Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-05-08
EARLY NORTHERN PACIFIC HISTORY.
accommodating Expeditions-The Jay
Cooke Epoch-Thos. ii. Canfiield's
Efforts.

Accommodating Expeditions-The Jay
Cooke Epoch-Thos. IL. Canfiields
Efforts.
JThe narrative of the early struggles of
the Northern Pacific enterprise, and of
Thomas II. Canfields connection with the
movement, begun in the February num-
Der of the Northwest, is concluded be-
low ::
The new board found it necessary, in
order to satisfy the numerous inquiries
made in Congress as to the practicability
of the route, and in order to fix definite
location, to institute surveys from Lake
Superior going West and from Puget
Sound coming East. In order to do this
Edwin f. johnson was chosen chief engi-
neer, and Thomas II. Garfield general
agent to collect assessments, make dis
bursements and attend generally to the
business of the company Thus the two
men who in 1852 so often laid plans for a
Pacific railroad in the "stone store" at
Burlington, VT, were after fifteen years
brought together again as the active men
in starting forward and taking charge of
the work.
The subscribers to the syndicate con-
tinued to make advances for the cost of
surveys and other expenses of the COM
pany until they had furnished about II
quarter of a million of dollars from their
own private pockets and until the COM
pany was fairly under way by the tinan-
cial arrangement with Jay Cooke e. Co.,
Mr. Garfield in the meantime receiving
all the moneys, making the disbursements,
keeping the accounts until they were
turned over to the new organization aris-
ing from the arrangement with Messrs.
Cooke q Co., and the original twelve par
ties to the syndicate relieved from their
personal obligations. But for the advances,
courage, faith, and influence of these
twelve men, where would have been the
Northern Pacific railroad to-day
Mr.. Garfield spent much time in Wash
ington at different times to procure the
necessary legislation for extending the
charter of the company-procuring the
right to mortgage, and the right to build
from Portland to Puget Sound.
The Charter Almost Lost.
But for his vigilance the company would
have lost its charter in 1868 The matter
had been before Congress, and after much
opposition from various quarters, a bill
was passed by the House and concurred
in by the Senate on the twenty-eighth
day of June, while the charter expired on
the second day of July. The bill had been
returned from the Senate, reported to the
House, engrossed and passed on to to the
committee on enrolled bills, of which Mr..
HOLMAN was chairman, to be taken to
the President for his signature. Mr.
Garfield finding the bill did not reach the
White House as it should do, and as there
was but a day or two left, became very
nervous and uneasy, as well as unable to
find Mr.. HOLMAN, who had taken charge
of a In hn
ed with Messrs Window and Woodbridge,
members of the House, and they went to
the Speaker, who ordered the desk of Mr.
HOLMAN to be opened, and there found
the BILL and gaveit to another member of
the committee to take to the White
was sick somewhere and had forgotten
about it. But for this watchfulness on
the part of Mr.. Garfield the Northern Pa
cific railroad charter might have slept the
sleep of death in the desk of its worst
enemy in the House. 1t was signed by the
President July list, only one. day before
the charter expired.
Mr.. Garfield was one of the committee,
consisting of Messrs Smith, Ogden and
Rice, who went to Ozontz, Mr.. Cookies
country residence, near Philadelphia in
May, 1869, to make the arrangement with
Jay Cooke & Co. to negotiate the bonds of
the Northern Pacific railroad. After
spending aday or two and finally agreeing
to the terms of the arrangement, Mr..
Cooke, just as the committee were leav-
ing, suppOsng all things were done, in
sisted upon condition, as postscript to
the agreement, that the agreement should
not be binding upon him. unless by a per-
sOnal examination by himself or his agents,
of the whole line, it should be shown as
equal to all the representations as to re-
sources and practicability which the di
rectors had made This Mr.. Cooke in
tod Oh Il fab
do it. Mr. Garfield was selected by the
directors to take charge of Mr.. Cookies
party, consisting of w. Wilbur, Roberts,
engineer ; Samuel Wilkieson, William g.
MoOrehead, Jr., the Rev. DR.. ClaXton,
and William johnson, a son of the chief
Lake City on the fourteenth of June.
The Garfield Wilkeson Expedition.
From there they went by the Central
Pacific railroad to Sacramento and Marys-
vile, and then by stage through Northern
miles to Portland Oregon, arriving there
on the Fourth of July, 1859. From there
they went to Puget Sound-most of the
way by stage-prOcured small steamer
making thorough examination of all the
bays, towns and harbors, apd, returning
to Portland they went by steamer up the
Columbia River to Walla Walla. There
Mr.. Garfield fitted out horseback expe-
dition, consisting of thirteen saddle and
pack horses, and as there were no settle
ments of any consequence beyond Walla
Walla, was obliged to take provisions
upon the backs of his horses sufficient to
last the party thirty pays which, it was es-
timated would bring them to Helena,
Montana, five hundred miles. They left
Walla Walla on the twentieth of July
with the thermometer at no above zero,
making about twenty miles day, lying
upon the ground at night, without any
tent to cover them. They went from
Walla Walla to Pend d'Oreille Lake,
thence up the Clark's Fork of the Colum-
bia to Cabinet Rapids, Thompson's Falls,
Horse Plains, along the Flathead and
Jocko rivers, through the Corriccem De-
file to Missoula, thence along the Black
foot to Gold Creek, now Garrisons, where
they make detour through the Deer
Lodge Pass. Returning to Gold Creek,
the first place gold was discovered in
Montana, they crossed the Rocky Noun
tains to Helena at Mullan's Pass, where
the tunnel now Is. Here they disbanded
their horses and took stages to Fort
Benton, examining Cadottes Pass on their
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