APPENDIX
to
JOURNALS OF SENATE
of the
FIRST SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE
oar the
STATE OF NEVADA.
CARSON CITY:
JOHN CHURCH, STATE PRINTER.
A
CONTENTS
1.—Governor's Message.
2.—Address of Hon. J. S. Crosman to the Senate.
3.—Annual Report of State Auditor.
4.—Annual Report of State Treasurer.
5.—Annual Report of Superintendent of Public Instruction.
6.—Annual Report of Adjutant General.
7.—Annual Report of Board of State Prison Commissioners.
8.—Report of Warden of the State Prison.
9.—Minority Report of Committee on State Affairs in reference to Surveyor General's
District.
10.—Proceedings of Senate Special Committee to inquire into the existence and authenticity
of the decisions of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Nevada.
11.—Report of Committee on Ways and Means.
12.—Standing Rules of the Senate.
13.—Joint Rules of Assembly and Senate.
14.—Report of Committee on Railroads.
EVIDENCE
*
CONCERNING
PROJECTED RAILWAYS
ACROSS THE
SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS,
FROM
PACIFIC TIDE WATERS IN CALIFORNIA,
AND THE
RESOURCES, PROMISES-AND ACTION OF COMPANIES
ORGANIZED TO CONSTRUCT THE SAME;
TOGETHER WITH
STATEMENTS CONCERNING PRESENT AND PROSPECTIVE
RAILROAD ENTERPRISES IN THE
STATE OF NEVADA,
PROCURED BY THE
COMMITTEE ON E-ATR ROADS
OF THE FIRST NEVADA LEGISLATURE.
PRINTED BY ORDER OF SENATE.
CARSON CITY:
JOHN OHUROH, STATE PRINTER.
1865.
RAILROAD RESOLUTIONS
APPOINTING A
COMMITTEE OF THE SENATE.
RESOLUTIONS
On the seventh day of January, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-
five, the following resolutions were offered by Senator Sumner, of Storey
County, and adopted by the Senate :
Resolved, That a committee of five be appointed by the President of
the Senate, whose duty it shall be to take into immediate consideration
the prospective railroad interests of the State of Nevada; said commit¬
tee especially to ascertain and fully report to this Senate what progress
has been made, and what work is being prosecuted by companies organ¬
ized and operating under the "Pacific Railroad Act," passed by Con¬
gress and approved in the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-
two; what the cost of the work completed by these companies, and
what estimates of cost have been obtained as basis for future work on
the proposed route of any such companies; what the aid received, so¬
licited, or publicly expected by said companies outside -of the national
aid afforded through the "Pacific Railroad Act;" and said committee
shall also report as to whether any other companies or associated capi¬
talists than those included in the above description, propose the build¬
ing of a railroad to the Nevada State line, from navigable tide water
in California, and shall gather and duly report all such information in
regard to this matter as may, by the committee, be deemed advisable.
And said committee shall report advisingly as to what action should be
taken by the Legislature of Nevada, at its present session, to promote or
inaugurate practical work for establishing railroad communication be¬
tween navigable tide water in California and the principal town in Ne¬
vada.
Resolved, That this committee have power to send for persons and
papers, and administer the oath to parties who may come before the
committee to testify ; provided, no expense shall be incurred under these
resolutions without special authority therefor having been first obtained
from the Senate, on a motion before the Senate calling for such authority,
and specifying the reasons for such call.
In accordance with the above resolutions the following named Sena¬
tors were appointed a committee :
Sumner of Storey, Slingerland of Washoe, Haynes of Douglas, James
of Lyon and Churchill, Larrowe of Lander.
STATEMENT
OF THE
CENTRAL PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY
OF OAUFOBNIA.
OFFICERS
OF THE
CENTRAL PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY OF CALIFORNIA.
President,
LELAND STANFORD.
Yiee President,
C. P. HUNTINGTON.
Treasurer,
MARK HOPKINS.
, Secretary,
E. H. MILLER, Jr.
General Superintendent,
CHARLES CROCKER.
Acting Chief Engineer,
S. S. MONTAGUE.
Attorney,
E. B. CROCKER.
Directors,
Leland Stanford, Sacramento.
C. P. Huntington, Sacramento.
Mark Hopkins, Sacramento.
E. B. Crocker, Sacramento.
E. H. Miller, Jr., Sacramento.
A. P. Stanford, San Francisco.
Charles Marsh, Nevada.
STATEMENT.
Office of the Central Pacific Railroad Company of California, )
Sacramento, January 12,1865. j
To the Hon. Messrs. Sumner, Slingerland, Haines, James and Larrowe, Com-
mittee} etc.:
Gentlemen: We notice in the newspapers* that you have been ap¬
pointed by the Senate of Nevada, a committee to report upon the rail¬
road interests of the State of Nevada, and especially upon the Pacific
Railroad, in the progress of which the citizens of your State are deeply
interested. It would afford the Directors of this company great pleasure
to confer with you personally upon the important matters thus referred
to your committee ; but the pressing duties, growing out of the largely
increased force of laborers now employed in grading the railroad of the
companj7-, prevent. We, therefore, address this communication to you,
and through you to the Legislature and people of Nevada:
survey and location of the route.
This company commenced the survey and examination of routes for a
railroad over the Sierra Nevadas in the summer of one thousand eight
hundred and sixty-one, under the superintendence of the late T. D.
Judah, Esq, as Chief Engineer, one of the most eminent and experi¬
enced railroad engineers of the time, who made the first complete instru¬
mental and " thorough railroad survey " ever made over those moun¬
tains. This was done at great expense, and at a time when the feas¬
ibility of constructing a railroad over them was deemed exceedingly
doubtful. The result of that survey fully established the practicability
of the route surveyed, though, as was anticipated, requiring a large
outlay of money to construct the road. Careful examinations and recon-
noissances were made by Mr. Judah and other officers of the company,
of other routes, but they all resulted in demonstrating the superiority
of the lino surveyed, and which was finally adopted by the company,
upon the recommendation of Mr. Judah. Fora full description of the
'line thus adopted, its advantages over others, and the various surveys
♦Immediately subsequent to the appointment of the Senate committee, a like committee was appointed in
the Assembly, and the Senate committee was requested by the Assembly to act conjointly with their appoint¬
ments. Waiting the last appointments there was delay in forwarding calls for information, which, however,
were dispatched before the above letter was received.
12
and reconnoissances made by this company, we refer you to the report
made by Mr. Judah, October first, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-
one, October twenty-second, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two
(bound in one pamphlet), and July, one thousand eight hundred and
sixty-three; also, the report of our present Acting Chief Engineer, S. S.
Montague, Esq., made October sixth, one thousand feight hundred and
sixty-four, copies of which accompany this communication.
In the first report Mr. Judah states that these surveys and examina¬
tions resulted in " developing a line with lighter grades, less distance,
and encountering fewer obstacles than found upon any other route or
line hitherto examined across the Sierra Nevada mountains, and proving
by actual survey that the difficulties and formidable features of this
range can be successfully overcome for railroad purposes." On pages
ten and eleven, he sums up the prominent features and advantages of the
line.
In connection with this subject of the location of the line of the Pacific
JRailroad, we will state that no final selection was made by the company
until after the passage of the Pacific .Railroad Act by Congress, which
was approved July first, one thousand eight hundred and sixty two,
and after Mr. Judah's return from Washington. By the ninth section
of that Act this company was required to file its acceptance of its provi¬
sions within six months after its passage, and by the tenth section to
complete fifty miles of its railroad within two years thereafter. When
it is remembered that all the iron, rolling stock, and other railroad ma¬
terial had to be ordered and manufactured in a distant market, requiring
months of time, and then transported thousands of miles, running the
gauntlet of the rebel pirates, taking an average of eight mohths addi¬
tional in the passage, and that the first fifty miles carried the road far
into the mountains, and included some of the heaviest and most expen¬
sive grading on the whole line, it will be seen that the company were
compelled to commence work as soon as possible, having no time to spare
in making new surveys. But in order to give this question of routes as
full consideration, and obtain all the light possible, a notice was published
in the Sacramento Union for about eight weeks, of which the following is
a copy.
0
"pacific railroad notice.
" The Central Pacific Railroad Company of California, desirous of ob¬
taining full information with regard to routes across and passing through
the Sierra Nevada mountains, will receive information and give due con¬
sideration to the merits of routes other than that surveyed by them:
provided, that proper surveys or reconnoissances are made of such routes
in the usual manner by competent engineers, and furnished to them be¬
fore the first day of October, 1862.
LELAND STANFORD,
President.
Mark Hopkins, Secretary.
Dated Sacramento, August 22, 1862.*'
Letters were also written to parties interested in several routes, and
especially that by way of Plaeerville. Persons interested in that line
promised to furnish the company with full information respecting it, but
never did so. From our own knowledge of the roads and the mountains
between Plaeerville and Carson City, we were confident that a railroad
13
could not be constructed on that line, within the time required by the
Act of Congress, or at any reasonable outlay of money, and we presumed
that the citizens of Placerville had become satisfied of these facts, from
the examinations made by them, and therefore deemed it unnecessary to
report the result to this company. We were further confirmed in this,
by the appearance afterward of a report of an allegedsurvej'over John¬
son's Pass, which showed that it would be necessary to construct a tun¬
nel through the granite rock at the summit three miles and three quar¬
ters in- length, a work which would require at least fifteen years of time
and an expenditure of ten millions of dollars to complete.
Further information upon this question of routes, has only served to-
convince us of the wisdom and correctness of the selection made. Our
only object has been to select the cheapest, most direct and most practi¬
cable line for this great national highway, and if that by way of Placer¬
ville had possessed even equal advantages with the one by way of Dutch
Plat and Donner Lake, it would have received the preference, because it
was at that time the route principally traveled, and its selection wrould
have secured the support, instead of hostility, of the enterprising citizens
of El Dorado county, already fully alive to the importance of railroads,
and with whom we had had intimate business relations. But cost and
facility of construction wTere necessarily overruling considerations in
determining so important a matter.
We regret that the selection made injuriously affected the interests
of some other railroads, wagon roads and stage lines, already established
and in successful operation. The opening of a new and better route
necessarily affected them. The result has been a bitter and vindictive
opposition from these interested parties, and which we fear is now being
brought to bear upon the Legislature and people of Nevada, to delay the
progress of a work which has already interfered with their profits, in
the reduction of fares and freights over the mountains. Still what they
have thus failed to realize has been a great gain to Nevada. But this
result could not have been avoided by us even if we had desired to. It
is necessarily incident to the construction of the Pacific Bailroad.
PACIFIC RAILROAD ACT.
In the fall of one thousand "eight hundred and sixty-one, Mr. Judah
prepared accurate maps and profiles of his surveys, and the Company
sent him with other agents to Washington, to lay the same before Con¬
gress, to induce that body to extend national aid to the work, for with¬
out such aid it is well known the road could not be constructed, on
account of its great cost and the uncertainty of its being a profitable
investment. Without aid of this kind, capitalists could not be induced
to invest their money in it. Congress finally passed the Pacific Bailroad
Act, granting important assistance to this as well as other companies,
and securing the construction of a magnificent national railroad from
the Missouri river to the Pacific ocean, which will traverse the heart of
your«State from its eastern to its western boundaries, and which is des¬
tined to speedily develop its wonderful mineral resources. This result
was secured ,by the untiring efforts of the Chief Engineer and Agent of
this Company, as will appear by the following letter addressed to him
by prominent Congressmen ;
14
"Washington, June 24, 1862
"T. D. Judah, Esq., of California:
" Dear Sir : Learning of your anticipated speedy departure for Cali¬
fornia on Pacific Railroad business, we cannot let this opportunity pass
without tendering to you our warmest thanks for your valuable assis¬
tance in aiding the passage of the Pacific Railroad bill through Congress.
Your explorations and surveys in the Sierra .Nevada mountains, have
settled the question of the practicability of the line, and enabled many
members to vote confidently on the great measure, while your indefati¬
gable exertions and intelligent explanations of the practical features of
of the enterprise have gone very far to aid in its inauguration.
Yery truly yours,
JAMES H. CAMPBELL,
Chairman Select Committee of Pacific R. R.
A. A. SARGENT,
Of Sub-Committee of House.
R. Franchot,
Schuyler Colfax,
William D. Kelley,
T. G. Phelps,
Frank P. Blair,
S. Edgerton,
J. H. Goodwin,
A. W. Clark,
Burt. Yan Horn,
W. A. Wheeler,
B. B. Yan Yalkenburgh,
Alfred Ely,
John F. Potter,
William Windor,
A. C. Pomeroy,
J. H. Lane,
A. Kennedy,
Daniel Clark,
H. B. Anthony,
B. F. Wade,
representatives.
F. F. Low,
Elihu B. Washburn,
Samuel F. Worcester,
William T. Cutler,
Augustus Frank,
H. G. Blake,
John A. Bingham,
W. H. Wallace,
R. E. Fenton,
I. N. Arnold,
E. Augustus Smith,
John B. Steele,
Thaddeus SteVens,
Edward Haight,
senators.
James A. McDougall,
Milton S. Latham,
J. W. Nesmith,
Edgar Cowan,
O. H. Browning,
J. B. Henderson,
Edwin H. Webster,
J. S. Watts,
John B. Alley,
William Watt,
W. F. Kellogg,
Erastus Corning,
^C, Yibbard,
Thomas S. Price,
Cyrus Aldrich,
George W. Julian,
F. C. Beaman,
Thomas M. Pomeroy,
Alexander H. Rice,
C. B. Sedgwick.
H. Wilson,
L. M. Morrill,
A. Wright,
Lyman Trumbull,
John C. Ten Eyck.
John W. Forney, Secretary United States Senate."
national aid.
By the Pacific Railroad Act of one thousand eight hundred and sixty-
two, as amended in one thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, this
Company is entitled to United States Government six per cent, thirty
year bonds to the amount of sixteen thousand dollars per mile for that
portion of its line between Sacramento and Arcade Creek, seven miles,
that being the point fixed by the President of the United States, under
the Act, as the western base of the Sierra Nevadas, and forty-eight thou¬
sand dollars per mile for the one hundred and fifty miles lying east of
15
that point. They also are to receive twenty sections, equal to twelve
thousand eight hundred acres, per mil© of railroad, of public land ; that
is to say, every section designated by odd numbers within twenty miles
on each side of the railroad line, excepting the mineral lands, on which,
however, the timber is granted to the Company. These Government
bonds are, however, a lien upon the railroad and its fixtures, but the
Company are authorized to issue mortgage bonds to an equal amount,
which are to have priority over them.
STATE AID.
The Legislature of the State of California, at its session in one thou¬
sand eight hundred and sixty-four, authorized the Company to issue one
million five hundred thousand dollars of its bonds, the interest of which,
at seven per cent, per annum for twenty years, was provided to be paid
by the State in gold coin, from a railroad fund raised by a special tax, in.
consideration of certain services to be rendered by the Company. These
bonds were recently issued by the Company, and the constitutionality
and binding force of the law has been fully established by a recent de¬
cision of the Supreme Court of this State. We send you herewith a
pamphlet containing a copy of this law, with the opinions of eminent
counsel, showing its validity and irrepealibility, and the decision of the
Supreme Court thereon. These bonds are now available to the Com¬
pany, and will enable us to employ all the laborers that can be worked
to advantage in the grading of the road during this season.
COUNTY SUBSCRIPTIONS.
«
The Legislature of one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three also
passed laws authorizing the counties of Sacramento, Placer,, and the city
and county of San Francisco to issue their bonds in payment of the
stock of the Company, the first to the amount of three hundred thou¬
sand dollars, the second two hundred and fifty thousand dollars, and the
last six hundred thousand dollars, depending, however, upon a favorable
vote of the citizens of those counties. This was secured in each county
by large majorities, and the subscriptions were promptly made and the
bonds issued by* the first two counties. These subscriptions have not
only greatly aided the Company, but have assisted it by showing the
public confidence in the work and its conductors. The enemies of the
Pacific Eailroad, by their efforts and lawsuits, succeeded in delaying the
subscription by San Francisco, and the Legislature of one thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four authorized the Supervisors to compromise with
the Company, which they did, by directing the issue of four hundred
thousand dollars of the bonds, without taking any stock. The same
interested parties have thus far succeeded in inducing a majority of the
Supervisors to refuse to carry into effect their own ordinance. The same
persons instituted suits against the Company in each of these county
subscriptions to prevent the issue of their bonds ) but they signally failed
in all of them. Nine thousand eight hundred and eighty-nine shares of
stock, equal to nine hundred and eighty-eight thousand nine hundred
dollars, have been subscribed by individuals and disposed of for railroad
material, etc., and the Company has the largest list of stockholders of
any other railroad corporation in this State, among whom are some of
the largest capitalists in California and the Atlantic States. Such is a
brief statement of some of the means thus far secured by the Directors
to carry on the work.
16
PROSECUTION OF THE WORK.
Soon after Mr. Judah's return to California from Washington, the
Company placed several corps of engineers in the field to make the final
working surveys of the first division of fifty miles, which terminates
near Illinoistown. The work of grading was commenced in February,
one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three. The first shipment of iron
rails reached Sacramento October eighth, one thousand eight hundred
and sixty-three, and the track laying immediately commenced, and was
steadily prosecuted, with a few delays caused by the failure to receive
supplies of iron and ties within the time contracted for, until June six,
one thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, when the first thirty-one
miles were completed to Newcastle, attaining an elevation of about one
thousand feet above Sacramento. A large portion of this thirty-one
miles is in the lower foothills, requiring expensive grading through rocky
points. We are confident that the amount of work done and material
purchased by this Company since it commenced operations, will favor¬
ably compare with that of any other Company on this coast, or even the
Atlantic States, in the* same length of time.
The Union Pacific Railroad Company, created by the Pacific Railroad
Act, and composed of some of the wealthiest capitalists in the Eastern
States, has a line the eastern end of which is easy of construction com¬
pared with the California line. Commencing at Omaha on the Missouri
river, they have comparatively little grading to do until they reach the
Rocky Mountains. Their iron and rolling stock can be purchased close
at hand, and yet, with these and other advantages, they have not as yet
laid a single rail, and the latest accounts state that they do not expect to
finish grading the first eighteen miles before May next. Recent accounts
state that thirty-eight miles, from Wyandotte to Lawrence, over an
almost level plain, upon a side branch of the main Pacific Railroad, made
by another company, has only just been completed. We are confident
that the cost of grading the first fifty miles of the California road will
equal the expense of grading three hundred miles of the line between
the Missouri river and the Rocky Mountains. These facts alone show that
this Company has not been lacking in diligence and energy, in raising
the means, procuring the material and constructing the work so far.
Indeed, we believe that this Company has done more work in grading
and preparing road bed, than all the other railroads in California put
together, not even excluding that which pretends to be a rival road.
Not only has thirty-one miles of first class railroad and telegraph been
completed, with several substantial bridges, numerous culverts, all of
brick or stone, but one hundred and fifty-nine thousand eight hundred
and twenty six dollars has been expended on the grading and masonry
between Newcastle and Clipper Gap. So, also, a large amount of iron,
rolling stock, ties, and other railroad material has been purchased and
paid for, most of which has arrived and is now in use, or ready for
use. We send you herewith a verified statement of the Secretary and
Treasurer, showing the amount already expended by the Company on its
work, the amount of iron, cars, locomotives, ties and railroad material
purchased and on hand, showing also the condition of the affairs of the
Company, and the means it has for the prosecution of the work.
17
CAUSES OP BELAY.
It is true that the work of construction has not progressed as rapidly
as the Company have desired, and as the public impatience has de¬
manded. But when the difficulties to be encountered are fully consid¬
ered, we feel confident that the public will not blame the Company
because their expectations have not been fully realized. One thing is
certain, that no one can be more anxious than the Directors to see the
road completed as soon as possible, and none will consent to greater sac¬
rifices than they to accomplish it. We have a large pecuniary interest
in that result. But it must be borne in mind that the Company is con¬
structing the greatest work of the age, in the midst of the greatest
rebellion known in history, which shakes the country from its center to
its circumference, and which is deranging the finances of the country to
an extent heretofore unknown. The building of railroads is mainly a
question of money. While the war has swelled the paper currency of
the country, and thus made that kind of money plenty in the Eastern
States, gold has been almost driven from use there, and rapidly with¬
drawn from circulation here to be sold there. It rates at so high a pre¬
mium, that it can be obtained in the Eastern markets, where alone capi¬
tal can be found for railroad purposes to any extent, only at a ruinous
sacrifice. If the National currency was in use here, this difficulty would
be in a great measure removed. But the Pacific States, whether wisely
or unwisely it is not necessary for us to say, has practically excluded that
currency from circulation. This Company is, therefore, compelled to
use gold in payment for labor, and in all its business transactions at
home. This can only be procured in large amounts at a great and
ruinous sacrifice of its securities. Looking to the future, as well as to
the present interests of the great work confided to our care, we have
not deemed it prudent to submit to sacrifices, which, while affording but
little present aid, would cripple, if not stop the prosecution of the work
in the future. We have hoped that this high premium on gold which
has ruled during the past year was but temporary, and that it would
soon be obtained at rates which would enable us to dispose of our secur¬
ities without too great a sacrifice. In pursuing this course we feel confi¬
dent of the approbation of every true friend of the Pacific Bailroad,
even though it results in a temporary delay of the work we all so ar¬
dently desire to see completed.
It was under these circumstances that the use of the bonds of San
Francisco, became of such vital importance to the Company during the
past summer. These bonds can be more readily sold for gold in the San
Francisco market than any jother, except, perhaps, State bonds. Had
we received them promptly when we were legally entitled to them, they
would have afforded the means of prosecuting the work, and avoiding
some of the delay which has occurred.. The majority of the Supervisors
of that great city, which will receive more benefit from the railroad than
any other portion of the country, in defiance of a popular vote of more
than two to one in favor of the Company, and in violation of their own
plighted faith and honor given by a vote of nine to two, in favor of the
compromise proposed by themselves and accepted by this Company,
h^tve still persisted in refusing to do what the law enjoins, and the Su¬
preme Court has repeatedly awarded. Their course will be a lasting
reproach to that great metropolis, which has been entirely willing to
enjoy the benefits of the work, without sharing any of its risk or ex-
18
ense. But this difficulty we believe will soon be overcome, and four
undred thousand dollars of bonds, of the most available kind, will soon
be placed at the disposal of the Company to be used in pushing on the
railroad toward your State. The same interested parties have been un¬
tiring in their efforts, sparing no expense of time or money, to deprive
us of these means. So far as this has contributed to delay the work,
they must bear the responsibility. The application for a mandamus to
compel the Supervisors to deliver these bonds has been argued and sub¬
mitted to the Supreme Court, and we reasonably hope for a speedy
decision.
AVAILABLE MEANS.
We have referred to only a few of the many difficulties the Company
has had to encounter. It would make this communication too volumi¬
nous to mention them all. But it affords us pleasure to state, that we
are able to give assurance of such a prosecution of the work in the
future, as will leave no room for complaint. It must be borne in mind
that up to this time the Company has used only its own means in carrying
on the work, having thus far received no direct benefit from the prom¬
ised national or State aid. Although our enemies have industriously
circulated reports of the total cessation of all work on the line, yet they
have been utterly without foundation, as there has been at no time less
than one hundred and fifty men, with a due proportion of horses and
carts, at work on the road. Now, however, that aid has become useful.
The recent decision of the Supreme Court on the State Aid Bill has ren¬
dered one million five hundred thousand dollars of bonds, of a market
value nearly equal to State bonds, available for the work of construction.
It cannot be many weeks before a final decision will be rendered by
the Supreme Court, in the suit for the San Francisco bonds, for four
hundred thousand dollars. The principal questions involved in that
suit have already been decided in favor of the Company by the same
Court. These bonds will undoubtedly be received long before the one
million five hundred thousand dollars of State aid bonds are exhausted.
There is also now due from the United States one million two hundred
and sixty-four thousand dollars of Government bonds, under the Pacific
Bailroad Acts, upon the thirty-one miles of completed road. These
bonds will be issued as soon as they can be printed and executed'by the
proper officers. Some delay has occurred on account of the great press
of business in that department ; but there is no doubt that they will be
received within a few months, if not weeks. As soon as these bonds are
received, the Company are authorized to issue an equal amount of first
mortgage bonds, which will have priority to those of the Government,
and will therefore have a high market value. This will add one million
two hundred and sixty-four thousand dollars to our available assets.
The Company is entitled to a patent for a large amount of public land
for the thirty-one miles constructed. The exact number of acres, or the
value of these lands, it is not possible to state at this time, but many
estimate it at five hundred thousand dollars. In a few months they will
become a source of revenue to the Company. The receipts of the rail¬
road now in operation, and which will greatly increase as it is extended
up the mountains, will also form no inconsiderable item of assets. The
Company also has eighteen million four hundred and sixty-one thousand
one hundred dollars of unsold capital stock, which can soon be made
available for the construction of the work. As the road is extended, it
19
will soon entirely control the immense trade to Nevada, and thus the value
of the stock, as a dividend paying investment, will soon be established,
and it will undoubtedly be sought after by capitalists. No further ex¬
pense will be incurred in the purchase of iron, chairs, spikes, or ties,
during this season, as a sufficient amount is now on hand to lay all the
track that can be graded within that time. Thus all the means of the
Company can be applied solely to the grading, and preparing the road
for the track-layers.
FUTURE PROSPECTS.
From this plain statement it will be seen that this Company is now in
a position to prosecute the work vigorously from this time onward until
it is fully completed, for as the road is extended every twenty miles the
national faid becomes available, both in bonds and land. The policy of
the Directors has been, and probably will continue to be, not to proceed
rashly, or to incur obligations that cannot be promptly met. A contrary
course would soon lead to financial embarrassment, and endanger the
completion of the work. Feeling confident in the future, handbills have
been issued calling for a large force of laborers, a copy of which is sent
with this. With this increased number of workmen, the work will be
pushed forward vigorously during the season.
We feel confident that the road will be completed twelve miles fur¬
ther, to Clipper Gap, by May next, and to Illinoistown, fifty-four miles
from Sacramento, by September next. We expect to reach Dutch Flat,
which is sixty-eight miles, in time for the spring business of one thou-
sandj eight hundred and sixty-six, and the Yuba bottoms, near Cyrstal
Lake, by the fall of one thousand eight hundred and sixty-six. We
have no doubt of being able to complete the road to the State line within
the time fixed by the Act of Congress. How much sooner than that,
depends upon the price of gold and the condition of financial affairs in
the Atlantic States, matters which cannot be foretold. Of one thing
the people of Nevada may rest assured : that this Company will do all
that can be done, by the judicious use of the means at their disposal, to
complete the railroad to and through Nevada at the earliest possible
moment. For this the interest of the Company is a sure guarantee.
We ask no financial aid from Nevada at this time; but our good faith
and zeal in carrying forward the great work so important to her people,
entitles us at least to words of encouragement from her Legislature.
We trust her representatives will see that this Company, in the selection
of the most direct and available route over the mountains, and in the
industry with which national, State, county, and individual aid and cap¬
ital has been concentrated upon the work, and the progress and prepar¬
ation of material already made, affords the only reliable hope for the
speedy construction of any railroad over the mountains. It is idle to
talk of constructing two railroads over the mountains at the present
time. It cannot be done ; and all agitation of the matter tends to
hinder the work on the only road that has or can secure national aid.
It is certain that Congress will never assist in building a road to rival or
compete with one in which so large an amount of national funds will be
invested. Any act, therefore, which tends to create doubt or distrust in
the public mind, will only delay the completion of the road so much de¬
sired by the people of Nevada and California.
20
work done.
We add the following statement of the work done and railroad
material purchased by the Company up to January one, one thousand
eight hundred and sixty-five :
AMOUNT OF WORK DONE.
Earth and cement excavation, cubic yards
Excavation requiring blasting, cubic yards
Stone masonry, cubic yards
Cobble and granite around bridge piers, cubic yards
Number of brick in the work
Timber in structures, feet B. M
Eumber in structures, feet B M
Number of redwood ties
Tons of iron
Locomotives
Cars
692,598
195,576
8,230
825
280,582
1,233,800
130,000
116,000
8,000
8
146
estimates op cost.
The estimated cost of grading, masonry, bridging, trestling, depot
buildings and water stations, from Newcastle to Clipper Gap, a distance
of twelve miles, is five hundred and seventy-four thousand eight hun¬
dred and fifty-two dollars. The estimated cost of the same work from
Clipper Gap Jo the end of the first division of fifty miles, near Illinois-
town, is five hundred and eighty-four thousand four hundred and fifty-one
dollars. The estimated cost of the same work from the end of the fifty
miles to Dutch Flat, a distance of eighteen miles, is two million one hun¬
dred and sixty-nine thousand two hundred and seventy-seven dollars.
The estimated cost of the railroad from Dutch Flat to the State line is
six million sixty-five thousand dollars; and from the State line to the Big
Bend of the Truckee, two million five hundred thousand dollars, as is
shown by the report of Mr. Judah.
This Company has surveyed the line to a point five miles east of the
Big Bend of the Truckee river, from which point to Salt Lake it will
probably be located on the cheapest and most direct route, passing
through, or as near as practicable, the intermediate mining districts, the
trade of which will constitute an important part of the business of the
road. Where it is impracticable to carry the main line through the
important mining towns, branch roads will be constructed. (
The Pacific Bailroad is a subject of peculiar solicitude on the part of
the American people, especially those residing in Nevada, and we have
endeavored in this communication to give them a fall statement of the
present condition and future prospects of that portion of the work com¬
mitted to the care of this Company, and in which Nevada is more
directly interested. We feel assured that your citizens will extend to
this great national enterprise their cordial support, and that neither
they or their representatives will extend the least aid to those who, from
interested motives, are exerting their utmost to delay it.
L. STANFORD,
President C. P. R. R. Co.
E H. Miller, Jr.,
Secretary C. P. R. R. Co.
21
Office of Central Pacific Railroad Company of California,")
Sacramento, January 13, 1865. j
To Leland Stanford,
President Central Pacific Pailroad Company :
Sir—In compliance with your request, we submit the following veri¬
fied statement of the affairs of the Company at this date :
The authorized capital stpck of the Company is twenty million
dollars.
The total amount of the capital stock issued and subscribed is one
million five hundred and thirty-eight thousand nine hundred dollars.
The total amount expended by the Company is two million seven
hundred and nine thousand and twenty-five and seventy hundredths
dollars.
The total liabilities of the Company are :
LIABILITIES.
For first mortgage bonds issued, payable July 1, 1883
Por bonds of July 1, 1864, payable July 1,1884
For bills payable (not matured)
For unpaid bills of 1864
For balance due the treasurer for advances
Total
AMOUNT.
,394,000 00
27,000 00
li5,438 35
1,263 86
6,493 86
$1,544,295 70
The assets and available means of the Company are :
ASSETS.
Capital stock unsold
Amount due from stockholders
Bonds of Placer County unsold.....
Bonds of Sacramento County unsold
Amount due from the city and county of San Francisco,
in seven per cent, gold bonds
Amount due from the United States, in thirty year six
per cent bonds
Bonds for $1,500,000, bearing interest at seven per cent,
per annum, payable in gold, by the State of California,
(under a law the constitutionality and validity of which
has been sustained by the Supreme Court,) and the
first installment of the interest was paid to the Com¬
pany at the State Treasury on the first of January.
Twenty-seven thousand dollars of these bonds have
been negotiated, leaving available...,
Every alternate section of public land (except mineral
land) for twenty miles on each side of the line of the
road
Thirty-one miles of first class railroad and telegraph line
completed, with depot buildings, engine houses, etc....
Eight locomotives
AMOUNT.
$18,461,100 00
135,670 00
75,000 00
163,500 00
400,000 00
1,264,000 00
1,473,000 00
22
Ton passenger cars
Four baggage cars «
One hundred and twenty-four freight cars
Five hand cars
Three construction cars
Extra axles and wheels for cars
Extra drivers, tires and axles for engines
One sixty-horse power stationary engine and machinery
for machine shop
Five thousand tons iron
Chairs and spikes enough to lay all the iron...
Forty-two thousand three hundred and five redwood
ties, enough to lay twenty-two miles of track
Grading and masonry, beyond Newcastle, done by the
Company at a cost of.
Sutter Lake property, about thirty acres within the
limits of Sacramento City, and the exclusive right to
the use of the levee front in Sacramento, from K
street north, about one thousand one hundred feet in
length by one hundred and fifty feet in width
Two lots in Sacramento City
Land at Roseville, about twenty acres
159,826 32
E. H. MILLER, Jr.,
Secretary C. P. R. R. Co.
MARK HOPKINS,
Treasurer C. P. R. R. Co.
Subscribed and sworn to before me, this fourteenth day of January,
one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
E. B. CROCKER,
Court Commissioner for Sacramento County, Cal.
RECENT REPORT
OF THE
ACTING CHIEF ENGINEER
OF THE
CENTRAL PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY.
ENGINEER'S REPORT.
Engineer's Office, C. P. E. E. of California, 1
Sacramento, October 8,1864. j
To the President and Directors of the Central Pacific Bailroad Company of
California :
Gentlemen : I present herewith a report upon the progress of the sur"
veys, work of construction, and equipment of your road to the present
date ; and also an estimate of the business and revenue of the road when
completed to Stout's Crossing of Truckee Elver, a distance of one hun¬
dred and fifty-five miles from Sacramento.
As the report of your Chief Engineer, the late T. I). Judah, Esq., made
in July, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, contained a de¬
tailed description of the several lines surveyed up to that time, I have
deemed it unnecessary to embody a similar description in this report.
I append, however, a few notes of the general topographical features
of the country over which the line passes, and also notes of such surveys
as have been made since the date referred to.
The practicability of a railroad route across the Sierras was «for many
years a question of serious doubt, even among the warmest advocates of
a Pacific Eailroad ; and previous to the surveys made by Mr. Judah in
1861, under the auspices of your company, but little reliable information
on the subject had been placed before the public. >
The result of this survey was the development of a feasible line for a
railroad, with a maximum grade of one hundred and five (105) feet per
mile.
Before commencing the survey, careful and extended examinations
were made of five of the most prominent routes across the mountains,
distances measured, and the altitude of the different "Passes" ascer¬
tained by barometrical observations. The conclusions based upon these
examinations were fully confirmed by the subsequent instrumental sur¬
vey, made, as before stated, in one thousand eight hundred and sixty-
one.
Before the final adoption of this route for the location of your road,
still further explorations and examinations were made, but without satis¬
factory results, save the evidence afforded that the route selected for the
experimental survey was beyond question the best, if not indeed the only
practicable route for a railroad across the mountains ; and it is gratify¬
ing to be able to state that as far as the location survey has been ex¬
tended, its entire practicability has been fully proven.
26
\
The pass selected is believed to be the lowest of any across the Sierras,
which are attainable by a practicable railroad line. In fact, I think that
upon no other route (with perhaps one exception), has a continuous line
of levels been carried from tide water to the Summit, and I am not
aware of the result of that survey having been placed before the public.
The route selected for your road is the most direct in its general
course of any proposed across the mountains, the distance from the city
of Sacramento to the foot of the maximum grade upon the eastern slope
being but one hundred and eighteen miles, which is much less than a
corresponding point can be reached by any other route.
A careful examination of the map of Central California, will convince
any one of the many important advantages of location which your road
possesses. Following one of the main spurs of the Sierras, which forms
the divide between the waters of Bear River and the Yubas on the north,
and the American River on the south, the crossing of the deep canons
formed by those streams is entirely avoided, and you are able to make
the ascent of the western slope of the mountains, attaining an altitude of
seven thousand feet without any loss of grade, beyond the first eighteen
miles.
