The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1869-06-10
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The Chicago correspondent of the
New York 4sf6itae, ia ID lstteF dated
the oath of May, furnishes the follow
ing: I, - =
The great halls and parlors of this
crowded hotel care Continental ex-
change. Here are trunks and yalises
piled up like cord-wood, and variously
labeled .'San Francisco" "Snlt Lake,
.sNew York" and "Bangor." Here in
the evening every chair and sofa Ia filed,
and arm in arm through the long pas.
sages throngs Of men go and come in our
eager national way, smoking and talk
ing! Talking of all things under the
Heavens, but every man of them, sooner
or later, touching upon the theme of the
hour. "Going through, eh? I wish I
was going with you." "Only five days
and a, half, they say, to San Francisco
big thing, isn't itP" "What sort OF :
road is it. anyhow" Don't you
Dodge tells me that the Omaha Office
alone took $4,000 from passengers YES
terday." "How do you suppose it'll eff
feet Chioago?" Such are the fragments
we hear hour after hour.
Meanwhile, one of the most marked,
original characters of oil this throng is
one of the quietest and least noticeable.
There he sits, chatting carelessly in low
tones, rather tall man, in middle life,
his hair and whiskers beginning to show
| streaks of grey, and his worn, mild,
thoughtful face shaded by the limp brim
of low crowned hat. It is Thomas C.
Durant, manager and builder of the
Union Pacific Railroad. In the Central
Pacific Company-covering the Califor-
MIA end of the line-three officers, Stan
ford, Crocker and Huntington, have
shared the responsibility and work; in
the Union Pacific, Durant had energetic,
persevcring associates, but he has been
the motive power-has borne the brunt
of everything.
He was born among the Berkshire hills
OF Massachusetts. He studied medicine
and graduated at Albany, and tried to
| content himself as practioing physi-
oian, but with no other vent than feeling
pulses and writing prescriptions, his in
born, restless energy would have left him
no peace. He became the head of
heavy firm for transporting freight from
New York to the West. It often carried
supplies for new railway companies, tax
ing their securities in payment. Negotia-
ting these bonds familiarized him with
the stock market. Then he got to build
ing roads for himself, taking enormous
contracts, pushing forward the work and
selling the bonds-making fast friends
and bitter cnemies-and becoming wide
ly known as contractor and operator.
In the early doubtful years of the war,
he went into the Union Pacific Company.
His first step was to spend several
months in inducing Congress to change
the law, and make the Government lien
only second mortgage upon the road,
that the company might issue its own
| bonds as first mortgage. Even after
this was done his Eastern associates
lacked faith in the enterprise. But his
whole soul was thrown into it; and he
furnished from his private means large
portion of the first resources. He be.
lieved in the nation, in the West, in q
Pacific railway. "The fact was. he ex-
plains, when asked about it, 81 had
built roads before over the prairies in
advance of settlements, aud knew how
they bring population and make busi-
ness from the very outset"
1t was hard study. Even after the
money was raised, labor could hardly be
found. ''The boys" were all in the war.
But men were gathered up, in Canada,
In New England, in Pennsylvania, and
sent forward ], 800 miles at the compa-
ny's expense. And the number kept in
creasing. till at one time 1S, 600 laborers
were employed.
After two or three hundred miles were
finished, Dnrants associates began to
see that there were great profits, both in
the construction and in the traffic.
Fierce struggles arose in the cor,pnny-
regular Wilderness battles, all of which
he saw and part of which he was There
were men who declared his recklessness
and extravaganza would ruin everything
that he was unfit to manage II ward
corporation-but never heard of one,
who, after conflict with him, dispa-
ragged his ability.
Things were upon grand scale.
Enormous excursions were sent out on n
grand scale from the East, over the line
IN palace cars, with sumptuous regard
lessness of expense. The Offices of the
company were among the most elegant
in New York. Brussels carpets and
black walnut and marble counters. in
the rooms of the managers, rare statnary
and choice paintings surprised the eyes
of visitors DIR. Durant's horses were
the envy OF Central Park, and his yacht
was the Animation of the New York