The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1869-05-18
LINKING OCEAN WITH OCEAN.
The Pacific II ailr0ad-A Review of TN,
Enterpriso from Ats Conception To IT.
CoanPletion-yVhas 1T viii Accomplish
1ar the Country.

/ SOm06pGAOA
ComPletion-Whas 1t Will Accomplish
1or tho Country.
The contamination OF the great engineering
work which now spans our continent. suggests
glance backward to review the progress OF
the age. Any man who had predicted fifty
years ago that by science, and the practical ap-
plication Of it, the Atlantic would be brought
n carer in this year to the Pacific than New
| York then was to Boston, would have exposed
himself to strong doubts Of his sanity. Yet
this seeming maniaeal fancy has been realized.
Deserts and mountains have in vain interposed.
The line across the continent is SO long that
trains upon it are run by eight or ten different
| times, and contemporary suggests that
ultimately we small have q double set Of ands
| upon all watches-one for local time, and
one for general time-uniform all over the
world" 4i 49,.
1t is said that Pacific road was toreshad-
owed, before the age Of railways, by Jonathan
Carver, in Its. In 1886, Rev. Samuel Parker
recorded his opinion in bis journal Of an over
land trip, that the mountains presented no
insnperable obstacle to railway. But the
Lewis Gaylord CLARK, who. in 1888, wrote in his
popular magazine, the Knickerb ecker !: Is The
reader is now living who will make o railway
trip across this vast continent" In 1640, Asa
|
Legislatures and popular gatherings, propos-
| ing to build O railway from the Mississippi to
Puget Sound tCalifornia was not yet settled by
lands to the width OF thirty miles along the
entire II q. In 1860, the first Pacific RAILROAD
bill was introduced into Congress by Thomas
H Benton. It contemplated . railway only
passable mountains TO be filed ap by o
wagon road. As yet. even the Aleghanies
we're not crossed BY any unbroken railway,
! which the aars were drawn up and let
down by stationary engines. In 1854 by
direction Of fConRress, nine routes were survey
ed TO the Pacific on various parallels. be wsen
Congress AUTHORIZED the construction of three
roads, Nortn ern, Southern and Central
and thas indicated orr natural and inevitable
trans-continental system. They were to re-
! ceive no money endowment, bnt very liberal
! land grants. But before any active steps we're
I taken to build them, all such enterprises were
e1ting@nlshed @ for the time by the late civil
! was. however. chartered by the California
Legislature in the midst OF the war, and as a
| continental railway began to be considered
tered by Congress- from the Mississippi to the
Pacific. One Of the greatest difficulties to be
apprehended on the Pacific road is snow, which,
upon the Sierras. sometimes falls to the depth
| OF thirty feet, and which caused last year
| considerable detention OF trans, although
twenty-five miles of what are called snow sheds
| are erected to protect the track. An early re-
suit, however of this line is expected TO be the
securing ofa Southern line, which will be re-
qured by the necessities Of trade and secure
| from the wintry obstructions to the present
route.
It has been remarked that opportunely with
OF the railway yesterday came news of the pro-
Safss IF @sa5sa RK tPe tohdon
and New York. BY the end Of the year, when
the line is expected to be completed, San Fran
Disco will send her news for China east and her
ships west, will transmit orders for teas and
silks tree-fourths OF the way around the globe
in q moment, and will receive the shipments
from an opposite direction in little over q
are gwen as follows: New York to Omaha,
| (point OF commencement Of the Union Pacific
Railroad,) 1479 miles; Omaha to Ogden, (point
| Of commencement OF tn Central Pacific Road,
| 1880 miles. with the addition of q branch to
| Salt Lake City, 40 miles; Ogden to Sacramento,
| 748 miles; Sacramento to San Francisco, 100
mi1es-making the whole distance from New
Yorkto San Francisco 1877 miles.
From the advanced sheets of q new edition
| of Richardson's Beyond the Missssippi,n we
| learn that "of the eighteen hundred miles be-
tween Omaha and Sacramento, not one-third ia
really mountainous. but more than !wo-thirds
| were so counted, and received the higher gov
| ernment endowment, So, Goo or $48 600 per
mile. Much OF the Central Pacific traverses a
ga Co., III, ii Union Pacific obtained the high
+ est meage; a., ,000, for one hundred and Afty
miles west Of Cheyenne, heavy mountain work,
though the region is really one long, inclined
| plane-sas fine o country to build railway
through as lies on the face Of the globe.'
Building and equipping the entire line proba-
bly, cost, on an average $4,000 per mile: The
mile, aud the oompany,s first mortgage bonds
of Sl7 600 edo upon the constsuction alone, III
e na as us s
glorious good thing the builders have had Of il
at the peoples expense. But many believe
that the profits are even much larger than here
represented. a IA sst;tfef !
The New York Journal OF Commerce takes
decidedly moderate view Of the probable suc4
| cess and advantages OF the Pacific Railroad.
That journal says. Tl .
Turning from the glare aud din Of this te,i
estimate OF what the Pacific Railroad will do
for this country and for the world.
TO begin with. We faust discard the extrava-
must must remember that the Paciao Railroad, IKE
every other scheme which has bonds TO sell,
has been heavily puffed, and continually pre-
aented 70 the public in the naost favorable light
A great many gentlemen have had powerful
interest In keeping this road before the people
as most desirable investment. II they have
dipped their pencils in rainbow colors In por-
| traying the attractions OF the line, they have
done no more than usage permits IN such cases.
But now that the object has been accomplish-
cd and the work done, no crittc can be accused
| or deafgn 70 usAdoEHHtO ehiS great national
/ exploit II he pgefers mot 70 adopt the superla4
tive enthusiAam az thosA who, for bmsinesS
gurRIsose%s, rIs s. have have dsl'gens'y written upon thss
The Pacrtic Railr I'D win be Of, great aalyan.
tage 90 California and all agricultural regtonS
on the Pacific. Many emigrants win 40 ont
there who now Eettle in Illinois, iowa, Kansas,
and other States. But we do not anticipate the
rush Of email tanners which some OF the San
FRANCISCO Journals expect TO zee. Tho cost os
getting to the Pacific coast will deter great
numbers o4-enigrsnts from making. the trip.
and they win atill halt in the States where they
have hitherto aSsAis ss; *%eal. aud where are YET
90 many broad acres yearninG TO receive them.
8tiil the population of California and Of Oregon
the brain and muscle OF the Old World and q
the Atlantic 6tAtas.s, For those regionn this ii
q day to be exulted over. The opening OF new