Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-11-15

cific railroad, Mr.. John ID. Crulse' VI
Kansas City, Kan, has just contrlout-
ed N the Kansas Historical society a
paper on the EARLY Days on the Oh-
ion Pacific" He tells not only OF the
hardships the various promoters ell
countered in financing the project, out
tho thrilling adventures of the work
men who built it. Secretary Marlih
considers the paper one OF the great
est contributions concerning the early
history of Kansas that has been re-
ceived by the society in recent years
After reciting the story of the strug-
gle which finally ended in the gov
ernment granting aid for the con-
struction of the road, and the deter
mination of the promoters to start the
line from Kansas City, because the
authorities of Leavenworth eXac'eu
hurdensome conditions and the LeaV-
enworth people demanded eXornl-
tant prices for their land and supples'
Mr.. Cruise says:
"The first ground was broken at
Kansas City. September l. 1898.
Among those present were Samuei
Hallett. A. ]. Bartlett, lawyer SiiaS
Armstrong. a leading man of the wy
andottes, and H. H. Sawyer, a foreman
SAWYER handed an ak to both Bartlett
and Armstrong, asking each TO tell d
tree saving that the honor or dong
the first work on the right OF way
would fall to him whose tree fell hrs''
Armstrong's tree first fell, but 1t re-
maioed attached to the stump. BART
lett,s fell a few seconds later, clean
ont At one time the contestants
threatened a lawsuit to decide 10
whom the honor belonged. Mr.. Saw
YER then drove a post into the GROUND
near where they stood, and exactly on
the state line Just east of the present
Union Pacific bridge. On the Missou-
ri side of this post he wrote with reu
keel the word slavery" and on the
Kansas side Liberty" Captain n. H.
SAWYER died February 2S, l9lV' a'
Fifth and Minnesota avenues, Kansas
Citv. Kan, within a mile of where ne
drove the post.
."The first rail of this great system
was laid without pomp or ceremony
April IA, 1864, in Wyandotte' at the
foot of Minnesota avenue, on spur,
This spur was laid for the purpose OF
handling material brought by the river
and landed at the levee. To get gov
ernment subsidy it was Incorporated
into the system of which it must al
ways remain a part.
"The first locomotive was brought
IN wvandotte, and also to grief, a feW
days later. She was an old wood burn
or and had been used by the govern
ment on the Orange. Alexandra and
Manassas railroad in Virginia. Matt
CIeary was transporting the rolling
stock from Weston on the missouri
river, then the terminus Of the Platte
County railroad. and the nearest rail-
point to Kansas City. He brought the
engine down on a barge, and as the
hank of the river was high above the
barge. a cut was made, rails were lald
from the waters edge to her deck ana
on these the engine was slid along lo
terra firma.
]. L. Hallet fired her up and used
her to draw a small push car. Alas!
he knew not the ways of locomotives
and ran her too near the edge or the
river. In she plunged up to the head
light. the rear end remaining on the
bank. With scarcity of both knowledge
and tackle it was several days before
she was pulled out"
1t required seven years to build the
line from Kansas City to Denver and
the writer told Of innumerable hnan-
cial obstacles that were encountered
and overcome.
But the thrilling part of his story
deals with the troubles the worKmen
hal with the Indians. The redskins
were opposed to white aggression ana
they never overlooked an opportunity
10 retard the work or take a scalp. In
one year-1S6S-alongt the Union Pa
cifc construction line Indians killed
50 men and children and outraged
IA women. The following year "a
people were killed.
The real hair-raising story, however,
relates to a hand-to-hand encounter
which a young civil engineer, Philip
Howard Schuyler, a Kansas boy, had
with a band of Indian warriors. II
was ScEuyler's duty to blaze the way
for the graders. He would go anead
of the grading gang several miles ana
mark the route with pills. OF dirt. ON
June 19. 1869. while out alone in the
vicinity of what is now Sharon Springs
he was attacked by Indians in ambush.
They opened fire, striking his horse
in the hip. Looking around he saw
long line Of the red painted devils on
three sides of him, while on the fourth
in the direction of his party, was hall
a mile of broken ground cut up Dy
deep. narrow ravineS. 1t took but a
moment to decide his line Of action.
Putting spurs to his horse he turned
to the only loophole of escape, and
to the surprise of the Indians, went
leaping over the raVineS. one after the
other. at the risk of his life. but win
the assurance that they could not fol-
low him. as none of their ponies were
equal to the work. And to keep up
the pursuit they were obliged to make
d long detOur.
Having once got clear of the broken
ground. Schuyler, looking back, found
himself we'll ahead, and was congratu-
lating himself on so easy an escape,
when he saw directly before him,
springing out Of the grass formld-
able array of Indians intercepting his
flight. Those pursuing in the rear
closed up and almost before he could
realize the situation. he found himself
again entrapped, this time by line OF
Indians that entirely encircled him,
numbering about 100, as nearly as he
could judge. hey rapidly narrowed
the limits of the circle and began
taunting him with all manner of in
suits and telling him of the tortures
that awaited him. and of the slow
roasting that they proposed TO give
him. For several minutes he sat on
his horse trying to reconcile himself to
the certainty that death was before
him. but when the first struggle was
over all trembling ceased, and with as
true aim as ever huntsman leveled at
a reindeer. he threw up his rifle ana
fired at the nearest man, killing him
instantly. Earlier in the fight he mad
realized that he was more lightly
armed than usual having that morn
ing left his belt with a brace of pis-
tolls and a box of cartridges in camp
to be cleaned. taking his Winchester
carbine, carrying only II shots. He now
determined to sell his life as dearly as
npcSible and counting every shot to be