Chapter XII: The Central Pacific Railroad

Suggested By Theo. D. Judah--Huntington, Crocker and Hopkins--Struggle for Congressional Aid--Progress Made.

The preceding chapters in tracing the history of the Union Pacific Railroad cover in a measure the preliminary events leading up to the building of the Central Pacific Railroad,--its connection from Ogden West.

In addition to this there is a wealth of incident connected with its history that will well repay the student. The following are a few and but a very few of its salient points.

For some years previous to the time when the final act was passed by Congress--which was to provide those of the western coast with speedy and safe communication with the homes of their youth--the question of a grand trunk road had been discussed by Californians as a public, and as private individuals. Many self-reliant men were sanguine of success, could the project be rightly brought before Congress. This feeling grew among the people of California, until a man who sought office at the hands of the people could not be elected were he not a "railroad man," provided that office was one wherein the holder could injure the prospects of the proposed road. Through the counties where the line was supposed to run, the question was strongly agitated, for those counties were expected to assist the undertaking, by voting their credit in various sums. So eager were the people of the interior of the State to have the enterprise commenced and completed, that they were willing to accede to any terms which would insure the success of the enterprise and relieve them from the oppression of a powerful water monopoly, which controlled a majority of the shipping both via the Panama Route and around Cape Horn.

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 constituents. 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 assistants made a careful survey of the passes 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 principal 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 Washington 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 Massachusetts, and Morrill, of Maine, also stood manfully by the measure. And there was fought the great battle. There, enlightened ideas, assisted 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 passed, 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 passed, 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 assistance 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 assured. 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 passed 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. Dickinson Dec., 1889 to May, 1890.
S. H. H. Clark Jan., 1891 to April, 1893.
E. Dickinson April, 1893.
A. L. Mohler, to date.

ASSISTANT GENERAL MANAGER.

Thos, L, Kimball Nov., 1880 to July, 1884.
G. M. Cummings Jan., 1887 to Dec., 1887.
C. S. Mellen Nov., 1888 to March, 1889.
G. M. Cummings March, 1889 to Dec., 1889.
E. Dickinson Feb., 1889 to Dec., 1889.
W. H. Holcomb Dec., 1890 to May, 1891.
E. Dickinson May, 1891 to April, 1893.

GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT.

G. M. Dodge Oct., 1863 to May, 1867.
W. Snyder May, 1867 to July, 1869.
C. G. Hammond Sept., 1869 to Oct., 1870.
T. E. Sickles Nov., 1870 to May, 1872.
S. H. H. Clark June, 1874 to Aug., 1878.
Sylvester T. Smith Nov., 1884 to June, 1887.
E. Dickinson July, 1887 to March, 1889.

ASSISTANT GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT.

H. M. Hoxie Aug., 1869.
C. M. Mead Sept., 1869 to Dec., 1870.
S. H. H. Clark Sept., 1871 to June, 1874.
E. Dickinson Nov., 1884 to Aug., 1887.

TRAFFIC MANAGER.

Thos. L. Kimball Aug., 1884 to Sept., 1887.
C. S. Mellon March, 1889 to April, 1892.

FREIGHT TRAFFIC MANAGER.

E. P. Vining Nov., 1882 to Jan., 1884.
J. A. Munroe Oct., 1892 to date.

ASST. GENERAL TRAFFIC MANAGER.

P. P. Shelby Jan., 1886 to Sept., 1887.
J. A. Munroe Nov., 1889 to March, 1891.
B. Campbell July, 1890 to March, 1891.

GENERAL PASSENGER AGENT.

Webster Snyder Oct., 1865 to May, 1867.
C. D. Whitcomb June, 1868 to Jan., 1869.
Francis Colton Nov., 1869 to Dec, 1870.
Thos. L. Kimball March, 1871 to Nov., 1880.
J. W. Morse Nov., 1880 to Sept., 1887.
J. S. Tebbets Sept., 1887 to March, 1889.
E. L. Lomax March, 1889 to date.

GENERAL TICKET AGENT.

Jos. Budd Feb., 1869 to Oct., 1869.
Thos. L. Kimball April, 1872 to Nov., 1880.
C. S. Stebbins Nov., 1880 to Sept., 1887.

ASST. GENERAL PASSENGER AGENT.