Another important feature of your route is, that the Second Summit of
the Sierras is avoided. As can be seen by reference to the map, that
portion of the Sierras lying between latitude 88° 80' and 41° north, con¬
sists of two parallel ranges of nearly equal altitude, enclosing an im¬
mense basin from ten to thirty miles in width. Lake Tahoe, which is
the great reservoir for the waters of the upper or southern end of this
basin, finds its outlet through the Truckee River, to which Mr. Judah, in
his report of one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, refers as follows :
" Running at first northeasterly about eight miles, thence northerly
about ten, and thence northeasterly about twelve miles, the Truckee
passes down between these two summits, with a nearly uniform fall of
about thirty-five feet per mile ; thence sweeping round to the eastward
it passes through the second range, or summit, at a depression where it
seems to be entirely worn away down to the level of the river; thence
pursuing its way through an entensive plain known as the Truckee
Meadows; thence through the Washoe mountains to the Big Bend;
thence northerly about twenty miles, finds its way into Pyramid Lake.
" At the Donner Lake Pass, sometimes called the ' Truckee Pass/
where our line crosses the first summit of the Sierra Nevada, the altitude
of the line is about one thousand two hundred feet above the Truckee
River.
"Donner Lake lies immediately beneath, at a depth of one thousand
one hundred feet. Two long ranges, or spurs, enclose the lake and its
valley, declining in height gradually to the Truckee River, about eight
miles below. Our line is carried down along the side hill of the spur, or
range, immediately above the lake, and upon its south side, to the
Truckee River, which point it reaches in a distance of eleven and a half
miles of line, with a uniformly descending grade of one hundred and five
feet per mile from the summit.
" The Truckee thus reached, all further difficulty of location ceases, as
it pierces its way through all obstructions, with a uniform descent of not
over forty feet per mile, to the Humboldt Desert, which forms the Sink
of the Humboldt and Carson Rivers.
"Thus the Second Summit of the Sierras, and the crossing of the
Washoe mountains, are entirely avoided, and from the western base to the
27
Summit of the Sierra Nevada, the grade is uniformly ascending or level
(there being no descending grade going eastward) ; while from the
Summit to the Big Bend of Truekee, or Humboldt Desert, a continuous
descending grade is maintained."
These important advantages of location will not be underrated by those
who are conversant with the difficulties attending the construction and
working of mountain roads.
By avoiding the Second Summit of the Sierras and Washoe mountains,
you are not only enabled to save the grades required to overcome those
ranges, but also encounter a much narrower snow-belt—the eastern
limit of deep snow upon this line being the Truekee Biver, at a distance
of but twelve miles from the Summit.
GRADIENTS.
The objection which has been so often urged against the successful
operation of a railroad across the Sierras, viz : the heavy gradients to
he overcome, has been so fully answered to the previous reports of your
Chief Engineer, that it is unnecessary to discuss the matter at length
here.
With the practical examples furnished by the Baltimore and Ohio, the
Virginia Central, and other important roads in the Eastern States and
Europe, which might be cited, the question of the successful working of
a railroad with gradients of one hundred and five feet per mile, is neither
doubtful or problematical. Upon that portion of your road which is al¬
ready completed, there occur four and one half consecutive miles of
maximum grade of one hundred and five feet per mile, over which for
more than four months six trains have passed daily without accident or
detention—the passenger trains making a speed fully equal to the average
speed of express trains on Eastern roads. The operating of a road of this
character is of course more expensive than where lighter gradients can
be obtained.
Besides requiring a superior class of machinery, an additional item of
expense will be found in the increased consumption of fuel; yet the
abundant supply of this article in the immediate vicinity of your road,
and the low price at which the same can be delivered, viz : from two dol¬
lars and fifty cents to three dollars per cord, renders this a less important
item than would otherwise appear.
The maximum grade, which, according to the Act of Congress
passed July first, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, you
.are allowed to use in the construction of your road, is one hun¬
dred and sixteen (116) feet per mile ; the adopted maximum is, how¬
ever, one hundred and five (105) feet, and at no point will it be neces¬
sary to exceed this grade. The location of the only portion of the
line upon which the preliminary surveys indicated the necessity of using
a higher grade than one hundred and five feet, has already been accom¬
plished with a grade of less than eighty feet per mile, and as the levels
have been carefully tested from tide water to the Summit, the practica¬
bility, of constructing your road upon the adopted maximum, is fully de¬
monstrated.
A table of grades from Sacramento to the end of the located line, is
appended, by which it will be seen that the location thus far has been
made with a less distance of maximum grade than was contemplated by
the original survey.
28
ALIGNMENT.
Although by the Act of Congress already referred to, you are allowed
to use the maximum curves used on the Baltimore and Ohio Bailroad,
the adopted maximum is ten degrees, or a radius of five hundred and
seventy-three feet. But two curves of this radius (with the exception of
the curves used on temporary tracks in the city of Sacramento), occur
on the fi>st division, and at those points the grade is comparatively light.
It has been necessary in but few instances to introduce maximum curves
upon maximum grades, and the alignment will be found to be more
favorable than was originally anticipated.
By reference to the appended tabular statement of the alignment, it
will be seen that more than sixty per cent of the first division is tangent
or straight line, while of the eight succeeding miles, in the very " heart
of the mountains/' more than twenty per cent, is tangent line.
This will, I think, bear a favorable comparison with the alignment of
other roads constructed through mountainous regions.
FIRST DIVISION OF FIFTY MILES.
For a general description of the located line of this division I would
respectfully refer you to the report of your Chief Engineer, made July,
one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
No changes were made in the line between Sacramento and Newcas¬
tle, but from the thirty-first to the forty-eighth section, almost an entire
relocation has been made, resulting in a material reduction in the cost of
the work, and several important improvements in the alignment of sec¬
tions thirty-five and and forty-three; the changes being made (with the
exception of a single instance), without any increase of grade.
The most important changes were upon the line through Dutch Eavine
(sections thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four and thirty-five), from Lime
Point to the head of Eock Creek (sections thirty-eight to forty, inclu¬
sive), through Clipper Eavine to Wild Cat (sections forty-four and forty-
five), and at Banej^s Eanch, by which the contemplated tunnel at that
point is avoided, reducing the cost of a single section (forty-seven), mcrre
than $70,000.
By the present location no tunneling will be required on the first divi¬
sion.
WORK OF CONSTRUCTION.
As no portion of your road was fully completed at the date of the last
report of your Chief Engineer, it may not be inappropriate to refer here
to the progress and manner of construction of the first division.
That portion of your road lying between the foot of K street, in the
city of Sacramento, and the California Central Eailroad, comprising sec¬
tions one to eighteen, inclusive, was placed under contract to Charles
Crocker & Co., December twenty-seventh, one thousand eight hundred
and sixty-two, but active operations were not commenced until the
month of February following, from which time the work steadily and
rapidly progressed, and on the twenty-ninth day of Eebruary, one thou¬
sand eight hundred and sixty-four, their contract was fully completed,
and the road ready for business from Sacramento to the junction with
the California Central Eailroad.
The second subdivision of the first division, comprising sections nine¬
teen to thirty-one, inclusive, was let in July, one thousand eight hundred
and sixty-three, as follows :
29
Sections nineteen and twenty, to Cyrus Collins & Bro.; sections twen¬
ty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three and twenty-four, to Messrs. Turton,
Knox & Byan; sections twenty-five, twenty-six and twenty-seven, to
Charles D. Bates & Co.; sections twenty-eight and twenty-nine, to S. D.
Smith, and sections thirty and thirty-one, to Charles Crocker. The
work on this portion of the line was fully completed, the track laid and
the road open to Newcastle on the sixth day of June last.
The road has been constructed in the most permanent and durable
manner, and the general character of the work will compare favorably
with first class railroad work in the Eastern States.
The brid^b acress the American Biver is the largest and most substan¬
tial structure of the kind in the State, comprising two spans of Howe's
truss, of one hundred and ninety-two feet each, in the clear, with ap¬
proaches of trestling, resting on pile foundations, of two thousand four
hundred feet in length on the south, and six hundred feet on the north
side of the river, making a total length of bridging of three thousand
four hundred feet.
The foundations of the piers are of piles, which are tenoned and capped
with timbers twelve inches square, upon which are laid longitudinal tim¬
bers of the same dimensions as the caps, one foot apart and secured by
bolts.
On these timbers a solid flooring of ten by twelve inches is laid, pro¬
jecting one foot beyond the footing course of the intended masonry.
One hundred and twenty-three piles, from twenty-five to thirty-five
feet in length, were used in the foundation of each pier.
As a security against the action of floods, several hundred yards of
cobbles were placed around the foundations of each pier, filling the space
between and around the piles, inside the coffer dam, up to low water
mark. In addition to this, about sixty car loads of granite have recently
been placed around the piers in such a manner as is believed will render
them perfectly secure from all action of high water.
The trestling at Arcade Creek is two hundred feet in length, and simi¬
lar in plan to that at the American Biver.
«»
THE BRIDGE AT DRY CREEK
Consists of four spans'of Burr's truss, of fifty-four and one-half feet each,
resting on stone piers, and connected with the embankment at each end
by shore bents of trestling.
THE ANTELOPE CREEK BRIDGE
Consists of one span of Burr's truss, resting upon substantial granite
piers.
The above are all the wooden structures that occur upon the first
thirty-one miles of your road, and for full details respecting them, refer¬
ence ip made to the above mentioned report of your Chief Engineer for
the year one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
THE CULVERTS
On sections one to eighteen, inclusive, thirty-six in number, are built in
a thorough and substantial manner, of hard burned brick, laid in hy¬
draulic cement, with parapet walls, coped' with granite six inches in
thickness, securely fastened to the walls with iron anchors.
80
On sections nineteen to thirty-one, inclusive, the culverts are built ex¬
clusively of granite^ with paving of the same material.
THE TIES
Furnished by the contractors are of the best quality of coast, or black
redwood, and there are now delivered, in addition to those already used,
a sufficient number to lay twenty-two miles of track.
THE TRACK
Has been laid in a thorough and workmanlike manner, and is ballasted
with such material as could be obtained in the vicinity of the road. The
material composing the road bed on sections nineteen to thirty-one,
forms of itself an excellent ballast, being for the most part a decomposed
granite, which, while forming an excellent support for the superstruc¬
ture, is sufficiently porous to prevent the collection of water on the road
bed.
Portions of the track, especially through the cement and clay cuts on
the plains, will probably require a better quality of ballast than has yet
been provided. Excellent material for this purpose can be obtained
near the confluence of Secret and Miners' Bavines, and within one half
mile of the road.
The cost of grading a track to the point named will be but trifling, and
1 would recommend its construction at an early day.
Good ballasting is found at various points on the line, and besides the
inexhaustible quantities of decomposed granite already alluded to, ex¬
tensive deposits of gravel, and various kinds of disintegrated rock are
met with at convenient intervals, so thstt an adequate supply of ballast¬
ing can always be obtained.
BUILDINGS.
Commodious freight and pabsenger depots have been erected at Sacra¬
mento and Newcastle, at the former place an engine house, with stalls
for five engines, has also been built.
Turn tables have been built at both named places, and a Y track con¬
structed at the Junction. Suitable watering places have also been pro¬
vided at Sacramento, Junction and Pino.
A Fairbanks track scale, of a capacity of sixty tons, has been landed
from the ship, and will soon be erected at the Junction,
/
A TELEGRAPH LINE
Has also been constructed along the line of your road, from Sacramento
to Newcastle, and offices established at both named places.
It may not be improper to state in this connection, that the Commis¬
sioners appointed by the President of the United States, in accordance
with the provisions of section four of the Pacific Bailroad Act, have made
a careful and thorough examination of your road and the telegraph line
connected therewith, and their favorable report has already been trans¬
mitted to the proper authorities at Washington.
ROLLING STOCK.
There have been purchased, for use upon the first division, and are now
31
in daily use upon the road, five locomotives, six first class passenger cars,
two baggage cars, twenty-five box freight cars and twenty-five platform
cars.
In addition to which, there have been received one heavy freight loco¬
motive and twenty freight cars, not yet put together.
There have been purchased and shipped, four first class passenger
cars, two mail and express cars, twenty-four freight cars, twenty dump
(or gravel), cars.
Two more heavy freight locomotives have been contracted for with
Messrs. Danforth, Cook & Co., of Patterson, N. J., and are now in course
of construction. Extra axles, car wheels, locomotive tires, etc., have
been purchased and shipped.
The following table shows the size, weight, etc., of the engines now in
use upon the road :
NAMES
OP
ENGINES.
Governor Stanford...
Pacific ..............
Atlantic
John Conness
T. D. Judah
C. P. Huntington....
P o ^
D gV
& g*r
p *+
©
CD 3
I 5s M
' , P* P
H ^ crq
o 4 a.
a o s
CD © CD
p.:
m
46
47 K
47
50
18
18
o
-1
<
n
CD
4
4
4
6
2
2
6
6
« d
CO
0Q Z
M C-h
CD 2
o
M»
d
<5
I
4^
5
5
4
4^
4K
4
4
P. S
CD SO
m B
I %
HH CD
P -Ï
g
: 'g
• »—«•
• H
• I
15
16
15
17
11
11
CD
P
or<3
o
0Q
et-
1-1
O
V?
CD
22
24
22
25
15
15
NAME
OP
BUILDEfiS.
Norris & Son
Wm. Mason & Co
Wm. Mason & Co ....
Wm. Mason & Co
Danforth, Cook & Co.
Danforth, Cook & Co.
Danforth, Cook & Co.
Danforth, Cook & Co.
KEMABKS.
Just received.
Tank Engine..
Tank Engine..
I Now being
f constructed.
The rolling stock is all of the best class used on eastern roads. The
locomotives, with one exception, were built to order, and have thus far
given perfect satisfaction. Those now under construction are designed
particularly for service on heavy grades.
CONSTRUCTION OF THIRD SUB-DIVISION.
The work of grading above Newcastle was commenced in April last,
and has been steadily progressing since that time.
The cut through Bloomer Divide, which is the heaviest cut on the
First Division, being sixty-three feet in depth, and eight hundred feet in
length, through a hard indurated gravel, is now fully completed, and the
grading on other portions of the line is in a favorable state of progress.
The culverts are built of the very best quality of granite, which is
found in great abundance in convenient proximity to the work.
All of the unfinished work between Newcastle and Clipper Gap, a dis¬
tance of twelve miles, is of such a character as to admit of its rapid
prosecution, and the work upon this portion of the line can easily be
completed within four months.
TRESTLING.
As much of the heavy work on your road (as has been noticed in for¬
mer reports), occurs in crossing the depressions or gaps in the Divide
82
along which the line runs, it has been deemed expedient in some in¬
stances ta substitute trestling for embankments.
Tre8tling, properly constructed of Puget Sound pine and redwood,
will last from eight to ten years, and can then be replaced with embank¬
ments, by transporting the material on the cars, at much less than the
present cost.
At Newcastle Gap, LovelFs Gap, and at two points near Clipper Gap,
trestling has been designed, and timber for the structure at the former
place, is now arriving.
SECOND DIVISION.
The work of location on this division was commenced in July, one
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, but owing to the extremely
rugged character of the country, the progress of the survey was neces¬
sarily slow, and but about eighteen and a half miles of permanent loca¬
tion were made. New experimental lines were run some eight miles
further, and the preliminary location had been commenced, when, owing
to the lateness of the season, the party was withdrawn from the field.
The greatest difficulty encountered in the work of location, is that of
maintaining a continuous ascending grade, which, were it possible to ac¬
complish, the maximum grade from the foothills to the Summit of the
Sierras, could be reduced below eighty feet per mile ; but as the frequent
depressions or gaps in the Divide, along which the line passes, render a
a continuous grade impracticable, they necessarily become commanding
points in the problem of location.
Thus, in order to pass the Illinoistown and Long .Ravine Gaps, we are
compelled to maintain, for nearly eight miles, a very light average, and
in many places a level grade, making in that distance an altitude of but
one hundred and fifteen feet, while immediately following is a section of
three and a half miles of maximum grade.
From the commencement of the second division, the line passes along
near, and frequently upon, the Summit of the Divide, about two miles,
to the Lower Illinoistown Gap ; thence along the American River slope
for about one half mile, when it recrosses the Divide through Bear
River Gap, (where a tunnel five hundred feet in length will be required,)
and thence follows the Bear River Slope of the Divide three and a half
miles to Long Ravine. Some heavy work occurs on this portion of the
line, but with the exception of the tunnel referred to, will not exceed
the average of the work on the last five miles of the first division. The
succeeding nine miles from Long Ravine to Gold Run, comprises some
of the most formidable work encountered upon the western slope of the
mountains. Crossing Long Ravine at ahight of one hundred and fifteen
feet, the line curves sharply to the right, and passes with a maximum
grade along the steep, and in many places precipitous, side-hill of Rice's
Ravine, crossing a succession of short, steep side ravines and gulches,
and intervening spurs, to Cape Horn ; which is a precipitous, rocky
bluff, about twelve hundred feet in hight above the American river.
The construction of the road around this point will involve much
heavy work, though the material encountered is not of a very formida¬
ble character, being a soft friable slate, which yields readily to the pick
and bar.
The dip of the ledge is about seventy-five degrees, or nearly perpen¬
dicular ; but as our line at this point crosses the line of stratification
nearly at right angles, the cuttings will admit of a much steeper slope
than can be generally adopted for that class of material.
S3
The road around this bluff will necessarily be mostly in excavation, as
the construction of an embankment, even with a heavy retaining wall,
would in many places be unsafe, if not impracticable. Passing around
the face of this bluff, with an aggregate curvature, in one direction, of
one hundred and eighty-six degrees, the line enters Robbers' Ravine,
the western slope of which it follows for about one and a half miles to
Oak Summit, at the point where the old pack trail crosses the same.
Passing thence via Trail Summit, and along the side-hill above the
North Fork of the American river, encountering a number of abrupt,
deep ravines (some of which it will probably be necessary to cross tem¬
porarily on trestling), the line enters Secret Ravine, which it follows for
about three fourths of a mile, and thence follows a tributary of the same
to its source, near the Illinoistown and Dutch Flat stage road, about one
and a half miles east of Madden's toll house. Thence the line runs near
the stage road to Secret-town Gap, which it crosses at the hight of fifty-
five feet. The crest of the ridge, or divide (between the American and
Bear rivers), is here so narrow as to barely admit of the construction of
trestle work, and the sinuous course of the line precludes the possibility
of using any other kind of wooden structure.
Trestling, strongly and substantially built of the best mountain tim¬
ber, red fir, sugar pine, or tamrack, can safely be depended upon for five
or six years, and in the meantime, with the facilities for transportation
of material which your road will afford, such structures can be replaced
either with embankments or stone viaducts, as may be deemed most
advisable.
From Secret-town Gap to Gold Run, a distance of two and a half
miles, the line passes around the northern or Bear River slope of Cold
Spring mountain, encountering a succession of deep, abrupt ravines,
where some of the heaviest work on this division occtirs.
One tunnel of about three hundred feet in length wilhbe required on
this portion of the line.
At Gold Run the line attains and thence follows the Summit of the
Divide, which presents a very uniform surface for nearly two miles, and
the work will be comparatively light.
Leaving the summit of the ridge near Bradley's reservoir, the line
bears to the left, and, following the Bear river slope of the hill, passes
one half mile south of, and three hundred feet above, the town of Dutch
Flat, to Toll's Mills, a distance of sixty-seven miles from Sacramento, at
which point the location survey was suspended. As before stated, the
experimental and preliminary location surveys were extended several
miles further, and I would suggest the propriety of resuming the surveys
at an early day, as the labor required to prepare this division for the
contractors will necessarily occupy several months.
As the line beyond this point cannot deviate materially from the line
of Mr. Judah's preliminary survey, I would refer you for a general de¬
scription of the same to his report, made October, one thousand eight
hundred and sixty-two, pages eighteen to twenty-two.
The location surveys so far made have demonstrated the accuracy of
the preliminary survey made by Mr. Judah, and from my own knowl¬
edge of the country east of the point to which the location has been
completed, 1 am satisfied that there will not be any material deviation
from the line established by him.
The peculiar location of your road, passing as it necessarily does near
the Summit of the Divide, and consequently crossing t^e ravines and
canons near their sources, precludes the necessity for large and expen-
12a
34
sive culverts, or other structures for the passage of water, but few places
occurring where more than forty or fifty feet area of water-way will be
required.
It will, however, probably be found advisable, as before suggested, to
adopt, as a matter of expediency, trestle or other bridging, for many of
the deeper ravines or gulches.
Rock for culverts, foundations, etc., can be obtained within a reasona¬
ble distance, and frequently in the immediate vicinity of the work, and
timber suitable for bridging, etc., is everywhere abundant.
The construction of over one hundred miles of mountain road, and
that, too, across one of the most formidable ranges on the continent,
where so few important streams are crossed, and so small an amount of
expensive bridging actually required, will certainly present an anomaly
in the history of railroad enterprises.
GRADES.
The following table shows the distance (in miles) of the different
grades used upon the First Division, and eighteen miles of the Second
Division :
TABLE OF GRADES
ON LOCATED LINE OF CENTRAL PACIFIC RAILROAD OF CALIFORNIA, FROM SACRAMENTO.
FIRST DIVISION.
FIBST DIVISION. *
SECOND DIVISION.
OB. FB. MILE.
NO. MILES.
OB. FB. MILE.
NO. MILES.
OB. FB. MILE.
NO. MILES.
Level
9.33
42 ft.
.52
Level
4.32
3 ft.
3.32
45
.38
5 It.
.95
5
.38
47
.38
13
.70
11
1.32
53
2.55
19
.21 .
13
.57
58
1.40
26
.26
14
.57
61
.32
40
.38
16
1.48
63
.57
42
.19
21 ,
4.78
74
.19
61
.07
26
3.28
75
.24
65
.40
2-8
.51
79
1.34
66
.23
30
.21
82
.38
79
.57
32
.57
90
1.16
95
.38
37
.76
97
.31
100
.38
40
.19
105
12.99
105
9.33
1
50.00
18.37
35
TABLE OP ALIGNMENT,
SHOWING THE AGGREGATE LENGTH OF TANGENTS AND CURVES OF DIFFERENT RADII IN
LOCATED LINES OF C. P. R. R. FROM SACRAMENTO TO STATION 3,610.
i
FIRST DIVISION.
FIRST DIVISION.
SECOND DIVISION.
RADII IN
DISTANCE IN
RADII IN
DISTANCE IN
RADII IN
DISTANCE IN
FEET.
MILES.
FEET.
MILES.
FEET.
MILES. #
15,000
.10
1,042
.09
5,730
.23
5,730
.62
955
4.75
2,865
.32
8,820
.44
882
.54
1,910
.21
2] 865
1.39
819
.48
1,433
.85
2,292
.55
800
.17
1,146
1.67
1,910
.55
764
.14
955
1.98
1,637
.46
717
4.25
819
1.74
1,482
.08
714
.03
717
2.19
1,433
2.79
637
.36
637
1.94
1,338
.04
573
.21
573
2.19
1,146
1.28
Tangent
30.68
Tangent
5.05
50.00
• *
18.37
REVENUE.
In estimating the probable business of your road, when completed
across the mountains, the calculations are based upon actual statistics of
the freight and passenger business between this city and Nevada Terri¬
tory, during the last three years. Though during the present season
there has been a marked depression of business in that direction, as
compared with the two preceding ones, it is not considered that any ap¬
prehensions of a permanent decrease of the former business with that
region need be entertained. On the contrary, those best acquainted
with the resources of Nevada Territory, and the Great Basin towards
Salt Lake, are confident in the opinion that another season will witness
an animated revival of business in that direction, and that within two, or
three years at the farthest, it will largely exceed the business of one
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
The extent and character of the resources of the Territory occupying
the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada and the Great Basin, are too
well known to require an extended notice here. The evidence afforded
by the daily shipments of bullion, is sufficient to convince the most
skeptical of the richness and permanent value of the mineral deposits of
that region.
Hardly second in importance to the famous Washoe district, are the
Esmeralda, Silver Mountain, Humboldt and Eeese Elver districts, many
portions of which are already yielding rich returns for the capita! and
labor expended in the development of their mines.
As the Eastern slope of the Sierras is but sparsely timbered, and, to¬
gether with the Great Basin, is almost wholly unsuitable for agricultural
purposes, it is evident that the principal supplies of lumber and fuel, as
well as general merchandise and breadstuffs, must be furnished by Cali¬
fornia. As illustrative of the immense consumption of lumber and fuel
in the mining districts, the following extract from the report of John F.
Kidder, Esq., Chief Engineer of the Virginia and Truckee Eiver Bail-
16
road Company, made in April, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-
three, furnishes some valuable information.
Stating that the average price of fuel in Virginia City, is " fifteen dol¬
lars per cord," he says, " At Virginia, Gold Hill and Silver City, there
are at present two thousand houses, consuming daily forty cords of
wood ; forty-six steam quartz mills, consuming daily two hundred and
thirty cords; and nine hoisting engines, with a daily consumption of
twenty-seven cords, making an aggregate consumption of two hundred
and ninety-seven cords.
" There are daily used for mining and building purposes, one hundred
and twenty-five thousand feet, BM., of lumber and square timber, the
cost of transporting which cost twenty dollars per thousand, making an
annual consumption of one hundred and eight thousand cords of wood,
and forty million feet of lumber," which is more than three times the
amount estimated by Mr. Judah, in his report of one thousand eight hun¬
dred and sixty-two, as a legitimate item of Washoe freight. Upon the
above estimate of Mr. Kidder, the Territorial Enterprise makes the fol¬
lowing remarks :
" In the report of Mr. Kidder, the Engineer of the Washoe Valley
and Virginia City .Railroad, that gentleman makes an estimate, which is
altogether too low, of the consumption of firewood in this city, Gold
Hill and Silver City, but which foots up one hundred and eight thou¬
sand cords. We think the quantity approaches much nearer two hun¬
dred thousand cords.
" Now where can this enormous quantity of firewood be obtained in
a year or two from this time? At its present value here, which at a
very low figure may be set down at sixteen dollars to twenty dollars per
cord, it makes a sum approaching three hundred and fifty thousand dol¬
lars for firewood actually paid out in cash, by but three towns, in a Ter¬
ritory but three years old. There is no denying the proposition that we
will have to look beyond the limits of this Territory before many years
shall have elapsed for fuel with which to keep in motion the countless
number of mills that will eventually be in operation within our border.
" The importance of where our fuel is to come from cannot be over-
rated."
That this vast trade must be supplied from the inexhaustible forests of
California, and pass over your road, is too evident to require any argu¬
ment for its demonstration. The road upon which Mr. Kidder reports
is designed to connect with your road at the most eligible point on the
Truckee, and will form a most important auxiliary to the business accru¬
ing thereto.
THROUGH FREIGHT FROM CALIFORNIA.
The statement made by Mr. Judah, in his report for one thousand eight
hundred and sixty-two, of the amount paid for freight over one route
alone, to Nevada Territory, viz : five millions two hundred and fifty-six
thousand dollars, was received with incredulity by many who were un¬
acquainted with the immense demands of the Washoe trade.
Yet reliable statistics show that the freight paid on shipments from
California across the mountains, in the year one thousand eight hundred
and sixty-three, amounted fully to two and a half times that sum, or
thirteen millions of dollars, which is twice the amount paid for freight
received at San Francisco from domestic and foreign ports during the
year.
Estimating the average price of freight from California to Nevada,
87
during the year (one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three,) at five
cents per pound, we have one hundred and thirty thousand tons of freight
transported by teams across the mountains, in one year, exclusive of
westward bound freight, such as minerals, lumber, etc.
Full statistics of the business of one thousand eight hundred and
sixty-four, to date, bave not been obtained, but from the data at hand, it
is fair to assume that freights for the years one thousand eight hundred
and sixty-two, three, and four, will average seventy-two thousand five
hundred tons.
It is also safe to assume that within three years this average will be
more than doubled, which amount, it will be seen, will but slightly ex¬
ceed the business of one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and
that you Aoad will, when completed, command fully four fifths of the
Nevada freight and travel, as competition by teams and stages will be
entirely out of the question.
This gives as a perfect, safe basis for an estimate, one hundred and six¬
teen thousand tons of freight per annum.
PASSENGERS.
The following extracts from published statistics are given to show the
data upon which the estimates of revenue from this source are based :
"During the months of August, September, and October, one thou¬
sand eight hundred and sixty-two, the average number of passengers
over one route across the mountains was :
Stage passengers
In carriages and on foot.
Total per diem
87
68
105
" In the months of February, March, and April, one thousand eighq.
hundred and sixty-three, the number of persons who crossed the moun¬
tains on one route is estimated as follows :
Footmen.
Horsemen
Stage passengers
Total
6,607
883
3,154
10,594
Or an average amount of one hundred and nineteen per diem.
"For the six months ending January first, one thousand eight hun¬
dred and sixty-four, the stages on one route alone carried ten thousand
five hundred through passengers," or an average of fifty-eight per day.
Allowing one half this number for other routes, and we have eighty-
seven through passengers per day. Add for those traveling by private
conveyances, eighty-seven, and we have a total of one hundred and
seventy-four passengers per day. This is believed to be a low estimate,
and not exceeding the average for the last three years.
38
It is a well established fact that travel is everywhere proportionate
to the facilities afforded for its accommodation, and were a railroad com¬
pleted across the mountains to-day, the travel between California and
Nevada Territory would (with the present amount of business) be in¬
creased at least fifty per cent. It is, then, safe to assume that with the
prospective increase of business, there will, at the end of three years, be
fully double the present amount of travel, or three hunded and fifty pas¬
sengers per day.
Allowing one fourth of this number to go by other routes, there still"
remains an average of two hundred and sixty-three passengers per day,
or a total of ninety-five thousand nine hundred and ninety-five per
annum.
ESTIMATED ANNUAL RECEIPTS IN GOLD COIN FROM PASSEI&ERS IN
CALIFORNIA.
Junction and other way passengers per day, both ways 40
Auburn passengers, including those from the lower portion of Ne¬
vada County, per day, both ways . 25
Illinoistown passengers, Including those from Nevada, Grass Valley,
and Sierra County, per day .. 40
Dutch Flat, including upper portion of Placer and Nevada Coun¬
ties, per day 30
SUMMARY.
no. passengers.
av'rage
amount.
14,600 Junction and way passengers
81
50
821,900
00
9,125 Auburn passengers
3
50
31,937
50
14,600 Illinoistown passengers
5
50
80,300
00
10,950 Dutch Flat passengers
6
75
73,912
50
Total, in gold coin
-
r
8208,050
00
ESTIMATED ANNUAL RECEIPTS FOR FREIGHT IN CALIFORNIA IN GOLD COIN.
freight.
10,000 tons Auburn and way
27,000 tons Illinoistown, including Nevada, Grass
Valley, Sierra County, lowa^Hill, Forest
Hill,|etc ,
10,000 tons Dutch Flat and vicinity,
20,000 tons return freight, including stone
20,000 cords wood a
10,000,000 feet B. M. lumber ,
Total receipts for freight
Add passengers
Total annual receipts freux California business...
amount.
840,000 00
216,000 00
100,000 00
30,000 00
50,000 0Q
60,000 00
8496,000 00
208,050 00
8704,050 00
39
ESTIMATED ANNUAL RECEIPTS FROM THROUGH BUSINESS TO AND FROM
NEVADA TERRITORY.
FREIGHT, ETC.
116,000 tons merchandise
100,000 cords of wood
30,000,000 feet B. M. lumber
16,000 tons return freight
96,000 passengers, both ways
Express and mails
Total
Add for business, in California
Total annual receipts in gold coin.
Deduct for expenses for operating, etc.
Leaves net revenue of.
AVERAGE.
$22
50
5
00
10
00
10
00
12
00
AMOUNT.
$2,610,000
500,000
800,000
160,000
1,152,000
30,000
$4,752,000
704,050
$5,456,050
1,636,800
$3,819,250
Or twenty-five per centum per annum on a capital of fifteen millions
two hundred thousand dollars.
ESTIMATD RECEIPTS TO DUTCH FLAT.
Your road will, when completed to Dutch Flat, command all the local
business of Placer, Nevada, Sierra, and a portion of El Dorado Counties,
as well as the greater portion of the Nevada freight and passenger busi¬
ness, which is estimated as follows :
$208,050
496,000
775,000
324,000
20,000
Annual receipts from passenger business in California (see
foregoing estimate)
Annual receipts from freight in California (see foregoing es¬
timate)
77,500 tons Nevada freight, $10
48,000 Nevada passengers, both ways, $6 75
Express and mails
Total annual receipts in gold coin
Deduct expenses of operating, etc
Leaves net revenue per annum
Or twenty-five per centum upon a capital of five millions one hundred
thousand dollars.
$1,823,050
546,000
$1,277,050
LOCAL RESOURCES OF PLACER AND ADJOINING COUNTIES.
The development of the mineral resources of Placer and adjoining
counties, which embrace the richest mining district of the State, will add
largely to the local business of your road.
40
Besides the placer diggings of the foothills, and the heavier gravel de¬
posits through the central and upper portions of the counties referred
to, which have heretofore occupied almost exclusively the attention of
the gold miner, the large and valuable veins of quartz which traverse
the whole western slope of the mountains are being prospected and
worked with success. Recent discoveries of quartz of unusual richness
have been made in the vicinity of Illinoistown, and also on Diamond
Creek, Nevada County, within five miles of Bear Valley. Mills have
been erected and extensive preparations made for the reduction of the
rock. The development of the vein at the latter places indicates that it
wilf prove one of the richest yet discovered in that county. At numer¬
ous other points in the vicinity of the line, important and promising
veins of quartz have been discovered, and with the fine water privileges
in the vicinity of these ledges, it only needs capital and enterprise to
develop a source of immense wealth to the country. The opening of
your road is already calling public attention to these facts.
At Gold Run and Dutch Flat the railroad line crosses the rich vein of
auriferous gravel which stretches from Quincy and Pilot Peak, on the
north, through Downieville, Forest City, Moore's Flat, Alpha, Dutch
Flat, Iowa Hill, Forest Hill, Georgetown, and so on to the southern
mines, and in which the richest deposits of gold are found. At those
places, and at Red Dog, Waloupa, Little York, You Bet, Yankee Jim's,
Michigan Bluffs, and other important mining towns inj.be vicinity of the
railroad, the mines are worked by the hydraulic process, and are yield¬
ing rich returns.
Copper ore is also found in the immediate vicinity of Auburn, and
between that place and Grass Yalley. Some of these mines afford evi¬
dence of great richness, and will undoubtedly, in time, be a source of
revenue to the road.
Soapstone of an excellent quality, and in inexhaustible quantities, is
also found near Rattlesnake Bar, but a few miles from Newcastle. This
rock is an excellent substitute for fire-brick.
Limestone of a superior quality is-/ also found at numerous points in
the vicinity of the road. A large portion of the lime brought to this
market is from the kilns at Alabaster Cave, Lime Point, (two miles from
Auburn,) and the American river quarries, about one mil© from Neils-
burg.
IRON.
Extensive beds of iron ore are found in the vicinity of Neilsburg, and
about one mile from the line of your road. This ore is of a superior
quality, and will yield from seventy to ninety per cent, of metal.
The high price of labor in this State has hitherto precluded the work¬
ing of these ores with economy, and as yet no efforts have been made to
develop these mines, or even to bring them into public notice.
With the facilities afforded for the reduction of this ore, viz : the
cheap production of charcoal in the forests of the Sierras, and of stone
coal from the Truckee river mines, and cheap and abundant water power,
it is believed that within a few years capitalists will find this a profitable
field for investment, and that the transportation of this ore and its pro¬
ducts will form an important item in the business of your road.
♦
COAL.
