The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1884-03-21
The Opening Of a Great Railroad.


The driving of the last spike in com.
pleting the Mexican Central railroad
last Saturday March, Stb, gas as i'm
portant an event a. any that has oc-
CURED in the railroad annals of the
continent. This great road extending
from the Rio Grande for distance OF
1,200 miles through the centre of the
country to the city of Mexico, connects
with our railroad system so that con-
tinuous ride 10 the cars can be had
from any railroad point in the United
States to where the balls Of the Monte
zumas are supposed to have been locat.
ed
Very little attention was given by
the public to this road while it was
being built. 1t was known that a
great railroad enterprise was going for
ward in Mexico in which some CAPT
tslists were interested, and that was
about the extent Of the interest in it.
It's completion came like that of the
Union and Central Pacific railroads, as
something of surprise. In the case
of the railroad across the continent,
which was built when public attention
was occupied TO great extent by the
events Immediately following tine war,
although there were occasional reports
that the work was going on, the pub
lie was not fully prepared to hear of
its completion when the announcement
was made that the road was about to
be opened for business.
The laying of the last rail of the
Mexican road was attended with as
much ceremony as was possible at the
time. Two locomotives, one from the
United States and the other from the
city of Mexico, decorated with the
American and Mexican colors, after the
last spike was driven approached until
the cowcatchers touched. IL was quite
different meeting from that which
took place not far from the same To-
cality about two weeks more than
thirty.seven years ago between the
American aud Mexican colors on the
battle. field of Buena Vista. Had il
been predicted at that time that rail.
road connecting the two countries
would pass not far from the field where
their a, mics were then contending, il
would have been regarded as vagary
of unbridled fancy.
At the time of the war with Mexico
railroads were scarcely more than
heard of 10 Mexico as wild schemes
projected in foreign countries, while
here they were so limited 10 extent
that the troops from Pennsy lvania, on
their way to the seat of war, were
transported by canal to Pittsburg
where they were shipped by steamboats,
to New Orleans. Nothing marks the
progress made in the development of
the material resources and the growth
of power so strongly and distinctly as
the strides made in railroad building in
this country since that time. II took
weeks of transportation in which steam
bore no part except on the water, to
carry troops to the Mexican border
To day they could be carried in palace
cars, If necessary, on a continuous line
of railroad to within days march Of
the battle. field of Buena Vista.
While the deeds that were done on
that glorious field have been dimmec
by comparison with later military
events, it was then that American
valor prepared the way for the posi-
bility of railroad eYtention in that di
rection through the acquired Texar
territory, although it came nearly fort,
years afterwards, and the driving o
the last spike in the Mexican Centra
railroad was but reverberation of tn
achievements of our army in Mexico
Patriot.