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Show I The Railroad Center of the Western lLmpire I ! l MANY RACES SAW THE EAST AND WEST ! I LINKED TOGETHER IN CHAIN OF STEEL How a United Nation Was Made a Reality Reviewed in His- 11 n tory by Late General Dodge on Completion of First Trans- ft continental Railroad by Drivhig of Last Spike at Promon- J tory Point, May 10, 1869. lill Perhaps no greater importance is attached to any event in history than I f the driving of the last spike in the lilt' : performance of the -work that united I f: ! the Central and Union Pacific rail- I lit roads and the first transcontinental I f ; line. This event occurred at Promon- I torv Point on May 10, 1SG9, and was : marked by appropriate ceremonies in h which people of the east and people llli of the west, together with native Jn- 1! dians, Mexicans, Chinese, negroes, lilt presenting an air of cosmopolitanism 1 f took part. Because it marked an I f i epoch in industrial progress the act I II haB been likened in historical impor- II iff tance t0 the sinin& oE the Declaration ) of Independence. llli In his history of "How We Built the 3l ; Union Pacific Railway," which was t ' published as a senate document on the 31 ' fortieth anniversary of the completion llli of the first ocean to ocean railway i f route, the late Major-General Grenville lr s M. Dodge, former chief enginer of I f the Union Pacific, devotes an entire I f ; chapter to the driving of the last spike I f , at Promontory Point and its signifi- I f cance with the history of the nation. w r The chapter follows: Ills' The DUiiaing oi ji rciuiwv; aicum iu llfl to connect the streams flowing into Hit the Atlantic and Pacific was advocated ft as earlv as 1819, before a mile of Hit railroad was built in any partNof the WW world. Tt took practical form when llf! Asa Whitnev, in 1S45, in petitioning if Congress in behalf of a Pacific rail- lllf road, said: "You will see that it will Hfl change the whole world." Senator 111 Thomas H. Benton in 1849 pleaded U that the great line when built should IIS "be adorned with its crowning honor, If the colossal statue of the mass of a III! peak of the Rocky Mountains.overloolc lift ing the road, the mountain itself, the lllf pedestal, and the statue a part of the Hit mountain, pointing with outstretched Iff arm to the western horizon, and say- I ing to the flying passenger 'There Is the East! There India! Charles Sumner in, 18o3 said: The I railroad from the Atlantic to the Pa- HI ciflc, traversing a whole content and binding together two oceans, this llfl mighty thoroughfare when completed (I will mark an epoch of human progress I second only to that of our Declaration of Independence. May the day soon cornel" All Prophesies Fulfilled. And it did come, and all the prophecies were fulfilled when the I first transcontinental line was com- pleted and the tracks joined at Prom-i ontory Point. Utah, on May 10, 1869. j The ceremony was one of peace and harmony between the Union Pacific, Pa-cific, coming from the east, and the Central Pacific coming from the west. For a year or more there had been great contention and rivalry between the two companies, the Union Pacific endeavoring to reach Humboldt Wells, on the west boundary of Utah, and the Central Pacific rushing to reach Ogden, Utah, to give them an outlet to Salt Lake City. In the building of a Pacific steam' road to connect the two oceans two linos were graded alongside of each other for 225 miles between Ogden and Humboldt Wells. Climbing Promontory Promon-tory Mountain, they were not a stone's throw apart. When both companies saw that neither could reach its goal, they came lUjjCLUVl W1U 1 J IUUUO till b' to join the tracks on the summit of Promontory Mountain, the Union Pacific Pa-cific selling to the Central Pacific 56 miles of its road back within five miles of Ogden and leasing trackage over that five miles to enable the Central Pacific to reach Ogden. These five miles were not only a part of the Union Pacific but used by their line J north to Idaho. This agreement was ratified by Congress. Each road built to the summit of Promontory, leaving leav-ing a gap of about 100 feet of rail to be laid when the last spike was driven. The chief engineers of the Union and Central Pacific had charge of the ceremony cere-mony and the work, and we set a day far enough ahead so that trains coming com-ing from New York to San Francisco would have ample time to reach Promontory Prom-ontory in time to take part in the ceremonies. A Cosmopolitan Gathering. On the morning of May 10, 1S69, Hon. Leland Stanford, governor of California and president of the Cen- . , Constant Vigilance Keeps the Roadbed In Perfect Condition. tral Pacific, accompanied by Messrs. Huntington, Hopkins, Crocker, and trainloads of California distinguished citizens, arrived from the west. During Dur-ing the forenoon Vice President T. C Durant and Directors John R. Duff and Sidney Dlljon and Consulting Engineer En-gineer Silas A. Seymour of the Union Pacific, with other prominent men, including a delegation of Mormons from Salt Lake City, came In on a train from the east. The national government was represented by a de-. tachment of "regulars" from Fort Douglass, Utah, accompanied by a band, and 600 others, including Chinese, Chi-nese, Mexicans Indians, half-breeds, negroes and