The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1922-02-04
Railroad NetUs of Week
CHAS. w. LANE
CHAS. w. LANE

'
which he had carefully gathered dur
ing many years of laborious effort.
1t was entitled Project for a Railroad
to the Pacific" In that year COM
mittees of both houses of congress
made reports fay orable to his enter
prise, but they were not approved by
congress itself.
In 1852 the senate committee on
postoffices and post roads reported
bill setting apart a portion of the pub
lie lands to enable Whitney to build
his road to the Pacific ocean, but
limiting the eastern and western
terTnini to Memphis and San Francisco
and points south thereof, and reaching
California by way of the Bio Del
Norte. The introduction of this bill
marked the end of Whitney's project
and the agitation in favor of it. But
the idea had taken possession of the
public mind and the discussions in
favor of a railroad to the Pacific
ocean would not stop until the enter
prise was an accomplished fact
In 1853 congress made provision for
the survey of five different routes
across the great plains to the Pacific
ocean, the results of which were after
wards embodied in a voluminous re-
port.
Act Passed in 1862.
9Id1hS III favor Oh SuCn d ROAD were
embodied in the platforms of both
great political parties in 1850, and
when the southern states seeded in
1851 (thus removing from considera-
ton all territory in which the war was
going on), and it became evident that
the construction of a transcontinental
railroad was necessary as war meas
ure, congress passed the act July 1,
1862, entitled IAN act to aid in the
construction of a railroad and tele-
graph line from the Missouri river to
the Pacific ocean, and to secure to
the government the use of the same
for postal. military and other pur-
poses under which the Union Pacific
and Central Pacific railroads were
built
But altho the road was not built
under Whitney's plan, the country Sc
cured the benefit of his years of in
vestigation and active work. The i'm
portance of such a road to the entire
nation was brought home to all the
people thru his marvellous exertions.
and the building of a transcontinental
railroad, together with the great de-
Velopment of the west which accom-
panied it, might have been delayed
many years had it not been for his
efforts It is the Asa Whitneys of the
world who challenge public attention
and force the execution of national
enterprises as well as the adoption of
married. in the report of the COM
mittee on roads and canals of the
house of representatives in 1850:
Mr.. Whitney has been unremitting-
ly engaged at his own expense since
-1841, in collecting information on this
subject, as well in Asia, as in our own
country; and we are indebted to him
for the organization of the project, for
the maturity of the first plan for the
large amount of practical information
that is brought to bear on the sub
1ect, and for awakening public atten-
ton to its importance"
Ground Breaking.
On December %, 1863, the residents
OF Omaha gathered together to ceIe-
bEate the breaking of ground for the
greater enterprise. The spot selected
was near the Ferry landing not far
above the point where the Union Pa
cific shops are now located. Rev ..
B. Lemon of the Methodist church
asked the divine blessing upon the
work. The first earth was removed
by Governor Saunders, assisted by
Mayor Kennedy. Speeches were made
by Mr.. A. j. Poppleton, Cfor many
years the distinguished general So
hcltor of the Union Pacific) and
Others. George Francis Train also
delivered one of his characteristic
talks on this occasion
The work of construction Jagged for
a while, but in 1864 congress amended
the act of 1862, so that it was possible
to secure the private capital needed
to construst the road, and the actual
building of it proceeded in earnest. In
spite of serious obstacles the work was
pushed with increased vigor each year,
and on the 10th day of May, 1853, the
Union Pacific, which had been con-
structed from Omaha west, and the
Central Pacific, which had been built
francisco cd
at Promontory in the territory of Utah.
Thus was accomplished the enter
prise which had been dreamed about
and talked about for so many years;
and it seems proper that we should
call to mind the disinterested work of
that modest, unselfish, strong-heafted
and public spirited man, Asa Whitney,
forerunner of Pacific railroads