The recent discovery and working of the coal mines at Crystal Peak,
41
near the Truekee river, and in the immediate vicinity of your road, is
an important fact for consideration in connection with your future busi¬
ness. From accounts received, it is believed that coal of a superior
quality, and in inexhaustible quantity, has been discovered at the eastern
base of the mountains at the point named.
The lack of fuel between the Sierras and Salt Lake has always been
considered one of the greatest difficulties attending the working of that
division of the Pacific Eailroad. These discoveries will remove that
obstacle, and will also furnish a large amount of return freight to
California.
GRANITE.
I wish to invite your particular attention to the extensive granite
quarries in the immediate vicinity of your road. These quarries are
found at numerous points between Bocklin and Auburn, a distance of
thirteen miles, and for quality of rock are unsurpassed by any in the
State.
All varieties of color are found, from the darkest to the lightest, and
of every degree of hardness desirable for different classes of work.
The most important quarries yet opened are at Bocklin, within
twenty-two miles of Sacramento, which is a less distance than similar
quarries can be reached by any other road. The unusual cheapness with
which this rock can be quarried—the ledges being everywhere accessible
"by spur tracks, thus avoiding the cost of intermediate transportation—
will, with the low rate of freight at which it can be delivered here, place
it in the market at a figure that will defy competition.
The quality of the stone alone would give it pre-eminence in the mar¬
ket at even the present ruling rates. It is of a close, even texture, of a
light bluish color, and entirely free from the hard knots and discolora¬
tions which render so much of the granite heretofore brought to this
market unfit for the best class of work.
It has received the unqualified approbation of the State Capitol Com¬
missioners, and they have already contracted for the delivery of all the
granite required for the completion of the capitol building from these
quarries. The following is an extract from the report of Beuben Clark,
Esq., the able and experienced architect of the building, to the Board of
Capitol Commissioners :
" On the Pacific Eailroad line there has been discovered a most excel¬
lent quality of granite. I visited the quarries, and found it in quantity
inexhaustible, and in quality free from all black knots and stains, and of
excellent rift."
These and other quarries upon the line of the road are now being
opened on an extensive scale, and preparations are made for bringing
large quantities of the stone into market at an early day, and it is
believed that within a few months you will be able to secure, and thence¬
forth command, the entire granite trade of the State.
f WATER POWER.
The value of the unlimited motive power afforded by the waters of
the Truekee, Yuba, and Bear rivers, and the facility and cheapness with
which it can be applied to manufacturing purposes, are facts worthy the
attention of capitalists. The rapid declination of these streams renders
them available at almost any point; and the dense forests of pine, fir,
42
and tamarack, growing upon their slopes, suggest a ready means of
securing the advantages which they offer. Abundant power can also be
obtained by using the water of the mining ditches, which, until transit
by rail is supplied, are in some localities more convenient of access than
the natural streams.
This water can be used without wastage, and consequently at but
trifling cost, as it will in no case be necessary to divert it from its
present channel, except for the short distance required to gain the desired
elevation.
Thus the Bear river ditch, which in the winter season carries three
thousand five hundred inches of water (miners' measure), and at its
lowest summer stage never has less than five hundred inches, can at nu¬
merous points be used for the purposes mentioned.
Near Clipper Gap the water of this ditch runs for about three fourths
of a mile in the natural bed of a ravine, falling in that distance nearly
three hundred feet. At the head of Auburn Ravine, and within three
miles of the town of Auburn, it has, in about a mile, a fall of two hun¬
dred feet; and again, about one mile abovo Newcastle, it crosses the line
of the road and runs into Dutch Ravine, falling two hundred feet in one
fourth of a mile.
There are other points also convenient to the line of your road, where
the same water can be used, with a fall of from twenty to forty feet.
Other ditches in the vicinity of Gold Run and Dutch Flat, with a
larger supply of water, also present similar advantages.
The abundant power thus afforded may be considered permanent, as
the mining and agricultural interests will always demand a supply of
water fully equal to the present capacity of these ditches.
WOOD, LUMBER, ETC.
The importance of the wood and lumber trade that must eventually
accrue to your Company can hardly be over-estimated.
The completion of the first fifty miles of your road will render avail¬
able a large amount of the timber lands adjacent to the line which are
now comparatively valueless ; and besides the importance of the carry¬
ing trade already alluded to, an important item in the construction of
the road will be saved by procuring the timber and ties needed in the
immediate vicinity of the line.
For general use, the red fir is probably the best timber that can be
obtained until the road reaches the Yuba, where tamarack is found in
abundance. The latter is, in my opinion, the best timber produced in
this State for ties and other railroad purposes. It will resist decay as
well as redwood ; and in point of strength and elasticity, is probably
equal to the Puget Sound pine. The completion of the road to New¬
castle has placed within reach of the Sacramento market large quantities
of the live oak, white oak, etc., growing upon the foot hills, which, for
lack of facilities for transportation, have hitherto bcfrne but a nominal
value.
LANDS.
The lands granted to your Company by the National Government,
viz : twenty sections, or twelve thousand eight hundred acres, for each
mile of road, is now an important source of revenue for its construction.
Sou are now entitled to these lands for thirty-one miles, or a total of
43
three hundred and ninety-six thousand eight hundred acres, which, at
the minimum Government price, may be estimated as'worth four hun¬
dred and ninety-six thousand dollars.
Many of those lands bordering on the Sacramento, American, and
Bear rivers, are among the most fertile in the State. The value of the
timber products of the foothill lands has already been alluded to. Many
of the latter are also susceptible of a high state of cultivation. From
their peculiarity of soil they are particularly adapted to the cultivation
of fruit; and in ordinary seasons, the cereals are grown with success.
With a proper system of irrigation these lands may be made highly
productive. For the production of the vine, they are considered as far
superior to the low lands of the valley, and this fact is already tested by
the successful cultivation of numerous and extensive vineyards. That
the wine producing districts of this coast will in future be confined
almost exclusively to the foothills, there can be no doubt.
FACILITIES FOR TRAVEL.
The present facilities afforded by your road, and the connecting stage
lines, for the accommodation of travel across the mountains, are un-
equaled upon any other route.
Persons traveling via the Central Pacific Eailroad, and the Dutch Flat
and Donner Lake Wagon Eoad, reach Virginia City in from four to six
hours less time than by any other line. Since the California Stage
Company placed their coaches upon this line, in July last, the average
time for the trips from Sacramento to Virginia has been but seventeen
hours.
This road, which was commenced in one thousand eight hundred and
sixty-three, and completed in June last, is by far the best road yet con¬
structed across the mountains. It accomplishes the ascent of the western
slope of the Sierras with a much lighter maximum grade than has here¬
tofore been deemed possible to attain within the limits of expense which
such an enterprise would justify.
The maximum ascending grade (eastward) is but ten inches to the rod,
or less than one half the maximum grade on the other most important
roads crossing the mountains.
It is constructed in the best possible manner, and is everywhere wide
enough for teams to pass each other without difficulty.
Commodious hotels have been erected along the route, and prepara¬
tions are being made ta keep the road open during the winter.
Ho difficulty is apprehended in doing this, as the snow-fall is believed
to be much lighter upon this than upon the other routes, via the Henness
and Johnson Passes.
This comparative immunity from heavy snows, which frequently form
a serious obstruction to travel across the mountains during the winter
months, is chiefly due to the difference in altitude between this and the
other routes named, there being several hundred feet in favor of this
route.
The question of the obstruction of a railroad b}?- snow, and the prac¬
ticability of keeping the line open for business during the winter months,
is a very interesting and important one, and cannot be better answered
than has already been done by Mr. Judah in his report for one thousand
eight hundred and sixty-two, from which the following extract is
taken :
" The argument of obstruction from snow being frequently urged
44
against the Central route for the Pacific Railroad, I have taken much
pains to arrive at correct conclusions upon this subject, and feel war¬
ranted in the statement that a railroad line upon this route can be kept
open during the entire year for the transaction of its business.
" It is true that snow falls to a greater depth upon the elevated por¬
tions of this line that upon the lines of railroads in the Atlantic States.
" The depth at which snow lies upon this route is plainly distinguisha¬
ble at any season.
" The trees are generally covered with moss down to the level of the
snow, and thousands of them can be seen entirely free from moss up
to a certain hight, and almost entirely covered with moss from that
hight.
" Frequent marks have also been made by persons who have traversed
the route on snow shoes during the winter, by ax marks chopped in the
trees at the level of the snow. *
"The limbs of the small trees also afford indications of the hight of
snow; those limbs lying beneath the snow maintaining their natural
or original position, while those above the snow line are almost univer¬
sally bent downward, and not unfrequently broken by the weight of
snow.
" These observations lead to the conclusion that the greatest depth of
undisturbed snow is thirteen feet at the summit.
"In places were drifts occur, the depth is of course greater; and at
corresponding points, less than the average level.
" This may, at first, seem to be a serious obstacle to the passage of
railroad trains. But this depth of thirteen feet is not the result of a
single storm, but the accumulation of a number of successive storms,
occurring during the winter.
" Snow does not melt very rapidly at this elevation during the
winter.
"A storm will occur, and snow fall to the depth, perhaps, of three or
four feet.
" Another storm will, perhaps, add two or three, or four feet, to this
depth.
" Successive storms add to its depth ; but it is believed that its highest
level is not over thirteen feet.
" The town of Dutch Flat, sixty-seven miles from Sacramento| and
thirty-five miles from the summit, may be considered the foot of snow
line on western side—snow seldom falling more than two feet there, and
melting off in a day or two.
" The average depth of snow at lower end of Donner Lake is about
six feet.
" At Neil's Ranch, on the Truckee river, twenty-eight miles easterly
from the summit, I am assured by Mr. Neil that the greatest depth of
snow last winter was eighteen inches, and that during the five years he
has lived there it has not exceeded three feet in depth.
" It may be safely concluded that the line of deep snows terminates
where our line strikes the Truckee river, or say twelve miles from the
summit, making forty-seven miles of snow line.
" It will also be remembered that our line is almost exclusively a side-
hill line, from which the snow can be more easily removed than from a
level surface.
" It is only necessary, then, to start an engine with snow plows, from
the summit each way, at the commencement of a storm, clearing the
45
snow as it falls. A similar course of procedure at each successive storm
will keep the track open during the entire winter.
" It is also stated that a crust soon forms upon the snow, which pre¬
vents its drifting badly.
" The only point where we shall encounter a level surface of snow is
in Summit Valley, for about two miles.
u By elevating the track at this point, no trouble need be anticipated.
" The great dread and real danger of a storm in the mountains does
not arise from the depth of snow, but from the entire absence of shelter
and relief in the mountains, there being no houses or accommodations,
excepting upon the wagon roads across to Washoe."
The "deep snow line " does not extend more than twenty miles west¬
erly from the summit, so that the distance will not exceed thirty-two
miles where any greater difficulties need be apprehended than are
ordinarily encountered upon Eastern roads during the winter months.
In further illustration of this subject reference is made to the above
mentioned report, pages twenty-five to twenty-seven.
SURVEYS IN NEVADA TERRITORY.
An experimental survey was made in November and December last,
from the terminus of Mr. Judah's line, near the eastern boundary of Cal¬
ifornia, to a point five miles east of the Big Bend of the Truckee, a
distance of «fifty-three miles. The result of this survey was highly sat¬
isfactory ; developing a line with easy grades and curves, and for the
greater portion of the distance, with very light work. At three
points on -the experimental line, grades of seventy-nine feet per mile
were introduced, for short distances, but a careful location will reduce
the maximum to fifty feet per mile. The maximum curves will probably
not exceed six degrees, or a fradius of nine hundred and fifty-five feet.
The only heavy work occurring on the line will be through the canon
below the Big Meadows, and for a distance of about five miles, and even
there a large portion of the heavy cutting shown upon the profile may
be avoided by crossing the river two or three times at its narrowest
points. From the lower end of the canon to the Big Bend, the slightly
undulating surface of the country will admit of a rapid and easy con¬
struction of the road.
At the Big Bend the line leaves the river, and bears eastward across
what is known as the Truckee Desert, towards the Sink of the Hum¬
boldt. Beyond the terminal point of the line no explorations were
made, as from the well known character of the country to the eastward
no doubts exist as to the practicability of the route to the Sink of the
Humboldt, and from that point to Salt Lake the choice of routes must
be hereafter determined by proper explorations and surveys.
The present engineer force in the field consists of one party on con¬
struction of First Division, in charge of Mr. Ohas. Cadwalader, and one
party employed on location of Second Division, in charge of Mr. L. M.
Clement.
Bespectfully submitted.
SAM. S. MONTAGUE,
Acting Chief Engineer C. P. R. R. of Cal.
BEPOET
OF THE
SECRETARY OF THE C. P. R. R. CO.
SECRETARY'S REPORT.
Office of the Central Pacific Eailroad Company
December 1st, 1864.
business on the road.
On the twenty-sixth of April, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-
four, the track was completed from Sacramento to Junction, a distance
of eighteen and one half miles, and trains were run daily over the
road to that point. Little freight, however, passed over the road until
the tenth of the following June, when it was opened to Newcastle,
thirty-one miles from Sacramento, and regular freight and passenger
trains commenced running to that point.
The following is a statement of the number of passengers transported
each month, and the amount received therefor :
DATE.
PASSENGEES.
AMOUNT.
April 26th to 80th
May
June
July
August
September
October .
November
298 $ 854 25
8,906 4,291 25
7,829 9,364 30
7,687 11,047 35
6,508 10,107 14
4,726 8,801 22
7,615 10,089 90
6,870 9,347 74
Total
48,941 $63,403 15
13a
50
The following statement shows the amount received for transportation
of freight each month :
DATE.
April 26th to 30th
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
Total
AMOUNT.
183 25
160 50
3,993 86
5,002 70
6,393 72
7,668 (T4
8,110 82
7,154 00
$38,666 89
There has been received for transportation of express matter and
messengers, $1,487 50.
The expenses of operating the road from April twenty-fifth to Decem¬
ber first have been as follows, viz :
EXPENDED FOR
Repairs of locomotives .
.Repairs of cars
Repairs of track J
Repairs of buildings
Repairs of bridges
Locomotive service
Train service
Station service
Duel and water
Oil, waste, etc
Stationery and printing
Advertising..
Office expenses
Damage to freight
Miscellaneous damage
Taxes
"United States revenue tax
Incidentals (fixtures for trains, depots, etc.)
For telegraph expenses
Total
November pay rolls not yet distributed
Total operating expenses
AMOUNT.
$ 3,089 95
3,234 47
9,520 41
251 95
1,343 64
3,666 73
3,634 49
6,953 54
5,746 12
842 38
565 00
836 75
75 95
141 67
137 00
10,051 61
1,060 14
449 18
8 00
$51,608 98
4,680 19
$56,289 17
51
RECAPITULATION.
Passengers
Freight
Express ....
$68,403 15
38,666 89
1,487 50
Gross receipts
Operating expenses.
$103,557 54
56,289 17
Net earnings in gold coin
$47,268 37
Miles run by passenger trains, fourteen thousand and sixteen ; miles
run by freight trains, nineteen thousand four hundred and sixty-eight.
Average rate of speed of passenger trains, including stoppages, has
been twenty-two miles an hour. Average rate of speed of freight
trains, including stoppages, has been fifteen and one half miles an hour.
There has been but one accident to persons on the road during seven
months running. Frank Brady, an employé of the Company, in at¬
tempting to get on a construction train in motion, was injured so as to
cause his death in a few days.
The earnings will be increased fully per cent, by the further extension
of the road, soon to be completed to Bock Creek or Neilsburg station,
forty-two miles from Sacramento, while the expenses for operating the
road to that point will not be materially increased.
E. H. MILLEK, JR.,
Secretary.
SPEECH
OF
LELAND STANFORD,
'ï
PRESIDENT OF THE CENTRAL PACIFIC R. R. CO.,
m THE
NEYADA CONSTITUTIONAL CONTENTION.
SPEECH IN CONVENTION,
ASSEMBLED AT CARSON CITY, N. T., TO FRAME A CONSTITUTION AND FORM
A STATE GOYERNMENT FOR THE STATE OF NEVADA,
ON THE 13TH DAY OF JULY, 1864*
Mr. WABWICK, of Lander, said he desired to suggest a postpone¬
ment of the subject then before the Convention, for the reason that ex-
Governor Leland Stanford, President of the Pacific Bailroad, was pres¬
ent, and he knew that members desired to be enlightened in regard to
that important enterprise. He therefore moved that the rules be sus¬
pended, and that the further consideration of this subject be postponed
for the present; and further, that the Hon. Leland Stanford be invited
to address the Convention on the subject of the Pacific Bailroad, and
also to answer any question which might be put to him by members on
that subject.
The question was taken, and the motion was agreed to.
, REMARKS OF EX-GOYERNOR STANFORD.
The PBESIDEHT introduced the Hon. Leland Stanford, of California,
President of the Central Pacific Bailroad of California.
Mr. STANPOBD—Mr. President, and gentlemen of the Convention:
I appreciate very highly the honor of this compliment which has been
awarded me. 1 may say 1 am very grateful for it, indeed. Devoting
myself, as I have done for several years past, and as I am doing at the
present day, to the construction of the Pacific Bailroad, I do not desire
merely to make a speech on this occasion, I desire rather that this inter¬
view shall partake more of the character of a free conference, because I
am aware that every gentleman present is earnestly desirous of securing
the speedy construction of the Pacific Bailroad; not only the construc¬
tion of the road across the mountains, but also the construction of the
road across the plains to some point that shall connect us on this coast
with the Atlantic States. This is the great want, not only of Hevada,
but of the entire Pacific coast. It is not necessary, of course, that I
should dilate at all upon the advantages to be derived by the people of
this Territory from the construction of that road, either eastward or
westward ; it is better, I imagine, that I should confine myself to point-
—^
* Furnished the Senate Committee on Railroads by the Official Reporter of the Convention,
A. J. Marsh, in advance of the publication of the entire proceedings of the Convention.
56
ing out, as well as I am able, bow these advantages may best be obtained.
To do so, I will refer somewhat particularly, and as briefly as possible,
to the position of the Central Pacific Railroad of California, its present
condition, its prospects, its wants and its means.
You are well aware, gentlemen, that Congress, by the Act of one
thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, granted liberal donations in aid
of the construction of the Pacific Railroad, limiting its aid only to the
extent of one hundred millions of dollars. They also gave by that Act
six thousand four hundred acres of land to the mile for the construc¬
tion of the road. Since that time, however, another Act has been passed
by Congress, amending that first Act very materially, mak'ing it much
more practical in its character. The first Act gave sixteen thousand dol¬
lars per mile for building the road on the plains, and forty-eight thousand
dollars per mile over the mountains, and also thirty-two thousand dol¬
lars per mile for passing through the Territories. That has been changed
by giving double the amount of land per mile, which was first allowed
the several companies. And further, by the former Act, the assistance
of the Government was made to become a first lien on the road ; but by
the Act of last session the Government gives the same assistance in
bonds per mile, but allows the Railroad Company to maké a first mort¬
gage upon the road to an equal amount, so that now, when the Central
Pacific Railroad Company receives forty-eight thousand dollars per mil©
in Government bonds, they are allowed to make a mortgage, which will
be a first mortgage on the road, to the same amount, and they receive
the Government bonds in addition. And as the base of the mountains
has been determined by the President to be only about eight miles from
Sacramento, it amounts practically to assuring ninety-six thousand dol¬
lars per mile towards the construction of the road, one half in the bonds
of the company, and the other half in bonds of the United States. This,
of course, is a large assistance, but still it is not sufficient of itself to con¬
struct the road over the mountains, many miles of which will cost much
more, and very little of it from the present terminus will cost much less.
Therefore you will observe that the means of the company, so far as
credit is concernéd, to wit : the first mortgage bonds of forty-eight thou¬
sand dollars per mile of its own mortgage bonds, and the forty-eight
thousand dollars per mile of the Government bonds, especially if in cur¬
rency, is not sufficient to construct the road.
The question therefore arises, how shall the necessary means be ob¬
tained for building the road ? After the first mortgage made on the
road of forty-eight thousand dollars per mile, and then the Government
assistance becoming second mortgage bonds to the same amount, are ex¬
pended, so far as borrowing is concerned, the means of the company
must necessarily be exhausted, because third mortgage bonds would be
of very little valine if they were issued. Its dependence after that, there¬
fore, becomes merely the stock subscriptions and the earnings of the
road. But in this country, where money is worth two per cent, per
month, or about that, on the average, it can hardly be expected that
there will be any large amount of stock subscriptions, especially where
an immediate return in money is not, and cannot be anticipated. There¬
fore, so far as stock is concerned, we must depend upon foreign assist¬
ance or subscriptions. A great point is to give confidence abroad in the
stock of the company, so that in time, as the road progresses, and is do¬
ing a fine business, as no doubt it will, the company may entertain strong
hope that there will be such confidence abroad in the stock of this rail¬
road that people in communities where money is not worth more than
57
five, six or seven per centum, at most, per annum, will be willing to come
forward and invest in this railroad. On this side we have for some time
reached the conclusion that it is vain to seek for further subscriptions at
present to the stock.
Now then, gentlemen, I hardly know how to address you in reference
to this subject, without appearing to interfere, perhaps, too much in your
deliberations ; but I will say this, that if you desire to aid the Pacific
Eailroad, and I am quite sure you do, the proper and most effectual mode
of doing so is by assisting it over the mountains. This railroad is not a
mere California project, as some have alleged, or a project which inter¬
ests only people outside of your own Territory. On the contrary, it is
an enterprise in which the people of this Territory are as much inter¬
ested as any people in the world, and even more, for without it you ar§
isolated. The people of California do not need a railroad to Nevada so
much as the people of Nevada need a railroad to California. Now, my
idea is that the true way for you is to aid the railroad while it is passing
over the mountains; and that you may make yourselves entirely secure,
that whatever aid you give shall not be thrown away, or be misapplied,
you can say that your aid shall not come in until the road has reached a
certain distance from navigable waters, or from the Sacramento Eiver.
For instance, when it has reached fifty, or sixty, or seventy miles
into the mountains. It will then materially cheapen the means of trans¬
portation, both of freight and passengers, and having done that, you can
say that we will give you so much, and then as it progresses this way so
much more for every ten miles further, until the amount which you are
willing to appropriate shall be exhausted. You can feel entirely sure
that after the road has reached the summit it will come this way as far
and as fast as the means of the company and the labor of men will per¬
mit. So far as the Government aid is concerned, the Government as¬
sistance, with a mortgage of thirty-two thousand dollars a mile, will af¬
ford means amply sufficient to construct the road through your Territory.
Whenever it reaches the line, how fast it shall progress easterly is
only a question of how fast the track can be laid, because the grading on
the line selected can always be kept far in advance of the track.
The State of California, last winter, provided by law for the payment
of the interest on a million and a half of the bonds of the company for
twenty years. That is a very great and material assistance, not only be¬
cause it pays the interest, and so far relieves the company, but also be¬
cause it tends to strengthen the credit of the company, and so give con¬
fidence to others who might desire to invest in the stock of the Company,
which is a very great point in any assistance of a public nature which
may be given to the road.
The present Company has constructed thirty-one miles of road, and
they have purchased the iron and rolling stock necessary for sixty miles,
all of which is paid for, and most of which has been delivered. The
freight money alone, on the material shipped from New York to San
Francisco, which we have paid out, has amounted to over two hundred
and fifty thousand dollars up to the present time. The Company owes
no floating debt ; all of its contractors are paid; every article for the
road, all of its supplies, and the iron and rolling stock for the first sixty
miles, are paid for, and the Company owe nothing except the first mort¬
gage bonds of the road, amounting to a million and a half of dollars, not
all of which, however, haw yet been negotiated.
So far, this work has been done by the subscriptions of the individual
stockholders, and the assistance derived from the subscription of the
58
county of Sacramento, amounting to three hundred thousand dollars,
and the subscription of the county of Placer, to the amount of two hun¬
dred and fifty thousand dollars. Most of the county bonds are yet
owned by the Company. None of the State or National aid has yet
been received by the Company, but nearly all that has yet been done
has been done by the individual subscriptions of stockholders. Thirty-
one miles of first class road have been constructed, and we are sup¬
plied with ail the rolling stock and iron necessary for sixty miles.
This, in brief, is the present condition of the road.
So far as the route is concerned, we took a great deal of pains to
ascertain which was the best route. I, myself, wrote a great many
letters to different men who were acquainted with various passes
through the mountains, and we made a reconnoissance of the different
routes supposed to be practicable, and finally became entirely satisfied
that the route selected is altogether the best ; allowing the road to be
constructed at much less expense, and in much less time than by any
other route.
Now allow me to say this—and I only know what the action of the
Convention has been on the subject, by what I have seen in one of the
papers—that you propose to give your aid to the road only after it »'
reaches the Territory, and then to the first road that shall reach it.
Allow me, very respectfully, to say, that in my opinion, that action,
instead of aiding the road, is calculated to delay its construction, be¬
cause you thereby raise a doubt as to whether or not this road, which
Congress has aided, which the State of California has aided, which the
counties of Placer and Sacramento have aided, and which the county of.
San Francisco will aid, either to the extent of four hundred thousand
'dollars without taking stock, or by a subscription of six hundred thou¬
sand dollars, is a practical route or not. And you also say to people
abroad, when we go abroad to negotiate our securities, that there is &
doubt whether we have got the best route or not; and more than that,
that there may possibly be a parallel and rival road constructed. To
the extent to which you throw a doubt upon this being the only route,
when we go into the market to negotiate our securities, or to sell our
stock, to that extent you depreciate their value ; and to that extent, of
course, you prevent the construction of the road.
Now, gentlemen, if ever a railroad is to be built over the mountains—
and I trust it will be inside of three years, because I know it is entirely
practicable—it will be that one which has received the national aid.
Congress, while it donates in aid of the Pacific Railroad over one hun¬
dred millions of dollars, and gives it thousands of acres of land to the
mile, operates through the various companies already in existence, one
of which is the Central Pacific Railroad Company of California ; and
whatever is done to assist those companies, to that extent co-operates
with the efforts of the General Government, and whatever is done to
antagonize the efforts of one of those companies, to that extent, of
course, antagonizes the efforts of the General Government to build the
railroad. This is, in brief, the view which I take of this subject. I do
not desire to occupy your time by making a speech. It is a question of
importance, it is true ; but I think it better that we should have rather
an individual and conversational meeting, than that I should endeavor to
make any formal speech. I should be pleased to bear the views of mem¬
bers, and I will endeavor to answer any queëWons which gentlemen may
see fit to put to me.
59
Mr. FITCH—I will ask Governor Stanford, what is the average esti¬
mated cost, per mile, of building the road from Sacramento to the State
line ?
Mr. STANFOED—The original estimate made by Mr. Judah, the
chief engineer, who made the surveys, was, that it would cost between
twelve and thirteen millions of dollars ; that, however, was prior to any
action of Congress giving assistance to the road, and it was not then
contemplated to build so good a road as the Act of Congress requires.
That requires a first class road, in every respect. A road might be built
which would, to some extent, answer the purposes of a railroad, at some
less expense. Since that time there never has been a complete estimate
of cost for a first class road, such as we are building.
Mr. De LONG—I will ask the Governor this question. What do you
suppose the bonds of the State of Nevada for three millions of dollars,
at seven per cent, a year interest, could be negotiated for abroad, with¬
out a railroad running to our borders?
Mr. STANFOED—Eeally, Mr. De Long, without a railroad at least
contemplated, they would be very low in the market, in my opinion.
Mr. De LONG—Do you think they would sell in the aggregate for
more than seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars ?
Mr. STANFOED—Yes, sir, I think they would realize over that
amount, and certainly with the prospect of a railroad ; because the mo¬
ment it is certain that a railroad will be constructed, as it is well known
that you have mines here which that road will supply and develop, the
credit of the State would be enhanced. In view of the number of mines
now undeveloped, or partially developed, the fact that the road is to be
built, would give your bonds a very good standing in the market.
Mr. De LONG—How far from the present terminus of the road is the
Summit ?
Mr. STANFOED—It is one hundred and four miles from Sacramento
to the Summit.
Mr. De LONG—Then it is forty-four miles from that point on the
road to which you have the necessary supplies of iron and rolling stock
tos the Summit. Is there only one Summit on your route ?
Mr. STANFOED—There is only one to pass over. Through the east¬
ern Summit the railroad follows the outlet of Lake Tahoe. It comes
through the Eastern Summit with a descending grade of forty-two feet
to the mile.
Mr. WAEWICK—I desire to ask a question. Do you think, that if
the rate of interest on the negotiable paper of the State of Nevada
were ten instead of seven per cent., it would be much more easily nego¬
tiated than at the rate proposed, which is seven per cent. ? and also that
it would bring a better price ?
Mr. STANFOED—Oh, certainly.
Mr. NOUESE—Suppose we could not pay—and it is well known we
could not pay—seven per cent, interest, would it make the bonds any
more negotiable to fix the rate of interest at ten per cent?
Mr. STANFOED—In that case I should suppose not.
Mr. FITCH—Does not Congress restrict the rate of dividends on your
stock to ten per cent. ?
Mr. STANFOED—Whenever it is above ten per cent. Congress re¬
serves the right to restrict and limit it.
Mr. FITCH—I suppose*that is the difficulty in regard to the subscrip¬
tions in California ?
60
Mr. STANFORD—Not altogether, Mr. Fitch. The difficulty is this :
This Company has the right to continue the building of this road until
it meets the other road coming from the East, and of course there will
be no cash dividends until that time, as all the means of the Company
will be used in pushing the road toward the East.
Mr. COLLINS—I understand that California, by her enactments,
agreed to pay the interest on the bonds of the Company to the amount
of a million and a half of dollars for twenty years to come.
Mr. STANFORD—Yes, sir ; the interest being at seven per cent, per
annum.
Mr. COLLINS—The State does not propose to pay the principal
then ?
Mr. STANFORD—No, sir ; the Company pays the principal. The
payment of interest by the State makes the bonds very desirable, and
it is practically about as much assistance to the Company as if the State
paid the principal. It not only makes the bonds good, but it strengthens
the stock of the Company.
Mr. COLLINS—What is the highest grade in crossing the Summit
which the Company will have to overcome? I mean the maximum
grade ; how many feet per mile ?
Mr. STANFORD—The maximum grade is one hundred and five feet
to the mile.
Mr. COLLINS—You now have thirty-one miles completed. What is
the highest grade on that distance ?
Mr. STANFORD—We have four miles of the maximum grade of one
hundred and five feet, and there are three miles of between eighty and
ninety feet grade to the mile.
Mr. COLLINS—I believe there is to be an extensive tunnel somewhere
near the Summit ; is there not ?
Mr. STANFORD—The longest tunnel on the route, according to our
surveys, is one thousand and fifty feet, and that will take us more time
than any other one mile on the road ; but our engineers are confident
that they can run it inside of fifteen months.
Mr. COLLINS—Is that at the Summit ? »
Mr. STANFORD—No, sir ; it is about seventy-eight miles from Sacra¬
mento.
Mr. COLLINS—Wrhat is the number of tunnels that the Company
will have to make ?
Mr. STANFORD—I do not know. The tunnels which we originally
contemplated we find, on a more careful survey, are generally thrown
out, and this tunnel of one thousand and fifty feet our present engineer
thinks he can throw out entirely by a little more curve.
Mr. COLLINS—Without any more grade than one hundred and five
feet to the mile ?
Mr. STANFORD—Yes, we limit the grade to that; we are limited,
by Act of Congréss, to that of the Baltimore and Ohio road, the maxi¬
mum grade of which is one hundred and sixteen feet to the mile; but
we find that it is not necessary to have any grade of more than one hun¬
dred and five feet to the mile.
Mr. TOZER—I understand you to say that no part of the Government
aid has thus far been used in the construction of the road ?
Mr. STANFORD—Not a dollar:'
Mr. TOZER—Then what are the contingencies ? Can you depend
upon the aid being granted to this road rather than to any other ?
61
Mr. STANFORD—Yes, sir; because in the Act of Congress, the com¬
panies to build the road and receive the donations are specified by name.
The Central Pacific Railroad Company was organized ujider the laws of
the State of California, and was in existence anterior to the passage of
the Act of Congress ; and if you will observe—I have the Act here—that
Company is recognized in the Act of Congress, and the five companies
named are the only ones that, under the Act, can derive any aid—three
on the Eastern end, including the branches there, and then the Union
Company, and the Central Pacific Company, on this end. These are the
only ones which can receive any of the aid. The donations are specifi¬
cally made to them. The Central Pacific Company has the right to
build eastwardly until it meets the other companies.
Mr. TOZER—How soon, then, do you think the road on this side can
demand and receive any portion of the aid of the Government ?
Mr. STANFORD—Our Company is in a condition to demand a portion
of the aid immediately. Under the old law which provided for the con¬
struction, after forty miles had been completed across the Plains, it was
provided that there should be an appointment of Commissioners, and
until such Commissioners had been appointed, and reported, we could
receive no assistance from the Government ; but it allowed the bonds to
be issued for every twenty-five mïleà in the mountains. Now, our road,
commencing at Sacramento, runs into the mountains very soon ; but
there is no provision for granting us aid until we shall have forty miles
constructed. But the Act of last winter, 1 understand, provides lor the
appointment of this Commission at once, and then we shall get the aid
immediately.
Mr. FITCH-—I understand you to say that forty-eight thousand dollars
per mile will be received from the Federal Government; that the Company
have permission to raise forty-eight thousand dollars per mile more on the
road, in anticipation ot the Government aid, besides the aid of a million
and a half from California, and the aid of four hundred thousand dollars
or six hundred thousand dollars from San Francisco, and the aid also
of two hundred and fifty thousand dollars from the county of Placer,
and the three hundred thousand dollars from Sacramento County. I un¬
derstand that you have all this aid from the counties as well as from the
State, and that in the expenditure of this aid you are restricted to the
State line.
Mr. STANFORD—The Pacific Railroad Company, so far as its first
organization is concerned, had only the right to build to the State line ;
it was only organized for that purpose ; but, by the Act of last winter,
we have the right, so far as the State could confer it, to build eastwardly,
and the National Government has also conferred the right to do so.
Mr. FITCH—-I understand that the money given by San Francisco,
and by the State, and by these counties, can be expended either within
or without the State of California, as the Company pleases.
Mr. STANFORD—Yes, sir, the entire subject is under our control.
Mr. FITCH—I believe you did not state the amount of the estimated
cost per mile.
Mr. STANFORD—It will probably cost at least twelve or thirteen
millipns of dollars for the construction of a first class road to the State
line.
Mr. DeLONG—i nasmuch as the appropriation heretofore proposed by
the Convention is not agreeable to you in its present form, and inasmuch
as if we make a direct issue of three millions of dollars in bonds, it will
not be worth much—take either horn of the dilemma-—what is it the
wish of the Company that we should do ? Let you alone ?
62
Mr. STANFORD—I would prefer that you should let us alone rather
than provide that the State shall grant assistance to the first road that
comes to the State line, and thereby impair confidence in this route.
Mr. DeLONG—We want to stimulate strife.
Mr. STANFORD—You can hardly expect to get two roads built across
the mountains, Mr. DeLong.
Mr. DeLONG—We do not want more than one, but we want that as
soon as possible.
Mr. STANFORD—There is no doubt but what the road that comes
across the mountains will be that one which the Government aids, and
this is the only Company now organized with a view to construct a road
over the mountains. There is no other company organized for that pur¬
pose, and nobody else has proposed to construct a road further toward
the Territory than Placerville. So far as our present information goes,
we do not know that any other road will ever attempt to cross the
mountains.
Mr. DeLONG—Then I understand yoii to say that you prefer that
there should be no donation at all, rather than to limit it as this propo¬
sition is now limited ?
