The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1901-06-23
Story Of the Pacific Railway


his speech IN Memphis AZ the begin
ming q his late tour, TO the circ1Es-
stance that the Tennessee LseEisiz-
ture in 1877 requested that states
Representatives IN Congress TO yoye
for the building q a railway line 20
the Pacific. has melted some new
paper speculation ~ 20 the origin 81
the project TO span the continent
By rail The story Of the evolF-iaa
81 the scheme FOR the construction Ct
a railroad 20 the Pacific is long but
IL is AZ interesting as anything N
fiction In the issue 81 February s.
1892. Of the EmiErant. weekly paper
published 10 Ann Arbor. Mich. unde-
the heading q Something New. APP
pears an article suggesting the build
ing o. a railroad from New York 70
the mouth Of the Columbia The
writer who Is supposed 20 have been
s. W Dexter. the papers publishe-
and its principal editor proposed 4
route which is close % the line soi-
lowed many years later BY The Nez
York Central 10 Buffalo. By the Lake
shore 10 Chicago. and hy the Unipn
Pacific and the Oregon Short Lane 10
Portland Thus this obscure news
paper. which vas published only I've
years in all. and which vas scarce.
iy known outside 81 the then back
woods village 81 Ann ArboT. Eve years
before Michigan was admitted n
statehood. won the right TO have a
place in the history o. the Unit
States
Al the time when Dexters Ann
Arbor paper was suggesting the
building OF q railroad across the con.
tinent. and outlining a course which
81 could follow. and which. approx
mately. vas followed. many years
later. no railroad designed 10 carry
passengers and freight had yet been
begun In any Of the New England
states: only two years had passed
since Peter Cooper. for the Baltimo-e
and Ohio. bad built the first locomo
tive II ton In weight. as compared
with i00fon locomotives seen on
many 81 the railroads in the United
States In 1907 ever constructed n
the United States: there were doubts
as 10 whether the Baltimore and
Ohio. the pioneer among American
lines. with only twenty miles OF
track laid at that time. would be q
success. and there were less thar
200 miles Of railroad IN TIE entirc
United States. The sagaclty which
in that day OF the infancy OF .hs
railroad system. discerned the prac
tieahility OF spanning the continent
by rail. and which marked out q
course over which. in its general
lines. the continent was actually
spanned in the after time. deserves
high honor
Claims for the honor OF origina
ting the transcontinental railroad idea
have been made for many other per
sous-Dr Samuel B. Barlow. OF Mas
sachusetts. Lewis Gaylord Clark. =.
wings and Bryant's literary friend.
Lilburn ". Boggs. who was Governor
OF Missouri from 1896 10 1910: Hart
well Carver. grandson OF Jonatha,
Carver. and several others-but tn,
distinction unquestionably belongs L
Dexter. or TO the man who wrote
that article printed in 1882 in Dex
ter's paper Barlow had an article
In the lntelligeucer. weekly news
paper in Westfield. Mass. In 1894
advocating route across the cont
nent over a course which the North
ern Pacific followed very closely Ions
afterward. but Barlow referred in that
article TO the contribution previous
~ printed in the Ann Arbor Emf
grant Rev. Samuel Parker. Pres
hyterian missionary. sent out by his
church In New York. who crossed tbs
Rocky Mountains 10 the Columbia IL
1885. wrote in his journal. after max
ing that trip. that there would be nc
difficulty In the way OF CONSTRUCTING
railroad from the Atlantic 10 tbs
Pacific Ocean. Possibly. he hac
read Dexter and Barlow before goins
on his trip. John Plnmbe. OF Du
buque. Ia. in a pamphlet printed II
1886. advocated the construction Of 4
railroad from Lake Michigan to tn,
Pacific. and continued his advocacy
for many years afterward.
other men. however. than thess
thus far mentioned had the distiuc
ton Of bringing the question OF tbs
construction OF a transoontinenta
railroad 70 the attention OF the eoun
try aud Congress Those who wer,
most prominent in this work wer,
Asa Whitney. n New York merchant
and Thomas H. Benton. Of Missouri
Benton as a means Of perfecting tbs
United States title 20 Oregon. which
was IN dispute with England unit
1876. began 20 take an interest il
the Pacific Railroad project very soor
after L began ia be first suggested
and he predicted. in a public meeting
in St Louis In iS44. that there were
men then fun grown who would livs
to see Asiatic commerce crossing the
Rocky Mountains BY rail But Whit
ney saw the possibilities OF henefsi
Tor the country through a railway
across the continent as early as Ben
ton did. and he gave more time thar
did Benton 10 its advocacy. He frs
brought the matter before Congress
by a memorial presented on Janaar,
-. iS45. &c the Senate by Dickinson
81 New York. and 70 the House b,
Pratt. OF the same state. and va.
active in pressing Il on Congress. il
bringing Il 20 the attention Of IN,
Legislatures 81 various states. ans
In advocating Il before state conxen
tions and mass meetings. BY vokcs
and pen. Interstate conventions Ii
favor Of the building OF road 10 III,
Pacific we're held in ST. Louis. Chi
cago. Philadelphia ana ether plaeeI
in iSsS-So. Stephen A Douglas pre-