The Story of the First Trans-Continental Railroad Part 9

The members of Congress from California knew that their election was in part owing to this feeling, and that much was expected of them by their const.i.tuents. They failed not when the time arrived, but to one--A. A. Sargent--more than all others, is California indebted for the great work which now binds her to her Eastern sisters.

But we are proceeding too fast, overlooking, but not forgetting, another name, none the less honored because the bearer lived not to behold the final completion of the work he initiated and so earnestly advocated. Theodore D. Judah now sleeps the sleep that knows no awaking, but still his presence can be seen and felt in every mile of the grand road which his genius brought into being. His name was a household word in the West, for thousands knew and appreciated the manly spirit and genial mind of the earnest, persistent and sanguine Engineer.

In the then little hamlet of Sacramento, dwelt C. P. Huntington, "Charley" Crocker, Mark Hopkins, and a few others--warm personal friends of Judah--who, often, in the long, winter evenings, gathered around the stove in Huntington and Hopkin's store room, and there discussed the merits and demerits of the Judah theory. These and some other gentlemen became convinced that the engineer was right--that the scheme was practicable. They subscribed fifty dollars a piece, and, in the summer, Judah and his a.s.sistants made a careful survey of the pa.s.ses in the Sierras. This was in the summer of 1860, and in the fall the engineer party returned, toil-worn and travel-stained, but vastly encouraged and elated with the result of their summer's work. So favorable was the report that fifteen hundred dollars were immediately raised to be used the following summer in the same manner. The summer of 1861 found Judah and his party in the gulches and defiles of the Sierras, earnestly prosecuting their labors. The result but confirmed the previous report, with, if possible, more encouraging details regarding country, cost, etc. Judah then visited many of the princ.i.p.al capitalists of San Francisco to obtain subscriptions for the work, but failed to obtain a dollar. "But this road--what is it? Nothing that concerned them. It did not represent capital. A poor engineer wanted to make some money, and had started the idea for that purpose." These wise men shook their heads, and sneered at the undertaking. "What can they do," said they, "even with their Charter from the State? They have no money--they are poor men. It's only a sharp dodge on their part. They think the road will be undertaken in time, and then when that time arrives, they will stand a chance to sell their Charter and realize a few thousands--that's all. But they'll be dead before a railroad will be built across the continent." Such was the general tone of conversation among moneyed men regarding the road in its infancy, and it cannot be denied that the people of California owe nothing to the capitalists of their State--not even their thanks--for aid in the earliest days of the enterprise. The bone and sinew of the people--the mechanic and the merchant, the farmer, laborer and miner--did all that could be expected of them. But the capitalists held back--and for good reason. They feared that the railroad would give the death blow to the monopolies in which they were more or less interested. Sacramento alone deserves the credit of having originated and brought to a successful completion the Central Pacific Railroad.

When the State had chartered the Company, when only funds were necessary to insure the completion of the work, only two subscriptions were obtained in San Francisco, and one of these came from a woman.

In 1862, Judah went to Was.h.i.+ngton with charts, maps, etc., of the road. Sargent was there, as enthusiastic in the support of the measure as Judah himself. He drew up the bill under which the road was built.

James H. Campbell, of Pennsylvania, and Schuyler Colfax (than whose there is no more honored name in California,) were his most efficient supporters in the House. In the Senate, McDougal, of California, Wilson, of Ma.s.sachusetts, and Morrill, of Maine, also stood manfully by the measure. And there was fought the great battle. There, enlightened ideas, a.s.sisted by young and vigorous intellects, met and conquered prejudice and moneyed opposition, and opened a new commercial era in the annals of the Union. But it was not accomplished without a long and wearying struggle, in which the bull-dog pertinacity and fierce grip of Sargent was manifested. Day after day, for weary weeks, in the Committee of the Whole, Sargent and Campbell stood up alternately, and answered objections as fast as made, in short, sharp, close and cutting speeches. And night after night, they held interviews with Eastern Senators and Representatives, while at their side, supplying them with information on all desired points, sat Theodore D. Judah, the engineer, earnest and hopeful to the last.

Senators did not nor would not believe that the road could or would be built. Said Lovejoy, during one of the debates: "Do I understand the gentleman from California to say that he actually expects this road to be built?" "The gentleman from Illinois may understand me to predict that if this bill is pa.s.sed, the road will be finished within ten years," responded Sargent. People can now judge between Lovejoy's and Sargent's ideas of the vigor of the West.

