The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-08-25
From the Daily of Friday.
BANDS OF STEEL.
The Orient and tho OccIdent
United by the Northern
d. Pacific Transcon-
tinental Line.

!. Pacific Transcon-
tinental Line.
Interesting Ceremony Of Dr1vlna
the Last Spike on Wed
nesday.
A correspondent of the ndepend
ent who accompanied the specia
train from Helena to Gold Creek or
"Wednesday gives the following in
tereSting account of driving the las
spike on the great trans-continenta
line: The mouth Of Little Blackfoo
was reached without incident worth,
OF note, and soon after, the tracklay
ers were come up with. This was q,
absut 12:45. One of the gentlemen
overseeing the work stated that thu
men had been at work since 5 O'Clock
in the morning without stopping t.
eat. This gang had already laiG
about four miles of track for the day
and they were stretching out the
rails in a remarkably rapid manner.
They were timed for ten minutes,
and in that time laid $50 feet of track
more than One-tenth of a mile
which would be at the rate of a mile
in one hour and forty minutes. 1t
was asserted, however, that at one
time during the forenoon a mile OF
track was laid III an hour.
The reason for al this hurry was
that the road was to be completed
during the afternoon, and both gangs
THAT from the east and that from the
vest we're trying to do the biggest
days work. The track-layers on the
east end were generated by MI. w.
o. Winston. while those on the west
were headed by Mr.. P. B. Winston,
the two gentlemen being brothers.
At the close of work Tuesday it was
found that ten miles of road yet re-
manned to be built. Each of the two
brothers asserted that his men could
lay the most track at the wind-up,
and to settle it they divided the UNI
completed road equally, placing a
stake with a red flag upon it in the
center. The contest was to see
which gang could build the road up
W Tie Teu nag uFSC.
Bright and early the men of both
divisions ate a hasty breakfast and
then started in to get to the red flag
first. or break something. They
worked like heroes, and. as was re-
marked yesterday, each man strained
himself as il he was personally re-
sponsible for getting there on time.
the time the excursion arrived on
the ground the ends ere less than
two miles apart, and were closing as
fast as muscle could accomplish it.
The visitors took a position under
tree near the central point marked
by the red flag, and waited anxiously
to see which side would win. In a
few minutes the tie distributing gang
moved up from the west, laying the
ties in place as fast as a man would
walk. In fifteen minutes more the
tie men from the east came round the
bend a half mile east, and ID was but
a few minutes until every tie was
straightened aud ready for the rails.
Then came a palse awaiting the
Eracklayers, who were not in sight
either way. In about a half an
hour those fro~l the west came
around a point a quarter of a mile
distant. Steadily they marched Tor
werked), toward the red flag (the
winning point like Al army Of we'll
drilled soldiers. Not a false motion
made they, bur every move bv any
forwarded the work just
70 much.
A top po;pr,too botoro tu,o o,oIoo1,
he wor < from the west reached the
central flag, but the gang from the
last, having suffered several mex
oected delays, were only just coming
around the curve three-quarters of a
nile away.
The locomotive from the west
up to the end of the track and
ndu.ged in a good deal of triumph
mt whistling, which was answered
~ the locomotive from the east-not
riumphantly, however. The en-
from the west stated that rath-
# than waste time in watering his
he let her run down dry,
sure that he would have water
enough 20 carry the machine to the
Meeting point, and after that-well,
le didn't care much what.
At three o'clock the tracklayers
rom the east came up and the ends
# tack met. The last two rails were
ut to a proper length to fit the last
zap, after which they were spiked
Michael Clifford (spiker
rom the west) drove the last spike,
nd the next to the last was driven
" F. M. Wilson, the Herald's trav-
ling man. after a good deal of wild
which struck al
most everything in the vicinity ex-
ept the spike.
After the last rail was spiked down
Ir. Winston called the track layers
ogether, and introduced Major Ma
to them, who delivered short
ut appropriate address, congratula-
ing them upon the important part
7bich they had played in the build
ng of tnis great trans-continental
quite. During his speech Major Ma
inniS was loudly cheered. After
mis- the men returned to their camp,
nd the excursionists boarded the
rain and were brought back to Hell
arriving at about 8 O'clock.
The point at which the two divis-
ms of the Northern Pacific meet is
t Gold Creek, where the first gold
iscovery in Montana was made.
he discovery was made in 1861 by
Gold Tem' and Granville Stuart.
t was not heralded abroad until the
ext year, when singularly enough
+o]d Creek was the accidental meet
lg point of an ea~tern exploring par
(under the leadership Of s. T.
and a similar party from the
'acifc coast, of viii h Bud Meadow
as leader. Both parties met at
cabin on Gold Creek, learned
the gold discoveries, and it is
oubtless to that accidental meeting
lontana is indebted for n at least
her most enterprising citizens.
The track-laying armies will re-
lain where they are for a few days,
art of them engaged in ballasting
le road, after which they will scat
#. Their chief occupation is gone,
ut at last the Northern Pacific is
uilt, and Montana %reioices.
urrender Of the Philipsburg Muir
derer.