Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-02-05

The Union Pacific Railroad is finished for more
than ne Thousand miles beyond Omaha. The
valley Of Great Salt Lake has been reached. and
but two hundred and fifty miles Of the entire
line from the Missouri to the Pacific remain un-
built. In comparison with what has been &C
comp,ishei, this gap Is but a small matter,vlich
the army Of skilled laborers employed upon the
work viii speedily fill up with continuous
track; and with the early days of the coming
summer announcements viii be made of ''through
trains from New York to san Francisco
What has been the business success Of the road
thus built with rapidity unparalleled. and ex-
tending, as this does through territories unsettled
before the pioneership Of the locomotive? The
official figures tell the story. The earnings for
the year 1865, upon an average distance in op-
Grafton Of less than 700 miles. were more than
FIVE million dollars, those Of the second half Of
the year exceeding the first six months by $780,
6l2ol. This remarkable traffic win be best ap-
preciatei by those most c0nyersant with railroad
progress and profits during the earlier years Of
their operation.
What amount Of future business can he pre-
dcted for the Union Pacific This question can
not be easily answered simply because the actu-
the most sanguine of its friends dare now assert.
Consider the vast, almost illimitable. capacities
Of the country trayersed by the road, for popu-
lation, manufactures and mercantile business.
The line from Omaha 10 San Francisco is eigh-
teen hundred miles long. Every mile Of this
distance has resources as yet undeyeloped, which
viii afford room and employment for populous
communities. The lands of Nebraska are unsur-
passed by any in the country for luxuriant
crops; the prairies Of the western part cf that
State, and the plains Of Wyoming afford pastur-
age for countless herds; the Black Hills are rich
in coal and iron, which viii give employment to
many thousands OF mech lnics; the mining re-
gions Of Nevada, Idaho. Montana and Oregon,
will find tn If quickest an most profitable route
for transportation over the Union Pacific; and
added % all the local trav Il and freight which
viii thus be assured to thi great line. will be
the trans-continental tnfi to and from the Pa
clhc coast. The internatio nal trade Of half the
world will load the throue b trains of the Union
Pacific
The amount of passeng er business alone viii
be enormous. 1t was pre- icted. in 1867, by one
who carefully considered his subject, that nifty
thousand persons per annum made Il 'e steamship
journey to and from California In 1868 facts
more than justified this prediction, Cor about
seventy thousand were carried by the / wo main
lines running from New York The verland
travel (ooth ways) should bring the 1 otal to
about one hundred thousand. Il is Ger tainly
within bounds to assume that with the CHI aper
and quicker transit afforded by the railroad, the
amount Of travel viii be doubled, and that bl l;
small portion viii take any other route than {. tat
over the Union Pacific Two hundred thousa Vi
through passengers, at an average cost of $40 = /
would give an income of so. 0O0. 900, of which /
about three-fifhs, or say $4,000. 600. would
properly belong to the Union Pacific Company.
exclusive Of the vast local passenger traffic which
will at least double every year for a generation
to come.
In whatever Light we view it, the Union Paci-
ic Railroad cannot fail to be magnificent sue
cess. 1t is not surprising that the First Mort
gage Bonds of this Company are so favorably
considered by fnanciers and business men gen
orally, as possessing very unusual advantages
IF security and profit. These Bonds are for
81 900 each, paying 6 per cent. gold interest,
and principal payable in thirty years in gold
Some interesting facts concerning the road and
It's bonds may be found in another column.