Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-09-04
THE LAST SPIKE.
Completion OF the Northern Pacihc-Nil-
iard's Party not Prssent-The Last
Days Work.

In Camp at Gold Creek, Nj. Il. Aug, |
26.--The last spike has been driven in
the Northern Pacific railroad. An
other girdle across the continent has
been buckled up here to-day in the
heart Of the Ro ky Mountains.
Yesterday IL showed and rained, so
that all work stopped, and left time for
a reconnaissance Of the situation. 1t
had been intended by the contractors
to complete their work day after to-
morrow, and the general superstition
was that only the rails on the siding
would be Joined, leaving the gap on
the main line Enclosed until the ar
rival of Mr.. Wizards grand excursion,
with 1.-The golden spike" 1t was
found that the men laying the rails
were only nine and a quarter miles
apart. Ii became known also that
tie contractors had no official knowl-
edge of the golden spike and were
going ahead to finish their work with
out reference to the long-talked of
ceremony.
Last evening, therefore, the word
was given out that the grand culmi-
mating act of meeting the eastern ana
western ends of the Northern Pacific
would take place to-day. Messages
were passed along the line by the tele-
graph operators 80 that "a large number
of persons who were waiting at Helena
could come out.
a sLEEPLEss CAMP.
There was no sleep in this camp at
least last night. Busy preparations
were under way for the supreme effort
of to-day. The distance across the gap
had been accurately divided, and the
American flag fioated from the top
Of high. pole at the spot. The work
at the western end was in charge OF
Mr. Y. b. Winston, and his brother,
Mr.W o. Winston, was in command at
the east These brothers have laid
over !. 90 miles of the track west OF
Bismarck, and to them, rs well as to
the officers of tAe road, the territory OF
Montana and the country at large, the
day was an epoch in their lives.
The men became Infused with their
enthusiasm, and the excitement of IA
grand contest for the honor of reach
ing the the flag first took possession of
everything. There were one hundred
and eighty men at the western end,
and about fifty less ut the other. This
difference was made to effect the dis
tributiun of ties and rails ready carved.
The point of chief activity, therefore,
was with the party approaching.
THE FLAG FROM THE WrST.
Att O'Clock in the morning the air
was redoient with fumes of coffee, and
Chinese cooks went fitting about the
diping-cars of the construction train
by the light of lanterns. The nied
did not have To he called u second tiuie,
and, hastily swallowing their steatn-
log coffee and steak, were soon on the
track, sledgc and batan in hand.
Everything moved like clockwork,
although there was an eager appear
ance of haste. Not man spoke ex-
cept the foreman. Ties were put la
place. rails snatched from the trucks
that rolled up with them, and then
began the ringing chorus OF sledges
that woke the mountains In the gray
dawn. Now the wagons dashed up
ana dist ibuted ties ahead of the men,
and the rattle and clang went on for
nearly two hours, when the sun,
bright and smiling, looked over the
tops of the Rockies upon the strange
scene. A mile aud half had the
track moved eastward before he was
up.
A courier arrived from the eastern
division to announce that the men
there were lust going To work, With
a shout of enthusiasm that was h,li
suppressed in breatbless hurry, the
men redoubled their efforts.
Although the moruing in the noun
tain air was chilly, the men were reek
ing with perspirntion like puddlers al
n Jorge. BY nine o'clock they had
done days work, hut they were not
tired. The great flag in the distance
seemed to beckon them OH. 1t waved
calmy now in plain view mt Indepen
deIce Greek.
Although the announcement of the
tardy start GA the eastern division had
given courage To the other side, still
the former had advantages that mad,
the contest doubtful. The ties for the
western end were three aud II hal
mites away. To meet this drawback
seventy-iive teams had to be pressed
into service, aud the drivers were or
dered to spare nothing. They
RUSHED Ar BREAk NECK SPEED
up the valley, crossing the stream
anywhere to reach the grade ahead o
the trackmen who could not stop L
allow them 10 30 down the beateI
road. In desperate haste they move'
on To ten O'clock without "A moments
rest; to elcven O'Clock without paus
ard high noon foupd them breuthles
aud sweiteriug, both man aud beast
but without thought OF delay. Their
was no thought OF dinner. They f.,
upon the grand Inspiration OF til
event. The headwaters of the grea
valley was this day 10 hc welded +
the Pacific by enduring bonds q
steel. The armed hosts of Alexander
Caesar or Napoleon neverdid 30 might
n work as this. The rat tat, clinl
clink, of these'sledgcs rang out che
rus of triumph over defiant furtresse
that had stood siRee time began.
At o'clock the approaching partio
came in sight of each other, but til
workmen on the east end eNidentl
met with some unexpected olsstacl,
1t was reported by messenger that
trestlc across the Hellgate had beel
forgot, a. The horses drawing up tn
flat cars loaded with iron could no
cross. The men had TO be called from
the work OF laying ties topush the ear
ovei. This oversight lost the dag L
the party on the east.
People from Helena. Deer lodge an,
the ranches began to arrive To witRe.
the elimination OF the event SO vita
to Montana The cr0Md, swelied {.
about | 30, watched in silence
THE ToIIERs oN THE TRACK.
Among others were the Hon. Mar
ain Maginnis. delegate To congrrs
from tn. territory; General Adna An
desson. engineer-in-chief of the road
Judge George II. Sage, of the southern
district of Ohio, AMI his wife oh,
daughter OF the late Hon. Tom Cor