laborers, suggesting an I air of cosmopolitanism, all gathered around the open space where vlhe tracks were to be joined. Telegraphic wires were so connected connect-ed that each blow of the descending descend-ing sledge could be reported instantly to all parts of the United Slates. Corresponding Cor-responding blows were struck on the bell of the city hall in San Francisco, and with the last blow of the sledge a cannon was fired at Fort Point. General Safford presented a spike of gold, silver and iron as the offering of the territory of Arizona. Governor Gover-nor Tuttle, of Nevada, presented a silver spike from his state. The connecting con-necting tie was of California laurel, and California presented a spike of gold in behalf of that state. A silver sledge had also been presented for the I ' I OVER THE GREAT INLAND SEA ON "THREADS OF STEEL" occasion. A prayer was offered. Governor Gov-ernor Stanford, of California, made a few appropriate remarks on behalf of the Central Pacific and the chief engineer responded for the Union Pacific. Pa-cific. Then the telegraphic inquiry from the Omaha office, from which the circuit was to be started, was answered: They Seldom Hit the Spike. To everybody: Keen quiet. When the last spike is driven at Promon- 1 1 ' " - by the lusty cheers of the onlookers, accompanied'by the screams of the locomotives lo-comotives and the music of the military mili-tary band. Many other spikes were driven on the last rail by some of the distinguished persons present, but it Overland Limited Crossing the Ogden. Lucln Cuf-off on the Line of the Southern Pacific Railroad. tory Point w'e will say "Done." Don't break the circuit, but watch for the signals of the blows of the hammer. The spike will soon be driven. The signal will be three dots for the commencement com-mencement of the blows. The magnet tapped one two three then pause "Done." The spike was given its first blow by President Stan-ford Stan-ford and Vice President Durant followed. fol-lowed. Neither hit the spike the first time, but hit the rail, and were greeted ii, j . j hit r'.'ii ir I 1 j in in limniMmMC was seldom that they first hit the spike. The original spike, after being tapped by the officials of the com panies, was driven home by the chief engineers of the two roads. , Then the two trains were run together the two locomotives touching at the point of junction, and engineers of the two locomotives each broke a bottle of champagne on the other's engine. Then it was declared that the connection connec-tion was made, and the Atlantic and Pacific were joined together, never IH to be parted. H The wires in every direction were hot with congratulatory telegrams, President Grant and Vice President Colfax were the recipients of the H especially fellcitlous messages. On H the evening of May 8, in San Fran-cisco, Fran-cisco, from the stages of the theaters and other public places, notice was H given that the two roads had met and H were to be wedded on the morrow. H The celebration there began at once and practically, through the tenth. IH The booming of cannons and the ring- ing of bells were united with other species of noise making of which jubil-ant jubil-ant humanity finds expression for its H feelings on such an occasion. The IH buildings in the city were gay with IH flags and bunting, business was. sua- IH pended and the longest procession. that San Francisco had ever seen at- jH tested the' enthusiasm of the people. IH At night the city was brilliant with IH illuminations. Free railway trains filled Sacramento with an unwonted jH crowd, and the din of cannons, steam IH whistles and bells followed the final message. IH Inspired Bret Harte Poem. At the eastern terminus in Omaha the firing of a hundred guns on Cap. itol Hill, more bells and steam whis-ties, whis-ties, and a grand precession' of fire companies, civic societies, citizens and visiting delegates echoed the senti-ments senti-ments of the ' Calif ornians. In Chica- H go a procession of four miles in length, a- lavish display of decoration in the city, and on the vessels in the river, and an address by Vice President Colfax in the evening were the evi- dences of the city's feeling. In New York, by order of the mayor, a salute of a hundred' guns announced the culmination of thegreat undertaking. In Trinity church the Te Deum was IJ chanted, prayers were offered, and when the services were over the chimes rang out, "Old Hundred," "The Ascension Carol," and National airs. The ringing oi bells of Inde-pendence Inde-pendence Hall and the fire stations of Philadelphia produced an unusual concourse of citizens to celebrate the national event. In other large cities of the country dhe expressions of jM public gratification were hardly less hearty demonstrative. Bret Harte was inspired to write the celebrated poem of "What the Engines Said." The IH first verse is: What Was It the engines said, H , Pilots touching, head to head, Facing on the single track, Half a world behind its back? ; This is what the engines said, ; Unreported and unread. Not forgetting my old commander, , Gen. W. T. Sherman, who had been such an aid in protecting us in Lulld l (Continued on Page 15). MANY RACES SAW THE EAST AND WEST LINKED TOGETHER IN CHAIN OF STEEL (Continued From Page 13). ing the road, in answer to our telegram, tele-gram, sent this despatch: Washington, May 11, 