Beverly R. Keim Sept., 1870 to Jan., 1871.
W. C. Thompson Feb., 1871 to April, 1873.
C. S. Stebbins April, 1880 to Jan., 1881.
S. B. Jones May, 1881 to Nov., 1887.
E. L. Lomax Sept., 1887 to March, 1889.
T. W. Lee March, 1889 to April, 1891.
J. W. Scott Nov., 1889 to Nov., 1891.
W. H. Hurlburt March, 1891 to Aug., 1894.
B. H. Payne March, 1894 to April, 1895.
S. H. Hutchison Feb., 1898 to July, 1900.
Garret Fort Sept., 1900 to date.

GENERAL FREIGHT AGENT.

S. H. H. Clark June, 1868 to Sept., 1868.
E. F. Test Oct., 1868 to Feb., 1869.
H. Brownson March, 1869 to July, 1870.
W. M. Martin Aug., 1870 to Dec., 1870.
H. Brownson March, 1869 to July, 1870.
E. P. Vining Oct., 1871 to Nov., 1882.
P. P. Shelby Nov., 1882 to Jan., 1886.
J. A. Munroe Jan., 1886 to Dec., 1889.
J. S. Tebbets Dec., 1889 to Nov., 1890.
F. B. Whitney Aug., 1890 to March, 1891.
J. A. Munroe March, 1891 to Nov., 1892.
Elmer H. Wood July 1898 to date.

AUDITOR.

B. F. Ham
J. W. Gannett May, 1872 to July, 1873.
H. B. Wilbur July, 1873 to Dec., 1873.
J. W. Gannett Dec., 1873 to July 1883.
E. W. Young July, 1883 to date.

Among the SUPERINTENDENTS and DIVISION SUPERINTENDENTS
were:

J. M. Barr, R. Blickensderfer, J. O. Brinkerhoff, W. H. Baldwin,
Jr., S. H. H. Clark, C. H. Chappel, J. N. Campbell, G. M.
Cummings, J. K. Choate, H. Dorrance, W. B. Doddridge, E.
Dickinson, A. A. Egbert, L. Fillmore, C. W. Fisher, W. E.
Green, W. W. Hungerford, D. S. Ives, C. W. Johnson, R. Law,
P. I. Nichols, J. T. Odell, C. F. Resseguie, J. Rapelje, W. W.
Riter, C. J. Smith, C. E. Wartele, D. V. Warren, E. W. Weed.

_Roster Kansas Pacific Railway._

PRESIDENT.

Jno. D. Perry 1865 to May, 1871.
R. E. Carr June, 1871 to Aug., 1876.
A. Meier Aug., 1876 to Nov., 1876.
Sidney Dillon Aug., 1879 to May, 1880.

VICE PRESIDENT.

A. Meier 1865 to Aug., 1876.
T. F. Oakes Aug., 1876 to Nov., 1876.
D. M. Egerton Aug., 1879 to May, 1880.
R. E. Carr (2nd Vice Pres.) March, 1871, to May, 1871.

SECRETARY.

C. B. Lamborn June, 1868 to Sept., 1874.
D. M. Edgerton Sept., 1874 to Nov., 1876.
A. H. Calif Aug., 1879 to May, 1880.

TREASURER.

Gen. W. J. Palmer June, 1868 to May, 1869.
C. S. Greeley June, 1869 to Nov., 1876.
J. M. Ham Aug., 1879 to May, 1880.

GENERAL MANAGER.

R. E. Carr Dec., 1876 to Aug., 1878.

GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT.

A. Anderson May, 1869 to May, 1870.
Ed. S. Bowen June, 1871 to Nov., 1874.
O. S. Lyford Dec., 1874 to Nov., 1876.
T. F. Oakes Nov., 1876 to April, 1879.
Syl. T. Smith July, 1879 to May, 1880.

ASST. GENERAL SUPERINTENDENT.

E. D. Meier 1867 to April, 1869.
Geo. Noble May, 1871 to Feb., 1874.

AUDITOR.

Syl. T. Smith May, 1869 to Dec., 1878.
H. C. Clements July, 1879, to May, 1880.

GENERAL PASSENGER AND TICKET AGENT.

J. M. Webster June, 1868, to Feb., 1869.
R. B. Gemmell June, 1870, to Feb., 1871.
B. R. Keim March, 1871, to July, 1876.
E. A. Parker July, 1876, to Nov., 1876.
Peter B. Groat March, 1878, to Dec., 1879.
D. E. Cornell Jan., 1877, to July, 1878.
Thos. L. Kimball Dec., 1879, to May, 1880.

GENERAL FREIGHT AGENT.

J. M. Webster June, 1868, to Feb., 1869.
R. B. Gemmell June, 1870, to Dec., 1870.
T. F. Oakes Jan., 1871, to Dec., 1876.
John Muir Jan., 1877, to May, 1880.