Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-01-30

winters we kept engineers In tents and dug
outs watching from four to six month
the drift OF the snow and water to be over
come, and the safest, sureat and most e1
fectual methods of doing it.
THE RATE OF GOVERNMENT AID.
The charter of 1884 provides that tn,
loan in bonds shall change from 1900
mile to $4,000 at the east base o
the Rocky mountains and west base of th,
Sierra Nevada.
When We reached the mountains serie:
OF questions arose as to how this bast
should be determined. The eastern bast
was determined by Mr.. Blickensderfer
who was appointed by the Government
After examining the country he declared i
to be right at the foot of the mountains
where the heavy grades to overcome the
first range, the Black Hills, were made nee
essary-a very proper decision.
The west base of the Sierra was located
near Sacramento, where the drift of the
mountains reached into that valley, OF
where, you might say, the first approach to
the mountains begins, but long before the
heavy grades commenced.
ESTABLISHING THE LINE THROUGH UTAH
Reconnaissance made in 1862 63 Ga had
demonstrated that serious question would
arise in reaching the Humboldt valley from
the western foot of the Wahsatch mount
aims in the Salt Lake basin. Should the
line go north or south of the lake? The
Mormon Church and all of its followers, g
central power of great use to the trans con.
tinental roads, were determinedly in favor
of the south line. 1t was preached from
its pulpits. and authoritatively announced
that road could not be built or run north
OF the lake. But our explorations in an
earlier day unquali6edly indicated the
north side, though an exhaustive examina.
ton was made south and only one line run
north. it being our main line to the Cali.
fornia State line surveyed in 1867.
The explorations by parties south of the
lake and the personal examinations of the
chief engineer, determined that it had NO
merits as compared with the north line;
and on such reports the north line was
adopted by the company and accepted by
the Government.
THE RACE IN CONSTRUCTION.
Brigham Young called conference of bis
church and refused to accept the decision;
prohibited his people from contracting or
working for the Union Pacific, and threw
all of his influence and efforts to the Cen
trail Pacific, which just at that time was OF
great moment, as there was a complete
force OF Mormon contractors and laborers
in Salt Lake valley competent to construct
the line 200 miles east or west of the lake,
and as the two companies had entered into
active competition, each respectively to see
how far east or west of the lake they could
build, that city being the objective point
and the key to the control of the COM
merce of that great basin.
The Central Pacific Company entered
upon the examination of the lines long
after the Union Pacific had determined and
filed its line, and we waited the decision of
their engineers with some anxiety. We
knew they could not obtain so good line
but we were in doubt whether, with the
aid of the Mormon Church and the fact
that the line south of the lake passed
through Salt Lake City, the only CONNER
cial capital between the Missouri river and
Sacramento, they might decide to take the
long and undulating line and then would
arise the question as to which (the one
built south, the other built north, and it
would fall to the Government to decided
should receive the bonds and become the
trans continental line. However the en-
gineers of the Central Pacific, Clements
and Ives, took as strong ground, or stronger
than we in favor of the north line, and To-
Gated almost exactly upon the ground the
Union Pacific had occupied year before;
and this brought the Mormon forces back
to the Union Pacific. their first love.
The location of the Union Pacific was
extended to the California State line, and
that of the Central Pacific to the mouth of
Weber Canyon. The Union Pacific work
was opened and most of the line graded to
Humboldt Wells, 219 miles west of Ogden,
and the Union Pacific met the track Of the
Central Pacific at Promontory Summit,
1 ,1S6 miles west of the Missouri river and
63S miles east of Sacramento, on May
8, 1869, to the wonder of America, and the
utter establishment of the whole world
completing the entire line seven years be-
fore the limit of time allowed by the Gov
eminent.
THE GREAT WORK ACCOMPLISHED.
On the occasion of the completion of the
road there assembled on the bleak mount
ain side representatives of nearly all civil
lied nations. AS the last spike was driven,
connection was made with every telegraph
office between the Atlantic and the Pacific,
and every blow was heard throughout the
land. To the representatives of the road
there came over the wires the congratula-
tons of authorities, officials and eminent
people of every country that could be
reached by wire, and among them
all was one that l priced above
all others = the telegram which l have
already read in your hearing. You who
know what it is to receive commentator
and promotion on the field of battle, in the
face of your enemy, can appreciate the
satisfaction conferred by such message
from such source.
THE GOVERNMENT COMMISSIONERS RI PORT
How well we did our work leave to the
committee, who, after an exhaustive ex.
animation Of it, submitted its report to the
Government to say as follows:
The foregoing shows that the location
of the Union Pacific Railroad is in accord.
ance with the law, as whole and in its
different parts, the most direct, central and
practicable that could be found between
Omaha and the head of Great Salt Lake.
g. Taken as a whole, the Union Pacific
Railroad has been well constructed. The
general route for the line is exceedingly
well selected, crossing the Rocky Mountain
ranges at some of the most favorable passes
on The continent, and possessing capabili-
ties for easy grades and favorable align.
ments unsurpassed by any other railway
line on similarly elevated grounds. The
energy and perseverance with which the
work has been urged forward, and the
are without parallel in history. In the
grandeur and magnitude of the undertak.
ing it has never been equaled, and no Other
line compares with this in the arid and
barren character of the country it traverses
giving rise to unusual inconvenience and
difficulties, aud imposing the necessity Of
obtaining almost every requisite of mate
rial, of labor and of supplies for its con.
struction from the extreme initial point o.
its commencement.
Deficiencies exist, but they are almost
without exception those incident to all new
roads, or of character growing out of thu
peculiar difficulties encountered or INSOFAR
ably connected with the unexampled pro.
gress of the work, matter of the Creates
importance and highly creditable to the
able management of the company and
they can all be supplied at an outlay bu
little exceeding that which would have OBJ
waited them in the first instance, but at tn,
cost of materially retardipg the progress o
the work. Under the circumstances, it i.
much more matter of surprise that so few
mistakes were made and so few defect.
exist than it would be, had serious deficien
cies been of more frequent occurrence; ant
the country has reason to congratulate
itself that this great work of national i'm
portance is so rapidly approaching com
pletion under such favorable auspices.
we are, very respectfully, your obe1i
ent servants,
&C. X. WARREN,
Brevet Major. General, U. S. A.
J. BLIcKENsDERFER, Jr.,