The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-11-01
HOUSTON DAmY Posn MONDAY MoRNINei NOVEMBER i 1884,

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opportunc for the evil purpose OF the CON-
| n,tssionefe. They demanded S25,V0v apiece
before they would even examine tho track.
and IL was lsaid Just ~ It was demsn acu-
~ biackmau, pure and simple.
Along with the trickery wntcn marks the
construction period Of the racific railways
there is something which must demand our
unbornded admiration. rhut is the as-
founding energy and level headed accept
ance OF great risks which put tho enter
proved appliances Of the present day II
would be nard to equal the achievements
OF those pioneer railroad builders Of the
Cos.
During the summer OF 1858 there were
from So0t to 5000 teams, and f,om 10000
TO sa,V0V men at work on tho Union Pa
cific alone. Between April, 1868. and May,
1869, the Union Pacific buslt and put IN run
ming order 555 miles OF road, laying every
thing from one end and bringing all the
| materials from the Missouri river. The
record OF the Central fachc is equally
good--530 miles in eleven months. This
was accomplished by means OF Chinese
cheap labor, the Central Pacific people
being the FIRST Importers Of cody labor.
In this way the great task OF connecting
the two ocean5 by rail was carried through.
and May 10. 1859, the Union Pacific and
Point, Utah. Let an eyewitness describe
the closing scene.
ION the morning OF he 10th, as we
looked out OF the car We saw a force OF
Union Pacific men at work closing up the
gar that had been left at their end OF the
4 road. and the construction trains brought
up large numbers of men 20 witness the
laying OF the last rail. The munih-
cence of private citizens OF San Francisco
had contributed two gold spikes, each de-
signed 10 be the last one driven. The
laurel tie that we brought with us was
adjusted 10 Its place, and in order that each
gold spike should be the last. one was pre-
lsented by Governor Stanford president OF
the Central Pacific, to Vice President pu
rant, OF the Union Pacific, who should
drive 1t as the last one on the latter road,
while the other was to be the last on the
Central road and be driven last OF all by
Governor Stanford, who had thrown the
first shovelful of earth at the opening OF
the road.
1T had been arranged With Mr.. Gamble.
superintendent OF the telegraph lines. that
throughout the cities of the United States.
wherever fire alarm telegraphs were rs
tablished, connection should be made with
the last spike and the hammer that drove
It, so that the blow should announce IT.
SELF and fire cannon on the shores 81 both
oceans at the same instant Preparations
having been completed, the operator sent
notice to all stations throughout the coun-
try to be ready. and the whole Nation held
it's breath. reverend gentleman present
was invited to invoke the blessing OF Al
mighty God upon the work. The operator
announced lIats off prayer Is being said,
and as we uncovered our heads tho crowds
that were gathered at the telegraph offices
in the land uncovered theirs. II was a
sublime moment and we realized 1t. The
prayer ended. Durant drove his gold spike
Stanford stood with the silver slcdge
cleaning in the air. whose blow was TO
be heard further, without metaphor than
any blow struck ty mortal man, the reali-
ystiou OF the ancient myth of Jupiter with
the thurderbolt in his hand. The blow fell
and simultaneously the roar OF cannon on
both shores OF the continent announced the
tid,nss 1T Is done
1t was several years after the building OF
this, the most important part OF the Pa
cifc railway system, that the branch lines
provided for in the act OF 1862 were COM
pletcd. and in building them. there. wcro
considerable variations from the original
plan. The company which was organized
to build the Sioux City branch seeing that
more valuable lands and thicker popu-
lation were found east than west OF the
Missouri river, ran slightly east of south,
then turned and crossed the river little
above Omaha, aud connected with the
Union Pacific at Fremont, town lying
only a short distance west OF Omaha. Thus
a more valuable land grant and a heavier
local traffic were secured This road,
known as the Sioux City ana Pacific, has
never had any connection Of ownership
with the other railways Of the sroup. AMI in
1854 1t was bought by the Chicago and
Northwestern company, OF whose system 1t
IL now link
Much more important is the change In
plan which the Kansas City branch intro
duced. Instead of running northwest TO
join the Union Pacific at the Tooth meridian
permission was secured TO run west. me
road was built to Denver, with the mani
fest intention OF running southwest from
there to etrike the coast in southern Cali
foInia. This would have made the road
a competitor. instead OF branch, OF the
Union Pacific But an unwelcome Iroyis-
ion was inserted into one Of the paeific
railway acts which required the road 10
connect with the Union Pacific at a point
not more than fifty miles vest of the me-
ridian of Denver. connecting link was
therefore built almost due north from Den
Yer, striking the Union Pacific at Cheyenne.
from Kansas City TO Denver the rOad Icing
called the Kansas Pacific, and from Denver
to Cheyenne the Denver Pacific.
This change in plaL Of the Kansas Pa
cific sadly interfered with the road from
ST. Jcseph--the Central Branch Union Pa
cifc. 1t was subsidized for 100 miles only.
and when built according to the original
plan 1t found itself a mere spur. running
out on to the pnairie. with Two parallel
competing lines lying north and south OF
IT, and with no western connections.
The chartering act OF 1862 provided that
any of these companies which desired
might consolidate In 1880 Jay Gould
owned the Central Branch, completely con-
trolled the Kansas Pacific and the Denver
Pacific, and held large Interest IN the
Union Pacific. He therefore consolidated
these roads. taking for the new company
the name Union Pacific railway. 10 dis
tinguish Il from the original Union Pacific
Railroad company This consolidated com
pany 1t was which. in October, 1893, passed
into the hands of receivers.
The first period OF Pacific railway leglsla-
ton is characterized by generosity. but
sinee 1859 the companies have been treated
by the government as slippery and dis
honest creditors. What led the government
TO its generosity In chartering the Pacific
railways? In the early Cos the government
was paying over s7,000000 year for the
transportation merely OF military supplies