The end came, the bill was finally pa.s.sed, and the news thereof caused the hearts of Californians to leap for joy. Ground was broken at Sacramento, and work was commenced immediately. Another battle was to be fought, a financial one. Before they could receive any aid from the Government, forty miles of road must be built and stocked, which would cost at least four million dollars, for that forty miles carried the road far up among the Sierras, through a great portion of their heavy work. Money was "tight"--in fact it always is when a man wants some--commanding two per cent. per month in California. The corporators put in their entire fortunes. The city of San Francisco issued bonds in a.s.sistance of the work; the State and several counties also rendered material aid, but all combined was but a trifle compared to what was required. C. P. Huntington, then Vice-President of the road, went to New York for aid, but among the capitalists there he met the same answer that had been given to Judah by the moneyed men of San Francisco. Finally, he met with Fisk and Hatch, dealers in government stocks. They feared not the result of the scheme. These energetic capitalists with the promptness of young and active minds--while older capitalists were questioning whether there was really a serious intention of building the road--pledged their faith to furnish the Company with what money they required and when they required it. The sum ranged from five million dollars to twenty million dollars per year; but they failed not, the money was always ready. The success of the enterprise was now a.s.sured. The bonds of the Company were put on the market, and advanced rapidly in price, and soon the Company had at their command all needful funds.

When the summit of the Sierras was reached, the road was pushed rapidly forward. But long ere this was gained, when the Company was toiling among the mountains, jeers and taunts of derision could be found in plenty in the columns of California newspapers. "The Dutch Flat Swindle," as the road was termed by some of these far sighted journalists--when the Company was laboring to overcome the heavy grade near that town--has pa.s.sed into a byword in California, and now is suggestive of success. The route, after the "summit" was gained, was then comparatively easy, and rapid progress was made. The Chinese laborers, who had worked on the road from first to last, drove the work forward, and on May 10th, 1869, the roads met on Promontory Point, six hundred and ninety miles from Sacramento. The following will show the number of miles completed during each year: In 1863-1864-1865, twenty miles each year; in 1866, thirty miles; in 1867, forty-six miles; in 1868 three hundred and sixty-three miles; in 1869, one hundred and ninety-one miles.

Appendix I.

_Roster Union Pacific Railroad._

PRESIDENT.

W. B. Ogden, Elected Sept., 1862.

Jno. A. Dix, Elected Oct., 1863.

Oliver Ames, Elected June, 1868.

Thos. A. Scott, Elected April, 1871.

Horace F. Clark, Elected March, 1872.

Jno. Duff, Elected July, 1873.

Sidney Dillon, Elected June, 1874.

Chas. Francis Adams, Elected June, 1884.

Sidney Dillon, Elected Dec., 1890.

S. H. H. Clark, Elected May, 1892.

H. G. Burt, Elected Jan., 1898.

E. H. Harriman, to date.

VICE PRESIDENT.

Thos. C. Durant, Elected Oct., 1863.

Jno. Duff, Elected May, 1869.

Elisha Atkins, Elected May, 1874.

Tom Potter, Elected May, 1887.

W. H. Holcomb, Elected Oct., 1888.

S. H. H. Clark, Elected. May, 1891.

Elisha Atkins, Elected Nov., 1892.

O. W. Mink, Elected March, 1898.

W. M. D. Cornish, Elected July, 1898.

2ND. VICE PRESIDENT.

S. R. Callaway Sept., 1884, to June, 1887.

O. M. Lane May, 1889, to Oct., 1891.

O. W. Mink May, 1893, to March, 1898.

3RD. VICE PRESIDENT.

Thos. L. Kimball Nov., 1889, to Aug., 1891.

SECRETARY.

H. V. Poor, Elected Sept., 1862.

Chas. Tuttle, Elected Oct., 1863.

E. H. Rollins, Elected June, 1869.

H. McFarland, Elected March, 1877.

Alex. Millar, Elected April, 1889.

TREASURER.

T. W. Olcott, Elected Sept., 1862.

Jno. J. Cisco, Elected Oct., 1863.

J. M. S. Williams, Elected June, 1869.

E. H. Rollins, Elected May, 1872.

H. McFarland, Elected April, 1877.

Jas. G. Harris, Elected April, 1889.

F. V. S. Crosby, Elected Feb., 1899.

GENERAL MANAGER.

Thos. C. Durant Oct., 1863 to May, 1869.

S. H. H. Clark Aug., 1878 to Sept., 1884.

S. R. Callaway Oct., 1884 to May, 1887.

Tom Potter May, 1887 to July, 1887.

Thos. L. Kimball March, 1888 to Nov., 1889.

E. d.i.c.kinson Dec., 1889 to May, 1890.

S. H. H. Clark Jan., 1891 to April, 1893.

E. d.i.c.kinson April, 1893.

A. L. Mohler, to date.

a.s.sISTANT GENERAL MANAGER.

Thos, L, Kimball Nov., 1880 to July, 1884.