Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-05-11

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
a monopoly, and that our only com
petitors would be the OK teams and
the steamers. We organized our company
with a capital of $4,000, 900 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-
airy, 1868, and we completed it in 1869.
We received, all told, just 1927 100000
from the government in bonds, and there
is no truth in these statements as to our
getting 500 100000 and more out of the
treasury. The $27, 1000 in bonds we
had to SELL so that we got only $20,000,
600 for Them and the road, all told, cost
about Sal 600 900. We were allowed to
issue 10000 900 in bonds ourselves, and
how it was possible for us to get 500,
100000 out of the $40, 900, 900 we received
is problem for mathematician.
"And just here want to say that it is
impossible to estimate the money the
United States has saved by this railroad.
1t has never paid us as high rates for
carrying the mails as it used to pay the
stage lines. The government paid Wells,
Fargo e. Co. $1,750,000 every year for
carrying the mails before this road was
built. The mail in their case was not to
exceed 900 pounds. AS soon as our rail
road was completed we had to construct a
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 $1,000,000 year to
both the Central Pacific and the Union
Pacific for this service, whereas, as l
have stated it paid Wells & Fargo ST., $780,
600 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
eminent wanted the road, and it did not
fulfill it's 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 great
deal, We had to build cross roads in
addition to the Central Pacific, and we
have built altogether 5000 miles of road 4"
x*#
"Iiow about other Pacific roads?"
They all compete with us, and the
Central Pacific railroad is today mainly a
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
carries it north, and ships it across the
country to the eastern United States
cities at less rates than we can offer ac-
cording to the interstate commerce law
commission of tho government went
last year to Japan, and they took the
Canadian Pacific and the Canadian ships
1t is true the company has grown in bust
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 us.
"1Iow about the Canadian Pacific"
81 don't know whether it will pay or
not. They receive great deal more from
their government than we ever did. They
got $50, 600, 900 and big land grant, and
they got it outright. The money we got
from the government was only loan.
We had to pay high interest, and were
not as well off as most borrowers, When
we undertook to build the Central Pacific
llc SOH pluCllCdlly dSSuTtu 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 uni
form rate of twenty miles an hour"
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
/ Ill health. My doctor had ordered vaca-
| ton for me, and had told me that must
20 away ON tour. | could not leave ut
The time, and he advised me to drive as
much as possible | bought little horse
! lbot tnp1nI n11tt 0n no pl,o 1,l,t fn st