The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1883-09-12

great northwest TO the knowledge or
the part taken in this great
thoroughfare by Jay
Cook and his labors and sacrifices it's
interests and the early difficulties which
beset the building Of the road the
Whole eliminating in the removal of all
obstacles and the final triumph which
we had assembled to witness
Mr.. Willard was followed by Hon.
VIM. M. Evarts, the orator of the day,
whose address, though very interesting,
is entirely too long to be embodied in
this report, being complete review OF
the history of the road as we'll as Of its
financial condition.
Secretary Teller was the next speaker,
and his remarks We're in substance
lican administration and majority in
congress for the voting of liberal grants
of land to this corporation. Although
many had words of blame for this ac-
tion there are those who would posi-
lively consider it blessing had the
amount been ten times as great.
Ex-President Billings then spoke. He
also renewed the history of the enter
prise and invoked the blessing of God,
"from whom all blessings floW.u
The British Minister, Hon. Lionel
Sackville West. was then introduced,
and remarked that Sir James Harmon
would speak for Great Britain. A finer
specimen of "a fine old English gentle
man. than Sir James it would be inn
possible to conceive. His speech was a
eulogy of President Willard and an ex-
preston of the unlimited confidence of
himself and those associated with him
in the man and his willingness to back
him financially to any extent. He was
glad to be present and proud to repre-
sent his associates on this occasion. He
most gratefully realized that the interest
of the people OF this country and his
own are thoroughly identified, and took
pride in remembering that their COM
mon origin is the same.
The German minister, Baron Won
Eisendecker, was then presented and
expressed the hearty good wishes of his
fellow countrymen for this enterprise.
While they were sorry to have lost Mr..
Willard, they were happy that he was
now so honored citizen of a country
that has always been closely allied with
their own.
DR.. Kneiss, of the Berlin ministry,
was most happy to claim Mr.. Willard as
q son of "Das Vaderland," and Professor
of Chemistry, DR.. Hoffman" Old Mira
cles," rs some one irreverently called
him--spoke of this as the age of mira
cles, and the Northern Pacific as. the
greatest of them all.
The governors of Wisconsin, Mime
sofa. Dakota. Montana, Oregoa and
Washington, ,he states aid tel .itories
through which the road passes, were
severally introduced and made brief and
remarks. The governor of
Idaho was absent on account of sick
ness.
From the first rising of President Vii
lard to the close Of the last speech there
had been many calls from the audience
for Grant, and these being now general
and loudly repeated the old veteran got
up and made a few brief and happy re-
marks, at the close of which he was
given three hearty cheers.
The foreign guests were then given
seats OH the platform by the railroad
track and photograph was taken of
them, together with Mr.. Willard and
family and the most distinguished
American guests, and after that horse,
"Old Nig,n that had drawn the rail car
from Mandan, 751 miles, was brought
upon the platform and received regu-
lar ovation. Then there was witnessed
a most extraordinary spectacle. Three
hundred men with braWny arms quick
ly laid the iron and drove the spikes on
the | 900 feet of uncompleted track, ex-
cept the last spike. During the progress
of the work, which was witnessed by
the foreigners with amazement, the band
played and the people shouted When
nearly completed, a cannon salute was
fired by the detachment of the Fifth In
fantry. The last spike was firmly driven
home by ?. G. Davis, asst. gen. passen-
ger agent, who drove the first spike on
the opening of the road, and this spike
was the same one that was first driven
by him. President Willard and Gen.
Grant also hit it lick.
The end was reached as the sun was
setting behind the mountains. The dele
gates from Helena and the Montana
visitors generally wanted to connect on
with grub and liquors. They did not
expect to see only the remaining fra
GRANGE of the feasting that went on in
the special dining-room cars that so gen
orally covered the ground about them,
and it was heart-rending to see them in
unlock the closed doors of he Game. The
Jay 1lS SlVW lOulS dIUCI
the sun had disappeared and darkness
settled gloomily upon a hungry and
very thirsty crowd. ..The water bounti-
fully supplied by the two pumps at
either end of the stand was not wet, and
the scraps of bread, chicken bones, oys-
ter cans, and orange and lemon peel,
although suggestive, only excited the
unappeased appetites of our hearty peo-
,1o n,,o ~ "A q II ny,fnr +l.0 fra;y, ~
was to bear them back to the Denver
house at the Helena depot. We wearily
al to# rixyor fc a t:V ~ yrhora tho