The story of the first trans-continental railroad : $b its projectors, construction, and historyBailey, William Francis
History
The story of the first trans-continental railroad : $b its projectors, construction, and history
Bailey, William Francis
Railroads -- United States -- History; Union Pacific Railroad Company
It was the Cheyennes, Arapahoes, Sioux, and the Utes who made the
trouble.
In March 1869, the Company was authorized by special act of Congress
to assume the name of the Kansas Pacific Railway Company instead of
the Union Pacific Railroad (Eastern Division.) A witty epigram on this
change that went the rounds of the papers at the time read as follows:
The Union Pacific's about to apply
For a change In Its name and no wonder;
Tis as warlike as Jove that great God of the skies,
And Pacific about as his thunder.
And talking of this, it is strange as it goes
Through perpetual snows in some quarters,
This railroad should be in the midst of its foes
Perpetually in hot water.
While those in authority had decided to push through to Denver, the
idea of building through to San Diego was not abandoned, and in 1872 a
branch line was commenced at Kit Carson destined to Pueblo and thence
South along the Rampart Range to New Mexico and thence to the coast.
This line was completed nearly due south to Fort Lyon and some twenty
miles of grading done between Fort Lyon and Pueblo. Financial
stringency together with the building of the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe into the same territory resulted in the abandonment of these
plans and eventually the track from Kit Carson to Lyons was taken up
under the following circumstances.
The owners of the Central Branch (Union Pacific), R. M. Pomeroy of
Boston and associates, were pushing the construction of this line
westwardly and announced their intention of building to Denver, thus
making a competitor for the Kansas Pacific Railway. Mr. Jay Gould who
at that time (1879) was the principal owner of the latter line, while
out on an inspection trip over the line instructed his General
Manager, "Sill Smith" Mr. Sylvester T. Smith to build into their
territory and parallel them. Out of this grew the Junction City and
Fort Kearney Railway (now a part of the Union Pacific Railroad). Smith
was unable to buy sufficient rails to build and accordingly took up
those on the branch of the Kansas Pacific Railway, Kit Carson to
Lyons, i. e. the Arkansas Valley Railroad and re-laid them on the
Junction City Line. Some of the Arkansas Valley Railway bonds were
owned in Holland and a representative of the Dutch happened along on
an investigating tour, but was unable to find any road. The matter
soon got into Court and an effort was made to locate who was
responsible for the tearing up of the Arkansas Valley Railway. Finally
General Manager Smith was put on the stand and frankly acknowledged
what he had done--and that he had no orders from President, Directors,
or any one. The question was then asked who ordered you to build the
Junction City and Fort Kearney Railway and the answer was Jay Gould;
and who is he, for at that time he was not the well-known man he
afterwards became. At this point Judge Dillon obtained permission to
interrupt the proceedings with a query as in whose behalf all this
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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