The National tribune., 1897-11-04


NY thoughts and feelings at once re-
verted to the construction Of the great
Pacific Railway, which had been
chartered by Congress in the midst of
war, and was then in progress. | put
myself in communication with the
parties engaged in the work, visiting
them in person, and assured them that
| would afford them all possible assist
ance and encouragement.
Dr. Durant, the leading man of the
Union Pacific, seemed to ME person of
ardent nature, of great ability and
energy, enthusiastic in his undertaking,
and determined to build the road from
Omaha to San Francisco. He had an
able corps of assistants, collecting ma
terials, letting out contracts for ties,
grading, etc, and | attended the cele-
bration of the first completed division of
16i miles, from Omaha to Papillon.
When the orators spoke so confidently
of the determination to build 1000
miles of railway across the plains,
mountains, and desert, devoid Of tim
ber. with no population, but on the con-
trary raided by the bold and bloody
Sioux and Cheyennes, who had almost
successfully defied our power for half a
century. | was disposed to treat it
jocularly, because | could not hel p recall
our California experience of 1S55-'56,
when we celebrated the completion Of
2255 miles of the same road eastward Of
Sacramento; on which occasion Edward
Baker had electrified us by his un-
equalled oratory, painting the glorious
things which would result from uniting
the Western coast with the East by
bands Of iron.
Baker then, with poets imagina
ton, saw the vision of the mighty future,
but not the gulf which meantime was
destined to swallow up half a million Of
the brightest and best youth Of our land,
and that he himself would be one of
the first victims far away on the banks
of the Potomac He was killed in battle
al Balls Bluff, Oct II, 1861
The Kansas Pacific was designed to
unite with the main branch about the
f00o meridian, near Fort kearney Mr..
Shoemaker was its General Superintend-
ent and building contractor, and this
branch in 1865 was finished about 40
miles to point near Lawrence, Kan. |
may not be able to refer to these roads
again except incidentally, and will, there
fore, record here that the location Of this
branch afterward was changed from the
Republican to the Smoky Hill Fork of
the Kansas River, and is now the main
line to Denver.
The Union and Central Railroads
from the beginning were pushed with a
skill, vigor, and courage which always
commanded my admiration, the two
meeting at Promontory Point, Utah,
July 10, 1869, and in my judgment con-
stitute one of the greatest and most
benefcent achievements Of man on
earth.
The construction of the Union Pacific
Railroad was deemed so important that
the President, at my suggestion, con-
stituted on the 9Th Of March, 1866, the
new Department Of the Platte, Gen. Z.
St George Cooke commanding, succeed
ed by Gen. c. c. Augur, Headquarters
at Omaha, with orders to give ample pro-
lection to the working-parties, and tc
afford every possible assistance in the
construction of the road; and subse-
quently in like manner the Department
Of Dakota was constituted, Gen. 4. II.
Terry commanding, with Headquarters
at st. Paul, to give similar protection
and encouragement to the Northern
Pacific Railroad. These Departments,
with changed commanders, have con-
tinued up to the present day, and have
fulfilled perfectly the uses for which
they were, designed.
During the years 1865 and 1866 the
great plains remained almost in state
Of nature, being the pasture-felds Of
about 100000 buffalo, deer, elk, and
antelope, and were in full possession of
the Sioux, Cheyennes, Arapahoes, and
Kiowas, a race Of bold Indians, who saw
plainly that the construction Of two
parallel railroads right through their
county would prove destructive to the
game on which they subsiated, and con-
sequently fatal to themselves.
The troops were posted to the best ad-
vantage to protect the parties engaged
in building these roads, and in person |
reconnoitered we'll to the front, traversing
the buffalo regions from south to north,
and from east to west, often with very
small escort, mineling with the Indians
whenever safe, and thereby gained per-
sonal knowledge of matters which enabled
me to use the troops to the best advan-
tage.
arr sure that without the courage and
activity Of the Department commanders
with the small bodies Of Regular troops on
the PLAINS during the years 1866@69, the
Pacific Railroads could not have been
built; but once built and in full opera
ton the fate of the buffalo and Indian
was settled for all time to come
To be continued
.
California in . Days,
Via Chicago, Union Pacific, and North Western