Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1869-05-11
THE RAILROAD.

IHS SIllhG HAS Wv saNo -
hour the roar of %canuons, the clang of
bells from one end Of the continent to
another, proclaim that the mightiest
work ever undertaken in our land is to-
duy COMPLETED. Portland, Boston, New
York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Chicago
| and Cincinnati are linked to-day with
the Golden Coast. \ Gordon of iron
stretches from the shore Of the stormy
Atlantic to the banks of the Sacramento,
40 near the western ocean that the spot
is famed by the winds which waiteu
through the gate OF gold make the ave-
ming and morning breeze OF the Pacihc.
No other such majestic work was ever
before accomplished by humble work
ers. The Mississippi has been bridged,
the prairies Of the vast central valley
psyed, the stony nights OF the Black
HiIls and Rocky Mountains BUNDLED,
the Great Basin crossed, the S%ierras,
with all their ramparts Of ice and ada
maut overcome, and trade has ionnd n
new channel and commerce a new high
way. The weary wilderness which
stretches waste and terrible from the
| Platte TO the Sacramento, and which 10
wears aco to cross was the work Of a
| season, and which from end TO end Is
pnyed with the bones of faithful beasts,
and made sorrowful with the graves of
over wearied men is nov but n pleasure
excursion, a bridal tour Of n week. The
labors OF antiquity, some of them were
rs vast as this, but how different the
motives which actuated the builders,
how im~measurably different the results
obtained. To please no idle fancy, to
crafty no eifeminate desires, to display
no regal power was this work performed.
But by the opening of this th~oroughfare
barbarism is driven fom the center to
the confines Of the Republic, millions of
acres are opened for homes, and q market
made accessible. A new channel Is
made for commerce, the commercial
centre Of the world is changed by this
great transition. Set the sails Of q
ship in the seas Of China, and by q
single tack in mid ocean the winds of
Heaven will wait the ship almost into
the harbor of San Francisco. or course,
then, the lighter and c~ostlier articles of
trade, the treasure and passengers Of
the East will seek this quicker, heal
thier and pleasanter route. This will
make of San Francisco u New York, Of
New York a Loadon, Of London n tri-
butary to New York, not at once, Of
course, but certainly after a while.
Aud pleasant in the hearts of men to-
day should be the names Of the men
who projected and carried TO successful
completion this mighty enterprise. The
names of Stanford, Crocker, Hopkins,
Huntington, and Marsh, Judah, Miller
and the rost should DO kindly men
toned. It is useless to say the Govern
meut bountics built the road. II was
these men, who through the gloom and
darkness which encompassed tho sky Of
our country in 1861, could by the eyes
of sublime faith pierce the gloom aud
see lighter skies beyond, could believe
that the storm would, after n while,
break away, that peace would once
more make our land her home, that the
future would behold ours again a free
and prosperous nation who believed
this railroad would be A bond of union,
unite long separated lives and drawing
closer the bonds Of States, and so be-
lieving flung their private fortunes into
the scales and commenced the work.
Aud one more grea: lever which helped
to start this mighty work must not be
overlooked, the press of the country,
especially the press of Sacramento.
Uutiring was its labors, glorious its re-
suits. To-day they cxult in the Queen
City OF California: next to the heartiest
toast should be the press of that city.
Another few need mention on this day,
Congressman Sargent, Senator Nc
Dougall of California, Schuyler Colfnx
and President Lincoln, Wilson Of Massa.
: chusetts, and the other who organized
and carried through the Government
the preliminaries Of the great work.
Nor must we overlook the difficulties
the projectors OF the road fought
through. To pass by the days Of trial
which for three years after its COM
m]cncement kept it from progressing far
out of sight Of Sacramento, until funds
were raised and m army larger than
that with which Alexander commenced
the conquest of the world, was put in
array and the siege of the Sierras was
| COIlIltUCcu. INV Nu W ~ hNNAh 80"
attack when far removed from its Uase,
this company commenced the work in
hand. Al the time the ~foundrics Of the
nation were crowded with orders, the
great republic was just then marshaling
her heroes for q struggle, not for VIC
tory but for life, aid the demand for
iron for ships and guns, for rails and
rolling stock for railways was Unsuitable.
While Government encouraged this work
she was herself the great competitor
the company found in their way when
they sought 10 purchase material for
the road. Then two oceans had to be
crossed, Cape Horn rounded, and pirate
ships avoided by every vessel bringing
material which was to pave with iron
half Il continent. Then lihorsrs were
scarce in California, then wages high.
Then the money necessary to put this
work in operation was We
2ass these features by, they ARE already
history. and to-day we only wish to cell
citrate. We know Mt last obstacles and
opposition were put aside, ships began
to arrive with material, and those ships
were jostled in the Golden Gate by the
swell raised by other ships from the far
of Orient loaded with dusky laborers
for the road. Fouudrics and rolling
mills in half a dozen States were put in
blast to stop the cry for iron and for
cars the advance guard, the skirmish-
ers tha, had previously been thrown out
upon the mountains were steadily rein
forced until at length the grand specta.
Gle was beheid of an army Of 1000 10.
borers attacking in solid column the
grim Sierras, (of course we refer to this
end Of the line, the work on the other
was equally great,) Then commenced
q struggle which lasted for years, a
struggle of inspired science and patient
labor, against the forces Of nature,
against mountain, %ravire, solid rock,
pitiless, binding storms, and over
whelming %avalanches, this battle was
waged. Pick and shovel, CAD and drill,
hydraulic power, powder and nitro.gly-
e~eriue, all the agencies which science
could bring to bear were brought, and
yet not until the summer of 1868 were
the ravincs ~bridged, the granite portals
Of the hills cleft through or overcome,
and this grand army allowed to deploy