Mr. STANFORD—I do not know exactly what you have done.
Mr. DeLONG—«We propose to give fifty thousand dollars a mile for
every mile of railroad that shall be built within our Territory, to the
Company that shall first construct a road to this Territory, which shall
connect us with navigable waters. That proposition is contained in our
constitutional provision as it stands now. We have either got to make
the appropriation outright, to leave it for the company to call for the
first appropriation in bonds which shall first reach our borders, or else to
make no appropriation at all. Which of the three measures would you
advise ?
Mr. STANFORD—With the exception of the implied doubt as to the
company which has the ability to construct the road, there is no partic¬
ular objection that I see. Of course, when we get our road over here
we should be very glad to receive this aid to construct the road along
through the Territory, as our hope is not to be delayed too long in get¬
ting across the mountains. But as I said before, the loan is not really
necessary to get across the Territory. The Government aid being a
second lien, makes the mortgage bonds of the Company good, and that
insures the completion of the road across the Territory as fast as the
track can be laid, so soon as once the mountains are overcome.
Mr. DeLONG—Then the proposition would suit you very well if that
part was stricken out which provides for giving it to the first company,
thus leaving out the doubt as to whether or not there can be another
company or road which is likely to cross the mountains first
Mr. STANFORD—That would suit us so far as going through the
Territory is concerned, but really that is no concern to the Pacific Rail¬
road Company, because the Company is confident of its ability to push
the road after we once reach the State line, as then the difficulty of
crossing the mountains will be entirely surmounted.
Mr. DeLONG—Then you ask that whatever appropriation is made
shall b% made so as to be available as soon as possible, so as to allow you
to use it on the mountains or elsewhere, as you please.
Mr. STANFORD—Yes, sir.
Mr. DeLONG—Would it be any Advantage to you to appropriate three
millions in bonds that would not sell for over one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars ?
63
Mr. STANFORD—»lt would only aid the road to that amount, and
that would be too great a sacrifice to make ; but I think, nevertheless,
that with the prospect of a railroad reaching the Territory at an early
day, we may be quite confident that these bonds would stand well in
the market, because not only yourselves here, but the people in Califor¬
nia, and in fact the whole world, have a very high estimate of the natu¬
ral resources of your Territory, and the moment you have a reasonable
means of communication for freight and passengers, you must have a
population, and the bonds of the State of course will be valuable. But,
after all, while we are coming over the mountains is thé time to give us
effectual assistance. As to whether the bonds should be issued or not, is
another question. You are as much interested in the bonds as the Rail¬
road Company is, but if you prefer not to issue the bonds, I can only say
that the people of the State of Nevada would be very welcome to take
stock in the road, and they could assist us in that way.
Mr. DeLONG—We should object to this issuing of three millions
dollars in bônds, if it is not going to do considerable good.
Mr. STANFORD—Sou could give the aid in a very efficient and ac¬
ceptable shape by providing for the payment of the interest on the bonds
of the Company as California has done.
Mr. DeLONG—To what amount ?
Mr. STANFORD—-As much or as little as you choose.
Mr. K.INKEAD—-When will the road be finished as far as you have
the material now on hand ?
Mr. STANFORD—During the coming winter, we expect. Allow me
to state why it has not gone forward faster this spring and summer.
We have as yet received nothing from San Francisco, nor from the Na¬
tional or State aidi; neither have we made a mortgage such as was con¬
templated by the California Legislature of last winter. There is a mil¬
lion and a half, of course, of very desirable securities which we could
place in the market, but we have not done so because we did not know
exactly how it should be done until Congress should take the action
which it did take at the last session. Now, as soon as we receive the
bill passed by Congress, and get all the details, we shall make that mort¬
gage, and of course we shall push the work forward. It will take only
about six months to complete that portion of it after we fairly set to
work.
Mr. KIN1JEAD—That is, if you get the means.
Mr. STANFORD—With the State aid and our assetja we are abun¬
dantly abie to complete the sixty miles.
Mr. FITCH—Do you propose that these bonds which you are about
to issue shall be first mortgage bonds ?
Mr. STANFORD—Yes, sir.
Mr. FITCH—Then the State guarantees only the bonds ?
Mr. STANFORD—No, sir. The State only pays the interest for
twenty years. It actually pays that interest, so that, in addition to the
credit of the company as a guarantee, we have for the interest the credit
of the State.
Mr. K1NKEAD—The State does not pay the principal ?
Mr. STANFORD—N o, sir. That is to be paid by the Company.
Mr. PARKER—Is there any company which has a charter from the
eastern line to California, already granted by the Nevada Legislature,
through the Territory ?
Mr. STANFORD—No, sir.
Mr. HAWLEY—That is a question which I wished to ask. I do not
64
quite understand whether any contingency could arise by which the aid
granted by the United States could be received by any other Company.
Mr. STANFORD—No, sir; except that Congress may repeal or modify
the act, which is not very likely. Under the act of this winter, how¬
ever, they have reserved the right to repeal or modify it.
Mr. H AWLEY—Then no other company can receive it on the western
slope ?
Mr. STANFORD—No, sir.
Mr. HAWLEY—That question arose on the framing of the language
of the section. The language employed was " Some one company," and
I opposed it because I thought it was leaving the matter open for the
purpose of exciting a contest between the companies. So far as 1 am
concerned, I was willing that the aid should be restricted to the Com¬
pany which you represent, provided there could be no such condition
of affairs that the Government aid could go to some other company.
The PRESIDENT—I would like to ask Governor Stanford a question.
How far has the line of the road been surveyed or located ?
Mr. STANFORD—To the State line, or rather to the Big Bend of the
Truckee
The PRESIDENT—Do you regard the Summit as the State line ?
Mr. STANFORD—No, sir. We strike the State line about four miles
from where the Henness Pass road crosses the Truckee river.
The PRESIDENT—Do you recollect the distance in miles ?
M. STANFORD—The distance as we ran it originally was one hun- •
dred and forty-four miles. To the Summit the distance was one hundred
and four miles.
The PRESIDENT—It has not been surveyed and located beyond that
point to the east ?
Mr. STANFORD—Yes, sir, to the Big Bend of the Truckee.
The PRESIDENT—What is the capital stock of the company?
Mr. STANFORD—Eight millions of dollars.
The PRESIDENT—How much has been subscribed ?
Mr. STANFORD—Between eight hundred thousand and nine hundred
thousand dollars by the individual stockholders, and two hundred and
fifty thousand dollars by the county of Placer, and three hundred
thousand dollars by the county of Sacramento.
The PRESIDENT—What amount of that capital has been actually
paid in ?
Mr. STANFORD—Between five hundred thousand and six hundred
thousand dollars. The Government aid, you will see very readilj, can in
no manner be diverted from the Central Pacific Railroad, except through
,its own laches. Under the recent Act of Congress, the time of the con¬
struction has been extended so as to require twenty-five miles to be
completed next year, twenty-five miles the year thereafter ; and it is for
the interest of the Company to push it forward as fast as they have the
means to do so, and the earlier it is completed the better.
Mr. De LQNG~ïhen I understand that the Company would rather
we should guarantee the interest on the bonds of the Company, than to
give the bonds of the State ?
Mr. STANFORDr=rNo, we would rather have the bonds.
Mr. DeLONG—If we giye you two hundred and ten thousand dollars
annually, as a donation, which is the interest on three millions of dollars
of bonds at seven per cent., that would be double the amount which Cal¬
ifornia has given, or nearly so ?
Mr. STANFORD—Allow me to say, that I have entire confidence that
65
the stock of the Company will eventually be very valuable, and I can¬
not ask for the assistance of any State, except so far as it may be neces¬
sary to secure its construction, and if the Territory of Nevada, or the
State of Nevada, when it becomes a State, agrees to pay the interest on
the bonds, which would make them about as good in the market as if
the State gave her own bonds—in other words, it would furnish about
the same amount of means toward the construction of the road ; that is
really all the Company can ask. We do not ask anything to save the
stockholders—nothing except to inspire confidence ; to make the credit
of the Company good abroad.
The PRESIDENT—The bonds of the Company bear interest at seven
per cent., and the Sacramento and Placer county bonds a like rate, do
they not ?
Mr. STANFORD—No, sir; the bonds of Sacramento and Placer coun¬
ties bear eight per cent, interest.
Mr. EARL—Where is the western terminus of the road ?
Mr. STANFORD—Under the organization of the Company, it was the
State line.
Mr. EARL—No, no; I mean the western terminus.
Mr. STANFORD—Oh, the western terminus; under the Act of Con¬
gress, it is a point at or near San Francisco, or the navigable waters of
the Sacramento river.
Mr. EARL—Is not the terminus to be at Goat Island ?
Mr. STANFORD—I am not fully posted here. I have not seen the
amended bill, but I think it provides for an organization to run a road
from Sacramento to Goat Island. The Company has a right to construct
a railroad to San Francisco, if it chooses to do so.
Mr. EARL—By this language, if it be construed| that this is the road
which is to get the land from the Government, will not the doubt arise
as to whether you would get the aid from the counties, and also from
San Francisco?
Mr. STANFORD—So far as relates to the construction of the road to
San Francisco, there may be some doubt ; but over the mountains, there
is no doubt whatever, because the Act of the Legislature provides spe¬
cifically that six hundred thousand dollars shall go to the Central Pacific
Company, and four hundred thousand dollars to the Western Pacific
Railroad Company.
Mr. CHAPIN—What is the distance from the head of the Truckee
Yalley to the summit, or somewhere there ?
Mr. STANFORD—I think it is some forty-two or forty-three miles.
Mr. CHAPIN—If that summit were the State line, all that forty miles
would be in this Territory?
Mr. STANFORD—Certainly ; the line of the railroad follows the
Truckee down a rather crooked course for a* great many miles. We
found that some gentlemen were constructing a wagon road through
there, and their original idea was to bring it down to the Truckee di¬
rectly, but they found that the distance would be no less than by taking
the Renness Pass route, and striking across Dog Mountain. All the dif¬
ficulty is on the mountains. There is an opening in the mountain there,
and from there down to O'NeaTs there is no trouble about the road. All
the difficulty is in the mountains, and it is all passed when you get to the
State Line.
Mr. COLLINS—I understood that the road would have been com
pleted before this time, but for the want of funds?
Mr. STANFORD—Yes, sir.
14a
66
Mr. COLLINS—I understand there has been some embarrassment in
the operations of the company, or that the progress of the road has been
delayed ?
Mr. STANFORD—Only delayed; the company has not been embar¬
rassed.
Mr. COLLINS—I hear it has not gone ahead as fast as it would have
gone, if there had been funds enough ?
Mr. STANFORD—No, sir. You see we were practically more than
six months removed from the source of supplies. The ground was
broken for the construction of the road a year ago last January, but we
had to go East and purchase iron and rolling stock, and from the time
we started, independent of the time we were necessarily delayed in ne¬
gotiating, somewhat more than six months were consumed in the pur¬
chase and transportation of the material. Indeed, some materials which
we purchased a year ago, and paid for at the time in the securities of the
company, have not yet arrived. We were delayed some time in getting
our locomotives; the Government was requiring the services of most of
the effective force in building locomotives for its own use, and we could
only get them at such times as they could be afforded by the Govern¬
ment.
Mr. COLLINS—Do you think that if this State shall give bonds for
one, two or three millions of dollars, or agree to pay the interest for an
indefinite period of time on the bonds of the company, that would really
facilitate and hasten the completion of the road across the mountains ?
Mr. STANFORD—It would, very much.
Mr. COLLINS—Probably how much time would it forward the com¬
pletion of the road ?
Mr. STANFORD—Well, I feel entirely confident that if the State shall
pay the interest—not guarantee it, because I do not consider that that
would be any very great assistance, for we never intend to have the
bonds come to protest, and a guarantee, therefore, would be very little
assistance—but if the State paid the interest, it would be a very great
assistance, and practically nearly to the same extent as though the State
issued her own bonds. You will consider this, that we have thirty-one
miles already constructed and paid for, and the rolling stock and iron for
sixty miles already provided, and we owe nothing for all that except a few
first mortgage bonds, a million and a half of which we have issued, but
only a portion of that amount have been negotiated, and everything else
in the way of assistance is untouched. Besides we have the interest on
our bonds to the amount of one million and a half of dollars paid by the
State of California.
Mr. KJNKEAD—Is that a donation ?
Mr. STANFORD—Yes, practically, with the exception that we do
some services for the State as a consideration. Things which are to go
to the State Fair are to be carried free, and arms and munitions of war,
etc., are to be transported free. We issue our own bonds whenever we
please, and we are able to put the bonds into the market at once, and
then, almost immediately, we will be able to derive the benefits from the
Congressional aid on thirty-one miles which we have completed. We
will have that aid to assist us in completing the work. We can make
our first mortgage bonds equal to forty-eight thousand dollars per mile
on the thirty-one miles completed. There is, besides the four hundred
thousand dollars which we are about to receive from San Francisco, if
the compromise now proposed shall be carried out in good faith, as I
think it will be; and if it is not carried out, then we shall receive six
67
hundred thousand dollars in bonds from San Francisco, giving in return
six hundred thousand dollars in stock, and these are the immediate as¬
sets of the company for the prosecution of the work. Now, if this Ter¬
ritory, on becoming a State, shall promise to pay the interest on the
bonds of the company to any extent, to that extent the bonds would be¬
come very marketable. They would be good securities and bring a good
price in the market at once, and in addition, you will see the advantage
of all these donations made directly to the company by strengthening
its standing abroad. The effect is that you make the stock desirable.
Our idea is to push forward the work as rapidly as possible, and when
we get it completed for a distance of seventy or eighty miles, we shall
have demonstrated, not only the practicability of the enterprise, but also
that it has a practical value as an investment, so that we shall have no
difficulty in selling our stock, and thereby realizing a large amount
of funds with which to finish up the road.
Mr. NOURSE—What effect upon any guarantee or agreements to pay
interest on the bonds of the company would the exemption of mines
from taxation have ?
Mr. STANFORD—I do not know what would be your means of rais¬
ing a revenue in that event.
Mr. NOUR.SE—Are you much acquainted with the means of raising
revenue which the Territory possesses?
Mr. STANFORD—1 am somewhat.
Mr. NOURSE—Have you noticed the expenditures and the income
for the last year under the Territorial organization ?
Mr. STANFORD—Well, not particularly.
Mr. NOURSE—Are you aware of the fact that with the Federal Gov¬
ernment paying the Federal officers we have already run behindhand—
that we are already two hundred and fifty thousand dollars behindhand,
independent of city and county indebtedness?
Mr. STANFORD—I was not aware of it.
Mr. NOURSE—Are you aware that the expenses for fourteen months,
which includes only one thousand six hundred dollars of interest, amount
to nearly six hundred thousand dollars, with an income of only forty-four
thousand dollars?
Mr. STANFORD—I was not.
Mr. NOURSE—With these facts carried before Wall street brokers,
with this insight into our financial affairs, what do you think would be
the probability of negotiating our bonds at a figure*to make it a paying
operation ?
Mr. STANFORD—I do not think that showing would materially affect
the bonds.
Mr. NOURSE—Suppose you had the further fact that, notwithstand¬
ing the small amount of income, the people of Storey County, our most
wealthy county, were taxed two dollars and seventy cents on every one
hundred dollars worth of property for the past year, and that out of all
that we got only a small per centage for State purposes?
Mr. De LONG (in his seat)—Oh, that is nothing for a Sacramento man
to consider !
Mr. NOURSE—Suppose that fact were known, and it were also under¬
stood that we, as a Territory, had run behindhand two hundred and
forty-four thousand dollars, and that the Territory had only an income
of about forty-four thousand dollars a year—suppose, I say, it were
known that the expenses were so much larger than the income, as shown
hy these figures, what would be the advantage to you of that agreement
68
on the part of this State to guarantee or to pay the interest of your
bonds?
Mr. STANFORD—I think you hardly put the case fairly. If the rev¬
enues of this State were not to be largely increased, of course there
would be no great value in its securities. But so far as the rate of taxa¬
tion is concerned, you should consider it in proportion to the rates paid
for the use of money, which is often three and four per cent, in this coun¬
try. I believe two and a half per cent, is about the usual monthly rate
here, and compared with that the rate of taxation is very light. It can¬
not be more in proportion than one and a half or two per cent, per month
interest, and yet there are cities and towns where people pay taxes
amounting to three, four and five per cent.
Mr. NOURSE—Would it not be of more advantage to your company,
as regards giving you credit abroad and assuring the desirability of your
stock, if it were known that after, or soon after, this railroad should
reach the State line—which would develop our resources and give us a
population, thereby rendering the State able to do something—that then
the State would give you outright the amount of three millions of dollars,
at the rate of fifty thousand dollars per mile—that the State would not
lend, but give it outright? Would not that help you much more than it
would to give you our bonds now, or as soon as we get to be a State,
and with our present condition of finances?
Mr. STANFORD—I think not; because abroad, where most of the
securities must be negotiated, the great point is to inspire confidence that
the road will be constructed over the mountains, and there will always be
a doubt until the ability of the company is made apparent. It is necessary
not only that the company should have the ability, but also to make that
ability apparent to the parties with whom we have to deal.
Mr. HOVEY—I would like to correct the gentleman from Washoe
[Mr. Nourse] in one respect. The county of Storey alone has paid
fifty-seven thousand dollars into the Territorial Treasury during the last
year.
Mr. CHAPIN—With many thanks to Governor Stanford for the valu¬
able information he has given us, I suggest that we now proceed to regu¬
lar business.
Mr. COLLINS—I propounded one question to the Governor, but his at¬
tention was diverted from it so that he did not answer it. My question
was this : How much by the appropriation or provision for the loan of
the credit of the State, or a guarantee of the bonds of the company by
the State,4say for a certain definite period, to an amount of one, two or
three millions—how much by that means would we be enabled to hasten
the completion of the road to the State line? Would it hasten it one
year—a year and a half, or six months? For instance, suppose when
it reaches a point sixty miles this side of Sacramento we guaranteed
the payment of seven per cent on one million ; when it arrives at a
point eighty miles this side of Sacramento, a million more, and when it
arrives at a distance of one hundred miles from Sacramento, or at the
State line, a million more?
Mr. STANFORD—Of course I can only approximate to it, but I will
say this : That with^the knowledge of the fact that this State would give
the interest upon a certain amount of bonds, we could proceed with en¬
tire confidence in the expenditure of the money raised on the bonds
which we are already authorized to negotiate at the present time. By the
time the road is constructed up to about sixty miles from Sacramento,
the balance of the road, to fifteen miles of the summit, might be ready
69
for the track, and when that is done there is no one section that has any
obstacle to delay it. We could proceed at once to use the present securi¬
ties with entire confidence, knowing that by the time they are exhausted
we shall have reached a point where we may receive the aid from this
State; and these bonds would be negotiable in the market. Therefore I
think that with that assistance we could construct the road as fast as any
adequate amount of means would permit, and we could finish it inside of
three years probably.
Mr. COLIjINS—Do you think that this aid would give us the road
one year sooner than we could have it without ?
Mr. NOURSE—Do you mean by the payment of the interest or the
agreement to pay it?
Mr. COLLINS—I mean not an agreement only, but the actual pay¬
ment of the interest.
Mr. STANFORD—I must say that I could not say that it would make
a difference of a year. It might make more difference, but I should be
surprised if by some means we do not push the road forward to this Ter¬
ritory inside of three years. It is my ambition to do so. But the great
object, as I have said, is to inspire confidence abroad.
The PRESIDENT—Do not you think that this road will be con¬
structed without any aid from this Territory?
Mr. STANFORD—I think it will be, but perhaps not so soon.
The PRESIDENT—Then with this guarantee of interest at seven per
cent on the bonds of the company, how much sooner could that road be
constructed to the State line than it would otherwise be ?
Mr. STANFORD—It is very difficult for me to say, because so much
depends upon our foreign relations and the condition of the whole coun¬
try. The standing of our bonds and the standing of the Government
bonds will have to be governed by events in the future; of course, what
will be our condition in the future it is impossible to say; nor how our
securities are going to stand within a certain length of time. But this
is certain : that if this State comes in and lends her aid, to the extent
that she gives that aid, it will help the road ; and more than that, it will
strengthen the bonds of the company abroad, and also the stock. For
instance, if the road were to cost three millions, with a million and a half
of aid, you will enable us to build the whole of it, because the amount
required to build a portion of the road secures the construction of a good
deal more. Whatever is donated becomes a security for nearly an equal
amount in addition, so that the donation of a million and a half from the
State, becomes equal, so far as the construction of the road is concerned,
to nearly three millions of dollars. Then, in addition to that, the road
having received the donation makes the stock of the company more de¬
sirable in the market, and in that way the resources of the company and
its means to build are increased. I may say, that a million and a half
donated by the State, equals twice that amount toward the cost of the
construction of the road.
The PRESIDENT—Then three millions would be equivalent to six
millions towards the construction of the road ?
Mr. NOLRSE—I wish to ask one more question. What is the short¬
est radius of any curves on your road, and whereabouts do they occur ?
Mr. STANFORD—As to the curves, our shortest is a five hundred feet
radius, although we run out of Sacramento, at present, with a curve of
two hundred and twenty-five feet radius.
Mr. NOURSE—Do these curves come upon heavy grades ?
Mr. STANFORD—Some of them; yes, sir. Of course we avoid hav-
70
ing curves upon sharp grades as much as possible, but we reach the ele¬
vation of seven thousand and thirty feet in a distance of one hundred
and four miles, so that the grade is very regular. We have curves of
this kind for at least four miles on the maximum grade, on the part we
are now running, but only one engine is required to surmount these
curves. The locomotive Pacific, which is not so large as one we have
coming Out, drew up to Newcastle one train containing over four hun¬
dred passengers, with only one hundred pounds of steam. There were
eight cars, and each had about sixty passengers.
Mr. NOURSE—One engine hauled the train up the one hundred and
five feet grade ?
Mr. STANFORD—Yes, sir; I was on the engine at the time. We had
only one hundred pounds of steam on, and sometimes a little less. We
had certainly over four hundred passengers on the train.
Mr. COLLINS—One object in postponing the issuance of the bonds
was the idea that the State would be in a better condition at a future
time to meet the issuing of so large an amount than it is at present. As
you rather demur at the action of the Convention, I would ask which
would be most agreeable to the company—for instance, to issue the bonds
from time to time, as the work progresses on the other side, until the
road reaches the State line, to make the payment from time to time un¬
til the million and a half is paid, or until the road is completed, or to pay
the interest on the million and a half of bonds as they are issued by the
company ?
Mr. STANFORD—The object is, to get across the mountains. I will
say this, that if the State is not to issue the bonds until seventy miles of
road are completed, the State will then certainly be in the receipt of con¬
siderable benefit from the road. In the next place, when we reach the
seventy miles, and make the proper proofs, then only the company may
issue the bonds guaranteed by the State, and the first installment of in¬
terest probably would not be payable under six months at any rate from
that time,» so that it would necessarily take a considerable time before
the State could be called upon to pay anything at all. And long before
she would be called upon to pay them, she would be deriving far more
than an equivalent in the way of benefits from the road. For instance
now there are six daily coaches running from the termini of the rail¬
roads running from Sacramento toward this Territory, and the proba¬
bility is that these coaches take fifty passengers up and carry fifty pas¬
sengers down, at a cost of about twenty-five dollars for each passenger,
so that there must be two thousand five hundred dollars a day paid out
by the people of this Territory for passengers alone. Now, the most we
could charge under the laws of California would be ten cents a mile for
passengers and fifteen cents a ton for freight, and the Territory would
save on passenger travel alone not less than the handsome sum of three
hundred thousand dollars a year, even if the railroad company should
charge the maximum prices allowed by the law of the State of California.
Mr. CHAPIN—Have you any reliable data in regard to the amount
paid for freight and for passengers during the last year, to and from
California?
Mr. STANFORD—We have got such estimates as we could on that
subject from several firms in Sacramento, and also in regard to the team¬
ing across the mountains. The amount paid out in Sacramento for
freights, the past year, was from ten to twelve millions of dollars, and
Mr. Swain, a large wagon road owner, estimates it at twelve millions. I
know that Whitney & Co., of Sacramento, some time along last fall—in
November, I think it was—showed us their books, and also made an af-
71
fidavit to the effect that they had paid out for goods forwarded from
there during the season, over one million seven hundred thousand dol¬
lars; that was from one single firm. D. W. Earl#& Co. have paid out
probably about the same amount.
Mr. NOURSE—Are not these the principal firms ?
Mr. STANFORD—There are several firms which do about as large an
amount of business.
Mr. De LONG—And many goods are sent here from Marysville also*
Mr. STANFORD—I did not take any account of the Marysville trade,
though I know there is avast amount of goods shipped from there to the
Territory. Taking the amount of freight brought by the several routes
last year as a basis, the railroad line would probably save to the Terri¬
tory at least eight or ten millions of dollars a year. That is according
to the best data we can obtain. And it would save about two thirds on
the bullion shipped. I do not remember the exact amount of bullion.
We have, had the wagon roads estimated from the tolls received.
Mr. NOURSE—You add them to the estimate of the amount shipped
in Sacramento ?
Mr. STANFORD—No, sir; that is independent of these estimates.
Mr. Swain's estimate of the whole was twelve millions of dollars.
Mr. NOURSE—Probably, on the other hand, Whitney & Co. and D.
W. Earl & Co., forwarded about a quarter of the whole amount shipped
last year.
Mr. STANFORD—Probably not a quarter, as a large amount comes
also from Stockton, such as the produce of the farms—barley, hay, a
great deal of flour and some merchandise, which does not come by that
road at all.
Mr. TOZER—And a great deal comes by the Henness Pass route, does
there not ?
Mr. STANFORD—A very great deal, and a great deal also from farms
along on the road.
Mr. TOZER—Could not most of the amount proposed to be guar¬
anteed be saved to the State in the way of fuel ?
Mr. STANFORD—I should say it could. You have got in your Ter¬
ritory boundless resources ; you have plenty of mines which would pay
reasonably were the cost of working them reduced to a smaller amount;
but you have not got many mines which will with the present cost of
the reduction of the ores. The consequence will be, without a railroad,
that very soon the production will be confined to the principal mines/;
prospecting will die out, and your population will come to consist only
of those who are engaged in working the more valuable mines and
those connected with them. But when you can transport your freight
and your fuel at reasonable rates; when you can send your ores to the
Truekee, or get your wood brought cheaply to your mines, you can then
support an almost indefinite amount of population.
Mr. PROCTOR—How far has the road progressed already?
Mr. STANFORD—Only thirty-one miles as yet.
Mr. PROCTOR—Are there any men at work on the road now ?
Mr. STANFORD—Yes, sir; a small gang of men at Auburn, where
we have a heavy cut. We have a few men at work upon that. I feel
myself greatly obliged to the gentlemen of the Convention for the kind
attention they have given me, and I will trespass no further upon their
time.
Mr. CHAPIN—I move a vote of thanks to Governor Stanford for the
aluable information he has given the Convention.
The question was taken and the motion agreed to.
R E IP O R T
OF THE
CHIEF ENGINEER
OF THE
tawmlte and j&wamcnta ¥at% §. §t. $anpug.
LIST OF OFFICERS.
President CHAS. E. McLAHE.
Yice President OGDEH SQUIRES.
DIRECTORS.
C. W. BREWSTER,
JOHH BLAIR,
E. A. BISHOP,
CHAS. E. McLAHE,
S. H. HASH,
GEORGE W. SWAH,
THEO. E. TRACY,
A. A. YAH YOORHIES,
TRUMAH WILCOX.
Chiee Engineer and Superintendent
Secretary ,
E. A. BISHOP.
H. A. HAMILTOH.
REPORT OF CHIEF ENGINEER,
ON THE SURVEY, COST OF CONSTRUCTION, AND ESTIMATED REVENUE OF
THE PLACERVILLE AND SACRAMENTO VALLE Y*R AILRO AD,
«1
To the President and Directors of the
Placerville and Sacramento Valley Railroad Company :
Gentlemen—I have the honor to lay before you the following report
relating to the surveys made by me during the past summer on the
division of the Placerville and Sacramento V alley Railroad, between
Shingle Springs and Folsom, together with estimates for the whole line
of road.
The-design of this survey is not only to improve the original line in
cost of construction, but to locate it near the axis of traffic, so that the
wants of a larger section of country may be supplied, and an increased
revenue to the company be acquired ; and it is believed that the objects
sought have been in a great measure accomplished.
The Increase of local business, and saving in the cost of construction,
without any material increase of working expenses, will strengthen the
argument for the early construction of a work which is at once so neces¬
sary for tjie development of our county, and promises to be so profitable
to stockholders.
This report being supplemental to the one published by the former
engineer of the road, Mr. William J. Lewis, the two have been incor¬
porated to some extent.
The topographical features of the country traversed by the line will
be first described. " The city of Placerville occupies both banks of
Placer creek, which flows into W eber creek, one of the tributaries of the
South Pork of the American river. It is almost entirely surrounded by
hills; the ridge between Placer creek and the South Fork stretching
along north of and parallel to the creek, and a high ridge lying to the
south, and known as Coon Hill, forming the divide between the waters
of Placer and Wub.er creeks. These ridges unite at the head of the
valley, about two and one half miles above Placerville, and form a ridge
which is a spur from the main ridge dividing the waters of the Ameri¬
can and Cosumnes rivers. ;
" This main ridge projecting from the sierra, south of Slippery Ford,
and having a general direction a little south of west, is traced by the
towns of Diamond Springs, El Dorado, and Buckeye Flat. At Clarks-
ville the crest of the ridge Is about two miles north of the town. Pro-
78
ceeding westerly it curves to the left around the heads of Carson creek,
and is crossed by the stage road from Placerville to Folsom at a low gap
at the head of Natoma Valley, north of Gr. 1ST. Douglas' house, and by
the Sacramento road near the White Eock House.
" The ridge dividing the waters of the two rivers, which is here the
divide between Carson and Alder creeks, terminates abruptly a short dis¬
tance west of the White Eock House, and the line of demarcation
between the American and Cosumnes passes over a tract of nearly level
country, descending to the general level of the Sacramento Yalley, and
terminating at the town of Sutterville, three miles below the city of
Sacramento."
The line surveyed by Mr. Lewis follows this ridge from El Dorado to
the summit near the White Eock House, the crest of which is about mid¬
way between the Cosumnes and American rivers.
The recent survey crosses the summit near White Eock, making that
place a point common to both lines.
At Shingle Springs, one mile west from Buckeye Flat, a spur diverges,
and runs in a southerly direction for ten miles, until it reaches the Cos¬
umnes river. Here its high elevation terminates, and its course changes
to the west.
This spur divides the waters of Deer creek, a stream which rises in
the main ridge between the Clarksville Summit and Shingle Springs, and
Big Canon, (both tributaries of the Cosumnes.) The latter stream enters
the Cosumnes a short distance east of the end of the«spur; while Deer
creek, flowing parallel with it until opposite that point, and in a north¬
west direction from it, changes its course to the southwest, and gradually
converging connects through sloughs with the Cosumnes at Daylor's
Eanch.
The crest of this divide, though much lower than where it first strikes
the Cosumnes, still maintains a moderate elevation, alternating between
low depressions and higher tables for twelve miles until it ends at Day-
lor's, a low but well defined ridge.
Carson creek rises in the main ridge, west of the Clarksville Summit,
and flows in a general southwesterly direction until it enters Deer
creek, about four miles above Daylor's Eanch.
The drift of the country between the South Fork of the American and
Cosumnes rivers is in direction tran verse ly to those streams.
The first prominent elevation after leaving the valley and approaching
the Sierras is the range of hills which begin on the South Fork just be¬
low Salmon Falls, and running in a direction very nearly south, ends on
the Cosumnes as already described.
This range is broken by Deer and Carson creeks, and the ï^ew York
Eavine ; the latter stream flowing into the South Fork of the American.
The change in location from the , original line begins near Shingle
Springs, and follows down the ridge until it strikes the valley between
Deer creek and the Cosumnes ; then running nearly parallel to the
transverse range of hills, crosses the main ridge and old line to Monte
Cristo at White Eock, and connects with the FolsQm branch line again
at the ISTatoma Canal.
A detailed description of it will be given under its proper head.
PRELIMINARY SURVEYS.
As one of the principal objects of the change of location was for se¬
curing the traffic of the Cosumnes Yalley and a portion of Amador
79
county, it seemed no less desirable to place as much of the line as prac¬
ticable upon the route which must ultimately be fised for a line of rail¬
road communication between San Francisco and Nevada Territory. I
deemed it proper, therefore, after reaching Deer creek bottom, to make
a preliminary examination down Deer creek, from Crocker's Ranch to
Daylor's, a distancé of nine miles.
The excessive sinuosity of Deer creek immediately west of Crocker's
will cause three miles of heavy work. With that exception, the expense
of grading will be moderate. The difference of elevation between the
two places was found to be two hundred and sixty nine seventy-seven
one hundredths feet.
A line was also run from Crocker's Eanch, connecting with the Monte
Cristo line near the Prairie House on the Sacramento road. This was
done in order to ascertain the practicability of connecting with the Sac¬
ramento Valley Railroad at Monte Cristo. It is only necessary to
observe that the work can be cheaply constructed, and that the gradi¬
ents will be extremely light.
In compliance with instructions received from your Board, August
fifth, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, I immediately com¬
menced a preliminary survey at Folsom for the purpose of finding a
more direct line between that town and Placerville, by running along
the South Fork of the American river, or its immediate vicinity.
Repeated efforts were made to find a suitable location, but all failed.
After occupying eleven and one half days, I became satified of the im¬
practicability of that route within the limits of even heavy expense.
Any mention of the preliminary survey of the adopted line will be
unnecessary, as the location follows upon it very closely.
LOCATION OF THE ROAD.
" A bench mark was established and marked O on a pine tree on the
side hill south of Placer creek, and seven hundred feet west of the west¬
ern boundary of the city of Placerville, for the initial point of the
survey. The altitude of this bench above high tide at the city of Sacra¬
mento is one thousand eight hundred and fifty feet.
" The road is carried on a level for .71 of a mile, following the val¬
ley of Placer creek and crossing several deep ravines and short spurs.
It then descends at the rate of 1.5 per one hundred feet (79.2 per mile),
and crossing a depression in the dividing ridge enters the valley of
Weber creek. At $he summit the grade is 65.6 feet below the natural
surface, and a cutting for eight hundred and fifty feet will be required.
The line Jthen crosses Mr. Krahnor's inclosure, one hundred and fifty
yards to the left of his house, and follows the side hill sloping to Weber
creek for about one mile, when it crosses the creek by a bridge four
hundred and fifty feet in length (consisting of three spans of one hun¬
dred and fifty feet) and at an elevation of one hundred and thirty-eight
feet above the channel of the stream. The line then rises at the rate of
one foot in one hundred (52.8 feet per mile) for .36 of a mile, and cross¬
ing a narrow spur enters the valley of Gold Flat, passing a little south
of Mr. Ay res' house ; crossing the ridge between Gold Flat and Indian
Ravine near the reservoir by a cut 29.4 feet in depth and one thousand
seven hundred feet in length.
" Following down Indian Ravine a short distance, and descending, it
then crosses the dividing ridge by a cut twenty-eight feet in depth and
one thousand feet in length, and enters Empire Ravine at its head. The
80
line then passes down the left bank of the ravine, running a little south
of the reservoir of the South Fork Canal Company, and crossing the
Placerville and Folsom road about one fourth of a mile west of the town
of El Dorado. It then crosses Slate creek, passing about one hundred
yards south of the Kingsville House, and gains the dividing ridge be¬
tween the waters of the Cosumnes and American rivers at the Mountain
House. The depression at the Mountain House is passed by an embank¬
ment five hundred feet in length, the greatest altitude being thirty-five
feet.
