New-York tribune., 1869-05-08
Total........6 sos miles

Upon the Sierras where snow sOmetims fall TO INC INC
depth of so feet % miles OF snOw-sheds protect tno
track Once or twice portions have 6eeh sWeP & W.
by avaanches causing few hours detentl0h put ~ ~
general they answer their purpose so wei tIat 10
miles more are to be added. OF the 500 miles pc
tween Omaha and Sacramento, not onG-!hIu s ie'iI
mountainous but more than two-thlrds were 30
counted, and received the higher G0VeTnmeht en-
dowment-$S2OO0, or $4,000 per mile. Much OF the
Central Pacific traveTseS flat country yet not ore
mile received less than $1,000: The Omon faelnc
obtained the highest milcage-Sis,0 ,0OO-f0T 100 hleS
west of Cheyenne, heavy mountain WORK. though
the region is really long, inc lined plane as hne
a country TO build q railway through rs lies on tho
face of the globe" Building and equipping the
entire line probably cost on an average f5oDCGG
per mile. The Government bonds issued
averaged $4,000 per mile, and the com
panies' first mortgage bonds sold for $4,000 more,
leaving net cash profit of seventeen millions of dol
lars upon the construction alone, in addition to inc
ownership OF the road and IFS magnificent land grant
Carver was right; the builders, exclusive OF the ma
tional advantages have indeed reaped emouments
beyond their most sanguine expectations. And they
have finished the road year carrier tnan lls most
enthusiastic friends expected. One OF It's carly re-
suits will be TO secure us two additional lincS-a
Northern and Southern. We need them to develop
vast mining and farming regions now lying ldle; 20
end, for ALL the Indian tronblesi ana 10 ehaeie
rs TO command that vast commerce OF the East lor
which all the nations arc STRIVING rehch COM
pany after working ten years and eXpendng hun,
dred millions ot dollars has completed sup Sana
across the Isthmus of Suez, shortening by thous-
ands of miles the old sea routes TO ASIA; the En-
peror of Russia is buIlding railway across Siberia
the borders OF emma. ana IslElhll capitalists
beginning from the Mediterranean, VIA tho Val
lev of the Euphntes the Persian coast Upper India,
and Southern China, to the Pacific. The foreign
commerce of China amOunts TO $yOOt1OOO per an
mum Hitherto, il has been chiefly IN British hands
The resident English merchants still ouinumbcr the
Americans but the latter are gaining steadily. and
arc much the more popular with the natives. CHINA
offers us lnitess field for the introduction OF rnil-
ways, steamers, telegraph lines machinery Yankee
notions and manufactured goods IN addition TO the
cnormons ,bipments Of wheat we arc already send
ing to her. India and Japan: too invite American
enterprise. ne A., "
York was TO Boston 80 years ago Gong 20 Calltor-
mia by our luxurious eating, sleeping and drawing
room cars is a wonder and delight rs contrastcd
with tie old tcdiousnoss Of plains and mountain or
ocean and isthmus travel Az noon IN New. lork u
is . A. M in San Francisco. The line across the con
tiuent is SO long that trains upon II are run by eight
or fen different times. Ultimately we shall have
donble set of hands upon all watchcs-one for local
time aud for general time-uh'iorm All over the
world. -