Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1888-05-17
and we superintended the work ourselves"

1--WE began to consider the matter in
1860. Mr. Judah. c. P. Huntington. Mark
Hopkins. Charles and Edward Crocker and
myself then became interested in it.
There had been talk of it before. and in
1853 road to the Pacific was surveyed by
act Of congress, but nothing was done.
We decided that the thing was practica-
BILE, and we had FIVE surveys made across
the Sierras to choose the best route. We
took the Dutch Flat route, ascending the
mountains from the west at rise of
We had to go almost 5000 feet down
along the sides of precipices to descend
the solid walls of granite above Doner
lake, and we thought that when we
completed our road we would have
monopoly, and that our only COM
petitors would be the OK teams and
the steamers. We organized our company
with capital of $S,OOO,000 under the law
of the state of California and then got
the legislature of Nevada to allow US to
build across its desert. This was before
congress had anything to do with it, and
the first Pacific railroad act was passed in
1862. The first work we did on the road
was at Sacramento, on the Sth of Janu-
ary, 1868, and we completed it in 1869.
We received, all told, just $27, 100000
| from the government in bonds and there
is no truth in these statements as to our
getting $100,0 900 and more out of the
treasury. The $27,000,000 in bonds we
had to sell, SO that we got only $40, ,OOO,-
600 for them, and the road, all told, cost
about Sal 100000 We were allowed to
issue $200 900 in bonds ourselves, and
how it was possible for US to get $780,
900, 900 out of the $40 900, 600 we received
is problem for mathematicians.
"And just here l want to say that it is
impossible to estimate the money the
United States has saved by this railroad.
It has never paid US as high rates for
carrying the mails as it used to pay the
stage lines. The government paid Wells,
Fargo & Co. S1.75O.000 every year for
carrying the mails before this road was
built. The mail in their case was not to
exceed l 900 pounds. AS soon as our rail
| special car for mails, and we carried
eighteen tons Of mail matter and two
messengers, The government controls
| this car, and we often have to put one or
| two extra cars on to carry the mails. In
the time of the Wells and Fargo express
the heavy mail went by Panama, and only
the letter mail was carried by them. Now,
we carry everything, and yet the
government has never paid up to
this date quite 100000 a year to
both the Central Pacific and the Union
Pacific for this service, whereas, as /
have stated, it paid Wells & Fargo 81, $780,
| 300 year. We have thrown number OF
states and territories open to settlement,
and we have done an incalculable amount
Of good to the country. 1t is not true
that we have not done what we promised.
The company has performed all its obliga-
tions. 1t has never made a cent at the
expense of the government or of the
people. We had to rush the building
| through at double cost because the gov
ernment wanted the road, and it did not
fulfill its obligations to us in surveying
| the land according to it's contracts. AS
to the lands of the government, they have
| doubled in value. They were worth
nothing at the time the railroad was
built, and they are now worth a great
| deal. We had to build cross roads in
addition to the Central Pacific, and we
have built altogether 5000 miles of road"
-
"How about other Pacific roads?'
"They all compete with us, and the
| Ho oi1rooI ;o 4oIav, o;y,1x,
California road. For time we had prac-
| tically the whole business Of the country,
and our only competition was the steam
ship line by Panama. Now, there are the
Southern Pacific, the Atlantic and Pacific,
| the Northern Pacific and the Canadian
Pacific The Canadian Pacific now takes
freight in bond from San Francisco and
country to the eastern United States
| cities at less rates than we can offer ac-
cording to the interstate commerce law.
A commission of the government went
last year to Japan, and they took the
| Canadian Pacific and the Canadian ships.
It is true the company has grown in busi-
ness, but competition has grown faster
than business. All Of these roads have
their agents in San Francisco, and you
will find them soliciting business in COM
petition with u.s.
How about the Canadian Pacific?"
II don't know whether it will pay or
not. They receive great deal more from
their government than we ever did. They
got $50, 000, 900 and a big land grant, and
they got it outright. The money we got
| from the government was OILY loan.
We had to pay high interest. and were
not as well off as most borrowers. When
| we undertook to build the Central Pacific
the government practically assured US
| that we would have no competition, and
| we understood that it would not aid other
| roads to compete with US. Had we known
| differently doubt whether we could have
put the road through. 1t is done, how
ever, and the rails will stay and the trains
will run whatever be the action of con-
gress and the government in regard to US.
think the Central Pacific road was well
built, and we run through trains at a uni
form rate of twenty miles an hour"
x*x
asked Senator Stanford as to his horses
which were burned the other night, but
he did not like to talk of them, and the
conversation drifted into horses and horse
breeding generally. II became interested
In thoroughbred horses, said he, through
i'll health. My doctor had ordered vaca-
ton for me, and had told me that must
90 away on tour. could not leave at
the time, and he advised me to drive as
much as possible. bought little horse