Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-08-12

reads like a prophecy. For years his occu-
pations were diversified. He laid out some
railroads and built others. He engaged in
mercantile pursuits. He was the main spirit
of the early operation of the Minnesota
Central, now a part of the Chicago, Mil
waukee and St. Paul system, and the brief
and simple time tables under which its few
trains were run in the early sixties are still
carefully preserved in the Shepard archives
1t was not till 1887 that he forsook every
thing for railroad construction. renouncing
therefor the prospective presidency of a
highly important line connecting Chicago
and st. Paul.
Building railroads was his chief occupa-
ton from 1870 till 1890, however, and from
that time till mis- retirement he laid down
on an average almost mile and a half a
working day. He made a record OF 675
miles in the fifteen months following MAY
i, 1852, but was destined to do much better
later.
Getting Down to Business.
1t was James J. Hill who induced Shep-
ard to make railroad building his sole oc-
cupation for the remainder of his days
Hill had already done a good deal toward
expanding his st. Paul and Pacific line into
the present Great Northern system, and
was ready to push operations with greater
Vigor than ever. Hitherto his construction
work had been in the hands of a number of
contractors, Shepard and his firm being
among them From that time on Hill
wanted all his railroad building to be done
by firm. He wanted to build railroads
faster than they had ever been built be-
fore, yet he wanted them built economical
ly and thoroughly. He knew that his re-
quirements could be met only by a railroad
builder who had unusual executive ability
and courage, who was progressive enough
to make use of all the latest railroad build
ing devices, and had sufficient ingenuity to
invent still newer devices should occasion
demand them. Hill selected Shepard as
the man he wanted, and after some hesita-
tinyl ShayA nrfl'S AZ I-lo
April . 1887, to January 6, 1893 when the
last spike of the Great Northern line was
driven at point deep down in the Skye
mish valley, thirteen miles west of the
Stevens Pass summit, in the state of
Washington, Shepards firm built all the
Great Northern extensions.
No other similar period of railroad build
ing has equaled in achievement that brief
stretch of less than six years. In the WIN
ter of 1867 the system, then known as the
St Paul, Minneapolis and Manitoba rail-
read, had practically reached Minot. $50
miles from St. Paul AT the beginning of
1893 the system was completed to Puget
sound, a total distance of 1,J63 miles, or
more than three miles day as an aver
age. Had Shepard's entire period of rail-
road building been done at that rate he
would have built between 81 o00 and o, Geo
miles in all, or nearly enough to girdle the
globe.
Varied Forms of Construction.
In accomplishing this sturendous task
Shepard's men encountered every variety Of
construction known. Hundreds of miles
were laid over monotonous fiat stretches Of
prairie, where the grades amounted TO
nothing more than casting the earth up
high enough for the track to clear itself of
ordinary sn9wfalls. Other reaches were
alongside the mighty water courses of the
west where long entertainments AMI deep
cuts were in order. IN some places e1
tensive treStleS We're needed. In the noun
tain divisions there were tunnels and other
difficult rock work to be built. Until the
construction neared the Pacific coast all
the materials and supplies had to be got
from the eastern end of the line. Over and
over again new problems arose which had
to be solved en- the minute, so to speak
Much Of the territory swarmed with In
oians, though fortunately they displayed no
great hostility.
Through it all Mr.. Shepards was the
guiding spirit Like q military invader, he
planned each years campaign in advance
ard kept himself in close touch with his
forces. They were almost as numerous as
an invading army would be. II would make
this article read too much like an extract
fran a statistical work TO go into complete