" The line then bears to the left of the stage road, and passing around
the head of the ravine at Dr. Edwards', crosses the road at the summit
of the ridge between Dr. Edward's and Buckeye Flat. From the cross¬
ing of Slate creek to the eastern base of this ridge, nine thousand one
hundred feet, the grades are very light, the whole descent being only
23.2 feet in one and three quarter miles. But we are now obliged to
adopt a grade of 1.5 per one hundred feet (79.2 per mile) to descend to
Buckeye Flat. The grade of the road is 89.8 feet below the summit of
this ridge; and a tunnel seven hundred feet in length, with cuttings at
the two ends for one thousand seven hundred feet, will be required.
" Buckeye Flat is designed to be crossed at the summit between the
waters of the Cosumnes and American rivers, a little south of the flume
of the Eureka Canal, by an embankment two thousand two hundred feet
in length, average hight 40.6 feet."
Leaving Buckeye Flat, the line crosses the stage road at the Planners'
House (Shingle Springs), on the summit of the dividing ridge. It then
deflects to the south, and gains the crest'of the spur which divides the
waters between Deer creek and Big Canon at Station five hundred and
six, which is four hundred feet west of the road leading to the Cosumnes
Yalley.
Here we leave Mr. Lewis' line, and continue the new location south¬
wardly along the west slope of the spur, descending with gradients
varying from level to 1.84 feet per one hundred for a distance of 3.57
miles, until it reaches the summit of the divide west of the Spring Har¬
den store, in Hunter's Banch. The ground for a portion of this distance
is very favorable, but a deep ravine running into Deer creek must be
crossed by an embankment eight hundred feet in length, with an average
hight of 40.6 feet. There is also a narlow spur to cross which will
require a cutting of four hundred feet in length—greatest depth, 26.6
feet.
The line now passes down on the east side of the ridge, crossing the
Cosumnes Yalley road a short distance north of Dugan's Hotel; enters
the field east of the hotel, and runs along a bench of smooth ground with
light gradients for .8 of a mile, until it reaches a point opposite and
west of Hitchcock's house.
From,this point the gr^de rises one foot per one hundred (52.8 feet per
mile) for three thousand three hundred feet, until it reaches Hitchcock's
Summit, north of the Sugar Loaf. This summit is not a divide in the
main ridge, but the crest of a spur which projects from it to the east and
south, dividing the waters of Indian and Clark's creeks ; the waters of
the former flowing into Big Canon, and those of the latter into the Cos¬
umnes, between the mouth of Big Canon and the high end of the main
ridge previously mentioned.
From Hitchcock's Summit the line deflects to the west, and descends
with a uniform grade of 1.84 feet per one hundred, to the School House
summit in the main ridge. It crosses this divide into Atkinson's Banch,
81
at the head of Hog Guleh, with a cutting one thousand four hundred
feet in length, the greatest depth being 16.24 feet. From this summit it
deflects to the southwest, and is traced along the west slope of the ridge
until it gains the summit of the divide at Miller's Corral, a distance of
3.28 miles. Before reaching Miller's Corral, a rocky spur which projects
to the northwest must be crossed, which will require a cutting one
thousand five hundred feet in length, and having an average depth of
25.6 feet.
Several attempts were made to avoid this heavy piece of work, but
the peculiar formation of the country wilhprevent any cheaper align¬
ment on the west side of the ridge, unless curves of very short radii are
admitted.
A preliminary line was run from Hitchcock's around the east side of
Sugar Loaf and the main ridge to Miller's Corral. This would give suf¬
ficient distance to reduce the gradients to less than eight}^ feet per mile,
but the work will be much heavier, and greater curvature will be re¬
quired. It would be well, however, to make a thorough location of this
section before the other line is absolutely adopted.
To the summit of the transverse ridge west of Marshall's store, which
ends the high elevation, the line runs from the corral along the east slope
of the ridge in a direction nearly south, crossing a deep and narrow
gulch before it gains the summit. The distance is two thousand nine
hundred feet, and the grade rises .15 per one hundred feet, (7.9 feet per
mile.) It is designed to cross the gulch with a trestle bridge four hun¬
dred feet in length, the extreme hight being 40.9 feet.
The line now curves to the northwest. Crossing the Cosumnes Yal-
ley road, it descends along the west slope of the ridge with a uniform
grade of 1.80 per one hundred feet (ninety-five feet per mile),, until it
reaches the head of Morrill's Creek, which it crosses to a low, smooth
spur which runs parallel with the main ridge. ' The line continues along
the east side of the spur until it reaches a point 3.14 miles from the top
of the ridge. The grade at this point changes to 1.15 feet per one hun¬
dred (60.7 per mile,) for one thousand two hundred feet when it changes
to 1.80 feet per one hundred, and continues for twelve hundred feet
further to its crossing of Morrill's Creek at the point of the spur. It
now passes'over a smooth bench of land lying at the northwest base of
a section of the high ridge, entering the Leer Creek bottom with light
gradients. ,
Doubtless, a better alignment could have been obtained from the head
of Morrill's Creek to this point, by continuing along the main ridge
But the base of the ridge for the greater distance is badly broken by
small ravines, the crossing of which would be expensive; besides, larger
quantities of rock would be encountered. These considerations decided
the choice of location.
Deer Creek will be crossed by a bridge one hundred and fifty feet
long, (containing two spans of seventy-five feet each) fifteen feet above
the bed of the creek.
Keeping the same general direction, the line ascends to the summit of
the divide, between Carson and Deer Creeks 1.22 miles, with light gra¬
dients. It then descends to Carson Creek, crossing that stream by a
bridge one hundred and fifty feet in length (two spans, seventy-five feet
each), at an altitude of ten feet above its channel. The line again as¬
cends to reach the summit of the divide between Carson and Alder
creeks, near the White Bock House, a distance of 2.78 miles. An exam¬
ination of the map and profile will show this summit to be west of White
15a
82
Bock, its true position. This is caused by carrying the line of the sum¬
mit of the divide across a short spur which juts out of the White Rock
ridge. A saving of grade can be obtained at the expense of alignment,
and heavier work, by locating the line around the projecting spur, to¬
gether with the additional expense of changing portions of the Eureka
Canal, which would be the way of the road. A closer examination of
this locality may warrant a change of the line.
From White Rock the line descends along the benches which skirt the
ridge, until it connects with the original line on the summit which
divides the waters of Alder'and Willow creeks, and crossed by the Ha-
toma Canal. From the summit west of Marshall's store ' to the
Natoma Canal, the general direction of the line is unchanged.
The grades between the canal and the divide between Carson and
Deer creeks are moderate, with the exception of four thousand three
hundred feet of descending grade at 1.50 per one hundred. The line
from the Natoma Canal to Willow Creek is nearly coincident with the
public road. It then descends Willow Creek along its right bank until
it debouches into the valley of the American River, near the Lexington
House, on the Sacramento and Coloma stage road.
From this point it can unite with the Sacramento Yalley Railroad in
the town of Folsom, or its immediate vicinity, within a distance of our
thousand five hundred feet ; the difference of elevation being but ton
feet. Several lines were run from this point, connecting with the Sac¬
ramento Yalley Railroad. It would, however, be impolitic to denote
the particular location until the land damages are more satisfactorily
adjusted.
The length of the line from Station five hundred and six to the Sac¬
ramento Yalley Railroad is 22.95 miles, and the whole distance from
Plaeervile to Folsom is 34.86 miles.
The grades descend from the Natoma Canal to the Lexington House
at rates varying from level to eighty feet, and from that place to the
Sacramento Yalley Railroad they will depend upon the final location of
the line.
The following table exhibits the several grades on the surveyed line,
beginning at Placerville and terminating at Folsom :
83
TABLE OP GRADES
ON THE PL ACER VILLE AND SACRAMENTO VALLEY RAILROAD.
No. of
Grade.
Length of
Grade in
Feet.
Grade per
100 feet.
Rise of
Grade in
Feet.
Fall of
Grade in
Feet.
Elevation
above High
Tide in Feet.
Length of
Grade in
Miles.
Grade per
Mile in
Feet.
1
3,727
>
1850.00
.71
Level.
2
7,417
1.50
110.50
1739.50
1.40
79.20
3
753
1739.50
.14
Level.
4
1,900
1.00
19.00
1758.50
.36
52.80
5
2,000
1758.50
.38
Level.
6
15,700
1.50
235.50
] 523.00
2.97
79.20
7
1,600
1523.00
.30
Level.
8
1,700
0.50
8.50
1514.50
.32
26.40
9
2,224
•
1514.50
.42
Level.
10
3,900
0.50
19.50
1495.00
' .75
26.40
11
6,300
1.50
94.50
1400.50
1.19
79.20
12
1,900
1400.50
.36
Level.
13
5,900
0.50
29.50
1430.00
1.12
26.40
14
500
1430.00
.09
Level.
15
2,200
1.50
33.00
1397.00
.41
79.20
16
4,582
1.55
71.02
1322.18
.87
81.80
17
2,000
1.00
20.00
1302.18
.38
52.80
18
1,600
.20
3.20
1298.98
.30
10.50
19
" 5,668
1.85
104.86
1194.12
1.07
97.60
20
, 900
1194.12
.17
Level.
21
6,100
1.70
103.70
1090.42
1.16
89.70
22
1,250
.60
7.48
1082.94
.24
31.60
23
1,470
1082.94
. .28
Level.
24
1,400
.66
9.24
1073.70
. .26
34.80
25
3,300
1.00
33.00
1106.70
.63
52.80
26
17,340
1.84
.319.05
787.65
3.28
97.10
27
2,900
.15
4.35
792.00
.56
7.90
28
16,583
1.80
298.50
493.50
3.14
95.00
29
1,200
1.15
13.80
479.70
.23
60.70
30
1,200
1.80
21.60
458.10
.23
95.00
31
1,573
458.10
.29
Level.
32
900
1.12
10.08
448.00
.17
59.10
33
2,200
1.00
22.00
426.00
.42
52.80
34
300
426.00
.05
Level.
35
2,000
.50
10.00
436.00
.38
26.40
36
500
.26
"1.30
434.70
.09
13.70
37
600
434.70
.11
Level.
38
1,600
.90
14.40
449.10
.30
47.50
39
1,500
1.30
19.50
468.60
.29
68.60 .
40
900
.60
& 40
463.20
.17
31.60
41
1,400
.20
2.80
466.00
.28
10.50
42
1,000
1.30
,
13.00
453.00
.19
68.60
43
1,000
1.50
15.00
438.00
.19
79.20
84
Table of Grades—rContinuedf
i
No. of
Grade.
\
Length^1 of
Grade in
Grade per
100 feet.
Rise of
Grade in
Fall of
Grade in
Elevation
above High
Length of
Grade in
Grade per
Mile in
Feet.
Feet.
Feet.
Tide in Feet.
Miles.
Feet.
44
800
i*
538.00
.17
Level.
45
1,700
1.10
18.80
456.80
.32
58.00
46
1,100
1.00
11.00
445.80
.21
52.80
47
2,800
1.20
27.60
473.40
.43
63.30
48
700
473.40
, .13
Level.
49
3,400
.20
6.80
480.29
.64
10.50
50
1.100
.70
7.70
487.70
.21
36.90
51
1,600
.53
8.48
479.42
.80
27.90
52
3,340
1.50
50.10
429.32
.63
79.20
53
1,100
4.200
429.32
.21
Level.
54
1.36
57.12
472.20
" .80
71.80
55
3;500
.26
9.10
363.10
.66
13.70
56
2,600
1.50
39.00
324.10
.49
79 20
57
800
324 10
.15
Level.
58
1,900
1.00
19.00
305.10
.36
52.80
59
5,100
1.50
76.50
228.60
.96
79.20
60
700
228.60
.13
Level.
61
2,900
1.50
43.50
185.10
.56
79.20
62
4,500
.11
5.10
180.00
4 .85
5.90
Total length of Grade in miles » 84.86
Total length of Grade in feet 184.027
summary.
Grade per mile (in feet)
Length of grade (miles).,
Grade per mile (in feet),
Length of grade (miles),
Grade per mile (in feet)
Length of grade (miles)
Lev'l
5.90
7.90
10.50
13.70
26.40
27.90
31.60
3.96
.85
.5
1.22
.75
2.57
.30
.41
34.80
36.90
47.50
52.80
8.00
59.10
60.70
63.30
.26
.21
.30
2.49
.32
.17
.23
.43
68.60
71.80
79.20
81.80
89.70
95.
97.10
97.60
.48
.80
8.80
.87
1.16
3.37
3.28
1.07
85
The following table exhibits the length of straight lines and curves on
the route from Placerville to Folsom :
Straight
line
Miles.
Kadi us
11459 ft
Miles.
Eadius
5730 feet
Miles.
Eadius
2865 feet
Miles.
Eadius
1910 feet
Miles.
Eadius
1677 feet
Miles.
Eadius
1657 feet
Miles.
*
Eadius
1432feet
Miles.
17.98
.10
.51
4.77
1.60
.20
.07
2.98
Eadius
Eadius
Eadius
Eadius
Eadius
Eadius
Eadius
Eadius
1348 feet
1146 feet
1042 feet
1011 feet
969 feet
955 feet
819 feet
717 feet
Miles.
Miles.
Miles.
Miles.
Miles.
Miles.
Miles.
Miles.
.04
.34
.19
.29
.05
5.27
.07
i
i
«
o
OBSERVATIONS ON GRADES.
In comparing the two lines between Shingle Springs and Folsom, it
will be observed that the one first surveyed crosses Carson and Deer
creeks, with several of their tributaries, near their sources, therefore
necessarily passing over a section of broken country which would re¬
quire a large number of temporary structures vin order to complete the
road within reasonable time.
The adopted line crosses both of these streams at a lower elevation,
with short and cheap bridges, and until the ridge south of Deer Creek
is encountered, passes over a smooth country with undulating, but not
unfavorable grades.
The difference of elevation between Placerville and Folsom is one
thousand six hundred and seventy feet. This,rise, equally distributed,
would give a grade of 47.9 feet to the mile. A grade even approaching
uniformity is impossible. It becomes necessary, then, to introduce
heavier grades, at intervals, to attain some of the higher elevations. A
maximum of 97.6 feet has been resorted to on this line; but with the
means used by which it is proposed to construct the heavier wmrk, the
maximum grade can be reduced to ninety-five feet.
It is of course desirable for economy in operating a road, to have
the gradients as light as possible ; but with the proper adaptation of
machinery, the C03t of motive power on heavy grades can be greatly
reduced.
The following extracts will show the enormous amount of business
which has been transacted on roads with grades far greater than will be
required on this work.
Colonel Ellet, who designed and directed the construction of the Vir¬
ginia Central Eailroad over the Alleghany Mountains, reported the fol¬
lowing concerning the character of a portion of that road, and the per¬
formance of the engines employed :
" The eastern slope is twelve thousand five hundred feet long, and
rises six hundred and ten feet ; the average grade being 257.4 feet, and
86
the maximum 295.68 feet per mile. The least radius of curvature, two
hundred and thirty-four feet; upon which curve the grade is 237.6 feet
per mile.
" The western slope is ten thousand six hundred and fifty feet long,
and falls four hundred and fifty feet; the average grade being 223.1, and
the maximum 279.84 feet per mile.
" The engines have taken loads varying from twenty-five to fifty tons
up one slope at seven and one half miles per hour, and down the oppo¬
site one at six miles per hour, making four trips, of eight miles per day,
for three years.
" The* weight of these engines, with wood and water, are twenty-seven
and one half tons. «
" On the Pennsylvania Central Road are gradients of ninety-five feet
per mile, for nine and three quarters miles; where curves occur the
grade is reduced at the rate of .025 per one hundred feet per degree of
curvature. Passenger trains ascend this grade with a velocity of twen¬
ty-four miles per hour, and descend at twenty miles per hour. The
ascent, when there are more than three cars, is effected by the aid of an
additional engine. The working load of the heavy freight engines
(weighing sixty-five thousand pounds, on eight drivers) on the ninety-
five feet gradients, is one hundred and twenty-five tons net, or about two
hundred and eight tons, including tenders and cars.
" On the Massachusetts Western Road are grades of eighty-three feet
for one and one half miles. Engines of twenty tons draw one hundred
tons over this grade. Passenger trains run up at about eighteen miles
per hour, without auxiliary power. Over the fifty-three feet grades on
the Pennsylvania Central Road, the general load of the engines (fifty-
five thousand pounds, on six drivers) is one hundred and fifty tons net,
or about two hundred and fifty tons, including tender and cars."
Pacific R. R. Report, Yol. 1, p. 115.
" On the Pennsylvania Central Road there was transported in the year
one thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight, two hundred and twenty-one
thousand two hundred and eight tons of through freight between Phila¬
delphia and Pittsburg, and three hundred and sixty-five thousand and
fifty-seven tons of local freight."
Extracts from a report of Allen Campbell, Esq., formerly Chief Engi¬
neer of the Valparaiso and Santiago Railroad, Chile, will prove particu¬
larly interesting :
" The grades on the Santiago Railroad, though heavy, are, in compari¬
son with others which have been cited, not unfavorable ; and we find oil
analyzing the expense of operating a railroad, that the cost of motive
power is only a fractional part of the whole."
^ «b *
" A branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad has gradients of one
hundred and thirty-five feet per mile, which are worked entirely by
locomotive engines. The descent is made with heavy loads with perfect
safety; and a single engine takes up regularly a gross load of sixty-six
tons, exclusive of the engine and tender. On one road in the State of
New York a short gradient of one hundred and seventy-five feet per
mile is descended daily with passenger trains."
^ ^ ^ f sU
^ ^ ^
"The most interesting and analogous case, however, to which I can
refer, is that of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, one of the great lines
87
in the United States, alluded to in a previous part of this article, as con¬
necting the seaboard with the valley of the Mississippi, across the
Alleghany Mountains.
" In the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty, four hundred and
forty-seven thousand tons of merchandise and one hundred and eighty
thousand passengers were transported on this road, the receipts amount¬
ing to one million three hundred and forty-three thousand dollars, the
road being only about half completed. When finished to the Ohio river,
the receipts are expected to amount to three million dollars.
" On this road are heavy gradients, with several curves of six hundred
feet radius, and some of four hundred feet. It is to the mountain district
of the road just opened that I wish particularly to invite attention, and
for this purpose an extract is made from the official report of the Chief
Engineer, Mr. Latrobe, one of the most distinguished engineers of North
America, in which he describes the route and grades over the Alleghany
Mountains :
"' At about a mile below this point the high grade of one hundred and
sixteen feet per mile begins, and continues about eleven and one half
miles, crossing the Potomac from Virginia into Maryland near the begin¬
ning of the grade, and thence ascending the steep side slopes of Savage
river, and Crab Tree creek, to the summit at the vhead of the latter, a
total distance of about fifteen miles, upon the last three and one half of
which the grade is reduced to about one hundred feet per mile. From
the summit the line passes for about nineteen miles through the level
and beautiful tract of country so well known as the Glades, and near
their western border the route crosses the Maryland boundaiy at a point
about sixty miles from Cumberland, and passes into the State of Vir¬
ginia, in whose territory it continues thence to the terminus on the
Ohio.
" 'From the Glades, the line descends by a grade of one hundred and
sixteen feet per mile for eight and one half miles, and over very rugged
ground, and thence three miles further to Cheat river, which it crosses
at the mouth of Salt Lick creek. The route, immediately after crossing
the river, ascends along the broken slopes of the Laurel Hill, by a grade
of one hundred and five feet per mile for five miles, to the next summit,
passing the dividing ridge by a tunnel of four thousand one hundred feet
in length, and whence, after three miles of light grade, a descent by the
grade of one hundred and five feet per mile tor five miles is made to the
valley of Raccoon creek, by which and the valley of Three Forks creek,
the Tygart's Valley river is reached in fourteeh miles more, at the turnpike
bridge above described, and one hundred and three and one half miles
froni'Cumberland/
" The foregoing extract exhibits in a few words the physical obstacles
to be overcome.
" It will be seen that a gradient of one hundred and sixteen feet per
mile, both ascending and descending, is required, in the aggregate
amounting to twenty miles; and in both directions there are also thir¬
teen miles more with gradients exceeding one hundred feet per mile.
" The last report of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company states
that the whole amount of tonnage on the main stem for the year ending
October first, one thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, was eight hun¬
dred and nine thousand eight hundred and thirty-one tons, of which two
hundred and one thousand five hundred and ninety-seven tons were car¬
ried over the whole road.
88
" The maximum load which the engine can take up the highest grade
determines the weight of the-^rains passing over the whole length of the
road, unless assistant engines are employed.
" It is a safe calculatioh that a locomotive of twenty-four tons will
draw, exclusive of itself and tender, one hundred and fifty-five tons over
a grade of ninety-five feet per mile, at the rate of ten miles per hour. A
passenger train, consisting of six cars, sixty passengers each, with bag¬
gage and express cars, will weigh about one hundred and twenty-five
tons. A locomotive of the same class will pass over the grade with this
load without difficulty.
" It is not supposed that this number of passengers will often require
conveyance at one time/'
ESTIMATES.
In estimating for the cost of this road, a new agent has been intro
duced into the calculations, which is most respectfully submitted to your
consideration.
This agent is "Water !
To persons familiar with the gigantic hydraulic mining operations of
California, this source of power for the rapid and economical removal of
earth, loose rock, small boulders, and some of the softer conglomerates,
will at once commend itself.
The advantages which this work will derive from the use of water
for making the heavy cuttings and embankments can scarcely be over¬
estimated.
Fortunately, the South Fork and Eureka canals are located above the
line of railroad, and high enough to command it for almost the entire
distance between Placerville and the foot hills, and the Eureka and the
Natoma canals for a portion of the intervening distance to Folsom,
though the water cannot be so advantageously employed as in the coun¬
try east of Deer creek. *
Fall, ranging from fifty to three hundred feet, can be had as far as
Deer creek, at all important places on the line, except for three fourths
of a mile west of the Planters' House, where the road is located above
the canal. Wherever sufficient head cannot be obtained, or the quantity
of work vfill not warrant the erection of hydraulic apparatus, " ground
sluicing" can be adopted ; though producing results far inferior to the
other method, it-can be very profitably emploj^ed.
The extreme simplicity of the proposed method of working is such
that a brief description will illustrate it. The principle of " hydraulic-
ing," is simply the force of gravity. A tube from six to twelve inches
in diameter, having sufficient strength to resist the pressure, is extended
from the working point upward, and is attached to the flume which con¬
veys the water from the canal. At the lower end of the tube is attached
a flexible hose, with a funnel-shaped pipe similar to that of a fire engine.
This pipe concentrates the water, and directs it in a solid stream against
any object in any required direction. The percussion of the water, to¬
gether with its softening qualities, rapidly penetrates common earth,
removing it in large quantities. The material broken down is carried
away in sluices by the water which has already passed through the
pipe. Several pipes can be used in one cutting, providing the quantity
of water is sufficient. The material after leaving the cutting can be
placed in embankment by extending the sluice boxes to such points as
may be necessary. In order to separate and retain the earth, a layer of
89
stone or brush must be placed on the outer slope of the embankment'
As the material will distribute in thin layers, a slight impediment, will
obstruct the dirt and at the same time allow the water to pass off.
If brush is used, the width of the bank must be increased so that the
road-bed will remain intact after the brush decays.
In ground sluicing the water performs no important part, except to
remove the material. The earth is broken down by the pick or other
implements, assisted somewhat by the water which flows over the face
of the bank. A large amount of earth can be removed by this method.
Water is peculiarly adapted for borrowing or wasting material.
The facility which this method offers for the leveling of hills and fill¬
ing up of valleys, will justify the construction of mountain lines of
railroad superior to any yet projected in this State. Almost every im¬
portant ridge in the sierra has its slopes traversed by mining canals.
This cheap mode of grading will have the effect to diminish the curv¬
ature and give more uniform gradients, thus necessarily reducing the
working expenses and maintenance of way.
It is of course to be understood that in solid rock, or very hard mate¬
rial, water would l)e useless further than for stripping. This fact has
been taken into consideration in making the estimate.
A hydraulic, using one hundred and fifty inches of water, with one
one hundred and forty feet head, working two pipes (diameter of nozzles
two and one quarter inches) and four men, will remove eight hundred
cubic yards of common earth in one day. This would make (allowing
miner's prices for labor and water) the average for simple waste dirt
four and three quarter cents per }~ard, after the apparatus was erected.
To obtain which we estimate as follows :
150 inches of water at 20 cents $30 00
Labor of four men, at $2 8 00
$38 00
$38 00
— 4.75 cents.
800
On a work of this magnitude both water and labor could be obtained
much cheaper.
It may be remarked that the present line was located in view of the
usual methods of grading. By a cheaper way of working, improved
grades and alignments can be obtained.
The estimates have been made for a road bed twelve feet in width, on
embankments, and sixteen feet in excavations.
The side slopes of embankment to be one and a half horizontal to one
vertical, and in excavations of earth one to one; indurated clay and con¬
glomerates, one half to one ; rock, one fourth to one.
Each cut was estimated separately, taking into consideration the char¬
acter of the material, and the distance it had to be hauled.
It may be presumed that in moving such large quantities of earth by
water, in a country so thoroughly gold-bearing as that on the line of this
road, that a large quantity of the precious metal might bo gathered, suf¬
ficient at least to pay a fair proportion of the expenses. The additional
expense of fixtures to save the gold would be trifling. This, however,
forms no part in the estimate.
No changes have been made in the location of the road above Shingle
90
Springs; but seven pieces of extensive trestle work have been set aside,
and embankment estimated in their places; and the tunnel on the sum¬
mit west of Placerville has been changed to a cutting.
On the first division of the road, between Folsom and Deer Creek, the
estimates are for the usual methods of working.
ESTIMATE OF COST OF GRADUATION, MASONRY AND BRIDGING.
FIRST DIVISION.
Folsom to Millers' Corral—15.16 Miles.
123,655 cubic yards of excavation
65,083 cubic yards embankment borrowed, at 20 cents.
400 feet trestle bridging
Bridges at Deer and Carson creeks
Culverts and drains
Total,
$ 78,173 50
13,016 60
5,000 00
11,000 00
3,000 10
$110,190 00
SECOND DIVISION.
Miller's Corral to Station 506, near Shingle Springs—8.77 Miles.
192,289 cubic yards of excavation
66,621 cubic yards embankment borrowed, at 20 cents
86,889 cubic yards embankment borrowed, at 7 cents..
Culverts and drains
1 road crossing
Grubbing and clearing
Total
$112,465 75
13,324 20
6,082 23
4,000 00
300 00
1,000 00
$137,172 18
THIRD DIVISION.
Station 506 to Placerville—10.93 Miles.
306,269 cubic yards of excavation
517,721 cubic yards embankment
700 feet of tunnel, at $50.
751 feet trestle bridging ...
Bridge at Weber Creek, including masonry
Culverts and drains
Grubbing and clearing ?
Total
$120,414 91
77,658 15
35,000 00
5,415 54
42,000 00
3,000 00
1,000 00
$284,488 60
91
RECAPITULATION.
First division, 15.16 miles.
Second division, 8 77 miles
Third division, 10.93 miles,
Total.......
$110,190 10
137,172 18
284,488 60
$531,850 88
ESTIMATED COST OF ONE MILE OF SUPERSTRUCTURE.
79 tons (2,240 lbs.), iron rails, 50 lbs, to the yard, at
588 wrought iron chairs, 8 lbs. each, 4,704 lbs., at 8 cents
5,282 spikes, 4-lb each, 2, 641 lbs., at 6 cents
2,3^0 cross-ties, 8 feet long, 6x8 inch, at 60 cents
Distributing material and laying track....
Total
6,320 00
376 32
158 46
1,410 00
700 00
$ 8,964 78
SUMMARY OF COST OF CONSTRUCTION.
Graduation, masonry and bridging.....
Superstructure for 35 38-100 miles, including one-half mile
for side tracks, at $8,964 78 per mile
Add for superintendence and engineering, 10 per cent
Total cost of constructing the road
BUILDING AND FIXTURES.
Freight and passenger depot, at Placerville
One engine house
Way and water stations
One turning table
Total
$531,850 88
317,173 91
$849,024 79
84,902 49
$933,927 28
10,000 00
3,000 00
6,000 00
3,000 00
$ 22,000 00
92
EQUIPMENT.
5 engines (24 tons each), at $10,000
6 passenger cars for 60 passengers, $3,000
4 baggage cars, at $1,000
20 platform' cars, at $800
30 covered freight cars, at $1,000
5 gravel cars, $500
4 hand cars, at $150
Total
$ 50,000 00
18,000 00
4,000 00
16,000 00
30,000 00
2,500
600
00
00
$121,100 00
RECAPITULATION.
The whole amount required to build the road and put it in operation, will be :
For construction of road ...
Buildings and fixtures
Locomotives and oars......;
Bight of way, fencing, and contingent expenses.
Total
933,927 28
22,000 00
121,100 00
50,000 00
,127,027 28
SOURCES OF REVENUE.
In the incipiency of a project of this kind, particularly in California,
the want of accurate statistical information renders it extremely difficult
to arrive at satisfactory conclusions in estimating for revenue.
The want of such information was greatly felt in preparing the first
report for this road.
Since that time the wonderful trade which has sprung up between this
State and Nevada (predicted by Mr. Lewis), has made all facts concern¬
ing it a very interesting problem, so much so that agents have been em¬
ployed by different parties to procure the statistics pertaining to it.
In the appendix attached to this report will be found a communication
from James P. Bobinson, Superintendent of the Sacramento Yalley Bail-
road, togetner with a table of the passenger and freight movement for
the seven years which that road has been in operation.
It is proper to remark that Mr. Bobinson's letter is based on the sup¬
position that the company would first construct that portion of the road
which extends from Folsom to a point near Clarksville, a distance of
eight miles. Although the plan of operation has been changed, his let¬
ter contains much valuable information in regard to the cost of operat¬
ing railroads in California.
I also present an extract from the report of Theodore D. Judah, Chief
Engineer of the Central Pacific Bailroad, which gives a statement of the
business going through the Johnson Pass to Nevada Territory, all of
which must necessarily pass over our road.
93
From the number of sources from which the figures of the following
estimate have been drawn, together with personal observations on the
subject, I feel satisfied that its correctness can scarcely be questioned.
The quantity of freight transported across the mountains to Nevada
Territory the present season, though large, will be insignificant in com¬
parison to the wants of that Territory a few years hence. Perhaps it
may safely be estimated to increase fifty per cent, within the next two
years.
< Regarding the concentration and creation of business, the remarks of
Mr. -Lewis, in his report of one thousand eight hundred and sixty, are
extremely pertinent to the subject :
" Railroads not only attract travel qnd freight, but create them. In
consequence of the saving in time and money by railroad transportation,
passengers and freight on the line of the road, and for some distance on
each side, are drawn to it. For the same reasons many persons travel
who would otherwise stay at home, and many branches of manufacture
and production are undertaken which would not have been profitable
without the railroad, in consequence of the expense of transportation to
market. These effects, then, are naturally' divided into two classes,
which may be considered separately under the heads of concentration and
creation.
CONCENTRATION.
" This is by far the lesser effect of the two, but as it is the most ob¬
vious and most generally acknowledged, it will be first considered.
" I have calculated the time required by stage to travel to Folsom,
and thence to Sacramento by railroad ; the time to travel by stage to
Placerville, and thence by railroad to Sacramento, and the time saved ;
the cost of freight by wagon to Folsom, and thence by railroad to Sac¬
ramento, the cost of freight by wagon to Placerville and thence by rail¬
road to Sacramento, and the saving in cost per ton. This estimate presents
the least favorable view of the subject, as some of the places are nearer to
other points of the line than to Placerville, but it will be sufficient for
our purpose. Passengers are estimated to travel by stage at six miles
per hour, by failroad at twenty miles ; freight by wagons at sixty cents
per ton per mile, by railroad at fifteen cents.
«
To Fol¬
To Pla-
By
Fol-
By
Ti
me
Freight
1
per ton.
FBQM.
som.
c'rville
som.
Plac
'rville
sa1
red.
"VU
i
vii
t
Saved.
Miles.
Miles.
hrs
m.
hrs
. m.
his
m.
Folsom.
Plac'rville
Placerville
28
• • •
5
46
2
30
3
16
«19
80
$ 7
50
m
30
Georgetown
38
14
7
26
4
50
2
36
25
80
15
90
9
90
Coloma
80
10
6
6
4
10
1
56
21
00
13
50
7
50
Indian Diggings
45
24
8
36
6
30
2
6
30
00
21
90
8
10
Grizzly Flat..
45
22
8
36
6
10
2
26
30
00
20
70
9
30
Ccdarville
40
20
7
46
5
50
1
56
27
00
19
50
7
50
Kelsey
88
5
6
36
3
20
3
16
22
80
10
50
12
30
Greenwood Valley...
33
20
6
36
5
50
0
56
22
80
19
50
S
30
Cold Springs
27
5
5
36
3
20
2
16
19
20
10
50
8
70
Gold Ilill :
27
8
5
36
8
50
1
46
19
20
9
9d
9
30
Spanish Flat
'35
7
6
56
3
40
3
16
24
00
11
70
12
30
"White Rock
31
3
4
56
3
00
1
56
21
60
9
30
12
30
Newtown
36
8
7
6
o
D
50
3
16
24
60
12
30
12
30
Fair Play
35
16
6
56
5
10
0
46
26
00
17
10
6
90
94
"The examples are given to elucidate the manner in which railroads
attract the trade and travel of the adjacent country, and not to prove
that all the business between these towns and Sacramento must at once
be conducted by the railroad. The character of the intervening country
may present exceptional cases, but the general result is undeniable. It
may also be observed that it is not to be presumed that with the present
roads the transportation of freight to Placerville can, in all the cases
enumerated, be conducted at the prices named; but as soon as the rail¬
road is built, the people of the neighboring towns will undoubtedly make
good roads connecting with it at the most accessible points.
" The intercourse between that section of country lying east of Placer¬
ville and west of the Sierra Nevada, with Sacramento Valley and San
Francisco, must, under any circumstances, pass through Placerville.
During the last winter the Johnson Pass of the Sierra Nevada, on the
Placerville route, was the only one which was kept open, and conse¬
quently all the communication between the western part of California
and Utah Territory passed over that route. There can be no question
that there Is an extensive mineral district, stretching alojig the eastern
base of the Sierra Nevada, very rich in silver and gold, and, as regards
the former metal, unsurpassed by any country known at the present
time. The larger portion of the provisions, machinery, and tools needed
by the population must be obtained from California. It will not be long
before there will be a multitude of persons, and a large amount of neces¬
sary supplies crossing the sierra to the new El Dorado, which will be
distributed on the Placerville, Big Tree, Jackson, Truckee, and Henness
Pass routes. If a railroad is constructed, all this travel and freight must
pass over it.
" The present population of the Washoe district is variously estimated
at from eight thousand to ten thousand souls, and taking into considera¬
tion the prospective population, twenty thousand passengers annually
may be safely counted upon from this section. I presume I am also safe
in assuming that the larger portion of the overland emigration will strike
for Placerville, and that your city will be regarded as the termination
of their long pilgrimage. The emigration may be set down at an aver¬
age of thirty thousand annually ; but how many may c hoose to make
their homes in El Dorado County, and how many may seek for resi¬
dences further west, cannot be determined, it is enough for our present
purpose that either choice adds to the profits of the road.
" We will now devote a few words to the second, and most important
branch of the discussion—the creation of business by the construction of
railroads.
CREATIQN.