1S69." "Gen. G. M. Dodge: In common with millions, I sat yesterday and heard the mystic taps of the telegraph, ic battery announce the nailing of the last spike in the great Pacific road. Indeed, am I its friend? Yes., am I to be a part of it, for as early as 1S54 I was vice president of the effort begun In San Francisco under the contract of Robison, Seymour & Co. As soon as General Thomas makes certain preliminary inspections in his new command, on the Pacific I will go out, and, I need not say, will have different facilities from that of 1S4G, when the only way to Call fornla was by sailing around Cape Horn, taking our ships 19G days. All honor to you, to Durant, to Jack, and Dan Casement, to Reed and the thou-ands thou-ands of brave fellows who have wrought out this glorious problem, spite of changes, storms, and even doubts of the Incredulous, and all of the obstacles you have happily surmounted. sur-mounted. W. T. Sherman, General. After a ceremony a sumptuoua lunch was served In President Stanford's Stan-ford's cars and appropriate speeches were made by Governor Stanford and others, and a general jollification was enjoyed. At night each train took ,lts way to its own home, leaving at the junction pojnt only the engineers and the workmen to complete the work pqiiiIv fT. ! 41 ,.V. Iralnai tfinf f fll- 1 im Llll UU&U nin.m lowed in a day or two. after. Future Fraught With Great Good. The one thought that was In all minds was, "What of the future? What could a railroad earn that ran almost its entire length from Nebraska Nebras-ka to the California state line through a country unhabited, and at that date with no developed local business upon its whole line?" My own views were expressed in a report on the completion of the road as follows: "Its future is fraught with great good. It will develop a waste, will bind together the two extremes of the nation as one, will stimulate intercourse and trade, and bring harmony, prosperity and wealth to the two coasts. A proper policy, systematically and persistently followed, fol-lowed, will bring to the road the trade of the two oceans . and will give It all the business it can accommodate; while tho local trade will Increase gradually until the mining, the gra ing, and agricultural regions through which It passes will build up and create a-busineBs that will be a last Ing and permanent support to the company, As soon as the road was . In operation, opera-tion, with regular trains, the com- I pany called upon me to make an estimate esti-mate of tho earnings of the company for the next ten years. They desired that they should show a sum, if possible, possi-ble, equal to the interest upon all the company bonds and provide for the government sinking fund. Earning Proposition From Start. This was a problem that would have challenged the imagination of the greatest optimist of the time, for we had a road 1,086 miles in length, with few settlements upon it, and the coun try surrounding it, from our observa- m tions did not promise any great M amount of railroad traffic. However, by claiming all the known traffic be- S 'tween the Atlantic and the Pacific and j all the trade of the foreign countries ' I seeking Japan, China and Australia I by this route, we built up a yearly ( earning of $5,000 per mile, but tho growth of the country even then dis- 9 tanced my Imagination 100 per cent, H and our yearly earnings in ten years I rose to $10,000 or ?12,000 per mile. H When I look back on the growth of H the country west of the Missouri, now H supporting five transcontinental lines, I with all the miles of lateral roads H filling the intermediate territory, with I the traffic on the Union Pacific to- 1 day demanding a double track over its entire length, I have not the ab'ility I to even guess what the future has Bj in store. When you try to calculate ; 1 . the business that will be created by 9 tho government's conservation of the 9 country's resources, Its millions spent I Impounding the great streams that I flow east and west - from tho I Rocky Mountains, the minerals hidden U in every range and foothill, the agrl- H cultural growth from dry farming and H Irrigation, and the great yearly in- m crease in population, and that today g the country is only comparatively I scratched; as It develops and grows m today in ten years it will require I 50,000 additional miles of railroad to transport Its people and Its produc- tion. When the Union Pacific was first 1 built, over 90 per cent of its traffic I was through business. Now that fig- 1 lire Is reversed and 90 per cent of it or more is local, and this is the 1 case of all the transcontinental and I Intermediate lines. There is an em- fl j plre building up weBt of the Missouri fl river and on tho Pacific coast from fl Mexico to Boring Strait. Ready there Is a development that has outstripped fl every effort to meet its demands or H anticipate its necessities. To me who fl traveled over most of this country fl in the fifties or sixties, when its in- B habitants wore most Indians and its H produots game and grass, its growth I I can not evon comprehend, and its fu- fl turo no man can safely prophesy. fl It is of great satisfaction to have H Jived and witnessed the development ot our nation from the Lafces to tho H Pacific. As a result of the civil war It has made a century's growth in fifty years. |
