Omaha daily bee., 1883-12-01

~ yNh'
The Building OF n Road.
After the 10 ,ation of the ROAD had
been settled in favor of Omaha, several
attempts were made to induce the Presi-
dent of the United States to change it to
other points, but the president invsri-
ably replied that the road had been To-
Gated in confor nifty with the req uire-
ments of the charter, and he had no
right or disposition to revoke his decis.
ion. Omaha, of course, now experienced
a boom, and proceeded to grow rapidly
under the stimulus given to it by this
great enterprise.
Early in the spring of 1864 active
work was begun on the construction of
the Union Pacific railroad, contracts
having boon let for the work for 100
miles west to a point in the Platte
valley, from which surveys were con-
tjnued to the Tooth meridian. After
about 500, 600 had been spent on the
due westerly course, it was abandoned,
because it was claimed that it was too
hily to allow the road to be completed
for q distance of 100 miles to save the
charter, which required that that much
Of the road should be finished
between the Missouri river and the
Tooth meridian within three years
after the fling CT the company's assent
to the organic law, filed June 81, 1868.
Two new routes were then surveyed.
one to the north and thence west; and
the other to the south, nearly to Belle
yue, and thenca northwest and west.
The latter route was called the COX. bow"
and was chosen by the company, not.
withdrawing the violent opposition of
the people of Omaha, who had great
fears that the company intended to cross
the Missouri river at Bellevue, and leave
'Omaha out in the cola. The greatest
anxiety existed at Omaha at this time.
Everything was finally tremendously set
tied however, and upon the aband III.
ment of the idea of starting from Belle
u Omaha breathed easy once again.
The grading was once more pushed
rapidly forward. following the "ox-bow"
route, and the laying of the track fol-
lowed almost "a fast. The ties for the
road from Omaha to the Platte valley
were obtained from the Missouri river
bottom lands Being of cottonwood
they were put through the ~"Burnetizing
process" which made them impervious
to weather, animal or vegetable parasites.
The ties for the remainder Of the road
were Of hard wood, and were obtained
from Michigan, Pennsylvania and other
distant states, and frequently cost as
high as 50. so per tie, laid down in
Omaha.
Some idea of the difficulty and cost of
constructing the Union Pacific may be
gained from the fact that there was q
l,o,1 -. .,.l-,l -. l-~.-
Omaha and Dies Moines, q distance of
1873 miles, and consequently everything
had to be transported by teams from
that point, or steamboats, up the Nilsson
ri. The company employed six large
steamboats, on the Missouri for the trans
portation of material, in addition to hun
dreds of teams between Des Moines and
Omaha. The company started their shops
in Omaha soon after beginning the work
of building the railroad, completing them
in tho fall of 1866. The seventy horse
power engine for the shops was trans
ported by wagons from Des Moines.
The completion of tho first fifteen
miles of track of The Union Pacific WAS
celebrated by
AN EXCURSION
from Omaha. Thomas G. Durant, who
got up the ex cursiop, took a locomotive
and a flat car and invited about 20 prom
inent gentlemen to 60 with him on the
first inspection trip to the end of the
track at Saling's Grove. Among the ex-
oursionists were Gen. Sherman and Hon.
a. j. Poppleton. 1t was an enthusias.
tic party, and as the colnmissary depart
ment was well supplied, the gentlemen
enjoyed themselves.
SHERMAN,
who was called upon for a speech,
related his experience in sinking
several thousand dollars, years be-
fore in California, in an effort to
start the Pacific railroad. He reviewed
the dream of other days, and concluded
with the expression of a hope that he
might live to rec the day, but could
oceans wouli be united by a complete
Pacific railroad. General Sherman has,
contrary to his expectations, lived to see
that day. and has travelled over the com
plete Pacific railroad uniting the two
oceans. Ha went over the road in less
than four years from the day he took the
trip to S.lins's Grove.
Every twenty miles of completed road
was duly inspected by properly appointed
inspectors, n numerous excursions
were made to the end of the track, as it
was moved from point to point. Fifty
miles of the road was completed and in
running order on the 18th Of March,
1866, and tie commissioner Of the gov.
ernment, General S. II Curtis, Colonel
j. III. Simpson and w. NJ. White, cane
to Omaha on April 10Th. and the next
Gay went over the road to
North Bend, and accepted the
work. In July it was announced that
80 miles were ready for the cars. The
grading continued very rapidly, and the
Easement Brothers, ~ho had The c~"ntract
for track laying, frequently laid the track
at the rate of
FIVE MILES A DAY.
There we're 260 mica of road built