Omaha daily bee., 1883-12-01

a and members OF his cabinet; also to ali
Z ehe members ot congress, foreign minis
Z Oers' military and naval commanders.
7 ana TO tho principal railroad men and
leadlng capitalists throughout the conn
! Try, to JON in a grand excursion from
' New York city 70 the Tooth meridian. in
no Great Platte valley, a distance Of
abIut LOO miles, and more thar half
wav A2rGSs the continent.
No raNroNd excursion VI similar charao-
tcT and magnitude had ever been pro-
jec,ed in this. o. any other country; and
the parties most interested we're, OF
course, u%ntiring in their efforts TO make
it a complete success.
The different lines Of CONNECTING raif.
roads, steamboats, and stages between
New York and Om,ia, were at once
placed ut tbs disp gal of the company by
their liberal and enterprising managers.
wLo seemed 20 vie with each ether i'm
their efforts 80 aid the Union Pacifp
Railroad company in its great and some-
what novel undertaking.
Very much tn the regret of tAe ex.
cursiouists, as well as tie recepticr lists
along the route, General John A. Six,
tho president of the company, wa, pro-
vented from accompanying the party, By
receiving from che president of tho
United States, the appointments of minist
The managers of the road thought this
should not only be suitably advertised to-
the world, hut IA 'isfactorily verified by
the proper officers Of the gov
ornment and members of congress-
tor to France, just previous to its depart-
ure from Now York. The charge Of the
excursion therefore devolved upon Mr..
Thomas O. Durant, vice. president, and
Mossrs. Sherman, Cook, Dillon, LIN
bard and Duff, directors; assisted by Mr..
Is. II. Bunker, assistant secretary Of the
company; Colonel N. A Gestner and Mr..
E S,mmonds, from the New York office.
The party. consisting of about one
hundred persons, fully supplied with
everything that coulo no improvisst or
thought of for its comfort and enjoyment.
left New York on Monday evening 90.
tober 10Th, by way of tho New Jersey
and Pennsylvania Central railroads. to
P~ittsburg; and tho Pittsburg, Fort
Wayne ~ Chicago railroad to Chicago.
where they arrived in high spirits on tho
following Wednesday evening
Considerable accessions of invited
guests were maze to the party on tho
way to, ana at, Chicago.
Several of the excursionists preferred
to remain u day or two at Chicago, and
then proceed over The Chicago & North
western railroad, in company with tho
officers of that road, to Dennison, and
from thence to Omaha by stage. But by
far the largest portion. accompanied by
the Great Western Light Guard baud,
started from Chicag , on Thursday morn
ing, October 18th, by way of the Chicago,
Burlington Il Q iinoy, and the Hannibal
n Saint Joseph railroads, and arrived at
st. Joseph on tho following Friday eve
Mug.
Here they were mot by Mr.. H. M.
Hoxie. the general western agent of
the Union Pacific railroad, to whose
care had been assigned the transportation
on the Missouri river, u distance of two
hundred and fifty miles, by river, from
st. Joseph to Omaha; and aiso the sub
sistence of tho entire party until its return
to Saint Joseph.
Two of the largest class NJ ssouri river
packets-the Denver, Captain Waddell,
and the Colorado, Captain Hooper-with
an additional band of music on board,
were in readiness to receive the party on
its arrival at Saint Joseph; and the en-
c%ursionists soon found themselves with
bands playing and colors flying steaming
up thu great Missouri river.
The journey from Saint Joseph to
Omaha was accomplished, without seri.
Gus accident or detention, in less than
torty-eight hours; and the party reached
the eastern terminus Of the Union Pa
citic railroad on Monday morning, the
22d of October, having been on the way
from New York IA little less than one
week.
oRMATIoN OF II RLKHoRN CLUB.
That portion of the party which had
crossed tho state of Iowa by land, in
Guiding Mr. Perry III Smith, the vice.
president, and Mr.. George l.. Dunlap,
the general superintendent Of the Chicago
Il Northwestern railroad, Messrs. Turner,
Aver, Bowen, Crerer, and several 9TH
els from Chicago, having rejpined this
party in the morning, were assigned to
quarters on the railroad company's
steamer Elkhorn, which lay ut the land
ing immediately across the bows of tho
teamer Denver.
1t should here be recorded for the ben
Gilt of all future historians, that, on this
memorable day, and upon the steamer
Elkhorn, the famous, and never-to.be-
forgotten Elkhorn club was duly o,gn-
lied and established upon u firm, and it
was then hoped an enduring basis. The
club included i'll its membership all the
pioneer officers Of the Union Pacific, and
other local railroad and stage men, and
it was the Elkhorn club that suggested
the idea OF "a pair OF elk-horns AZ the
crest or coat of arms of the Union Pa
chic.
II RECEPTION AND BALL.
The authorities of Omaha were on the
alert at an early hour for the purpose OF
welcoming and entertaining the dis
tiuguished party. Governor Saunders,
Secretary Paddock, Mayor Miller. and
Vice. President Patrick, of the board Of
trade. soon made Iileir appearance upon
the steamer, and welcomed the excur-
s~ionists in appropriate speeches. tender
ing them the freedom of the CITY and
territory, and inviting them to a recep-
ton ball at the Herndon in the evening,
all Of which were duly responded to and
accepted by Senator Patterson, Govern
ment Director Sherman, and others Of
the party.
Carriages were in waiting, to convey
such of the number Us desired to Leave
the boats, either about the town, to the
hotels, OIL to the residences of several Of
the private families, which had been
| ,.at h arnl 1r b-rpu ,.ax E..