Year: 1869




Meanwhile, one of the most marked, original char
acters of all this throng is of the quetest and
least noticeable There he SITS chatting carelessly
in low tones rather tall man, in middle life. his
hair and whiskers beginning to show streaks OF gray
and his worn, mild thoughtful face shaded by the
limp brim of lOw-crowned brown hat. IT Is Thomas
c. Durant, manager and builder Of the Union Pacific
Railroad. In the Central Pacific Company-cOyering
the California end Of the lne-three officers STAN
ford, Croker and Huntington. have shared the re-
spOnsbiity and work: in the Union Pacific, Durant
had energetic perseverng associates but he has been
the motive power-bas borne the brunt Of everything.


He was born among the Berkshire hills Of Massa-
setts. He studied medicine and graduated at Alba
nv; and tried to content himself practcing ply
sician but with no other vent than feeling pulses
and writing prescriptions, his inbon restless energy
would have left him no peace. He became the head
of heavy firm for transporting freight from New
York to the West 1t often carried supplies for new
railway companies, taking their securities III pay
ment Negotiating these bonds familarized him
with the stock market Then he got to building
roads himself, taking enormous contracts pushing
forward the work and selling the bonds-maklng
fast friends and bitter enemes-and becoming
widely known as a contractor and operator


In the early doubtful years of the war, he wentinto
the Union Pacific Company. His first step was to
spend several monthsi in inducing Congress to change
the law, and make the Government lien only second
mortgage upon the road, that the company might
issue it own bonds as first mortgage. Even after
this was DONE his Eastern associates lacked faith in
the enterprise. But his whole soul was thrown into
it and he furnished from his private means large
portion of the first resources He believed in the ma
ton, in the West in Pacific Railway. The fact
was" he explains when asked about it, had built
roads before over the praines in advance OF settle
ments and knew how they bring population and
make business from the very outset"


1t was hard study. Even after the money was
raised, labor could hardly be found. "The boyp
were all IN the war; But men were gathered up IN
Canada in New England, in Pennsylvania, and sent
forward fifteen hundred miles at the company's ex-
pense. And the number kept increasing till at one
time 1900 laborers were employed.


After two or three hundred miles were finished,
Durants associates began to see that there were
great profits, both in the construction and in the
traffic Fierce struggles arose in the company-reg-
ular Wilderness battles all of which he saw and part
| of which he was There were men who declared his
recklessness and extravaganza would ruin everything
| that he was unfit to manage q ward corporation
but never heard of one, who, after conflict Win
| him, disparaged his ability.


| Things tpere upon grand SCALE Enormous excur-
sions were sent out on grand scale from the Last
| over the line in palace cars, with sumptuous re-
gardlessness of expense The Offices Of the company
were among the most elegant in New-York. Brussels
| carpets and black walnut and marble counters, In
the rooms of the managers rare statuary ana choice
paintings surprised the eyes of visitors Dr. Durants
horses were the envy of Central Park and his yacht
WAS the admiration of the New. York Yacht Club. l
have seen him entertain party of ladies and gentle
men upon it. down the bay, through an entire fore
noon as if he had not in the world beyond the
comfort of his guests and at l o'clock say noneha-
lantly, " Well, good bye must so ashore; Ihave
million of dollars to pay before o'clock. Have your
sail out. and don't return till you get ready
| Meanwhile he was working like galley slave.
Sometimes he was hardly in bed for week; again.
| he would spend nights and Sundays upon the yacht
for the quiet and the cool air. Narcotics and stmu-
! lants were avoided that he might keep his brain
clear lie plunged into the controversies in the Com
many with Characteristic energy; and fancy there
were times when he could not have told whether tho
next turn of the wheel would leave him worth few
millions, or few millions verse than nothing But
the great work never tagged. The expenses were
enormous Laborers were paid as high as g per day
and board. As the road pushed on, everything.
workmen food, iron, timber, fuel, had to go forward
| upon the single track 1t was like building road
from Chicago to New-Orleans, and carrying all the
supplies even coal and bridge timber, from Boston,
| The telegraph bills alone amounted to small for
| tune Sometimes, in an emergency, ties, which had
been transported 500 miles, were burned for fuel


"Inever saw such man as Durant,' exclaimed
| an old Western steamboat captain as three of us
stroll the hall together " Year before last he made
| a contract with me for transporting supplies to.
Omaha, amounting to a million and half dollars !;
and he actually signed that contract without ever
reading it, He Just glanced at it and said, Well,
captain, suppose this is all right and wrote his
name at the bottom. And he fulfilled itp "Oh,
YES he paid me to the last dollar"


| 81 never saw him excited but once" observes our
| companion Dr. Ray of The Chicago Post, " and that
was at Bull Run. lie had started out with good
| MANY of u.s. to go to Richmond. When the stam-
| pede began, he was the angrest man ever saw.


He picked up q stake and sprang right in front of
the running soldiers, and in spite Of their muskets
and fixed d.bayonets hit right and left, shouting:


Go back you d-d cowards-go back' And good
many of them actually did turn back"


At last after his every nerve has been strained for
four years he is foot-loose once more. The rails
are laid he says with a quiet smile, and now
don't care whether school keeps not" As he gets
up for a stroll we the chief mark that his terrible
labor has left on him; his frame is bowed. and no
looks like modern Atlas q little surprised to find
that his heavy burden has rolled Off He has done
the work. let him have the credit of it, He is said to
own one-fourth of the entire road. Now he will de-
vote himself to his private affairs which have taken
care of themselves during three busy years Perhaps
for this Summers recreation. he will build the play
thing of a railway to the Adirondacks, in which he
has a controlling interest and where he owns half
million acres of land more or less.


Where will his lndomitable energy next find ventf
| His handspring seems to be not love of money for
itself or of notoriety in any sense but love Tor