The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-01

session of the main line and Kansas
Pacific division, leaving the Gould
party In control of valuable system
of tracks, reaching from the Missouri
river to the Pacific ato Portland, Or.
These Incidents form only a small
part of the history of the Union Pacific.
Volumes could beswritten of the strug-
giles and privatiQps of the men who
surveyed the route and constructed the
road of their fights with hostile In
dams and adventures with even more
savage and blooathirsty white rene
gades- experiences ihwhich Gen. FIRE.
mont, the avant scoureur of the line,
and, later, Buffalo lIBill," who won
his title by shooting huffaloes to supply
the workmen with meat, played no
small parts. 81 II
While the project of "a railroad to the
Pacific ocean from Omaha did not
originate in Omaha, it was given more
substantial assistance from that city
than any other one locality. The ener-
sies Of the new city, gave the great
scheme impetus. The project had long
been agitated in a vague and indefi-
mite way until 1850, when Senator Ben
ton. of Missouri introduced in congress
the first Pacific railroad bill. The idea
was probably suggested to him by his
son-in-law. John G. Fremont who in
1912 had explored the South pass. Fol-
lowing this there were several other eX-
Deditions through the vast West and
Fremont surveyed a route for a great
road from the Mississippi to San Fran
CISCO After the close of the war of
the Rebellion he occupied himself to
great extent in forwarding the inter-
ests of the Southern Transcontinental
railway.
Incidentally it might be mentioned
that had not the war of the rebellion
occurred the first transcontinental rail-
way would likely have been a Southern
route. probably starting from st. Louis.
In 1851 the Hon. s. Butler King sub
mitted a plan which was universally
apnroved. 1t was to the effect that the
government should guarantee to any
company or persons who would under
take and complete the road net diVi
dcnd of per cent for fifty years or
100 wears, the road to be constructed
under the supervision of an engineer
appointed by the government, the cost
of the road not to exceed a certain
sum, and the guarantee not to begin
until the road was completed and
equipped for operation. In 1853 % nine
routes were surveyed across the con-
tinent on various parallels. under the
supervision of Jefferson Davis, then
secretary of war. With each returning
session of congress the benefits and
peculiarities of these several routes
were submitted and the results were
summarized in the interest of the eX-
IRENE Southern line. Finally it was
demonstrated that the route along the
ncrth side of the Platte river was the
most practicable In June, 1857, num-
Der of distinguished gentlemen from
various portions Of the United States,
visited Omaha ard conferred with par
ties having in view the construction of
the Pacific road by way of the Platte
valley and South pass. The visiting
party consisted of Col Orr of South
Carolina; Gen. Robinson, of Pennsyl-
vania; Judge Barber, of Wisconsin,;
Col Curtis, of Iowa; Mr.. Hosmer, of
Ohio; Mr. Pierce, of Indiana, and
others. They united in a recommends
ton to congress that such reasonable
grant of land and other aid be con-
tributed as would prove sufficient In
ducement TO build the road. and they
also recommended the Platte valley
route. The project of Pacific railroad
was agitated at every session OF the
Nebraska territorial Legislature, and it
became one of the most cherished
hopes of this new country.
EFFORTS AT LEGISLATION.
During the session Of the Thirty
sixth congf ess a Pacific railroad COM
mittee through Senator Gwin of Cal
ifornia, reported a bill which proposed
to locate the Eastern terminus of the
road at some point between the Big
Sioux and Kansas rivers. The bill,
however, was killed in the senate.
Another effort was made at the SEES
sion of 1880, when a new Dill was
introduced by Mr. Curtis, of Iowa,
which met with more favorable con-
sideration, but with no better results
Thus the matter rested until Feb. 5,
1862, when Mr. Rollins, of Missouri by
unanimous consent, introduced bill to
aid in constructing a railroad and tele-
graph line from the Missouri river to
the Pacific ocean, and it was referred
to the Pacific railroad committee. 1t
was substantially the same as that
introduced by Gen. Curtis at the pre-
vious session On May g. 1862, the bill.
with various amendments, was passed
by the house by vote of rs to 40, and
was then sent to the senate for con-
currence.
Decisive action was delayed until
June 20, when. by a vote of 80 to 5, the
bill was adopted and sent back to the
house. The bill, as amended by The
senate, was then adopted by the house
by a vote of 104 to 81. The bill was ap-
proved July l, 1862, when it became
law. The bill provided among other
things that quite a large number of
persons, whose names were given,
should be created into body corporate
name, style, and title of THE Union
Pacific Railroad Company.
PROVISIONS OF THE BILL.
The bill provided for the appoint
ment of five commissioners also for
the laying out and constructing or
continuous railroad and telegraph line
from a point on the Tooth meridian be-
tween the Republican river and the
north margin of the Platte valley, in
Nebraska, to the western boundary or
Nevada; and for the amount OF the
capital stock, for the appointment of
commissioners and other officers, the
election of directors, right of way, DO
nations Of alternate sections except
mineral lands, the conveyance or lands
upon the completion of every forty
consecutive miles, and the issue and
payment of bonds therefor, the deslg-
nation of the route. the time OF com
pletion for the main line being 1876.
The land grant amounted to l2,OOO,OCO
acres, or $4,000 square miles, on each
side of the road and along its entire
length
The formal organization of this ma
tiOnal enterpr Sc was projected oct. ~,
1863, in New York.
BEGINNING OF CONSTRUCTION.
When the enterprise reached this
stage Omaha was so excited that 1t
was decided to break ground at once
for the great undertaking. On Dec. 2,
1863, this was done amid a ceremony
in which the whole West participated.
George Francis Train was the principal
speaker. The road was completed May
10, 1863. The company was early con-
trolled by the Pennsylvania company,
and in March, 1871, Thomas A. Scott,
of that company, was elected pres1-
h.