Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-12
To THE PACIFIC COAST
Building of Central Pacific
Railway Across Continent.
TRIBUTE TO T. D. JUDAH
Enthusiastic Engineer Organizes
Company of Promoters.
EARLY DAYS IN SACRAMENTO
Enterprise Begun There Extends to
Washington-Nosed Men Among
the Incorporators.
TRIBUTE TO T. D. JUDAH
EARLY DAYS IN SACRAMENTO

BY WILLIAM f. CURTIS.
Special Correspondence Of The Star and the
Chicago Record Herald.
SACRAMENTO. Cal. October 3, 1909.
Once upon q time five young merchants
used to meet frequently in the evening at
No. 81 X street, Sacramento, and hear
an enthusiastic young civil engineer dis
cuss his hobby. which was the construc-
ton of a railway across the continent
This engineer was Theodore D. Judah,
and he had been imported from Bridge
port Conn.,. to survey a route for rail-
way from Sacramento to a mining camp
on the American river. a distance OF
twenty-five miles. This was the first
railway in California. and was known as
the Sacramento Valley roAd. The formal
opening took place February o. 1856. It
was built with material shipped around
the Horn from Boston, and paid for by
local capital.
The City Of the Holy Sacrament wae
founded around Suffers fort In the late
fall or 1S4S, and the lots were sold at auc-
ton as long as anybody would bid. The
name Sacramento first appeared in the
advertisements for the auction, but no one
remembers who first suggested 1t. The
first house was built in January. 1849.
and q thriving settlement grew up along
the banks of the Sacramento river, which
was the only means Of transportation in
those days; but it was in a dangerous
situation.
In 1850. about the time that Congress
was voting for the admission of California
into the Union, the town Of Sacramento
was swept away by a flood. Not more
than half a dozen houses escaped. This
catastrophe was repeated in 1853, when
the citizens got togethef, built levee
along the river bank and filled In the
plans that were adopted for the same
purpose in the city Of Galveston.
City Destroyed by Fire.
In 1852 Sacramento was destroyed by
fire, and the loss was five million dollars
Nevertheless the persistent and deter
mined adventures who made up the
early population rebuilt their houses and
stores, and two years later the village
was selected as the capital Of the infant
state. In 1851 work began upon the pres
ent statehouse, which ie one of the finest
and most expensive in the country.
At the first session of the legislature
in 1851 various bills and resolutions in
favor Of railroads were adopted, and In
1882 an act was passed granting right
of way to the federal government 'for
the purpose OF constructing railroad
from the Atlantic to the Pacific" also
a joint resolution urging the California
delegation in Congress to give it's at
tention to the. matter. In October. 1853,
the San Francisco and San Jose Railroad
Company was organized. with capital
stock of 5000 600, but 1t was not until
ten years later. in October. 1858. that
the road was opened to Mayville, thirty
five miles from San Francisco. 1t was
completed to San Jose in January. 1864.
The most active agitator of a trans
continental railroad was Theodore D.
was brought from Connecticut to build
the Sacramento Valley railroad, and in
September, 1859. he organised a state
convention in Assembly Hall. on the
Francisco. with delegates from every
county in California. and several from
Washington and Oregon, to memorabilia
Congress. The memorial, which was pre-
pared by Thomas H. Pearne, a delegate
from Oregon, appealed to Congress "to
protection and security Of the people Of
the states of California and Oregon and
the territories of Washington and Arizo-
ma by aiding in the construction Of q
railroad across the continent, and declar-
ed In favor of a central route along the
overland trail.
It was also resolved that the state Of
California should create debt Of 49,
OOO. 600 and the state of Oregon 5000, 600
to aid in the enterprise.
Judah the Inspiring Genius.
Judah was the inspiring genius of the
convention. He was full Of enthusiasm,
courage and determination. and, being
deeply impressed with the practicability of
transcontinental railroad, and an am
bition to have his name connected with
+ ~ f<n<1
He was born at Bridgeport, educated at
Troy Polytechnic Institute. and had done
considerable practical work on several
eastern roads before he came to Cal
ifornia.
AS is usually the case, the memorial
to Congress went into a pigeon hole
but judah continued his agitation and
finally succeed in interesting the group
of five young merchants to whom
have alluded. He met them at 81 X
street. which was a hardware store,
owned by Coils Potter Huntington and
Mark Hopkins. An old weather-beaten
signboard. inscribed Huntington &
Hopkins" hung over the door.
A grocery merchant named Leland
borhood. and two brothers Charles
Croker and Edwin B. Croker, dry
goods men. comprised the group. and
Cornelius Cole, editor of the Sacra-
menLO Times, and aIterWdrQ a member
of the House of Representatives and
of the United States Senate, who had
his printing office in a room above the
store of Huntington & Hopkins. used
to drop in and discuss the railroad
project. Ultimately Judah succeeded
in organizing these gentlemen. and on
the 28th Of June, 1851. filed articles of
Incorporation for the Central Pacific
Railroad Company, with a capital stock
of $S,50O,OO0 divided into $1,000 shares
of 800 each.
Leland Stanford. c. P. Huntington,
Mark Hopkins. Theodore D. Jurah
and Charles Crocker each subscribed
for $40 shares: Glidden and Williams.
1925 shares; Charles A. and Orville o..
Lombard. $40 shares; Samuel Brannan.
200 shares; Samuel Hooper. Benjamin
j. Reed apd Samuel p. Shaw. so shares
each: r. o. Ives. % shares, and Edwin
b. Croker. 10 shares. In obedience to
the law each of these subscribers paid
in cash 10 per cent Of their subscrip-
lions, and the fund was used by Judah
in making a preliminary survey to the
boundary.
dent; c. p. Huntington. vice president;
Mark Hopkins, treasurer: James Bal
ley, jeweler of San Francisco. secre-
tary. and T. w. Judah. chief, engineer.
Wealthy and Leader in Politics.
Stanford was not only the richest
man in the group. his grocery store
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