The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-06-11

tnen became railroad contractor and
took part in the construction of some of
the Oldest roads, the boring of the New
YORK Central tunnel being one of his feats.
lie was connected with the railroad BUSH
ness in the earliest period of its develop
ment and continued in it until his death,
having remained director of the Union
Pacific after he recently retired from the
presidency. He had been director of
several Eastern roads before the construc-
ton of the Union Pacific.
his part in the construction of the
Union Pacific earned him the title of a
Napoleon among railroad builders. He
and General j. S. Easement, of Ohio, took
the contract for laying the track through
from Omaha to Promontory Point, on the
north end of Salt lake, ifty-two miles
west OF Ogden. In 1866 they laid track for
the forty-seven miles from Omaha to FIRE.
mont, Neb., and in April, 1868, they
started west from that point. During the
first two years the supplies were taken up
the Missouri river to Omaha. as there was
no railroad running from the East to that
city, and they had to bring most of the
ties from the East until they had com-
pleted 500 miles of the road. But
in the year 1866 they completed
the road to point twelve miles
west of North Platte, q distance of 265
miles from Fremont, and they laid the
first mile of track in the world which was
completed in one day. They completed
the road to Promontory Point on May 10,
1869, but it was decided, after dispute
between the two companies on the subject,
to make Ogden the connecting point of
the Union and Central Pacific, and the
fifty-two miles between Ogden and Pro-
montory Point were sold to the Central.
This made the main line Of the Union
Pacific 1.032 miles, as it is now.
Mr.. Dillon's association with the Union
Pacific at the period of its construction
seems to have inspired him with sort of
affection for it. He was from the first in
terested in it as stock and bondholder
and increased his holdings until it is be-
lieved that az one time he had about $10,-
600, 200 of stock. He thought so much of
it that he held on when everybody else
deserted the road, though. if he had sold
out when Jay Gould first did SO, he would
have saved himself many millions.
It was he who conceived the
idea of the construction of the Oregon
Short Line and put it through. Expert
ence has proved the soundness of his judg-
ment, for that road and the Utah Northern
are about the best properties the Union
Pacific has. He contemplated the extern
sion of the Oregon Short Line to the Pa
cifc coast and had explorations made
through Oregon and Washington with
a view to making his Coast terminus on
the Sound. F. w. Dunn. formerly super
iptendent of the Seattle, Lake Shore &
Eastern, carried on this work.
Those who have met Mr.. Dillon Of late
wears knew him as a grey-haired man, but
Olive Logan, in writing OF him from
Washington City to the Philadelphia
Ledoer about twenty years ago, described
him as having coal black hair, and said he
was the handsomest man she ever saw.
He aged rapidly after the death of his
wife whom he married when 80 years old
and N whom he attributes most OF his
success. and it was his grief at losing her
that chiefly caused his hair to turn grey.
He was man Of most exemplary habits,
and never tasted intoxicating liquor or
,,sea tobacco in any form. He was very
ioval 70 his friends, standing by them in
ali circumstances. He gave largely 10
charities from fortune estimated
AZ $50 900 He was always very
decided in giving an order, as Single IN
cident will show. He had ordered all the
hrssses to be taken of the locomotives IN
o-ser that the work of cleaning them
MIGHT be done away with, and he followed
nm this order with one to the master me.
.banic TO have all the locomotives painted
shall put few stripes on themF"
asked the master mechanic.
ives Int make them all black"