" The following statement, derived from the report of Baron Charles
Dupin, on the Paris and Orleans Eailway, exhibits the increase of trade
in some parts of Europe, brought about by the construction of railroads.
" Comparison of the number of travelers conveyed daily throughout
the whole or a portion of the line :
95
Name of Railroad.
<
No. of Passen¬
gers before open¬
ing of Railroad.
No. of Passen¬
gers after open'g
of Railroad.
Increase pr cent.
Manchester and Liverpool
400
1,620
307
Stockton and Darlington
130
630
385 7
New Castle and Carlisle
90
500
"445
Arbroath and Forfar
20
200
900
Brussels and Antwerp
200
3,000
1,400
"The following statement of four railroads in Massachusetts shows
the estimated number carried annually before these roads were built, and
the number transported upon them during the year one thousand eight
hundred and forty-eight :
y
Name of Railroad.
No. of Passen¬
gers before open¬
ing of Railroad.
No. of Passen¬
gers in the
year 1848.
Increase pr cent.
Boston and Worcester
Boston and Lowell
Fitch burg
Eastern
23,500
37,400
71,790
121,700
807,143
527,764
745,825
1,021,169
3,334
1,311
938
739
" The aggregate number of passengers conveyed on the seven rail¬
roads which diverge from Boston amounts to twenty-five times the
population of the city, and the total travel on the railroads in Massachu¬
setts to ten times the entire population of the State. I have before me
the annual report of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company for the year
one thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight. I was engaged in the loca¬
tion and construction of the eastern division of that road from one
thousand eight hundred and twenty-ejght to one thousand eight hun¬
dred and thirty-two, and at that time a daily stage between Philadelphia
and Pittsburg, with seats for ten passengers, and a tri-weekly stage, with
seats for six, between Philadelphia and Downington (a distance of thirty
miles), were the only public conveyances.
" The following extract from the report of the President of the Com¬
pany, Mr. J. Edgar Thompson, gives a concise exhibit of the business
done on the road in one thousand eight hundred and fitty-eight :
"1 Our trains have been run with great regularity, and remarkable
freedom from accident. We have carried, during the year one million
twelve thousand eight hundred and three first class, and sixteen thou¬
sand eight hundred and sixty-two emigrant passengers, without the loss
of a single life ; but one accident having occurred to our trains from
which injury resulted to passengers. In this case three persons were
slightly injured, whose claims for damages were promptly adjusted for
the sum of one thousand two hundred and seventeen dollars. In mov¬
ing one million one hundred and thirty-seven thousand one hundred and
eighty-nine tons of freight, during the year, the total claims incurred for
96
goods lost, damaged, or delayed, has been but eight thousand and fifty
four dollars/
" Many of the passengers travel but short distances, and the larger
portion of income of almost every railroad is derived from local travel
and freight.
" As relates to the Pennsylvania Eailroad, this will be exhibited by
another extract from the report already referred to :
" 1 It will be seen from the report of the proper department, in relation
to the traffic on the Pennsylvania Eailroad during the past year, that
the equivalent number of through passengers were as follows : On the
Philadelphia division (Philadelphia to Columbia), one hundred and sixty-
nine thousand three hundred and seventy-nine; on/the Harrisburg and
Lancaster Eailroad, one hundred and nine thousand four hundred and
eighty-one; on the Columbia branch, twenty-seven thousand seven hun¬
dred and forty-nine ; and upon the Pennsylvania Eailroad (between
Harrisburg and Pittsburg, one hundred and nineteen thousand three
hundred and fifty-eight. In addition to the foregoing were sixteen
thousand two hundred and sixteen emigrant passengers transported
from Philadelphia to Pittsburg. The total number of persons who
passed upon the road during the year was one million twelve thousand
eight hundred and three first class passengers, and sixteen thousand
eight hundred and sixty-two emigrants/
" On the Sacramento Yalley Eailroad, during the month of April, one
thousand eight hundred and sixty, six thousand four hundred and fifty-
six persons traveled over the road, of whom two thousand four hundred
and twenty-six held stage tickets. Of the stage tickets, one thousand
two hundred and ninety-four belonged to the Placerville and^Polsom
line.
"it thus appears that nearly two thirds of all the travel is derived
from Folsom and other points contiguous to the road, and but a little
more than one third from connecting stage lines. It will also be seen
that the Placerville stages carried more passengers than all the other
lines together.
" In a statement.just published by J. P. Eobinson, Esq., Superinten¬
dent of the Sacramento Valley Eailroad, he says :
ut By its facility it has, since Januar}r first, one thousand eight hun¬
dred and fifty-six, caused a movement of three hundred and sixty-six
thousand people over it. Of this number two hundred and forty thou¬
sand persons have been a local movement between Sacramento and Fpl-
som, and the remainder, or one hundred and twenty-six thousand
persons, have been a movement arriving or departing, on stages to and
from points beyond this road; showing a large expenditure in this city
and county, which, without this road, would not have been made, which
cannot be estimated at less than one dollar a person, or two hundred and
forty thousand dollars/
" We may observe that the town of Folsom, which owes its existence
solely to the railroad, contributes largely to its support."
An English writer graphically illustrates the beneficent influence of
railroads upon both States and individuals :
97
" Railways have, when properly selected, been invariably attended
with the following results; increased government revenue; increased
value of all property ; increased cultivation and produce, and extension
of manufactures; increased accommodation to all classes for intercom¬
munication ; diminished cost of all descriptions of goods to consumers,
and increased consumption by accession of numbers; a measure of uni¬
versal benefit, without a drawback or objection, if selected and carried
out under due provisions, with judgment and discretion."
An able correspondent of the Westminster Review, says ;
" Wherever railways are constructed—whether they cross the Ameri¬
can Continent, and link the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, or line the banks
of the Thames, the Rhine, the Danube and the Euphrates; traverse the
burning plains of Hindostan, or the snows of Siberia-—the maxim enun¬
ciated by Mr. Pease, of Darlington, when railways were only experi¬
ments, on the success of which he had risked his fortune, will equally
hold good, and remain unquestionable evidence of his largeness of view
and soundness of judgment : 'Let the country but make the railroads,
and the railroads will make the country. "
ESTIMATE OF ANNUAL REVENUE.
40,000 through passengers, at $3 00
20,000 passengers from Amador County, $1 50
20,000 passengers; other local travel; distance 10 miles,
54,750 tons of through freight, $5 00
6,000,000 feet of lumber, $5 00
3,000 tons Amador County freight, $2 25
13,500 tons freight from Cosumnes Valley, $3 00
5,000 cords of wood, $1 00
Mails and Express
Total
$120,000 00
30,000 00
20,000 00
273,750 00
30,000 00
6,750 00
40,500 00
5,000 00
7,500 00
$533,500 00
Note.—The rates allowed by law are : for passengers, ten centfe each per mile ; and for
freight, fifteen cents per ton per mile.
CURRENT EXPENSES.
Motive power
Repairs of freight, baggage and passenger cars
Salaries, wages, and incidental expenses chargeable to pas¬
senger department
Do. do. to freight department
To repairs of road, and reserve fund for renewing super¬
structure
Salaries of officers, and law expenses
Total current expenses.
y
Balance net revenue
Or, 22 7.10 per cent, on $1,500,000, the capital stock of the
Company.
$70,000 00
18,000 00
10,000 00
30,000 00
35,000 00
30,000 00
$193,000 00
$340,500 00
16a
98
The construction of the first division of this road, extending from Fol-
som to Miller's Corral, will secure not only the traffic to Placerville, Ne¬
vada Territory, and intermediate points, but a large business from
Amador County, at a comparatively trifling expenditure.
From the statistics of freight and travel taken by your agent at El
Dorado last summer, it is discovered that, of the large amount of freight
which passed through that town from Sacramento, only fifty-four per
cent, of it came over the Sacramento Valley Eailroad. The remainder
was hauled directly from Sacramento.
It would appear, from this tact, that teams can compete to some ex¬
tent with a short line of railroad in a level country, particularly in the
summer, when the roads are good.
But, with a line of railroad from Folsom to Miller's Corral, nearly one
half of the elevation between Placerville and tide water is overcome.
The sharp summits on the wagon road of Carson and Deer creeks are
passed, and the freight is landed within eighteen miles of Placerville.
The wagon road between Miller's Corral and the latter place is far supe¬
rior to that west of Deer Creek ; the grades are more uniform, with a
more solid road bed.
A separate estimate for this division has been prepared.
By referring to the statement of business for this division, it will be
seen that the earnings each year will be very great, and that a large
sum can be applied to the construction account of the remainder of the
road.
ESTIMATE OF COST OF GRADUATION, MASONRY, AND BRIDGING.
FIRST DIVISION
Folsom to Miller's Corral, 15.16 Miles.
123,655 cubic yards of excavation
65,083 cubic yards embankment borrowed, at twenty cents
400 feet trestle bridging
Bridges at Deer and Carson creeks
Culverts and drains
»
Superstructure for 15.3 miles, including side tracks, at
$8,964 78 per mile
Add for superintendence and engineering, ten per cent
Total cost of constructing First Division
$78,173 50
13,016 60
5,000 00
11,000 00
3,000 00
$110,190 10
137,161 13
247,351 23
24,735 13
$272,086 36
BUILDINGS AND FIXTURES.
Buildings ...
One turning-table
Total
,000 00
3,000 00
$9,000 00
99
EQUIPMENT.
3 engines, at 110,000
4 passenger cars for sixty passengers, $3,000
2 baggage cars, $1,000
10 platform cars, $800 ,
10 covered cars, $1,000
2 hand cars, $150
Cost of locomotives and cars
$30,000 00
12,000 00
2,000 00
8,000 00
10,000 00
300 00
$ 62,300 00
RECAPITULATION.
Whole amount required to build the First Division, and put it into
operation, will be—
For construction of road
Buildings and fixtures
Locomotives and cars
Bight of \yay, fencing, and contingent expenses
Total..
$272,086 36
9,000 00
62,300 00
20,000 00
$363,386 36
ESTIMATE OF ANNUAL REVENUE ON FIRST DIVISION.
Folsom to Miller's Corral, 15.16 Miles.
40,000 Placerville passengers, at $1 50.....
20,000 passengers from Amador County, $1 50
5,000 way passengers, at $0 50
54,750 tons Placervile freight, $2 25
3,000 tons Amador County freight, $2 25
2,000 cords of wood, $1 00
Mails and express
Total *
$60,000 00
30,000 00
2,500 00
123,187 50
6,750 00
2,000 00
3,750 00
$228,187 50
100
CURRENT EXPENSES.
Motive power
.Repairs of freight, baggage and passenger cars
Salaries, wages and incidental expenses, chargeable to pas¬
senger department
Do. do. freight department
Repairs of road, and Reserved Fund for renewing super¬
structure
Salaries of officers and law expenses.. .
Total current'expenses
Balance net reve'nue
Or, 36 4.10 per cent, on the cost of this Division.
$30,000 00
7,000 00
4,000 00
12,000 00
13,000 00
30,000 00
$96,000 00
$132,187 50
The importance of railroad communication between the business cen¬
ter of this county and navigable waters is, I believe, admitted. The
feasibility of this project has been demonstrated by actual survey, and
the cost of construction accurately estimated. Without extravagant es¬
timates for revenue, or basing any part of it on sources of doubtful
character, or taking into consideration the full amount of business which
the road might reasonably be expected to create, but very nearly upon
the actual movement of passengers and freight, at less than legal rates,
it has been shown that a large revenue will accrue to the stockholders.
The intrinsic merits of the project, therefore, will naturally guarantee a
rapid disposal of the stock.
There is, however, but little doubt but that the greater part of the
means to forward the work will be supplied by the citizens of this county.
Some assistance will probably be offered by a portion of Nevada Terri¬
tory, whose interests are nearly identical with our own.
The development of wealth in Nevada—situated in the interior of the
continent, and separated from commercial centers by the chain of Sierra
Nevada Mountains—has led individual energy to discover practicable
routes connecting that State with the seaboard; and it may be safely as¬
sumed that all practicable lines from the valley of the Sacramento to
Nevada have been thoroughly explored. The result has been, that the
Overland Mail, the Pony Express and the Telegraph Line, pass through
Plaeerville and the Johnson Pass; and not only the stages, but by far
the larger amount of transportation from San Francisco to Nevada, fol¬
lows the Plaeerville route. We are therefore correct in assuming that
the Plaeerville route is the natural route—that which the trade now fol¬
lows, and will continue to follow; and it is reasonable to suppose that,
after private interests have been subserved, a question so important to
the entire Union will be decided upon its merits. Then we may at least
expect an impartial examination of a route which has been so long and
favorably known to the public.
Each year demonstrates its superiority; therefore, with a railroad to
Plaeerville, our citizens need have but little to fear from rival lines pene¬
trating the mountains at other places.
101
This road can be built in less time than any other now projected, and,
if completed at once, will concentrate for a great length of time the en¬
tire traffic which now crosses the Sierras.
In the month of September, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-
two, I had the honor to conduct a survey which was made across the
Sierra Nevada Mountains, from Slippery Ford to Carson City, Nevada;
its object being to ascertain the practicability of the Johnson Pass route
for railroad purposes.
I take the present opportunity to correct a false impression, which has
been circulated by several journals in this State, concerning the nature
of that surve}', and beg leave to say, that the statements made in the re¬
port which was published were deduced from a thorough preliminary
survey made by transit and leveling instruments, with a full corps of as¬
sistants.
The successful crossing of the Sierra with a railroad being of para¬
mount importance to California, some remarks on the subject in this
connection may not be inappropriate.
Believing that the greatest difficulty to be encountered is the snow, a
few reasons are offered why a tunnel was recommended in a former re¬
port.
The Johnson Pass differs from most of the passes in the Sierra Nevada
Mountains, in having no broad elevated plateau. Some of the sources of
the Truckee Hi ver on the east side, and of the South Fork of the Ameri¬
can Eiver on the west, leave the main summit at the Johnson Pass and
vicinity so abruptly, that the main divide is very narrow. Consequently,
the deep snow belt is on tho crest of the divide, when, but a short dis¬
tance from it on either side, the snow fall is very light.
It seems, then, that the method which would most naturally suggest
itself for avoiding this obstacle would be to pierce through the crest, at
as low an elevation as possible, with a tunnel; by the construction of
which the deep snow is avoided, constant working Of the road is insured
and lighter and more uniform grades secured.
It is readily admitted that a tunnel through this ridge is an undertak¬
ing of considerable magnitude; but greater works of the same character
are already in the process of construction ; and it must be remembered
that the commercial interests of our whole country are more or less af¬
fected by the location of the continental road. It has been recommended
that while the tunnel is being constructed, a system of re-entering in¬
clines, or zigzags, be laid through the Johnson Pass, from Slippery Ford
to Tahoe Lake Yalley. The formation of the country is well adapted
for such purposes ; and, with this expedient, the snow belt is then far
less in length than on any other of the projected lines.
This is but a temporary expedient, in order to put the railroad into
immediate operation. The tunnel through the Sierra Nevada is unde¬
niably a work of great expense, and of great consequence; but as it
secures a line not obstructed to a serious extent by snow, we must re¬
commend its final adoption as a part of the great railroad across the con¬
tinent.
«
I must return my thanks to my assistants, Mr. Beed Bigler and Mr.
R. H. Moore; also to Mr. J. P. Robinson, Superintendent of the Sacra¬
mento Yalle}^ Railroad, for supplying me with valuable statistical infor¬
mation.
To that eminent mathematician and engineer, Mr. William J. Lewis,
102
whose devotion to the railroad interests of California has been so often
manifested, I am most deeply indebted, and return my most sincere
thanks for the advice and assistance which I have received from him at
various times.
Respectfully submitted,
FRANCIS A. RISHOP,
Chief Engineer P. & S. Y. R. R.
Placerville, January 1,1863.
REPORT
OF THE
C-HIEF ENGINEER
OF THE
SAN FRANCISCO AND WASHOE RAILROAD COMPANY.
OFFICERS.
President.
CHARLES E. McLANE,
Vice President.
OGDEN SQUIRES.
Treasurer.
THEODORE F. TRACY.
Secretary.
N. A. HAMILTON.
Ch?ef Engineer.
FRANCIS A. BISHOP.
Directors.
C. E. McLane, G. W. Swan,
F. A. Bishop, Ogden Squires,
T. F. Tracy.
REPORT OF THE CHIEF ENGINEER
OF THE S. F. AND W. RAILROAD OF CALIFORNIA, CROSSING THE SIERRA
NEYADA MOUNTAINS FROM PLACERYILLE TO THE EASTERN
BOUNDARY OF CALIFORNIA, ON THE LINE OF BUSI¬
NESS FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO THE
SILYER MINES OF NEYADA.
To the President and Directors of the
San Francisco and Washoe Railroad Company :
Gentlemen—In offering for your consideration the result of the sur¬
veys made under my direction the past 'fear I wish to remind you that
the merits of the route surveyed are not now for the first time presented
to the public. As early as one thousand eight hundred and fifty-four
attention was invited to it on the ground that the approach to the Sum¬
mit from the California side was on the shortest possible line compatible
with easy grades ; that the altitude of the pass was but little greater
than that of others better known ; that owing to the peculiar conforma¬
tion of the ground there was two thirds less of snow line and one third
less of depth of snow than was encountered on any of the routes then
traveled from the central part of California.
The Legislature of California, at the session of one thousand eight
hundred and fifty-four and fifty-five, passed an Act providing for the
survey and construction of a wagon road across the Sierra Nevada on
the best line that should be discovered on what was known as the Cen¬
tral Route. The State Surveyor General, S. II. Mariette, Esq., instituted
a system of surveys that embraced eight different passes, and obtained
full reports on four lines, viz : the Calaveras, Ilenness, Beckwourth, and
Placerville. These reports were submitted to a Board of Commission¬
ers, consisting of the Governor, Secretary of State, and Surveyor
General, who unanimously adopted the Placerville Route. The survey
of this route was entrusted to the Hon. Sherman Day, an engineer of
acknowledged ability and reputation, and the information collected by
him and embodied in a published rdport first called attention to the
practicability of the route for railroad purposes.
A communication from William J. Lewis, Esq., C. E., embracing these
facts, was brought before Congress in the session of one thousand eight
hundred and fifty-seven and fifty-eight by the Hon. F. P. Blair, Jr., of
Missouri, (see Congressional Globe, page four hundred and twenty-three;
Appendix, volume thirty-seven.)
The reiterated charges of the enemies of the Pacific Railroad in Con-
108
gress that a line on the Central Route was impracticable, (a fatal
objection to the great enterprise itself,) were in effect removed by this
communication, and from that time dates the united action of Congress,
capitalists, and scientific men, which has resulted in placing the enter¬
prise upon a footing that promises speedy success.
It is unnecessary to dilate upon the circumstances which led the lo¬
cation of the Pacific Railroad across the Sierra Nevada upon another
route. It may be sufficient to say, that although enough information
had been collected to establish the fact that the Placerville route was
practicable for a railroad, yet until the year one thousand eight hundred
and sixty-two positive information concerning the character of the
whole route had not been ascertained. During the autumn of that vear
o •/
I conducted a survey from Strawberry Yalley, California, to Carson City,
Nevada, which established the theory already assumed.
The results invited the attention and unprejudiced examination of
those engaged in the construction of railroads across the sierra, and who
might desire to secure the best location for such purposes.
That a project which depends upon its intrinsic merit for success
should at first fail to attract the public is not strange ; and in a matter
of this kind where so much depends upon its details for making fair
comparisons, it probably was no injustice which kept it in a measure
obscured.
The recent surveys from Placerville to the State line have set at rest
all questions of doubtful information, having been conducted so as to
embrace all of the minor details, and it is confidently asserted that no
other line over the Sierra Nevada has been subjected to such rigid in¬
strumental examination.
The opposition to the Placerville route have relied upon the long
tunnel recommended, as the chief argument against its practicability—
probably ignorant that engineering precedents for it are quite common
and are to be found on works of less importance, and also that its con¬
struction would relieve the road from a heavy and perpetual expense of
freeing the track from snow. Crossing two summits has also been con¬
sidered objectionable, which is undoubtedly true, unless compensating
advantages can be clearly established
The information gained by the late surveys prove : Pirst, that the tun¬
nel line is practicable, and that the deep snow can be entirely avoided by
by it. Second, that a line may be carried directly over the summit, and
by descending into Lake Yalley, can connect again with the tunnel line.
Third, that by extending the line through Luther's Pass, in the eastern
range, and down Carson Canon, only one summit will be crossed.
The advantages claimed for a line of railroad on this route over all
others yet reported, and which the information obtained substantiates,
are, cheapness in first cost of construction, lighter gradients, easier
curves, less snow line, and less depth of snow ; its general directness to
Virginia City, and its location in the great channel of trade between
California and Nevada.
In the report of one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two it was de¬
signed to cross the South Fork of the American River below Strawberry
Yalley, with the main line, and follow up the right bank of the river
into the gorge of the Slippery Ford branch, penetrating the main divide
of the Sierra Nevada with a tunnel three and three fourths miles in
length; then descending into and crossing Lake Yalley, reaching its
eastern side in the vicinity of the terminus of the present survey. Rut
on account of the magnitude of the tunnel, a temporary track, consisting
109
of a series of re-entering inclines over the Johnson summit, was recom¬
mended.
The altitudes assumed for Strawberry, as well as for Johnson's Pass,
upon which the surveys of one thousand eight hundred and and sixty-
two were based, wereHaken from Mr. Goddard's barometrical observa¬
tions of one thousand eight hundred and fifty-five. The examinations of
the past year proved that these altitudes were much too low, necessarily
causing the abandonment of that portion of the projected line along the
north side of the South Fork. But it has been found that a crossing to
th^rnain tunnel can be easily effected above Strawberry; and in place
of the engineering expedient then proposed, for a temporary track, a
direct line over the summit, with a grade of ^eighty to the mile, has
been discovered.
The topography of the country through which this location has been
made, together with that affecting projected lines will be briefly de¬
scribed. '
The South Fork of the American Biver rises in the Sierra Nevada
Mountains, latitude thirty-eight degrees fifty minutes north, and pursues
a general westerly direction until its waters unite with those of the Sac¬
ramento Biver, at Sacramento. The source of the most easterly branch
of the South Fork, at the head of which the summit line is carried, is a
little south of Johnson's Pass, having an altitude of seven thousand three
hundred and seventy-three feet above the sea. The Slippery Ford
branch of this stream enters it about six miles west of Johnson's Pass, at
Slippery Ford. Taking its head in the sierra about six or eight miles
north westerly from its confluence, it runs nearly parallel with the axis
of the range, and splitting it and running through a deep and narrow
gorge, for part of the distance, it leaves the higher peaks to the west;
while on the east, between it and Lake Bigler, or Tahoe, is the main
divide, much lower and broken.
On the east side of the'divide, four or five miles northerly from Slip¬
pery Ford, a stream rises which flows into Fallen Leaf Lake, and from
thence into Lake Tahoe, at its southwestern extremity. This stream,
flowing through a gorge similar to the Slippery Ford branch of the
American, cuts the eastern base of the mountain very deeply, and at
right angles with it, making the main ridge very narrow between the
two streams.
Lake Valley, which lies east of the sources of the South Fork, is in¬
closed by a short range of mountains, which runs between it and Carson
Valley. This range diverges from the main chain in the vicinity of the
old Carson Pass, bearing to the east and north until it reaches the
Truckee Biver. This stream, being the outlet of Lake Tahoe, flows
from the west side, about two thirds of the length of the lake from the
south end, breaks its way through a chain of mountains, in a northwest¬
erly and northerly direction, for about fifteen miles, then running north
easterly for about the same distance, it finally changes its course to the
east, and enters the Great Basin.
The general altitude of the range between Carson and Lake valleys
seems to be as high as the main range. Its crest, however, is pierced
by several low gaps, the lowest of which is called the Walton Pass—
having an altitude of seven thousand and fifteen feet.
Southeasterly from Johnson's Pass, about eight miles distant, and east
of the range already described, is Hope Valley.
In this valley, and near the old Carson Pass, the West Fork of Carson
Biver takes its rise. This stream, after leaving the valley, flows in an
110
easterly direction until it enters Carson Yalley, then, changing to the
north, bisects the valley for its entire length, and, piercing a low moun¬
tain range, turns to the east again, and finally sinks in the sands of the
Great Basin.
The East Fork of the Carson takes its rise in the main sierra to the
south of Hope Yalley, flows in nearly the svame general direction until it
converges and unites with the west branch, opposite Yan Sickles' and
the eastern terminus of the Kingsbury Toll Koad.
Between these streams is an extensive mining district, familiarly
known as " The Silver Mountain." x
The divide between the Cosumnes and American rivers, upon ^hieh
the line has been located, presents some peculiarities which require no¬
tice.
This ridge, extending from the summit of the Sierra to Sutterville, on
the Sacramento Biver, maintains a very high elevation westward as far
as Iron Mountain. Here a deep depression occurs, in which the Flem¬
ing and Ogilby toll roads join; one descending to Pleasant Yallej" and
the other running eastward into the valley of the south fork. About
one mile further west of the junction, is the Union House. At this
place Weber Creek takes its rise, and flows westwardly for nearly thirty
miles parallel with the south fork, and generally about four miles distant
from that stream, until it intersects it at one of its large bends, eight or
ten miles above Folsom.
Weber Creek, as will be observed, splits the main ridge for some dis¬
tance, making a long, narrow spur of the portion between it and the
south fork. This spur attains considerable altitude west of the Union
House; but, in a short distance, falls again and descends, with a very
uniform elevation, to Placerville.
The main divide descends from the Union House to Pleasant Yalley,
ten miles, quite rapidly; but from there to Diamond Springs, nine miles
distant, the descent is more gradual.
The Placerville and Sacramento Yalley Bailroad is located on the main
ridge up to a point near Diamond Springs; it then turns in a northerly
direction, crosses Weber Creek, and reaches Placerville.
Were it possible, the trunk line of railroad should be located along the
main ridge. The reasons for leaving it at Diamond Springs, briefly
stated are :
The elevation of the divide at the junction of the toll roads near the
Union House, a point which it is necessary to reach in order to gain the
slope leading to the South Fork of the American Biver, is four thousand
one hundred feet. The elevation at Diamond Springs, nineteen miles
distant, is one thousand eight hundred and seventy-five feet. It is then
seen that an altitude of two thousand two hundred and twenty-five feet
would have to be overcome in a distance of nineteen miles. The distance
would probably be increased by following closely the sinuosities of the
ridge ; but it is found that the altitude of Pleasant Yalley, on the summit
of the ridge, and nearly midway between Diamond Springs and the junc¬
tion of the toll roads, is but two thousand five hundred and twenty-five
feet, which shows that a uniform grade along the ridge cannot be main¬
tained, and that from Pleasant Yalley to the junction, a grade of one
hundred and fifty-seven feet to the mile would be required.
PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION OF LOCATION.
The initial point of the survey of the located line is on the summit of
the divide between Placer Creek and the South Fork of the American
Ill
Hiver, about one fourth of a mile north of Mr. Kirk's house, in the city
of Placerville. Lines from this point to the present terminus of the
Placerville and Sacramento Yalley Railroad survey, and to other parts
of the city, were run and found practicable. From the initial point the
located line is carried along the left bank of Big Canon, on a grade of
ninety feet to the mile for one and one half miles, where it crosses the
canon at an elevation of twenty two feet above the bed of the stream.
Thence crossing a low rîdge, it curves to the right and passes for a dis¬
tance of nine thousand feet over very rough ground, broken by deep
ravines and high intervening ridges. Within this distance there will be
three tunnels-—one three hundred feet long, one two hundred feet long,
and one three hundred and fifty feet long; and a trestle bridge over
"Wild Goose Canon eight hundred feet in length, with an average hight
of forty-nine feet.
The line then bears to the left, and crosses White Rock Canon about
six hundred feet below the u Live Oak " tunnel, at an elevation of
eighty-four feet above the bottom of the channel. Then piercing the
sharp ridge to the northeast of White Rock Canon, with a tunnel four
hundred and fifty feet in length, the line passes along a comparatively
smooth side hill, broken by but one deep ravine (Coon Gulch) to South
Canon, which it crosses at an elevation of sixty-two feet ^bove the
stream.
The line now deflects to the left, to avoid the high ground from the
main divide between the waters of the South Fork of the American
River and Weber Creek, and to turn the ridge between South and North
canons. This ridge becomes quite narrow a little east of Johnson's Mill,
and is crossed by the line with a tunnel three hundred and seventeen
feet in length. Here the line again curves to the right, and runs in a
general easterly direction across Breslin's Creek and .North Canon, which
latter stream it crosses about one mile below the Hinchman quartz mill.
The ridge between North Canon and Brush Canon maintains a high and
very nearly uniform elevation from the Hinchman mill to a point oppo¬
site Johnson's saw mill, a distance of about two miles, and in connection
with the deep canons on each side of it, presents a serious obstacle to
the location of the road. After repeated trials and a modification of the
grade, the line was finally carried through a slight depression in the
ridge with a tunnel one hundred and eighty-seven feet long. The line
then curves to the right, and passing along the slope leading to Brush
Canon, five thousand eight hundred feet, crosses that stream eighty-four
feet above its channel. It now curves to the left to turn the divide between
Brush and Little Iowa canons. Crossing the divide with a cut fifty-two
feet deep, the line curves to the right and is traced along the left bank
of Little Iowa Canon two miles to a point where a favorable crossing is
effected. It then takes a general northeasterly direction, crosses Big
Iowa canon and several deep ravines and reaches the head of Long
Canon at a distance of nineteen miles from the place of beginning.
The summit of the divide between Long Canon and Randolph Canonf
was found to be seventy-eight feet above the grade ; and to avoid a very
considerable increase of distance, which would have been necessary in
turning the divide, a tunnel one thousand one hundred and fifty feet is
introduced. The line then curves to the right, crosses Randolph Canon
near its head, pierces the sharp ridge to the north of the canon with a
tunnel three hundred feet in length, and strikes Bartram's new grade
about two miles north of the Thirteen Mile House. The line is then
carried along the north slope of the main divide between the South Fork
112
ot the American and the waters of the Cosumnes River, and passing one
thousand feet north of the Union House, reaches the summit of the
divide at the junction of Fleming's new road with the Ogilby Grade.
Thence keeping; on the north side of the divide, it passes eighty feet
south of the Pennsylvania House, four hundred feet north of the Esmer¬
alda House, and two hundred feet south of the Alton House, where it
takes a direction nearly east and enters the great gorge through which
Plum Creek flows.
The fall of Plum Creek, like that of many of the larger mountain
streams crossed by the survey, is very unevenly distributed. From its
source near Cold Springs the stream falls about eight hundred feet in a
distance of one mile, after which its descent is very gradual to a point
a little above the crossing of the Ogilby Grade. Here the waters strike
the steep slope of the American River, and leaping over a succession of
precipices reach that stream in a distance of one mile. It is near the
lower end of this level section that the line enters the valley proper.
The advantages of maintaining the elevation attained at this point
had been clearly established by the preliminary surveys, and although
the line might have been shortened by introducing a descending grade,
a level grade was adopted and maintained for a distance of three and
twenty-eight one hundredths miles. The increase of distance occasioned
by the introduction of this grade is compensated for in a measure by
bringing the line nearer to an extensive body of very superior timber,
which will undoubtedly prove to be a source of considerable revenue to
the road for a number of years.
From the crossing of Plum Creek the line traverses the right bank of
the stream on a grade of seventy-nine and two-tenths feet to the mile
for a distance of two and one half miles, where it curves to the right
and regains a direction parallel to the American River. Without mate¬
rial deviation from this direction, it is carried along the north slope of
the main divide across Mill Creek, W olf Creek, Alder Creek, and a num¬
ber of smaller streams to a point opposite Webster's Station. Alder
Creek is crossed with a trestle bridge five hundred and ninety-two feet
long, and at an extreme hight of one hundred and seventy-eight feet.
Subsequent to the location efforts were made to find a more favorable
crossing, but without success. It is believed, however, that by changing
the grades and making some alterations in the line in the vicinity of the
creek the hight of the bridge may be somewhat reduced.
From "Webster's Station the line deflects to the right to cross Alpine
Creek, and before again falling into its proper direction runs a distance
of nine and seventy-five one-hundredths miles, adding to the length of
the road over an air line, seven and seventy-five one-hundredths miles.
The high ridge between Alpine Creek and the South Fork is crossed
with a tunnel one thousand seven hundred and eighty feet long, and the
line is then carried along the slopes of well defined ridges, generally
maintaining a direct course toward the pass selected for crossing the
western summit of the Sierra Nevada, to a point opposite Strawberry
Valley. Here the line again deflects to the right in order to cross Straw¬
berry Creek. This stream flows through a deep and wide canon for
nearly its entire length, and it was found necessary to carry the line up
this creek one and three fourths miles to find a practicable crossing.
Between Strawberry Creek and Sayles Creek there is a high ridge
which terminates in the well known Granite Cliff south of Slippery
Ford. The line is carried along the western slope of this ridge to a
point within six hundred feet of the cliff, when it pierces it with a tun.
113
nel six hundred and fifty feet in length, and then runs along the easterly
slope to a favorable point for crossing Sayles Creek. Considerable dis¬
tance could have been saved at this place by running the line through
the ridge a little north of the crossing of Strawberry Creek, but it would
have required a tunnel three thousand feet in length.
From Sayles Creek the line is traced along the low ridge south of
Swan's toll road to Audrain's Station, where it finally crosses the South
Fork of the American River, and with easy curves follows the slope of
the mountain to the summit of the Sierra Nevada, reaching the same at
the point where the old county road begins to descend into Lake Yalley,
having attained an elevation of seven thousand three hundred and
seventy-three seventy-four one hundredths feet above tide water.
From the summit the line deflects to the south, and descending with a
grade of ninety-five feet to the mile crosses Little Truckee River at the
head of Lake Yalley—two miles from the summit—with a trestle bridge
eight hundred and thirty-two feet long, with an average hight of forty
feet. Continuing to descend with a grade of 63.36 feet to the mile, the
line follows the face of the mountain to the east of Lake Yalley, strik¬
ing the valley near Pixley's saw-mill. From this point it runs in nearly
a straight course to the stone monument established by the Boundary
Commission at the intersection of the State line with Kingsbury's toll
road, ninety-one and ninety-two hundreths miles from the place of
beginning.
At the end of the Third Division, a distance of sixty-six and sixty-one
one-hundredths miles from Placerville, the tunnel line diverges to the
left, crosses Sayles Creek, and on a descending grade of fifty-nine and
sixty-six one-hundredths feet per mile, runs along the mountain side
until it reaches the South Fork of the American River, which it crosses
at an elevation of one hundred and fifteen feet above its channel. Then
ascending with a grade of seventy-nine and two-tenths feet per mile, it
is carried along on the left bank of the Slippery Ford branch until it
reaches the western terminus of the tunnel, the distance being three
and seventy-four one-hundredths miles.
From Johnson's Pass, seventy-three miles from Placerville, it is pro¬
posed to survey a line around the south ençl of Lake Yalley, and over
the eastern summit through Luther's Pass, which has an elevation of
seven thousand five hundred feet. Thence pursuing the mountain slopes
on the north side of Carson river, with moderate grades and curvature
until the plains in Carson Yalley are reached. A line might also be car¬
ried around the southern end of Hope Yalley and down the south side
of Carson River, striking the plains at the junction of the east and west
forks. On this route heavier gradients will doubtless be required than
by that on the north bank of the river. Sufficient information has been
gained concerning the proposed line through Luther's Pass to insure its
practicability, but not enough for a detailed estimate.
Maps and profiles of the route are herewith submitted.
The following table exhibits the several grades on the ^summit line
from Placerville to the State line :
17a
TABLE OF GRADES
ON THE SAN FRANCISCO AND WASHOE RAILROAD.
