Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-05-12
THE IRoS BAND.

day on which the last spike was to be driver
in laying tbs Union Pacific railroad
| and tho telegraph announced the fact al
accomplished; but afterwards retrac'ed and
stated that il wasn't. There was hitch
3 | in the business which we leave the tele-
graphite explain for itself, not doubling
| that it can do ii. We yesterday employed
messenger of our own 10 look into the
facts, Puck, well known TO Shsksperian
readers, was sent on this important mis-
sion. He started at two O'Clock, Nashville
time, and two seconds after reported
TO us from Promontory Point, Utah, the
place where the last spike was to be driven.
He said there was animmsnse crowd from
San Francisco, along the road and from
our side. He lit upon the cross tie and
found it to be Of the Rocky Mountain FIR,
but said he was neither fur nor far, now,
though he was disposed to play fair. The
tie was plated With silver, not by Boston
jegelier. The last spike was Of gold,
genuine bullion, that had never known the
| perfection of alloy. Gov. Stamford, who
was to drive it, held in his hand hammer
of solid wrought silver. The people said
| this was emblematic of the wealth Of the
regions opened up by the road-Puek said
he thought it all meant the riches the rail-
road was going TO gather from the people,
of which that already made off the gov
erament was The prelude. I'VE told Puck,
when we wanted his opinions, we would ask
for them. He then said, in minute the
last, the golden spike would be driven. We
told him TO let it drive. M
Just at this time a carpet
bag reporter, representing the New Or
leans Republican, educated in the Office of the
New York Herald, discharged for lack of
principle, and recommended BY the Tribune
for carpet, bag service in the South-this
thing struck for an erclusipe special. A cute
shadow from the Boston LiberatOr said,
mo, you don't" Then one fellow rose
and stated that he was New York, repre-
senting Eve papers, and FIVE hundred thou
sand millions of readers, and that he would
take charge of the entire business. An
other fellow, a wheeling specimen from
Philadelphia and Washington, who WAS
almost dead in the effort to straddle the
two places at once, interposed and declared
he represented the Press and would ChrOn-
iels the event. A double listed fellow from
Lacrosse said, 1.-THE hi you are, and
will" All the rest of the reporters called
out, "Go on with your spike-driving," and
let the road be completed Just as SIAM
ford raised his silver hammer and struck
the golden spike into the silver plated
eross-tie, couple of st. Louis
conspirators rushed forward, showed
the disputants aside, and took the report
and sent it throughout the West, while the
Eastern press lost at least two seconds in
having to go by New Orleans with the
news. This was their elsterprissl
At four minutes and fifteen seconds past
two o'clock, our time, Puck announced
"the work Is 6nished-I return" Inthres
seconds Puck was with us, describing the
whole sffAir-saying that Stamford hit the
spike sixteen licks-and all vent merrily
as marriage bell, as in truth it was, Of
certain sort. Puck also informed US that
there was the greatest possible rejoicing
throughout the North, in all the principal
cities and towns, displayed by the ringing
of bells, The firing Of guns, the drinking Of
liquor, and other extrayagsnt demonstra-
tons, not particularly Northern, Southern
or American. ... s.... ..
While this was going on in our sanctum
the slow coach" of the UNION AND
AMERICAN had sauntered down to the
Office of the Western Union Telegraph
Company tOhear the news. He found the
whole corps collected around the instru-
ment that was to repeat the raps that
Stamford. with the silver hammer, was 10
give the golden spike and the last in the
Pacific road. They were as follows
G. w. Trabue, Superintendent.
E. c. Boyle, Manager.
John B. Morris, Chief Operator.
Harmon Stewart, Operator,
John Lornegan,
J. NJ. Anderson,
Z. J. Wilson,
N. Gibson,
John McCarty,
J. NJ. Barker, J. T. Barker, H. 7. Fox,
Messengers.
And, by the Mass, Puck was not far
ahead of them-for they heard the fall
of the hammer through the instrument.
1t vas an event in their lives, as the great
feat marks an era in American history
and that of the world. A jocose person
not of the party, suggested that Saltzman /
invite the squad to his gallery and pic
ture the group, as they heard the strokes
of the hammer driving home the last
spike in the chef deuvre of railroad
enterprise. So the great Pacific Railroad
is finished.
THE above was prepared for yester-
days issue, and unavoidabiy crowded