The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1881-10-12
One Railroads Growth.
THE WONDERFUL OPERATIONS
OF THE UNION PACIFIC.
1t now Owns More Miles Of Road than
Any Other Corporation in
the World.

my Oinci Soipoiatioh III
the World.
tFrom the Denver Times, September ~
Building railroads to-day is child's
play when compared with what we
had to contend with in the esrly days."
said a gentleman who probably knows
more about western railroading than
any other man in the country. to a Times
reporter a few days ago.
'Wby," he continued, 81 remember
when railroad ties were brought all the
way from Pennsylvania for use on the
main line of the Union Pacific railroad.
The freight was SC high that the cost
Of each tie was about two dollars and a
half. That was in 1867. That was the
dawn of a new era in railroading in
America. The scheme was thought al
most too gigantic to be plausible. At
that timether was no lineto theMissouri
river. The first raiI;of the main line Of the
Union Pacific was laid in July, 1856,
and locomotives were steaming into
Odgen, 1882 miles away, in April, four
years later. / don't think there is a
railroad in the world that can boast Of
having had its work done by 80 high-
toned laborers. l don't mean the China
men who were first employed, but the
doctors, lawyers, and vel newspaper
men," the gentleman added with a
laugh, ''who were only too happy to
earn enough to buy bread for the time
being and save up enough money to
take them back home. Ny object is to
show how this road, which fought its
way against all sorts of obstacles. has
~prospered until to-day it owns more miles
of road than any other corporation in the
world. There are one or two companies
that lease and thus control more miles
OF rails, but there is not n that owns
80 much. / will come to the figures
later-after 1 have told you Of the great
est feat in the history Of ~railroading. 1t
was in 1869. All but ten miles Of the
road-between Ogden and Promontory,
Utah, was completed.
One of the contractors, in talking
with Mr.. Thomas Durant, one of the
projectors and builders OF the road,
made the remark that the remaining
ten miles of rail could be laid in a day
il the force of men were pushed to it.
Mr.. Durant laughed. st can't be
DONE" he said, shaking his head.
"But l think it can," repeated the
contractor in a manner SO assured that
MIR. Durant put him to the test by say
ing:
''I'll wager ten thousand dollars-a
thousand for every mile-that you
can't do it."
Now, mind you, great feats in rail-
road building had never been heard of
at that time, and Mr.. Dutant thought
1t almost an imposition to allow the
contractor to accept the wager. But
the latter did SO, and the next day set
his men at work in earnest to win the
bet, and they did it with a half a mile
to spare. 1 forget how many men were
employed, but the like has never been
heard of since in any country. After
building the main line from Omaha to
Ogden, a distance of 1902 miles, the
Union Pacific waited for awhile-in-
deed, that was all the company owned
three years ago. Then it began build
ing and buying roads right and left,
until to-day it owns nearly four thou
sand miles Of rail, and by virtue Of its
care in selecting routes-and its all but
perfect management-every mile brings
it cash return at the end Of the year.
The Times man visited the Union
Pacific offices and there learned that
the exact number of miles owned and
operated by the road is 3,735, and that
by the end of the year $50 miles more
will have been added to the number.
The immense number of miles Of road
is divided up into branches and divis-
ions as follows:
Miles.
Main line Union Pacific II. ..............l 1896
Omaha & Republican Valley division .-..- lS2