Length of
Grade in
Feet.
30,000
18,722
2,278
5,600
2,500
6,100
6,800
10,000
26,000
10,550
10,250
4,200
5,800
4,800
8,900
17,300
26,740
5,860
1,000
6,500
19,800
1,000
6,000
100
13,900
6,000
1,000
27,600
21,400
87,000
11,000
69,700
3,700
7,269
Rise of
Grade per
100 feet.
1.80
1.71
1.80
1.71
1.50
1.71
1.80
1.71
1.80
1.50
1.108
.934
.30
1.00
1.10
Level.
1.50
.96
Level.
.95
1.486
1.35
.95
.50
1.00
1.51
Level.
1.80
.95
1.51
1.80
1.20
.69
1.14
Rise of
Grade in
Feet.
540.00
320.15
41.00
95.76
37.50
104.31
122.40
171.00
468.00
158.25
113.56
17.47
48.00
97.90
401.10
56.26
61.75
294.23
13.50
•57.00
.50
139.00
90.60
496". 80
203.30
1,313.70
25.53
Fall of
Grade in
Feet.
39.60
198.00
836.40
82.87
Elevation
above
Tide in Feet.
Length of
Grade in
Miles.
Grade per
Mile in
Feet.
2,490.30
5.68
95.00
2,810.45
3.55
90.29
2,851.45
.43
95.00
2,947.21
1.06
90 29
2,984.71
.47
79.20
3,089.02
l.lo
90.29
3,211.42
1.29
95.00
3,382.42
1.89
90.29
3,850.42
4.*92
95.00
4,008'.67.
2.00
79.20
4,122.23
1.94
58.50
4,082.63
.79
49.79
4,100.10
1.10
15.84
4,148.10
.91
52.80
4,246.00
1.68
58.08
4,246.00
3.28
4,647.10
5.06
79.20
4,703.36
1.11
50.55
4,703.36
.19
4,765.11
1.23
50.37
5,059.34
3.75
78.46
5,072.84
.19
71.28
5,129.84
1.15
50.16
5,130.34
.02
26.40
5,269.34
2.63
52.80
5,359.94
1.15
79.73
5,359.94
.19
5,856.74
' 5.23
95.00
6,060.04
4.05
50.16
7,373.74
16.47
• 79.73
7,175.74
2.08
95.00
6,339.34
13.20
63.36
6,364.87
.70
36.43
6,282.00
1.38
60.19
ALIGNMENT.
It will be seen by inspecting the map, that the located line, as a whole,
is quite direct ; but in conveying the line through a rough, mountainous
much curvature is necessarily involved. The curves are, how¬
ever, entirely practicable, having in no instance a radius less than six
hundred and thirty-seven feet, or nine degrees. The Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad, and many other eastern roads, are successfully operated
over much sharper curves. A speed of thirty miles per hour has been
maintained on the Placerville and Sacramento Valley Railroad, which
has nine degree curves, and gradients of ninety-five feet per mile.
The following table will show the number of curves and degree of
curvature :
115
No. Deg. of Curv. Radius.
2. 1° .5,730 feet.
1. 1°.30' 8,820 "
2 1°.45' 3,274
3 2°.15' 2,517
7 2°.30f 2,292
18 3° 1,910
17 3°.30' 1,637
17 4° 1,433
4 4°.30' 1,274
86 5° 1,146
a
«
a
a
a
u
((
u
No. Deg. of Curv. Radius.
1 ,.5°.Î5' 1,092 feet
32..
1m
124.,
33.,
55.
24.
40*
31.
59.
,5°.30' 1,042
,5°.45' 997
.6° 955
.6°.30' 882 <
.7° 819
.7°.30' 764
.8° 717
,8°.30' 675
.9°. 637
Tunnels have been resorted to when necessity or economy required
their use. On the summit line they are generally short, and piercing
a granite formation, will require neither shafting nor lining.
On the First Division there is :
No. Feet Long.
1 187
1 200
2 300
1 317
1 325
No. Feet Long.
1 350
1 450
1 1,150
9 3,579
On the Second Division there is :
No. Feet Long.
1 130
i :i4o
1 230
1 270
1 274
No. Feet Long.
1 288
2 300
1 400
9 2,332
On the Third Division there is :
No. Feet Long.
1... 1,780
4 : 3,605
On the Fourth Division there is one two hundred and thirty-six feet
long.
Making a total of twenty-three tunnels, with an aggregate length of
nine thousand seven hundred and fifty-two feet, at an average cost of
eighty-six dollars and forty-two cents per lineal foot.
No. Feet Long.
1 500
1 650
1 675
116
The estimates for tunneling are somewhat higher than has heretofore
been given. 1 will here remark, that in all estimates of the kind 1 have
been guided by experience gained from the construction of the P. & S.
Y. R. R. And in many instances where the estimates must necessarily
be somewhat speculative, the prices have been placed high enough to
cover such contingencies as may arise, endeavoring, if possible, to avoid
the too common error of low estimates.
SNOW.
It has been already observed, that the altitude of Strawberry was
found to be higher than fixed by early barometical observation. This
fact no way affects the relative altitudes eastward from that place, nor
changes the fact concerning the snow fall, as have been exhibited in for¬
mer reports.
The experience of years has proven that there has been less depth of
snow in the Johnson and Luther passes than in any other passes, either
higher or lower along the central portion of the Sierra Nevada; while on
the eastern range, in the gaps opposite and to the north of Johnson's
Pass, the fall is so light that it would prove no obstruction to trains.
Among the various reasons suggested in explanation of the phenomena
of light snow fall in the favored regions of the Sierra, the following offers
a reasonable theory :
All of the passes north of Johnson's Pass are on the easterly side of the
range, and terminate in that direction in extensive plateaus of high ele¬
vations, the sides of which are fringed with high peaks and short ranges.
The rain clouds, which leave the ocean generally move toward the Great
Basin, in a direction due north. These moisture bearing clouds are in¬
tercepted by the high peaks and plateaus, and fall in the shape of snow.
The broadest and most exposed mountain top receives the greatest
depth ; while on the narrower parts, which expose less surface for con¬
densation, the depth of snow is very much decreased.
By examining a topographical map of the central Sierra, it will be per¬
ceived that Round Top and a cluster of peaks which lie to the southward
of Johnson's Pass, protect it to a great extent, as well as a portion of the
range lying east of Lake Tahoe. While the Donner Lake Pass, to the
northward, and its elevated plateau, are exposed to the full force of the
storms, and, in consequence, snow falls very deeply. It is also to be ob¬
served, that the snow falls in Tahoe Lake Yalley to a depth of five or
six feet, while in the Donner Lake Yalley, wlfich has less elevation,
snow falls to the depth of twenty-five and thirty feet.
ESTIMATES.
For a number of miles east from Placerville, the deep mining cuts,
shafts and tunnels reveal the character of the formation beneath the sur¬
face of the ground ; and for the remaining distance the graded roads in
the vicinity of the line, and the numerous ravines which furrow the
mountain sides enable very close observations to be made concerning the
kind of material to be removed. No pains has been spared to procure
accurate information on these points, and to obtain the quantity and
character of the masonry required.
Many of the trestle bridges are intended but for temporary purposes
to expedite the construction of the road, it being designed to replace
them with embankments as they require renewing. Abundance of sugar
117
ping, spruce, pitch pine tamarack and cedar timber is to be found along
the line, which will not only furnish superior and convenient materials
tor the structures, ties, etc., but its transportation to the Sacramento
Valley will be a large source of revenue to the road.
ESTIMATE OF COST OF GRADUATION, MASONRY AND BRIDGING.
FIRST DIVISION.
From Placerville to the head of Long Canon, 19.13 Miles.
848,871 cubic yards of earth excavation, at 30 cents.
150,581 cubic yards of solid rock, at $1 75
50,194 cubic yards of loose rock, at 70 cents
5,232 cubic yards of masonry, at $8 00
9,751 cubic yards of masonry, at $2 25
11,680 lineal feet trestle bridging...
3,579 lineal feet tunnels
Grubbing and clearing, $1,000 per mile
Total
$ 254,661 30
268,516 75
35:135 80
41,856 00
21,939 75
178,167 40
305,520 00
19,130 00
$1,119,927 00
SECOND DIVISION.
From head of Long Canon to Alder Creek, 19.18 Miles.
813,995 cubic yards earth excavation, at 30 cents
201,191 cubic yards of solid rock excavation, at $1 75
67,064 cubic yards loose rock excavation, at 70 cents.
1,280 cubic yards masonry, at $12 00
4,813 cubic yards masonry, at $8 00
15,470 cubic yards masonry, at $2 25
10,800 lineal feet trestle bridging
2,332 lineal feet tunnels
Grubbing and clearing, $1,000 per mile
Total
$ 244,198 50
352,084 25
46,944 80
15,360 00
38,504 00
34,807 50
197,543 20
181,160 00
19,180 00
$1,129,782 25
THIRD DIVISION.
From Alder Creek to Strawberry, 28.3 Miles.
659,560 cubic yards of earth excavation, at 30 cents.....
192,856 cubic yards of solid rock excavation, at $1 75...
64,285 cubic yards of loose rock excavation, at 70 cents
3,138 cubic yards of masonry, at $12
5,801 cubic yards of masonry, at $8
15,290 cubic yards of masonry, at $2 25
6,496 lineal feet trestle bridging
3,605 lineal feet tunnels.:.
Grubbing and clearing, at $1,000 per mile
Total
197,868 00
837,498 00
44,999 50
37,656 00
46,408 00
34,402 50
138,891 50
337,250 00
28,300 00
$1,203,273 50
118
FOURTH DIVISION.
From Strawberry to State Line, 25.31 Miles.
654,770 cubic yards of earth excavation, at 30 cents
174,623 cubic yards of solid rock excavation, at $1 75..
58,207 cubic yards of loose rock excavation, at 70 cents
6,064 cubic yards masonry, at $8
5,638 cubic yards masonry, at $2 25
5,168 lineal feet trestle bridging
236 lineal feet tunnels
Grubbing and clearing, at $1,000 per mile
Total
196,431 00
305,590 25
40,744 90
48,512 00
12,685 50
67,558 08
18,880 00
25,310 00
715,711 78
ESTIMATED COST OE ONE MILE OF SUPERSTRUCTURE.
94 640-2240 tons of iron rails, 60 lbs to the yard, at $90.....
442 wrought iron chairs, 10 lbs. each, 4,420 lbs., at 10 cents
924 spikes, i lb. each, at 10 cents ,
2,640 cross ties, 8 feet long, 6x8 inches, at 50 cents
Distributing material and laying track
Total
8,485 70
442 00
462 00
1,320 00
900 00
$ 11,609 70
SUMMARY OF COST OF CONSTRUCTION.
Graduation, masonry and bridging
Superstructure for 97 miles, including f miles for side
tracks, at $11,609 70 per mile
Add 10 per cent, for engineering and superintendence.
Total cost of constructing the road
$4,168,694 48
1,126,140 90
$5,294,835 38
529,483 54
$5,824,318 92
BUILDINGS AND FIXTURES.
Machine Shop..
Terminus Stations
Way Stations
Engine Houses —
Turn Tables
Total
$ 60,000 00
40,000 00
30,000 00
30,000 00
9,000 00
$ 169,000 00
119
EQUIPMENT.
25 locomotive engines, at $18,000.
50 passenger coaches, at $8,000 ...
200 covered freight cars, at $1,000
50 platform cars, at $800
75 gravel cars, at $400
15 hand cars, at $150
Total ,
$ 450,000 00
150,000 00
200,000 00
140,000 00
30,000 00
2.250 00
$ 872,250 00
RECAPITULATION.
The whole amount required to build the road, and put in operation to the
State Line, will be :
For construction of road «
Buildings and fixtures
Engines and cars
Bight of way, fencing and contingents,
Total cost to State line,
$5,824,318 92
169,000 00
872,250 00
150,000 00
$7,015,568 92
Distance—say 92 miles ; or an average cost of $76,256 per mile.
Additional cost to the Divide, between Carson and Washoe valleys.
State Line to Divide, 29 miles, at $59,000,
Making a total cost of.
$1,711,000 00
$8,726,568 92
Distance—121 miles; or an average cost of $72,120 per mile.
The cost of constructing the division which embraces the tunnel,
eighteen and one half miles, will be two million one hundred and eighty
thousand two hundred and fifty dollars—making the total cost of the
road by the tunnel line, ten million one hundred and ninety-one thou¬
sand one hundred and seven dollars.
Distance, one hundred and fourteen and eleven one hundreths miles,
or an average cost of eighty-nine thousand three hundred and nine dol¬
lars per mile.
A comparison of these estimates with those made by the officers of the
United States, and the Central Pacific Bailroad Company, upon the cost
of a railroad across the mountains must satisfy the most incredulous of
the superiority of this route.
The surveys were carried no further than the western terminus of the
tunnel, on the Slippery Ford Branch, and the State boundary in Lake
Valley. The explorations of one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two
yielded sufficient information to insure the certainty of a good location
120
from the eastern terminus of the tunnel along the spur on the south side
of Fallen Leaf Lake across Lake Valley, through the Walton Pass, and
down to the divide, between Washoe and Eagle valleys—a point which
commands the approaches of Virginia City, Carson City, and the lower
valleys. >
It was not deemed expedient to go to farther expense of surveys until
the definite route into Carson Valley had been decided upon. The de¬
termination of this question involves the necessity of a careful compari¬
son between the tunnel line and the summit line. If the tunnel line
should be adopted, then Walton's Pass will afford the best and most
direct entrance into Carson Valley; but should it be determined to
carry the line over the summit, then it is believed that it should enter
the valley through Luther's Pass.
This pass is of easy access from Johnson's Summit, with an ascend¬
ing grade, and becomes really the summit, and the only summit crossed
by the line.
The line through Luther's Pass would possess the additional advan¬
tage of intercepting at a nearer point the business of the Owens River,
Esmeralda, and the Silver Mountain mines, together with that of the
southern portion of Carson Valley.
The great advantage of the tunnel line is obviously the saving of
altitude, and the consequent reduction of the amount of snow to be con¬
tended with. The great length of the tunnel—three and three fourths
miles—and the difficulty of ascertaining the nature of the material, and
other matters, which will necessarily enter into the cost of constructing
the same, should not be lost sight of in a comparison of this with the
summit line.
By reference to the profile of that part of the summit line between
the point where the tunnel line diverges and the State line, it will be
observed that the work is exceedingly light, and the fact that with the
exception of a short distance at the summit the line runs on a steep side
hill, affording an easy means of disposing of the snow which may accu¬
mulate on the track during the winter storms, is an answer to the
principal objection to this line.
The nature and extent of the traffic between California and Nevada is
well known. Statistics concerning it have been so frequently published
that I deem it unnecessarv to enter into an elaborate estimate of the
amount of business which will be done by your road. It is sufficient to
say that careful estimates show that the earnings would be very large,
and will return a liberal interest on the capital invested.
My thanks are due Mr. Thos. J. Arnold, principal assistant engineer,
who had sole charge of the location. Tho accuracy and rapidity of the
survey will best attest his ability and energy.
Respectfully submitted. y
FRANCIS A. BISHOP,
Chief Engineer S. F. and W. R. R.
LETTER
OF
L. ROBINSON
LETTER OF L. L. ROBINSON, C. E.,
ON TRANSMOUNTAIN RAILWAYS.
Sacramento, February 3d, 1865.
To Chas. A. Sumner and Henry Epstein,
Chairmen Committees on Railroads, Legislature of Nevada:
Dear Sirs—On my return from San Francisco this a. m., I am placed
in possession of your favor of twenty-eighth ultimo, requesting me to
appear before your committee. I regret exceedingly to say that my
business engagements at San Francisco this coming week are of such a
nature as to preclude me from complying with your request. I suppose
the matter at issue will be closed one way or the other before my return
from the Bav would enable me to reach Carson.
So far as the merits of the question at issue are concerned, I think
your resolution* is equitable and right, and only regret that sufficient
time will not be allowed your Committee to enable you to familiarize
yourselves with the enormous obstacles in the way of building any rail¬
way across the mountains.
I l^new Mr. Judah well; have known him for many years previous to
*Mr. Robinson refers to the "Epstein resolutions," which had been introduced in the
Assembly, and which read as follows :
"Whereas, The speedy completion and establishment of railway communication between
the navigable waters of the Pacific and the Mining Districts of Nevada is vitally important
to the interests of this State ; therefore, be it
"Besolved, by the Assembly, the Senate concurring, That our Senators be, and are hereby
instructed, and our Representees in Congress be requested, to use Lheir utmost endeavors to
secure the passage of a law by Congress giving the sum of ten miillon dollars ($10,000,000), in
United States bonds, at dates of thirty years or less, to such corporation as shall first complete
aline of railway, and establish the same in perfect running order, without break or interval of
stage transportation, between the navigable waters of the Sacramento river and the eastern
slope of the Sierra Nevada.
"Resolved, That his Excellency the Governor be requested to transmit a copy of these reso¬
lutions to each of our Senators and to our Representative in Congress, by telegraph."
These resolutions passed the Assembly on the twentieth of February, one thousand eight
hundred and sixty-five, by the following vote :
Ayes—Brown, Bien, Carey, Cutter, Denson, Epstein, Hinckley, Hawkins, Mayhugh, Mc.
Keeby, Nichols, Parker, Rosenblatt, Rigby, Small, Sine, St. Clair, Toombs, Wellington—19,
Noes—Bearss, Beck, Bolan, Bishop, Bond, Dunn, Greeley, Haskell, Lee, Myrick, Patten,
Shackleford, Smith, Walter, Young, Tozer—16.
The same passed the Senate on the twenty-seventh of February, by the following vote :
Ayes Clagett, Doron, Haines, Hobart, James, Lockwood, Proctor, Seely, jSlingerland,
Sumner, Thompson—11.
Noes—Hutchins, Ives, Kellogg, Lambert, Larrowe, Winton—6.
124
his death; knew of his explorations and examinations across the moun¬
tains; and know he never even rode over the Placerville routes, never
crossed the mountains via American Biver Yalley. The Central Pacific
Bailroad have (according to their own statement) never had a locating
survey across the mountains; and the only maps, profiles and estimates
which were ever made by Mr. Judah were entirely preliminaries ; no
reliance at all can be placed upon the estimates of cost, or anything con¬
nected with that reconnoissance beyond Illinoistown. From Illinoistown
(a point not as near to Virginia as Latrobe) to summit of the Sierra, the
route is truly tremendous. I have been connected with a wagon road
crossing from Dutch Flat to Henness Pass road, and am therefore
familiar with the country. I have had much experience—some twenty-
five years connection with railways—as an engineer; have examined
personally all the engineering works of importance in Europe and the
United States ; have seen much heavy work ; have constructed railways
where the gradation cost over one hundred thousand dollars per mile
for five miles consecutive, and I must confess all my ideas of physical
obstacles in the construction of railways were so completely below the
difficulties to be encountered on route of Central Pacific Bailroad that I
could not conceive any set of men would seriously undertake to construct
a railway over such a country. .
From Illinoistown to Dutch Flat, any railway ifiust encounter work so
costly, and so long a time must be required to construct it, as to weaken -
the hopes of finding capital and patience sufficient to build it. From
Dutch Flat to the Summit is still heavier. From the Summit to Truckee
is worse than all.
The celebrated engineering work built for the Austrian Government—
a railway across the Semmening Alps, from Vienna to Trieste—is a
bagatelle as compared with the projected line via Dutch Flat. I can see
no obstacles in the way to Illinoistown ; but from there it is so heavy,
reports and newspaper publications to the contrary, that even Mr.
Judah became convinced the route was a hopeless one, and on his return
from Washington, after the franchise was granted, urged the advisability
of not fixing the route of the road until he or the Company could exam¬
ine other routes ; and he opposed the location as it now exists. The
fixing the route of the road where it is was the cause of his leaving the
service of the Company ; for when he went to New York the last time
he had left the service of the Company, and never intended to re-enter
it. They gave him one hundred thousand dollars of their first mortgage
bonds (which he left in his will) in order that he should not state what
his examinations led him to know was the fact, that the Dutch Flat
route was a hopeless one.
Judah possessed no interest in the wagon road ; the Directors did ;
and the wagon road ruled the location, regardless entirely of the merits
of the route for a railroad.
Had your committee time, and could the maps, etc., of the Central
Pacific Bailroad be brought before you, with an expert to examine them,
and with jthe field notes of the surveys, you would readily comprehend
why I write so plainly about that route.
The Company themselves (see Bogers' Report) say they have no loca¬
ting survey beyond Illinoistown. Yet their engineers have made one,
or had made one long before Bogers' questions, for I examined the stakes
along the line ; and my engineering experience leaves me no other view
of the case, than that they found the work so heavy they dare not make
public the results of the location.
125
Mr. Bishop's survey, (Placerville route,) I have seen. It has been
closely and carefully made, and may be relied upon with much certainty,
so far as one line of surveys can exhibit anything. I cannot doubt but the
adoption of the same maximum grades and minimum radius of curva¬
ture on Mr. Bishop's route as is adopted on Dutch Flat route would very
materially cheapen the cost and expedite the completion of the work
on the former route.
So far as the geography of the routes is concerned, the Placerville
route certainly subserves the interests of the State of Nevada far better
than the Central Pacific .Railroad. The latter is forced to descend the
Truckee drainage, and so passes to the north of even Virginia, requiring
a railroad some forty miles long to reach Virginia; as it becomes neces¬
sary to cross near to the Carson drainage before a railroad can ascend to
Virginia. From the Truckee, the Central Pacific Railroad route runs
north of Reese River, and the two routes would not converge until they
reached a point far to the eastward of Reese River. The Placerville
route, if they adopt the Luther's Pass route, which is known to be
highly practicable, and descend the Carson Canon to the valley, would be
in proximity to the most densely populated portions of your State—
would pass north of Esmeralda and Walker River districts, would
accommodate the Owens River district, pass through the capital of the
State, within six or seven miles of Virginia, through Dayton and Reese
River, and would be much more available and desirable to the State than
any other route.
I am so much an advocate of a Pacific Railroad that I would gladly
advocate any route which could be built; but I am opposed to "going it
blind" upon the verbal representations of a set of men that they are in
possession of the only route across the mountains, and lay everybody
under contribution to aid in buiiding a railroad far enough into the
mountains to turn all the freight and travel upon their wagon road.
Even then, if it were the most available and feasible route across the
mountains, I would advocate it and contribute to it cheerfully. But
feeling assured, as I do, that a road cannot be built upon that route with
any reasonable expenditure of capital, or within any reasonable time, I
am in favor of an examination of all routes; and when the best one is
found, am in favor of it. The policy of your new State in this particular
should be, I think, to offer the largest bonus you can in aid of any rail¬
road that first reaches your State line; such a policy can hurt no interest
except the Central Pacific Railroad. It stimulates competition, offers
inducements to enterprise and capital, sets engineers at work to find the
best route; and under such a policy, you may rest assured, your State
will have a railway connection with this State very much quicker than
by any other mode. With such a policy one thing is certain—the short¬
est and cheapest route will be found, and the one that takes least time in
construction.
From my intimate acquaintance with Mr. Judah, and my experience
of thç value to be placed on his estimates of cost, coupled with my own
knowledge of the country to be passed over by the Central Pacific Rail¬
road, I feel well assured that no reliance can be placed upon his original
estimates of cost upon that route. If these were to be trebled, I think
they would still be below the result. His survey (I saw his plans in his
office often) were not of a character to base any estimate of cost upon.
His maps and profiles were what is known among engineers as " con¬
structed," that is, " projected;" and I challenge, openly, the production
126
of any field notes, plans, or estimates, upon which thi estimates were
published to the world.
As you may not be in possession of facilities for ascertaining the cost
per mile of some of the railroads in the United States, which have been
above the average, I inclose you a memorandum of cost, as published in
their reports, of some twenty or more railroads, showing the actual Cost
per mile as built in the East, where labor and material were less than
one half the cost here, even before the war; also showing approximately
what the same amount of work would have cost in this State.
By glancing your eye over the list you will easily see that not a rail¬
road among them crosses any mountain range at all to be compared with
the Sierra. The highest summit reached by any one of the roads in
the list is, probably, the Pennsylvania Central .Railroad or the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad. The highest point reached by either is not one third
the hight of the summit reached by the Central Pacific Railroad, nor
were the physical Obstacles encountered on any one of the roads in the
list at all to be compared with those to be encountered by the Central
Pacific Railroad ; for we find none oil the list I send which would cost in
California less than one hundred and twenty thousand dollars per mile.
My firm conviction is, that the Central Pacific Railroad will cost two
hundred and fifty thousand to three hundred thousand dollars a mile
before it is completed to the Truckee, stocked and equipped as a first
class railroad.
Much stress is laid upon the fact that the Central Pacifie RaHroad
have some twenty miles of iron on hand. The " Placerville " have fully
that amount also on hand in California. It should be borne in mind that
while on ordinary railroads the cost of iron, etc., is a very important
item in the cost of roads, and when once provided is deemed a great
element of success ; on the Central Pacific Railroad the cost of iron is
so small a portion of the cost as not to become at all essential in the
completion of the work. So far as the Placerville route and the Sacra¬
mento Yalley Railroad are concerned, they have thus far progressed
from private means ; and by so doing, are, I am sorry to say, looked
upon almost as public enemies. Yet we expect to keep at it, and all we
ask is a fair show; and if your State is willing to help a railroad, she
may (if you please) pile up her contribution at the State line, and the
first locomotive which reaches it shall carry it away. This is all the con¬
dition we ask; and if private enterprise and capital do not bring the
bonus away, then we are satisfied that another enterprise should take it.
Yours, respectfully,
L. L. ROBINSON,
Civil Engineer.
127
COMPARATIVE COSTS OF RAILROAD CONSTRUCTION.
[Same roads would cost in California, allowing difference in cost of
labor and materials, as per statement below. L. L. E.]
RAILROADS.
Boston and Worcester
Western ,...i ....
Boston and Providence ... ..
Fitch burg
Boston and Lowell
Boston and Maine
Eastern
Baltimore and Ohio
Camden and Amboy
New Jersey
Warren
New York/and Erie
Hudson Eiver
p
New York Central
Harlem
Delaware, Lackawana and W'n
Pennsylvania Central
Heading
Vermont Central
Grand Trunk, Canada
Great Western
Panama
COST PER MILE.
$100,000
80,000
75,000
70,000
100,000
60,000
100,000
70,000
100,000
801000
80,000
85,000
75,000
90,000
70,000
70,000
90,000
150,000
75,000
75,000
100,000
170,000
COST IN OALIE A.
$20.0,000
160,000
150,000
150,000
200,000
120,000
200,000
150,000
200,000
160,000
160,000
170,000
150,000
180,000
140,000
140,000
180,000
800,000
150,000
150,000
200,000
170,000
r> TP T> T V"
Jrt Jdj Jlt I j JC
OF
LET,AWT) STANFOBD, PBES'T C. P. B. E. CO.
TO
LETTER OF L. L. ROBINSON.
18»
LELAND STANFORD'S REPLY
TO THE LETTER OF L. L. ROBINSON.
Office of the Central Pacific Ratlroad Company, )
Sacramento, February 14, 1865. J
To the Hon. C. A. Sumner and H. Epstein,
Chairmen of Railroad Committees :
Gentlemen:—Recently I received a printed copy of a letter dated
Februarjr third, directed to you, purporting to have been signed by one
L. L. Robinson, of this city, containing charges against this Company,
of which I have been President since its organization. Recently, and
since the death of T. D. Judah, Esq., the late Chief Engineer of this
Company, I have heard rumors of a similar character, and emanating
from the same and kindred sources, but this is the first time they have
appeared in a tangible form, so that they could be fairly met. Lest
your committees, who may not be aware of the true facts, should be mis¬
led by the numerous falsehoods in that letter, and especially as a matter
of justice to the memory of Mr. Judah, it is proper that it should not
be suffered to pass without notice.
robinson the enemy of judah.
Mr. Robinson states that he was intimately acquainted with Mr.
Judah, and seeks to convey the impression that he was his confidential
• friend. Such, at least, was not the case during Mr. Judah's connection
with our Company. From the time Mr. Judah entered the service of
this Company in one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, our relations
were necessarily very intimate, and I know, as do others of his personal
friends, that he regarded Mr. Robinson as his bitterest enemy. He often
referred to previous railroad transactions, both in this State and Florida,
in which he claimed that the latter had wronged him, of the truth of
which, however, I know nothing, except what I learned from Mr. Judah.
But of this I am certain, that while Mr. Judah was in the employ of this
Company, Mr. Robinson was the last man he would have selected as a
confidant, or even as friend.
judah recommended the route.
I am certain that he never told Mr. Robinson, or any other person,
that the route selected by this Company for their railroad "was a hôpeless
132
one," or that he " opposed the location as it now exists," for Mr. Judah
was a truthful man, and such a statement would have been a falsehood.
Mr. Judah never opposed the route as located, but always recommended
it in the strongest terms, and it was upon the strength of that recom¬
mendation, officially made as our Chief Engineer, that the present route
was selected. And on this point 1 will say, that there was no dissenting
voice among the Directors in making the location, nor have they, at any
time since, entertained the least doubt of the wisdom of that selection.
The location was not made until after a personal examination by several
of the Directors, of that and various other routes mentioned in Mr.
Judah's report.
HIS REPORTS PROVE IT.
In that letter Mr. Robinson endeavors to implicate Mr. Judah in an
attempt to practice one of the basest of frauds. He tells you that the
latter knew that the route thus selected was impracticable. This charge
is made in the face of the fact, that Mr. Judah had published to the
world, in various reports over his own signature, as the Chief Engineer
of this Company, in which he recommends this very route in the
strongest terms, and not content with a mere recommendation, he fully
sets forth its peculiar advantages in detail, and the reasons why it was
to be preferred to other routes.
HIS REASONS GIVEN.
These reasons will be found on pages ten and eleven of his report,
made in October, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, and are as
follows :
THE PROMINENT FEATURES OF THIS LINE MAY BE BRIEFLY ENUMERATED AS FOLLOWS*.
First. It crosses the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and reaches the
Truckee River in one hundred and twenty-three, and State line in one
hundred and forty-five miles from Sacramento.
Second. Big Bend of Truckee, or Humboldt Desert, is reached in one
hundred and seventy-eight miles.
Third. It crosses the State at nearly its narrowest width.
Fourth. It pursues nearly a direct course from Sacramento to the Big
Bend of Truckee.
Fifth. It forms a local road for the counties of Sacramento, Placer
and Nevada.
Sixth. It commands and will perform the entire business of Nevada
Territory, Washoe, and the silver mineral region.
Seventh. It will also command the business of the newly discovered
Humboldt mineral district, Pyramid Lake, Esmeralda, and Mono min¬
eral districts.
Eighth. It crosses the Truckee Meadows at the head of Steamboat
O fi
Yalle}7, which, with Washoe Yalley and Eagle Yalley, connects with
Carson Yalley, enabling a branch road, with light grades, to be built to
any point on Carson River.
Ninth. It reaches eastern base of Sierra Nevada in eleven and one
balf miles from Summit.
Tenth. It follows the valley of Truckee River, without obstacle, to
Big Bend, or Humboldt Desert.
133
Eleventh. It entirely avoids the second summit of Sierra Nevada.
Twelfth. Its maximum grades are one hundred and five feet per mile,
or less than those of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad.
Thirteenth. The grades down the Truekee will not exceed forty feet
per mile.
Fourteenth. The elevation of line is maintained, continuously to the
summit—there being no down grade running easterly to Summit.
Fifteenth. A* uniformly descending grade is maintained from the
summit easterly to the Truekee, or eastern base.
Sixteenth. Encounters no elevated plateau of table-land at Summit.
Seventeenth. Running to and from Summit with maximum grades,
cannot have an extensive snow-line.
Eighteenth. Runs through extensive forests of pitch and sugar pine,
fir, cedar, and tamarac, which latter two species of timber are abundant,
and will furnish excellent cross-ties.
Nineteenth. Crosses no deep river canons or gorges.
Twentieth. Its longest tunnel will not exceed one thousand three
hundred and fifty feet in length, and no shafting will be required.
Twenty-first. Shortest radius of curvature, five hundred and seventy-
three feet.
Twenty-second. Navigable waters of Sacramento River at all seasons
of the year its western terminus; Washoe and the Grand Basin its east¬
ern terminus.
Twenty-third. At Big Bend of Truekee, the line is in position to pro¬
ceed via the Humboldt to Salt Lake, or follow the Simpson route to
same point.
Twenty-fourth. Saving in distance over route via Madelin Pass and
head waters of Sacramento, as surveyed by Lieutenant Beckwith, from
Lassen's Meadows, or Humboldt crossing, one hundred and eighty-four
miles.
Twenty-fifth. Saving in cost of Pacific Railroad line, taking Lieuten¬
ant Beckwith's estimate from Lassen's Meadows, or Humboldt crossing,
as compared with cost of present proposed line, in thirteen and one half
millions of dollars. ,
Twenty-sixth. Reduces the time of passenger transit to and from
Washoe to eight and one half hours. Passengers leaving Virginia
station at five o'clock a. m., will reach San Francisco the same evening.
Twenty-seventh. Saving in cost of transportation of freight to citi¬
zens of Washoe or Nevada Territory, one millions of dollars per year.
Twenty-eighth. Affords a market for low class silver ores (now
thrown aside), for shipment to Europe, from over three thousand mining
claims.
Twenty-ninth. Is advantageously located for an extension to Oregon.
Thirtieth. Completes first western link of Pacific Railroad, overcom¬
ing its greatest difficulties.
So, also, in his report of one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three,
he sets forth at length the comparative merits of the different routes ex¬
amined by him, and conclusively establishes the superiority of the route
selected.
robinson charges judah with fraud.
If Mr. Robinson's statement is true, then Mr. Judah, in making this
report, thus recommending that route, was guilty of a willful falsehood,
13é
and perpetrated a deliberate fraud upon this Company and the public;
and he carried out the fraud, and imposed upon the members of Con¬
gress and the National Government, in laboring for the passage of the
Pacific Railroad bill, and using his surveys, maps and profiles for that
purpose.
HE CHARGES HIM WITH CORRUPTION
To add still further to the malignancy of his statement, he charges
that Mr. Judah obtained from the Company one hundred thousand dol¬
lars of its bonds," not to expose this, his own, villainous fraud. The state¬
ment as thus made virtually refutes itself, for if he had been guilty of
such deceit, of such a stupendous fraud upon the Company, upon the
Government, and the public, he certainly would have kept it secret, for
who so interested as himself to conceal it? Above all, he would never
have disclosed it to his deadliest enemy, or the Company who would be
so greatly injured.
THE BASENESS OF THESE CHARGES.
Happily, Mr. Judah's character as an engineer, respecting which he
was peculiarly sensitive, and as a man of integrity, stands too high to
be reached by such infamous assaults. His friends will read these
charges with astonishment, if they can be astonished at anything coin¬
ing from such a source. These charges are made after he has been laid
in the silent tomb. They never would have been made if he was
living. The author of these base charges stands, by his own confession,
in no enviable position, having participated, by his silence for years, in
covering up the alleged fraud. IJe stamps his own character with in¬
famy, while attempting to stab that of the dead.
CHARGE OF BRIBERY *DENIED.
As to the charge that Mr. Judah received from this Company one hun¬
dred thousand dollars of its bonds, to induce him to conceal his own
fraud, or for any other purpose, it is absolutely false, and without even a
shadow of foundation. The Company paid him a liberal salary for his
valuable services as their Chief Engineer. That salary was paid in the
stock of the Company, and in cash, but none of it in bonds. Whatever
bonds he may have held, were obtained in private transactions with
other persons, with which transactions the Company had nothing to do.
