The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1883-09-19
THE LAST LINK.


Formal Completion Of the Northern pa-
ciGc Raiiway-Tho Golden Spike Driven
by President Yillard-The blow Hoard In
New YorIz-A Noted Assemblnge Present.
HELENA, NJ. r.. Sept 10.
The Willard excursionists left here short y
after seven o'clock Saturday morning and
reached the scene Of the ceremonies Of tho
day, a point a few miles west of the Mullfn
Tunnel, on the western slope OF the me- n
divide Of the Rocky Mountains, at $3.50 a.
IN. At 5:15 p. M, after short prayer, the
last rail Of the Northern Pacific Railroad
was laid and the last spIlle-a golden one
was driven home by Mr. Willard with q
silver sledge-hammer, making the iron high
way complete and ready Tor travel from
Duluth to Tacoma, a distance of a little
more than 1850 miles. There are also GA
miles of branches mostly completed, giving
a grand total OF more than 2,654 miles OF
road
William NJ. Evarts delivered the address
of the occasion, i'm which he gave a history
of the road, which he said was dream Of
1888, when a merchant of New York City,
Asa Whitney, mace q proposition to Con-
gress TO build road from the great lakes To
the mouth of the Columbia River in con-
sideration of land grant of sixty miles i'm
width along the entire route but whose plan
failed to win Congressional favor A charter
for the road was again sought in 1862,
but the effort resulted i'm failure.
Josiah Perhan, a New England mer-
chant secured q charter i'm 1864, but failed
TO obtain capital to build the road, i'm great
measure because of a clause inserted in the
charter by himself forbdding the company
TO mortgage the road or lands, or to issue
bonds. In December, 1865, Perham sold
the charter to some New England capital
lists for barely enough to pay his debts, and
died three years later, before the first spade
full of earth had been turned on the pro-
posed road. The President of the new
company was Ex-Governor Smith, OF Yer
mont No progress toward actual con-
stWctiou was made, however, until
Jay Cooke assumed financial d-
rCctOn. Mr. Evarts then reviewed
the financial ups and downs Of the company
when work on the road was begun at
Thompson's junction, twenty-tmee miles
west of Duluth. to 1881, when Mr. Willard
obtained control, closing with a peloratiuu
strongly eulOgistc OF the ability, zeal and
energy Of Mr. Willard, and the officials who
have co-Operated with him in bringing the
road to a successful completion Speeches
were made by several other prominent gem
tlemcn.
At the close of the ceremonies number
Of the guests returned eastward, willie 9TH
crs went over the road to Puget Sound, and
will return home toward the close Of the
month.
ST. PAUL, Mimi, Sept 10.
The electric flash which passed over the
telegraph wire, announcing the driving Of
the last spike ON the Northern Pacific, passed
through this city at 6:15 o'clock Saturday
night and was celebrated by the firing of a
salute and the ringing Of all the fire bells in
this city.
NEW YORK, Sept 10.
The last rail laid Saturday on the North
cm Pacific Railroad was attached to a
Western Union wire running into the branch
Office at Broad street, and while President
Willard was driving the golden spike the
blows of his silver sledge hammer were re-
peated in this city on the telegraph instru-
ment General officers of theroad gathered
around the instrument listening to the
strokes that told Of the completion of a
grcof national bfo1,,,-,,.