, 1874-12-25
sonlo ambiguity In tho Executive ordor OF tho
III, Of November, 1a63 a,,. Ia clear that up.
tho Ircpidnnt iHnloa tho following;

iGs iGs 1 '0sn av ''poNS Nove9er 10 add ta. .sa on
livsrci 10 o vice.ireai sht cf tl,u 1nioi paco t
ern bon,lary Of ilo State Of Iowa from which lilo
Company a6oull construct tlulr branch road to tlo
@ @ asfS % , IF "s, II tno nS H r. d1ssred a to 10
on'inny l",a relre*antol to nc that upon nctal eur
rsys " ssrsa ss If S"sS assor t ns
cralt located tllosano na dcscrilc1 n to accompany
n 'ssfi s s Il IL II a orep II @s r
aat a'!, snasnMcl that order IN not Of record in
pny Of H. Executive nepaTe's ord tho Company
sano IL b. aiel III ths department d tho inierior l
EXECUTIVE MAssroN, March 0, 1901.
Tile order rofeyrod to n tho communication Of
lilo Preaident to tho Sonnio. mud lncIoBed With It,
III in tho following languago:
In pursuance Of to provisions Of Soc. II of tic act
of rasoal a,l!l telegraph lilo from, tbs Missouri
lkgvor to tho 1actfle Ocean, md tU to tho Guv-
s se Of e so tgr ,%ry s
o rresiaclt Il tic TITLED stses 10 f s So 'o'i poit u
tho western boundary of tho State Of Town from which
tue union Pacific lttllr,ad C0mmny In, by aal Hee-
ton, authorized and required to construct single linp
Of railroad anl telegraph upon tho most direct
Of Ao ifssien ot to une ates 80 az to fr9FI forp1
connection "tl tho lfnrH Of said Company at so'no
point o tho lcoth ,nerdian ot longtndc ii said
United States. do ui'on tho application Of said Uonl-
pay. designate ami cHtntlsh sncll above frat po!ut o
opposite to the east line Of se:. l0 in Township 16
North, Of l!nnso - 1aat Of tbs Sixth Principal Ma-
DUuo at tho City Of Washington thia 7th tlay Of
Marcll, III tho ycar Of our Lord 1864.
Tho Missouri River tllon Ms now, by Inv was
nayigablo stream, and, except by express net OF
Congress- could not 10 croHscd by my bridge or
bridges. The act Of July !, 1862 gave tho Com
nally no authority to bridge this stream and OBJ
alruct navigation pro tanto. When tho prcel-
dent's Inst order WIS made, tho Union racilc
Company had commenced the construction Of
their roau from tho woBt bn,,k Of tho river. At
tho time, tho oast bunk of tho riyor at this
point was reached BY the boats Of ferry conl-
pany III existence for years before. Az the work
westward on thu Union paciilo progressed, 1t TO-
came oVideut that tic Iowa roadB, oaol ns thor
t!1cir common terminus in Council Bluffs. Aware
that connection coulf only be nude satisfactorily
with thoHo roads by tho bridging Of llo river be-
tween Council Bluffs md Oma!a tho Union Pm
ciiic Railroad company procured for this purpose
July 2. 1864, which, III tho ninth section thereof,
atntos that, "To enable any ono of snid corpora
tions Il. c., Pacific lailroad Companics] to make
convenient and necessary connection with other
roaIs, it is hereby authorized to oatab-
ries upon and across tic Missouri River
a1ld NIL other rivers which ita road
may pass in fts course and authority is hereby
given eald corporation 70 construct bridges ovor
said Missouri hssor and al othor rivers, for the
convenience OF said road,' etc.. This is tho first
authority wo hnve tor tho bridging OF tho Mis-
Houri River by tho Union Pacific Narond Com
paty. This authority remained OH tho statute
hooks OF tho United States ltnoxarci.cd during
The building OF the rond to its Junction with tho
CclLral IaclHc, Ill Jh!iot 156J, When
tho last sEpko :, was, driven. Tho Iowa
roads had al then: reached their
Western terlllnl III Council Blulls. Tho cor
poralo existence anu functions Of tho Union
i'nc'llc lsallroaa Company wore comprised. up to
tillt time, is. l869,-in roferonco to their
authority to maintain and operate their road and
telegraph lino, only III these two acts OF Con-
gress,--that Of July l. 1SG3 and tllat of July g
ls64. There MI, Ho'no collateral legislation i'll
tllo Monntlme. which postponed tho iirst lien OF
Tie United statos, but did not in any way
either cursail or cnlargu the powers md
duties Of the Company in relation to tho public.
-Four trunk lines from tho Weat aud South
having, in tue summer Of 1850, convcrgcu ut a
Eotnt On tho wo"erl, bank OF the Missouri Riyer