The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-11-26

by the two superintendent Of construc-
ton J. II. Strowbridge of the Central
Pacific and s. s. Reed Of the Union Pa
cifc, the former handling the north end
and the latter the south end or the tie.
Ii was eight feet long. eight inches
wide and six inches thick. and was
made OF California laurel Beautifully
polished and ornamented with a silver
plate bearing the names OF the direc-
tors and officers of the General Pacific
Railroad company. and the following
inscription: The last tie laid on the
completion of the Pacific railroad. May
10. 1863; presented by West Evans.
Manufactured BY Strahle & Hughes,
San Francisco. '''F
IT was now half-past y and, at a Civ
en- signal. Governor Stanford. standing
on the south side OF the rail- and Dr.
Durant standing on the north side.
struck the spikes and drove them home.
Ielegraphic connection had been made
i'm such manner that the blows of the
hammer en- the spike was sent vibrating
along the wires to every telegraph office
between the Atlantic and the Pacific
between the Great Lakes and the Gulf
Of Mexico This was done by attaching
Z the wires to the spike maUls, every
blow from which announced itself as il
fell. In San Francisco the wires were
connected with the FIRE alarm i'm the
tower. and in Washington with the bell
of the capitol. so hat the strokes Of
the silver sledge, sending forth the joy
full news Of the marriage Of the oceans
east, west, north. south. to Chicago and
/ New Orleans to Washington ana san
Francisco. were not only heard through
out the land. but were sent ringing
down the Potomac and out through the
I Golden Gate 20 greet Old Neptune i'm
/ his watery realm and aCQuaint him
4 with the glad tidirgs.'t@
Storm of Applause.
No sooner was the spike driven than
the pent-Up feelings Of the multitude
that had witnessed the act burst forth
in thunderOus storm of hurrahs Three
cheers We're given for the governmens
Of the United States for the railroad.
for the President, for the star spanEled
banner, for the laborers ard for those
1 who had furnished the means to build
{ the road.
PromOutory Summit. Utah May 10.
The last rail is laid. the last spike IS
driven, the Pacific railroad is completed.
The point of junction is LOSS miles west
Of the Missouri river and $50 miles east
Of Sacramento City.
LELAND STANFORD,
Central Pacific Railroad,
ct. @. DURANT.
SIDNEY DILLON,
JOHN. DUFF,
Union Pacific Railroad"
Telegram to President.
Such was the Official announcement
OF the event telegra ohed to the Asso-
ciated Press Immediately after the drlv-
ing Of the last spike A similar tel
egram was sent to the president of the
United States-Ulysses 5. Grant. Be-
fore either had sped. however. the fol-
lowing dispatch was received from sew
eral prominent CalifOruians in New
York:
The President Of the Central Pacific
ard Union Tactic Railroads. at the
Junction: To you and your associates
we send our hearty greetings upon the
great feat this day achieved in the
junction OF your two roads. and we bid
you god-speed in your best eudeavor
for the entire success Of the trans
American highway between the Allan
tic and the Pacific, Tor the new world
and the old"
At the conclusion Of the proceedings
/ the two locomotives, standing face to
face. moved up until they touched each
other and a bottle of wine was poured
as a libauon upon the last ran.
Thus was the great railway COM
pleted. Thus was accomplished the
m1ghtiest human achievement of mod
ern times. Thus over Utah. TIE key
stone Of the arch. the mediator of tne
nc UT. the east ana the west SnoOk
hands and the continent was girdleS
with its belt OF steel.
"a curious incident connected with the
laying Of the last rail has been little no.
ticed hitherto. Two lengths Of rail. fifty
six feet, had been omitted The Union
Pacific people brought up their pair IF
rails and the work Of placing them was
done by Europeans. The Central Pacific
people then laid their pair of rails. the
labor being performed by MOngOlians.
Here, near the center Of the great Amer
lean continent, were Representatives of
Asia, Europe and America-America di-
recting and cOntrOiling-JOSeph Nicsols
"*Says Mr.. Nichols Immediately att
er the ceremonies the laurel tie was re-
moved for preservation ard in its place
an ordinary one substituted. Scarcely
had il been put in its place before a
! grand advance was made upon IL by GU
/ riosity seekers and relic hunters. and ID
/ was divided into numberless mementOes
I and as fast as each tie was demOlishe1
and a new one substituted this, too
shared the same fate. and probably with
in the first six months there were used
I as many new ties
Fs@The same electric flash. it is said
sent the reverberating discharge Of 30
guns from the batteries Of San Fran
cisco.
2 Their Last Good-Bve