The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1883-09-11

commerce and industry generally, and
of railroad undertaking especially, in
the years of 1879 and 1880. The sa-
gacious men who then directed the
company's affairs saw their patience
rewarded and the time ripe once
more for the resumption of construc-
ton work on the road.
They began cautiously, seeking
what was possible rather than what
was desirable. All at once, fortune
smiled with intense radiance upon the
company. A financial alliance with a
great syndicate was formed. Its con-
clusion meant nothing less than the as
surance of all the capital required to
complets the road, and thereby the
end of ala uncertainty in the prospects
of the company-a leap, in short, into
assured success.
With Hood-tide into the COM
pany's treasury, there arose not only
the possibility, but the necessity Of
pushing the construction of our trans
continental line with the utmost
energy. hope may be permitted
to say that We have striven to do our
full duty, and to obtain the greatest
effort of which human brain and
muscles, stimulated by unlimited
capital, are capable, in a given time
and in a stated direction. Work on
the main line was first resumed on
the west bank of the Missouri river in
the spring of 1879, and the confluence
of the Columbia and Snake rivers IN
the fall of the same year. The dist
ance,between the two starting points
was / ,222 miles. The 2l7 miles from
the Missouri to the Yellowstone were
completed lii June, 1881; the 225
miles from the Columbia to Lake
Pend d'0reiIle in November, 1881.
The completion of the 80 miles of the
road in the Yellowstone valley took
seventeen months. The 1914 miles up
the gorges Of Clark's Fork to MissOula,
nineteen months; from the head of
the Yellowstone valley to Helena, and
thence to this junction, nine months.
Thus, the FIRST 442 miles of the total
mileage to be completed-that is, the
Missouri and Pend d'0reille divisions
were finished in two years and
eight months, while the other $50
miles were completed in less than two
gears.
In this time, the great structure of
the Bismarck bridge was also erected.
The continuation Of the main line
down the Columbia for a length of
210 more miles by another company
to Portland, and a thousand addi-
tional miles of lines Of branch and al
lied companies were finished. Now
these figures are easily quoted, and
apparently speak a very simple Ian
guage. But their true meaning goes
far beyond the mere space of time
and mileage of completed road they
indicate. They form great sum of
human patience and perseverance,
energy and bravery, hardship and pri-
walton. They express long and hard
tests of the power of human ingenuity
and endurance in a mighty struggle OF
mechanical and manual force against
the direct obstacles of primitive ma
ture. They mean a painful record OF
bodily suffering and loss of life by
disease and accident. You have
seen enough of the work to form an
idea of its difficulty, its vastness, Its
cOstliness. You have the testimony
of your own eyes that this high.
way had to be carved as 1t were, out
of very wilderness where we found
nothing to help us-no labor, no food,
no habitations, no material, no mean:
of transportation. You see the evi.
dence of triumph over every hin
drance. But you perceive only fin
ished results; the dramatic incident:
Of their achievements are not dis
closed to You. Rolling along smooth.
| ly, merrily and luxuriously over this
line, how can you know that the
bridges over which we pass were bulls
while the subdped rivers were hiddeT
in ice or swollen to perilous depth anG
turbulencel that defiance was hidden
to the seasons. and the pick anG
shovel kept flying, though the way
had to be cleared through thick crnsti
of snow, and ON frozen ground thaweC
by fresi
/ have not said all this in boast
ful spirit, but solely to give propel
credit where il belongs for the grea
deed now well nigh done, and thu
discharge, by this public acknowl
edgement, as much as possible, tht
heavy debt of gratitude that weigh
| upon me.
, Let me then own, on this solemn
occasion, that our edi6ce could hav
never been reared but for the liberali
, ty of the people of the United State
acting through the federal govern
, ment, in providing solid foundation
| in our land grant; for the devotiol
and sagacity of the men who steere
our craft in the days of distress an
r danger; for the generous fOrbearanc
, of our stockholders, the confidence G
S the public, the powerful help Of