The sun., 1919-05-10
Fifty Years Of TranscOntinental
Railroading.

| Beginning nearly n century ago, a
dozen or more forward looking Ameri-
cans advocated the building of a trans
continental railroad. They included
JOHN PLUME of Dubuque, LEWIS
GAYLORD CLARKE of New York, who
advocated the scheme in the Knicker-
booker Mdgd:ine; HARTwELL CARVER
of Rochester and LALBURN BoGGs of
Missouri. The man who brought
| about the great development. how
ever, SO far as persistent agitation
can bring anything about, was ASA
WHITNEY. n merchant of this city.
In the late forties he spent all OF his
time and n great deal Of his money
| in trying to convince Congress and
the people generally that the greatest
need of the United States was n rail
road from the Mississippi to the Pa
clfic coast. 1T would be-" he wrote.
'as the heart Is to the human body"
IL California and Oregon were no.
linked to the East WHITNEY declared,
they might become separate nation,
| controlling the trade of the Orient.
So persistent was this man with IN
! obsession that he persuaded fourteen
States to memorabilia Congress on
| behalf of the tranScontinental line.
, He had financial plan of his own,
entailinS the grant by Congress of
strip Of land sixty miles wide from
Lake Michigan TO the Pacific, this TO
be disposed Of to settlers and the pro-
ceeds used to build the railway.
So far as WHIrNEY's dream OF be-
! coming railroad prince Is concerned,
he failed. JOHN +. DAVIS. in his his
tory of the Union Pacific Railroad
says that WHITNEY used his entire
fortune on his idea and spent his de-
| Ginning years as a mikman In Wash
lngton. But the dream came true, and
long before WHITNEY's death. The
last spike was driven into the last tie
under the rails that united the Union
Pacific and Central Pacific railroads at
Promontory Point, Idaho. fifty years
ago tnis morning. California became
linked with the rest of the United
States; and If now and then poll
| tician wonders at the dear Young
States performances he would better
consider how much more eccentric she
| might he II 1t had not been for the
realization of WHITNEY vision.
Until the railroad was built the Pa
cific coast was a place to be rea ched
in agony. If the coast had strong
men 1t came through the working of
the law that the fittest survive The
pioneers, such as the Forty miners.
could go to California by ships in
five weeks at a cost OF $3.50.
Those in a hurry could reach the
gold fields In three weeks, trust
ing themselves to the mercies of
Ben HoLLADAY's stage coaches at the
western railroad terminals. II was
the rush for gold that gave new life 10
the Whitney project. Congress in 1853
made an elaborate survey Of the whole
trans-Mlsslssippl region. The civil
| war knocked out the last DIRECTORS to
the plan. and Oh July 4, 1862, Presi-
dent LINCOLN signed bill for the
building of the road with government
tai aid. 1t was too late to be Of mill
tary use in the conflict then raging.
There were 1900 Californinns in the
Union army, but only 500 of them ar
rived East in time to be killed.
The Pacific railroad provided
notable ease wherein the Congress
overruled the President. There was
a fierce dispute ms TO the gauge of the
new line, and Mr.. LINCOLN settled on
the California width Of five feet. Con-
gress disagreed with him, and after
months Of debate, in March, 1863, II
was decided that the gauge should be
four feet eight and one-half inches
the standard now of al important
American railroads.
The Central Pacific built 742 miles
from Sacramento TO Ogden, and the
Union Pacific, with money that came
from the Government and from pri.
waite capitalists (sweet memories of
the Credit Moblller and the states.