The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-09-21

termal Csmplstioa - ths Neg>aara Rh-
ciAc Railway-Ths 0oiden Spike Driven
by President vnlard-Tke Blow Heard In
New York-ANoted Asssmb1ags Present.
HErEHA. N. T.. Sept 10.
The Willard excursiOnists left here short y
sitter seven o'clock Saturday morning and
cached the scene Of the ceremonies Of tho
lay, point few miles west Of the Mullan
Tunnel, on the western slope Of the IN; N
divide Of the Rocky Mountains, at $50 q.
81. At SIS p. m, after short prayer, tie
last rail of the Northern Pacific Railroad
was laid and the last spike--a golden ONE
was driven home by Mr.. Willard with .
silver sledge-hammer, making the iron high
way complete and ready for travel from,
Duluth to Tacoma, distance of Iits,
more than 1850 miles. There are also GA
miles of branches, mostly completed, giving
grand total of more than 1854 miles Of
road.
William NJ. Eyarts delivered the address
of tie occasion, in which he gave history
of the road, which he said was a dream Of
1888, when merchant of New York City,
Asa Whitney, made a proposition to Con-
gre.s to build road from the great lakes TO
IT,
sid,ratiOn of land grant of sixty miles ia
width along the entire route, but whose plan
failed tG win Congressional favor. A charter
for the road was again sought in 1862,
but the effort resulted in failure.
Josiah Perham, a New England mer-
chant, secured charter in 1864, but failed
to obtain capital to build the road, In great
! measure because of a clause inserted I'm the
| rharter by himself forbidding the company
10 mortgage the road or lands, or to issue
hOndS. 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
VI of earth had been turned on the pre-
.Osed road. The President of .ne new
company was Ex-Governor Smith, Of YER
mont. No progress toward actual con-
struction was made, however, until
Jay Cooke assumed financial di-
rection. Mr.. Evarts then reviewed
the financial ups and downs OF the co;npar,e
when work on the road was began at
Tbompson's Junction, twenty-three miles
west of Duluth, to 1881, when Mr.. Willard
obtained control, closing with peroratioil
strongly eulogistic OF the ability, zeal and
| eTergy of MIR. 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
u ,men.
AT the close of tie ceremonies a number
Of the guests returned eastward, while 9th
ers 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 TIE 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
em 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 the road gathered
around the instrument listening to the
strokes that told of the completion Of q
great national highway.