossing of which by rail is the wonder of
Europe-down beside the Sacramento to
the broad Pacifc-all in little more than
three years! Marvel of marvels, indeed
AS the last rail falls into its place on
Monday noon, the whole world will feel
the pleasant shock. The untold wealth of
gold and silver, and coal, and iron, and soil.
which this road will develop along its
route; the new States and cities that will
spring up on it; how it will put fleets of
commerce upon the Pacific hitherto un-
known to its waters; how it will make
China and the thousand islands of Japan
glow in new light from the East; how it
will draw to itself and quadruple the hun
dred thousand passengers who yearly cross
the Isthmus, and ihow it will force the
building Of the Niagara Canal, are all
themes which crowd to the point of our
pen, but which must be considered when
the exhiliration of the present thrilling
moment in the history Of the Pacific Rail-
way has let US down to the plane Of Stats
tics and logic In view of the grand event
OF Monday, we can only exclaim-and all
Chicago, we know win join us-gloria IN
ercelsis!
H The Philadelphia Press having
dared Mrs. Cady Stanton to tell her age,
that lady replies categorically: "Mrs.
Stanton was So the 18th day of last No