The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-05-11
TEE PACIFIC RAILROAD.
It's Origin, History and Complete


It's Origin, History and Completion
From Advance sheets Of u nerU edition Of Rich
drtl5On's "BeyOnd the MiSStSSppt.'
Many fascinating volumes might be
written on early explorations across
our continent. The first and most re-
markable was lead by Cabeca de Vaca
a Spanish gentleman, with few com
panions, sole survivors of the eXped1
ton of Narvaez, which had come tC
Florida with five ships and 600 men
In the Fall of 1928, after all their com
rades had persisted, De Vaca and his
little party started westward from near
the mouth OF the Mississippi. They
encountered terrible hardships, being
often detained by hostile Indians, and
once suffering so from hunger that they
killed and ate one of their own num-
Der. They crossed what are now Lou
isiana, Texas, New-MeXico, and AriZo
ma, and finally, after eight gears of wan
wouded, and half dead, reached the
Pacific in Lower California. Their
wonderful story is found only in the
rare records of old voyagers; what new
Prescott, or Irving, or Motley Will re
tell 1t for us?
Two hundred and thirty years later,
Jonathan Carver of Connecticut, who,
taken part in all the wars by which
the Canadas fell into the possession oil
Great Britain, started westward from
Boston. He journeyed slowly, via AL
bany, Lake Michigan, and Green Bay
10 the "OuiscOnsin" River; and alter
ward to Western Minnesota or Dakota:
Unable to go further, he came back and
visited London, where he sought aid
from the British Government to prose-
cute his explorations through TO the
Pacific. But after long delay that was
denied, and even his papers, which the
authorities had taken, were not return
ed. From copies in his possession,
however, he published in London, i'll
ITS, an Interesting account OF his traVS
els, His preface is full of prophecy and
pathos. After urging the establish
ment of posts and settlements as likely
to "open communication between ID I'd
sons Bay and the Pacific" 1t contin-
ues:
"a settlement on the Pacific would not
only disclose new sources of trade and pro-
mole many useful discoveries, but would
open a passage for conveying intelligence TO
China and the English settlements in the
East Indies with greater expedition than Il
tedious voyage by the Cape OF Good Hope or
the straits OF NJ gelIan will allow OF.
That the completion OF the scheme nave
had the honor of first planning and attempt
Ing Will some time or other be ettecteu' l
make no doubt. Whenever 1t -,
propriety, those who are SO fortunate MS TO
succeed Will reap, exclusive OF the national
advantages that must ensue, enI0t""lentS DC.
yO1ld their most sGn9Uins expectations. Ana
while their spirits are clateu by their success,
perhaps they may beStO1r some commentator
OlLk to them The ICty. Mighty klnHuUms
will emerge from these WiIueTnesseS, and
stately palaces and solemn temples with
Rtideu spires supplaut the Indian hutS.
whose only dfcyrduonS are the DhrbaToUs
trophies of thelI vanquished enemies."
After Carver, came our Government
xpeditiUns-thOse of Pike and Long,
for whom two noble mountains in Col
orado are fifty named that OF Lewis
and Clark, elsewhere described i'll these
pages; that of Bonneville, in 1882, the
first that ever crossed TO the Pacific with
wagons; and those of Fremont, who
named Utah the "Great Busin," and
who did more than any other one man
to kindle interest in the western half OF
our continent, and to hasten its devel-
opment.
Who first suggested a Pacific Rail
wav? In 1878, Jonathan Carver fore
Swallowed it, and he of all men was
furthest ahead of the age in which he
lived. In 1885, the Bev. Samuel Park.
err, in his journal of an overland trip,
recorded his opinion that the noun
taius presented no iDsuperable obstacle
to railway. In 1885, Lewis Gaylord
Clark wrote in the htickcr6Oche7: 1.-The
reader is now living who will make a
railway trip across this vast continent.
In 1876, Asa Whitney began to urge his
project upon State Legislatures and
popular gatherings, and he continued
10 apitate the subject tor five years. He
PROPOSED to build u railway from the
Mississippi TO Puget Sound (Calltornla
was not yet settled by whites) If Con-
press would give him public lands TO
81 oil
line. Later experience has shown that
their proceeds would have been utterly
insufficient Yet Whitney failed not on
that account, but because he could ex-
cite no general interest in the subject.
In 1850 the first Pacific Railroad DILL
was introduced into Congress by stur-
DIV old Benton. 1t contemplated rail-
1Sav only Nwhere practicable" leaving
gaps in the impossible mountains to
be filled up by a wagon road. AS yet,
even the Alleghanies were not crossed
bv any unbroken railway, but by Sc
ries of inclined planes, upon which the
cars were drawn up and let down by
stationary engines. In 1854. by
direction of Congress, nine routes
were surveyed 10 the Pacific, on
various parallels, between the Brit
ish Possessions and Mexico. Among
the young officers in charge OF
these explorations were Mcclellan,
Pope, Saxton, Parke and Whipple.
Another, Lieut.. Gunnison, was muir
dered by the Indians while in the per.
formance of his duty. The surveys re-
suited in thirteen huge quarto volumes
of reports, which are now curiOsities OF
our historical literature. Being issued
at Government expense, they were pro-
fuselV illustrated with colored engTav-
ings OF flowers, plants, reptiles, fishes,
birds, mountain scenery, and other OBJ.
iects which had no ineligible bearing
upon the ease or difficulty OF building
a railway. Under the supervision or
jefferson Davis. then Secretary of War,
the results were summarized in the in
terest OF the extreme Southern line,
showing, with all the falseness OF
figures. that a road near the Gulf, along
the 32d parallel, would cost only haIt as
much as one further north, and that the
route upon which our present line runs
w0nId be impracticable, on account OF
heavy grades and deep SHOWS in the
Sierras. And even up to 1864 our Cana
dian neighbors did not believe that a
railway could be built south of the Brt.
tish possessions, unless 1t was carried
far down toward Mexico.
In 1859, Congress authorized the con-
strnction of three roads-a Northern, q
Southern, and a Central-and thus in
6icated our natural and inevitable
trans.continental system. They were
IN receive no money endowment, but
varv liberal land grants. But before
NV active steps could be taken to Dull0
them ali such enterprises were extin'
eufshed for the time by our great war
What Government had failed to do
however, the steady course of immigra'
ton was accomplishing. The Mormon
heeira from Illinois to Utah, the Mex
can war. the California gold discover
les, the Kansas troubles, and the InsI
IN Fike,s Peak, had all carried settle