So, also, the statement that he left the service of the Company is equally
false, as he continued its Chief Engineer up to his death.
ROBINSON NOT SATISFIED WITH SURVEYS.
Mr. Robinson, it appears, is not satisfied with the character of the sur¬
veys made by this Company. They were not made to satisfy him, or at
his suggestion, request or advice, nor did he pay a cent to have them
made. They were made for, and under the direction of, this Company,
who paid large sums to have the work well done. The first one was made
under directions to make a thorough, accurate, instrumental survey of a
route for a railroad over the mountains, and especially of all points where
serious difficulties might be expected ; a survey upon which railroad cap-
talists could rely in investing their money. Mr. Judah carried out these
135
instructions to the satisfaction of the officers and stockholders of the
Company, to the satisfaction of Congress, of the best railroad capitalists
and engineers of the Atlantic States, and especially to the satisfaction
of the public, who were gratified at learning that a practicable route
had been found over the dreaded Sierras. But Mr. Bobinson is not sat¬
isfied, and we are not surprised at it.
STOCKHOLDERS AND CAPITALISTS ARE SATISFIED.
The stockholders of this Company, some of whom have invested large
sums in the enterprise, and Eastern capitalists have not hesitated to take
hold of the work, confident that the route is not only entirely practica¬
ble, but a remarkably good one for such a mountainous region. These
men are acting upon a thorough knowledge of the facts, but Mr. Robin¬
son, without that knowledge, and upon very slight information, ex¬
presses his dissatisfaction with the surveys made by this Company,
which include the only thorough instrumental railroad survey ever made
over the Sierra Nevada mountains to the valleys beyond, all others be¬
ing only limited in their extent. He admits the fact of this survey hav¬
ing been made, for lie says he " examined the stakes along the line," but
he seems to have been appalled by the " physical obstacles " to be en¬
countered. Then let him stand aside for those not so easily frightened.
It is not surprising that one whose practical railroad experience has
been confined to a road over a level plain, should not be fitted to encoun¬
ter rugged rocks and hills.
CHALLENGE MET AND REFUTED.
But he goes further, and challenges the production of any field notes,
plans or estimates, upon which Mr. Judah's reports were made. If he
means by this to say that there are none, then he asserts another false¬
hood. He, of course, writes without any personal knowledge, for he has
never stepped foot inside of our Engineer's office. But the field notes,
maps, plans, profiles and estimates, not only of that first survey by Mr.
Judah, but of several other surveys, are there carefully preserved, and
can be examined by any gentleman who may be interested in the
matter.
FALSE STATEMENTS TO GOVERNOR NYE.
In this connection 1 will state that one of your U nited States Senators?
Governor Nye, wThen on his way to Washington, called at this office and
stated that he had been told that this Company had made no survey
over the mountains. It afforded us a great pleasure to exhibit to him all
the original notes of that survey, with the maps and profiles prepared
under Mr. Judah's direction. He declared that he was perfectly satis¬
fied, and in strong language expressed his contempt for men who could
fabricate and circulate such base falsehoods.
ROBINSON DON'T LIKE THE ESTIMATES.
He also finds fault with Mr. Judah's estimates of the cost of the work.
The latter had the means of making the estimates, while the former
knows nothing about it. His main point is that, as the road passes over
a summit seven thousand feet high, greatly exceeding that of any other
railroad in the United States, its cost must be proportionably great. In
136
this he shows his ignorance of engineering. The altitude of the sum¬
mit affects the grade of a road, but not necessarily its cost. If the
slope of the Sierras was a uniform plane from the base to the sum¬
mit, while the grade would be heavy, the cost of construction would
be no greater than over a plain surface in the valley. It is the
irregularities of the surface and the presence of rock which makes
a railroad expensive, and these may exist as wrell in a valley as on
a mountain side, The slopes of the Sierras are rough and rocky,
and therefore the work upon that portion of the Pacific Bailroad
located over it, is expensive—but the total rise and fall in ascending to
the summit of seven thousand feet, and descending to the valleys be¬
yond, is only eight thousand eight hundred feet, while the Baltimore and
Ohio Bailroad, in surmounting a summit elevation of only two thousand
seven hundred feet, rises and falls seven thousand feet. This difference
is due to the fact that there is very little undulatory grade upon the
Central Pacific line.
his estimates false.
Mr. Bobinson, in saying that the Central Pacific Bailroad will cost
two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to three hundred thousand dol¬
lars per mile, states what is not true, and is speaking of a matter respect¬
ing which he has no knowledge and no reliable information. His state¬
ments of the points where the greatest expense will be incurred, betray
his gross ignorance of the whole matter. Thus, he says, that the most
expensive part of the line is from the summit to the Truckee Biver,
while, with the exception of about one mile, immediately at the summit,
no extraordinary difficulties are met with on that part of the route.
judah's estimates correct.
When Mr. Judah estimated the work at about ninety thousand dollars
per mile, he came near the truth, as he had the data from which to make
his calculations. The recent surveys (which have been more full and
accurate than the first made), as well as the known cost of the work
already completed, confirm the accuracy of the original estimates of Mr.
Judah, and any increase in the expense is accounted for in the increased
cost of material and labor, caused by the war and other unanticipated
events.
false statement of cost of railroads.
He attaches to his letter a statement of the cost of several Eastern
railroads. He does not state the source from whence he made that com¬
pilation, but the tables in the office of this Company show that his state¬
ment is grossly incorrect. Thus, he states that the cost of the Boston
and Worcester, the Eastern and the Great (Western Bailroads each at
one hundred thousand dollars per mile, while the tables show that the
first cost sixty-four thousand six hundred and fifty-nine dollars, the
second fifty-five thousand six hundred and fifty-nine dollars, and the third
twenty-three thousand one hundred and fifty-one dollars. A man who
can thus wilfully falsify well known facts, is unworthy of belief in any
of his statements. It is equally untrue that the cost of labor and mate¬
rial in California is double that of the Atlantic States. The object of
these gross misstatements is obviously to prove that it is impossible, with
137
any reasonable outlay of time and money, to build any railroad over the
mountains, for it is evident that the cost over anv other route would be
7 %/
as great, if not greater.
robinson's motives.
I can well understand why he is anxious to have the Pacific Railroad
appear impracticable. He is the holder of a large amount of the stock
of the Sacramento Valley Railroad, a road which probably would not sell
to-day for the amount of the incumbrances upHm it. And the construc¬
tion of the Pacific Railroad, or even its extension twelve miles east of its
present terminus, will so divert the trade from that road, that it will
hardly pay necessary expenses. It is his interest, therefore, to delay as
much as possible the construction of the National Railroad, that he and
his friends may retain the monopoly of the Nevada trade. To accom¬
plish this he hesitates not to villify the dead as well as the living, to fal¬
sify the most notorious facts, and to scatter broadcast the most slander¬
ous articles. He hopes thus to induce legislation injurious to the national
"work, and prevent capitalists from investing their means in the greatest
enterprise of the age. Indeed, he has the audacity in this very letter to
advise the Legislature of Nevada to adopt a policy, which he admits will
"hurt" the Central Pacific Railroad, a part of the nation's great high¬
way.
determination to build the road.
Rut, as has already been shown, bis statements as to the impractica¬
bility of the route adopted for the Pacific Railroad, are not entitled to
the least weight. I assure you and the people of Nevada, who are so
deeply interested in this question, that it is entirely practicable, and that,
too, without requiring any exorbitant outlay of money. The time re¬
quired to complete it will depend upon the means within the control of
the company, and its ability to procure money upon its securities. * Our
enemies are laboring hard, utterly reckless of means employed, to pre¬
vent us from obtaining money, and if the Legislature of Nevada should
see fit to aid them in their schemes, and indorse their policy, it may pos¬
sibly result in delaying the completion of the national road. But what¬
ever course may be adopted by others, the public may rest assured that
this company intend to build the road, and that too as speedily as possi¬
ble with the means they can command. Men who openly declare such
a road impracticable, will, of course, never seriously attempt it. Con¬
vinced, as we are, of its entire feasibility, we shall devote all our ener¬
gies to the work.
wagon road falsehooitdENIED.
He tells you the wagon road ruled the location of the railroad, a change
I most emphatically deny. In making this charge, he again betrays his
ignorance of facts, for the wagon road was not commenced, nor the
wagon road company organized, until long after the railroad was located.
It was constructed because it was necessary for the railroad. Without
it the railroad, until completed, could only have done a local business.
With it, it is already fully prepared to compete successfully for the
Washoe trade.
138
FALSEHOODS ABOUT SURVEYS EXPOSED
He says that this company has no located survey beyond Illinoistown,
and refers to Rogers' Report to confirm this charge. That statement is
false, as is nearly every statement in that report of Rogers'. Robinson,
indeed, admits its falsity, by telling you he has examined the stakes.
But he charges that the company " found the work so heavy they dare
not make public the results of the location." In this, he again states a
falsehood, for the results of the survey were published to the world in
the report of our Acting Chief Engineer, S. S. Montague, Esq., made on
the eighth day of October last, copies of which we sent your committee.
It will be found fully set forth on pages thirteen to sixteen of that re-,
port.
Mr. Robinson says he knows that Mr. Judah "never even rode over
the Placerville routes." I am informed by one who is well acquainted
with all his explorations in the mountains, that this is not true; that Mr.
Judah did go over that route, and took the altitudes with an aneroid
barometer; but of this I have no present knowledge. The reason this
company never surveyed that route was because Mr. Judah stated that
from his observations, and the reports of Goddard and other engineers,
he was satisfied that it was impracticable for a railroad, and that it was
useless to expend time and money in making a survey. As stated in our
former letter to your committee, " persons interested in that line pro¬
mised to furnish the company with full information respecting ify but
never did so." Having failed to furnish this information, we presumed
they were satisfied of its impracticability.
LOCATION OF ROUTE TO REESE RIVER.
)
He tells you that the Pacific Railroad route runs north of Reese River.
Mistake again. Ho location has yet been made of the line east of the
Big Bend of the Truckee. If the route by way of Reese River is found
to be*favorable for a railroad, it will undoubtedly be adopted, and there
will not be the least difficulty in taking that route from the present ter¬
minus of the location.
CENTRAL PACIFIC ROUTE THE SHORTEST >ND BEST.
He says that Illinoistown is not as near Virginia as Latrobe. Here
he is again mistaken, as a glance at any map will show; that is, if any
map can be found with Latrope correctly marked on it. The stages are
daily disproving it, for last summer they made the trip from Newcastle,
twenty-three miles west of Illinoistown, to Virginia, in from four to six
hours less time than those from Latrobe, and during the winter it has
been made most of the time in about twenty-four hours less staging.
Numerous other falsehoods and misstatements might be pointed out
in this, in some respects, remarkable letter, but I deem it unnecessary.
Enough has-been shown to determine its character, and a more full ex¬
amination would only weary your patience.
In conclusion, I would state that this company opposes no railroad en¬
terprise on this coast, but, on the contrary, seeks to be friendly with all.
Wo regard Nevada as affording one of the best markets for the agricul¬
tural productions and manufactures of California, and the Pacific Rail¬
road will afford the facilities imperiously demanded by that trade.
139
Every railroad built in California, by cheapening the cost of transporta¬
tion of property, lessens its cost, and enables your people to purchase
more largely. In that way every railroad constructed is a benefit to the
Pacific .Railroad. Even the Latrobe Railroad will, without doubt^ ulti¬
mately become a feeder to it.
LELAND STANFORD,
Pres't C. P. R. R. Co.
STATEMENT OF CHARLES CROCKER.
In addition to the foregoing reply, I will add that Mr. Judah, in his
lifetime, exhibited to me a letter from L. L. Robinson to him, in which
he, Robinson, stated that unless the Central Pacific Railroad Company
purchased his interest in the Sacramento Valley Railroad upon his own
terms, which he fixed at an extravagant price, that he would throw
every obstacle in our way that he could ; that he, Judah, was well aware
of the difficulties in the way of building railroads in California, with no
opposition, and all interests favorable to it, but with the active opposi¬
tion of his company, wielding a money influence of thirty thousand
dollars per month, we could not hope to succeed ; and that he, Robinson,
would wield that influence with all his power and energy against the
company, both here and at the East, unless they complied with his terms.
The company did not purchase his interest, and he has been fulfilling his
threat ever since, and has done his utmost, hesitating at no means which
he thought would accomplish his object.
CHAS. CROCKER.
A. 1ST S "W* E R
OF
. L. ROBINSON, c.
TO THE
LETTER OF LËLAND STANFORD.
ANSWER OF L. L. ROBINSON TO LE LAND STANFORD
Sacramento, February 23d, 1865.
To the Hon. Charles A. Sumner and Henry Epstein,
✓
Chairmen Committees on Railroads, Nevada Legislature :
Gentlemen—I suppose the recent pamphlet published by Leland Stan¬
ford, in his official capacity as President of the Central Pacific .Railroad
Company, calls for an answer; and although I have other matters to
attend to, of more importance than this, still, as 3^our committee pub¬
lished my first letter, I answer the pamphlet, seriatim.
"robinson the enemy of judah."
It may be so, but, if so, I know it not; nor did my brother, J. P.
Kobinson, with whom'Mr. Judah conferred freely and confidentially
previous to his dissolving his connection with the Company,—and in fact
but for the advice personal, of my brother to Judah, he would have left
the service of the Company much poorer than he entered. So fas as my
railroad knowledge of him extended, it was long and intimate. I never
built a railroad in Florida ; although Mr. Judah, through his brother,
became interested in one there, and in one of my various visits to
Europe, I took with me his memoranda, to endeavor to induce English
capital to undertake it. I never charged him anything for my trouble
or expenses. The enterprise did not succeed, and I never until now
learned that Mr. Judah bad other than grateful feelings to me for the
part I took in it. I was his choice to undertake the negotiations, and
did not succeed, and the road was never built.
"judah recommended the route."
When Mr. Judah undertook the first exploration across the mountains
he was in our employ, and we paid him for his services, and so knew as
much as could be known of his discoveries. His explorations developed
the fact, that a railroad could be built across the mountains,—nothing
more; and while his plans, estimates and profile, "constructed" from his
examinations, were being made out, (which he took to Washington when
he procured the franchise.) I was frequently in his office and saw them of¬
ten, and knew well how they were " constructed " or " projected." I also
know further, that after he returned to California, subsequent to the pro-
143
curement of the franchise, he was unwilling to locate the road where it now
is. In fact, when ^he Board did fix the location so as to accomodate the
wagon road, Mr. Judah was forced to change his line of survey from its
original projection, crossing the California Central Eailroad near Lincoln,
to the present crossing at Eoseville. Mr. Huntington and Mr. Marsh—
so Mr. Marsh informed me—personally explored, or rather went through,
the Feather Eiver route. Mr. Judah favored that route, and Mr. Hun¬
tington opposed it. Mr. Huntington carried his point, and the road is
located on its present impracticable route.
I am under the impression, from good sources, that no other route was
ever examined by any of the directors in company with Mr. Judah.
How many were examined by "several of the Directors," not in com¬
pany with Mr. Judah, I am unable to say; but as all the Directors of
the Central Pacific Eailroad and the owners of Dutch Flat Wagon Road
are, by education and practice, civil engineers of high standing, their
explorations and examinations must have been of a most highly scien¬
tific and satisfactory character. Had their scientific researches been
published to the world, the result would doubtless have been conclusive
in all things, and no question could possibly have ever arisen afterwards
as to the " best route ;" for who can doubt that men of such large
mathematical attainments could be mistaken. Perhaps Mr. Stanford
will publish to an ignorant and deluded people the result of these extra¬
ordinary explorations, which were so thorough and convincing that they
determined the fact of but one route across the Sierras, and that via
Dutch Flat Wagon Eoad.. I fully agree, that after such thorough exam¬
ination as these gentlemen must have given to the numerous routes
across the Sierras, and their convincing report upon this simple question,
there was just cause for unanimity in the Board on the location. It is,
of course, not for a moment to be supposed that the Directors who
located the road with so much unanimity could for an instant be swayed
by their ownership of the wagon road. They must have acted entirely
from the scientific reports of ".several of the Directors," based upon
their personal examination of that, and the various other routes men¬
tioned in Mr. Judah's report.
" HIS REPORTS PROVE IT."
I simply state they do no such thing. "His reasons given," if they
were true, were unanswerable ; but I again repeat that neither his ex¬
plorations nor surveys were brought in competition with any other
route, and so far as his thirty reasons published were concerned, I am
willing to grant the correctness of them as a general proposition con¬
nected with any route across the mountains, but am not willing to grant,
nor can I anywhere discern in the thirty reasons, any comparison with
any other route.
"ROBINSON CHARGES JUDAH WITH FRAUD."
I cannot coincide in this view of the case, for I make no such charges.
Mr. Judah simply protected himself, well knowing that under the wagon
road management he could earn neither credit, money, nor fame. He
took the only course left him ; which was, as the Central Pacific Eail¬
road had become a private, close corporation, used for personal ends, and
located for personal ends and gain, to make the most he could out of it
144
and leave the service of the men who controlled it. I feel well assured,
had Mr. Judah had his own engineering way in th.e matter, he would
never have rested until he had found the best route, and built up for himself
a name and reputation which should last as long as the work he was
engaged upon.
" HE CHARGES HIM WITH CORRUPTION."
I simply state the fact, that Mr. Judah left in his will one hundred
thousand dollars of first mortgage bonds of the Company ; or rather he
left fifty thousand dollars in bonds and a bond from Charles Crocker &
Co. for fifty thousand dollars more in bonds/payable when the first fifty
of the road is opened. I do not think his will, as probated, exhibits miles
any stock as among his assets.
«
" CHARGE OP BRIBERY DENIED."
That the Company should pay him liberally for his services was just
and proper; for to Mr. Judah is due the present progress of this great
work, and'it is much to be regretted that his labor, talents, and energy,
should have been so wasted as it is by the wagon road location. I feel
fully convinced that no entrj^ can be found on the books of the Company
(whatever else may be found there,) of a payment to Mr. Judah of
one hundred thousand dollars of bonds. Perhaps the Company can
state how it is, that their sole contractor should owe Mr. Judah so much
money as to give him one hundred thousand dollars of bonds, or give a
bond for even fifty thousand dollars of first mortgage bonds. Mr. Stan¬
ford states that Mr. Judah continued as Chief Engineer of the Com¬
pany up to his death. If this statement is correct, I can only say,
Mr. Huntington is placed in an unpleasant position, as I saw his letters
in Now York stating just the reverse ; and Mr. Holmes, Street Commis¬
sioner and Trustee of the city of Sacramento, told me but a short time
since that Mr. Huntington had given him the same information. I am
under the impression that there is some diversity of opinion as to this
emphatic statement of Mr. Stanford.
(( ROBINSON NOT SATISFIED WTITH THE SURVEY."
I must differ in opinion as to ray not paying anything on account of
of the surveys, etc. The Sacramento Valley Eailroad Company paid
for the original explorations made by Mr. Judah, upon which his first
report was based, and I, with others interested in that Company, and
property in California, have certainly been made to pay roundly in in¬
creased taxes, not only for surveys, but for work on the road at enormous
prices. Contributing as I do to the Central Pacific Railroad, although not
a stockholder, I have a right to find fault if* my money is wasted in
extravagant contracts, large bonuses, bribery in elections, and construc¬
tion of wagon roads to benefit individuals. If the result of careful
locating surveys developed the fact that the Hutch Flat Wagon Road
was the best route, I should be thoroughly satisfied. I simply state that
no such surveys were ever made, and that when made the fact will be
developed that the Hutch Flat route is the worst route, and is in fact
impracticable ; and that the road cannot be built across the mountains
on that route with the maximum grades of one hundred and sixteen feet
per mile, as limited by Congress.
145
" STOCKHOLDERS AND CAPITALISTS SATISFIED."
I
I am under the impression that many stockholders are not satisfied.
Even the Directors themselves (see Bogers' Beport) have deemed it so
good an investment, that they have forgotten to pay for their subscrip¬
tions- If' it is so good a thing, why do they not pay up in full; and why,
if it is so good a thing, do the Company issue mortgage after mortgage and
force counties and cities into furnishing money for them to expend? lam
strongly of the opinion that one need not go far from Sacramento to find
stockholders who are not satisfied. So far as capitalists are concerned,
they are doubtless satisfied so long as they can get first mortgage bonds
guaranteed by the State at one dollars and twenty-five cents in green¬
backs. I am informed that the stockholders who have apparently
invested the largest sums in this enterprise have done it through com¬
missions and contracts. I have yet to learn of a single stockholder in
the East who subscribed to any considerable amount and paid his install¬
ments in money. I am aware that several persons are heavy stockholders,
but am also aware that those who paid money for it would be glad to get
back half of it, and those who took stock for commissions, contracts and
bonuses, would sell at less rate. I do admit a survey was made from
Illinoistown to Dutch Flat (see Bogers' Beport); the Company them¬
selves state none had been made.
" CHALLENGE MET AND REFUTED/'
j'
I again reiterate my statement and challenge, that Mr. Judah, nor n
other person or engineer in employ of the Company, ever made a loca¬
ting survey across the mountains ; and also reiterate the statement that
Mr. Judah's plans were "constructed" or "projected," and that there
has never been but one survey made over the mountains by the Com¬
pany, which was a mere instrumental reconnoissance, and that no reliance
can be placed upon it for estimates or for grades.
" FALSE STATEMENTS TO GOVEROR NYE."
i'i
"v
This is a very imposing heading indeed, and one would suppose it
meant something. So far as I am concerned, I can only say, I am not
that " somebody" who told Governor Nye that this Company had made
no survey over the mountains. I have no doubt but Governor Nye must
have been very much enlightened by an exhibit "to him of all the origi¬
nal notes of that survey, with the maps and profiles prepared under Mr.
Judah's direction "—particularly as "field notes" are such lucid exhibits
that he who runs may read ! The thousands of calculations and masses
of notes which should appertain to a locating survey across the moun¬
tains are so easily understood, that Governor Nye could doubtless at a
glance tell all about them? Perhaps "several of the Directors" had
become so au fait with such matters during their explorations that they
could explain them fully and clearly? But from my knowledge of an
engineer's "field notes," I defy Governor Nye or any other man, not
an expert, to understand them; even with an expert it would be trouble¬
some. So far as the gentleman in question whose name is so conspicu¬
ously paraded is concerned [Governor Nye], I can only say I never spoke
to him but once in my life, and that was the evening previous to his
eaving for Washington.
19a
146
"robinson don't like the estimates."
I certainly do not, for I know how such estimates are made.
Twenty-five years connection with public works as an engineer and con¬
tractor has learned me something about, such matters. If Mr. Judah's
estimates of cost and revenues of Sacramento Yalley Bailroad, which
was built under his engineer's reports and estimates, are to be taken
as a fair basis of comparison, I should say the Central Pacific Bailroad
would cost five hundred thousand dollars a mile.
The clearness with which the engineering statement is made, that
" the altitude of the summit affects the 6grade' of av^oad, but not neces¬
sarily its cost," would lead me to suppose that "several of the Directors"
must have written it. I concede the statement; but it is, without ex¬
ception, a most extraordinaiy coincidence in cost of public works, that
the higher the summit, the more expensive the work necessary to reach
it, for nature, in her wisdom, has seen fit to so arrange mountains that the
higher their summits the more extensive the drainage, and the more
broken and difficult the approach to the summit. I am a little astonished
at the admission, that "the slopes of the Sierras are rough and rocky."
The ingenious mode of putting the comparative statement of the total
rise and fall of seven thousand feet in the Sierras against seven thousand
feet on the Baltimore and Ohio Bailroad, is worthy of high praise, and
must have emanated from " several of the Directors." A plain statement
would read : " The Central Pacific Bailroad rises to summit seven thou¬
sand feet, and there is no fall about it. The Baltimore and Ohio Bailroad
rises three thousand five hundred feet to summit, and falls three thou¬
sand five hundred feet to base of mountains; hence it is half as high as
summit of the Sierras. The truth is, the grades on the Baltimore and Ohio
Bailroad undulate very materially. On the Central Pacific Bailroad they
are all ascending from base to summit. The statement is very ingenious,
but is not frank.
"his estimates ealse."
I state the road will cost two hundred and fifty thousand to three
hundred thousand dollars per mile. Mr. Stanford says it is not true that
such will be the cost. My information^ as good as his. Perhaps "sev¬
eral of the Directors " have made an estimate as his guide ? If so, 1
will yield the point, for who can gainsay an estimate based upon such
genius ? But it is right and proper that if such is the fact, the informa¬
tion should not be enjoyed by him alone. In a few words: the distance
is about one hundred and forty miles to State line. The Company, at its
last annual meeting increased their capital stock ^0,000,000
Their first mortgage, taking precedence of Government, in
round numbers $48,000 per mile, or say 6,000,000
The Government bonds amount to say 6,000,000
The State Aid Bill 1,500,000
San Francisco County 400,000
$33,900,000
Or, in round numbers, two hundred and forty thousand dollars a mile.
If the road is so straight, so level, so cheap, and costs so little, why pro¬
vide on paper such vast sums? If the estimate of eighty thousand
dollars per mile is correct, it would require only about one third of this
vast sum.
147
Let us examine into this matter a little, as to business of road neces¬
sary to pay dividends on such vast sums. To pay seven per cent on say
thirty-four millions dollars, would take a net profit of two millions three
hundred and eighty thousand dollars ; or estimating expense at sixty
per cent, of gross receipts, which will certainly be as low as it can be
be done, will take a business of approximate six millions of dollar a
year. This is equal to a business of about forty-five thousand dollars
per mile per year. A reference to earnings of the roads in the United
States which have the largest gross earnings per mile per year—many
of them double track, with a dense local population and economical in
working, with a vast passenger traffic—shows as follows, to wit:
Boston and Lowell, Mass
Baltimore and Ohio, Maryland
Washington Branch
Eastern Bail road, Maine
Boston and Worcester, Mass
Eitchburg, Mass
New Jersey, New Jersey
Buffalo and State Line, New York
Hudson River, New York
Central, New York
Erie, New York .
Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio
Cleveland, Painsville and Ashtabula, Ohio
Little Miami, Ohio
Delaware, Lackawanna, Western Railroad, Pennsylvania and
New Jersey
Erie and North East, Penn
Pennsylvania, Penn
Reading, Penn
Philadelphia and Trenton, New Jersey
Camden and A m boy, New Jersey
Terre Haute and Richmond, Indiana
Chicago, Burlington and Quincy, Illinois
Galena and Chicago, Illinois
Sacramento Yalley Railroad, California
San Francisco and San José Road, California...
117,500
13,750
15,500
11,000
17,500
8,000
38,000
25,000
25,000
23,000
20,000
11,000
21,500
23,500
15,500
23,000
14,000
31,500
26,500
32,000
. 10,000
9,000
8,500
12,500
7,500
" FALSE ESTIMATE OF COST OF RAILROADS."
Mr. Stanford, in making statement that my table of cost of railroads
was incorrect, and in quoting from records in their office, must have had
the aid of " several of the Directors," who are such thorough engineers
as to determine a-t a glance the best route across the mountains. Out of
a list of over twenty railroads given by me, he has picked out the fol¬
lowing as erroneous, to wit :
" Boston and Worcester," my statement is one hundred thousand dol¬
lars ; Stanford's statement is sixty-four thousand six hundred and fifty-
nine dollars. " Eastern," my statement is one hundred thousand dollars ;
Stanford's statement is fifty-five thousand six hundred and fifty-nine.
" Great Western," my statement is one hundred thousand dollars; Stan-
148
ford's statement is twenty-three thousand one hundred and fifty-one dol¬
lars. Let us examine statistics (see Eailroad Journal) :
"Boston and Worcester," forty-four and six tenths miles long, cost
four million five hundred thousand dollars—per mile one hundred thou¬
sand eight hundred and ninety-six dollars.
"Eastern," forty-four and two tenths miles long, cost four millions
eight hundred and ninety-four thousand one hundred dollars—per mile
one hundred and ten thousand seven hundred and twenty-seven dollars.
" Great Western/' two hundred and twenty-nine miles long, cost
twenty-six millions eighty-four thousand one hundred and eighty dollars
—per mile one hundred and thirteen thousand nine hundred dollars.
Perhaps Mr. Stanford will come again to the charge that my state¬
ments are false. ^
The actual figures are as follows :
" Boston and Worcester," total cost, four millions five hundred thou*
sand dollars. All capital stock. No debt.
" Eastern Railroad/' capital stock three millions. Mortgage debt, one
million eight hundred and thirty-seven thousand six hundred dollars.
Floating debt, fift}r-six thousand five hundred dollars, or a total of four
millions eight hundred 'and ninety-four thousand one hundred dollars.
"Great Western," capital stock sixteen millions eight hundred and
two thousand seven hundred and forty-five dollars. Mortgage, nine mil¬
lions two hundred and eighty-one thousand four hundred and thirty-five
dollars. Total, twenty-six millions eighty-four thousand one hundred 1
and eighty dollars.
If Mr. Stanford's statements about other matters connected with rail¬
roads are no nearer the truth than bis statement of cost, as above, even
his " capitalists and satisfied stockholders" will question the reliability
of his statements.
" robinson's motives"
Mr. Stanford certainly merits the thanks of the community for opening
their eyes to my motives. I think I stated my position clearly to the
Committee on the question of a Pacific Railroad. The little railroad in
which I am interested is fully able to take care of itself; and as we do
not levy contributions on the entire community for our support, no one
has any right or reason to trouble themselves about our business or ex¬
penses. We have built our own road, paid for it, work it to suit our¬
selves. If we lose money on it, it is our loss- and not that of the public.
It has never paid anything to the stockholders so far, and if it never
does, certainly no one but a stockholder can find fault.
" determination to build the road."
Words are cheap and easy to coin. I am frank to say, so far wonder¬
ful genius has been displayed in levying contributions upon all interests
and everybody, and I only regret that the same genius had not been
shown in selecting a route across the mountains instead of dwarfing such
a great project to run it into'a wagon road.
"wagon road falsehood denied."
It is a well known fact that the wagon road is the private property of
the Directors of the Central Pacific Railroad. As to precise dates I am
149
unable to know, but Mr. Jt^ah's first explorations were for a wagon
road ; and when he thought he had a good wagon road route, the rail¬
road was dwarfed into a wagon road feeder. It will never he anything
else, notwithstanding the strenuous statement of determination to build
it, etc., etc.
" FALSEHOODS ABOUT SURVEYS EXPOSED/'
I again repeat that the Company have no locating surveys across the
mountains to State line, and that they have made a locating survey to
Dutch Flat. They stated to Rogers (see his Report) that they made
none. I stated they had made one. Mr. Stanford acknowledges they
have made one. Mr. Rogers swears they told him they had not. I
simply stated what Mr. Stanford now acknowledges to be the fact. I
again repeat, Mr. Judah never made any examination of the Placerville
route ; never even rode over it for that purpose ; never rode over it at
all, until just previous to his last departure for the East, when he passed
over it in a stage coach on a pass furnished him by Mr. McLane.
The reasons given by Mr. Stanford why the Company never surveyed
the route may be very conclusive to him, but as Mr. Judah's observa¬
tions could not have been made en personne, perhaps " several of the
Directors" explored it and settled it to the satisfaction of the owners
of the Dutch Flat Wagon Road. The closing statement (" that persons
interested in that line promised to furnish the Company with full infor¬
mation respecting it, but never did so ; and that having failed to furnish
this information, we presumed they were satisfied of its impracticabil¬
ity,") is very rich indeed. There is a species of quiet humor in it that
is worthy the gentlemen who built the wagon road. A great national
work, crossing the heaviest chain of mountains on this continent, where
millions upon millions must be expended—a work requiring the greatest
possible amount of engineering research and ability—a work which de¬
manded that the best possible route should be found, as the very best is
bad enough—a work which encounters physical obstacles such as are
encountered upon no other work in the world: Is it possible that the
location of such a work was fixed " because persons who promised to
furnish information never did so ?" Are the Central Pacific Railroad
Company not convicted out of their own mouths ? Is not such a state¬
ment sufficient to convince even the warmest friend of the great Pacific
Railroad that this end of it has been dwarfed and strangled to benefit a
few men through a wagon road ? Was ever such a statement published
before ? I feel confident that no more need be said upon the causes
which led to so grave a decision as the location of the greatest work of
the age across a range of mountains where the heaviest ph37sieal obsta¬
cles are to be encountered. It is sufficient to say that the}7 located it
by Dutch Flat Wagon Road because "several of the Directors" explored
other routes, and somebody promised to furnish them information about
some other route who " never did so."
" LOCATION OF ROUTE TO REESE RIVER."
I again reiterate my statement that the present location of the Cen¬
tral Pacific Railroad must carry it so far to the north that it will be ex¬
ceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to reach Reese River or Austin, and
that the two routes will not converge until a point far east of Reese
River is reached.
150
" CENTRAL PACIFIC ROUTE THE SHORTEST AND BEST."
The bare statement is not carried out by facts. I again repeat my
statement that Latrobe is as near Virginia City by any traveled route as
Illinoistown. So tar as stages are concerned, I leave the question of
time to the two companies engaged in it. I simply know that the facts
of the case are directly the reverse. During the winter, for many days
at a time, no connection has been made at all via Dutch Flat route,
whereas via Placerville but two connections have failed. I further know
that the stage passengers from Sacramento or San Francisco to Virginia
always have reached their destination in advance of the other route.
Unless the agents at Virginia City daily state an untruth, it has been
without an exception the case, that the up travel has reached Virginia
in advance of the Dutch Flat route ; and so far as down travel is con¬
cerned, there have been so many times during this winter when no con¬
nection has been made for several days at a time m'a Dutch Flat, that all
our interest in their arrival or departure has ceased.
" STATEMENT OF CHARLES CROCKER."
Mr. Crocker takes pains to state that be saw a letter from me to Mr.
Judah about the sale of the Sacramento Valley Eailroad to the Central
Pacific Eailroad. As he does not state the facts of the case, I will. Not¬
withstanding what Mr. Stanford calls the bitter enmity existing between
Judah and myself, we had considerable correspondence over the matter,
the result of which was, that I proposed to try and bring about a sale of
the Auburn road to that company at its actual cost, taking pay in stock
and bonds, and the sale of the Sacramento Valley Eailroad, also, to them,
at a valuation, taking pay also in stock and bonds, when the Central
Pacific Eailroad was placed beyond the penalties of forfeiture. This
would enable the company to choose the best route over the mountains
—give them a large revenue, and if that route proved the best, they
could commence their work thirty-five miles out from Sacramento, and
so harmonize all interests. I stated at the time, what he well knew
would be the case, that if the Central Pacific Eailroad totally ignored
all present vested interests, and run rival to them, that opposition might
be expected—that I was much in favor of a Pacific Eailroad, and did
not wish to see anything placed in the way of its progress, as it would
expedite the construction of the road to avail themselves of the present
roads constructed, and all interests would harmonize in pushing the work
ahead over the mountains. Mr. Judah was in favor of it, and notwith¬
standing a publication by the Central Pacific Eailroad Company of cost
of changing the road (which was not a correct statement,) it would have
been much more to their interest to have taken it than to have built an
independent road. The statement of the actual cost to the Central Pa¬
cific Eailroad Company, of such consolidation, would have been as
follows :
151
First. 40,000 new cross ties, at 70 cents, deducting sale of
old ones at 25 cents—45
Second. 2,000 tons new rails at $90, deducting $45 for old
rails, etc.—$45 .
Third. Permanent culverts, etc., on line
Fourth. Bridge across American River. ...
Fifth. New engines and cars (or changing of old ones)
Sixth. Buildings, etc., at Sacramento
Total
$18,000
90,000
20,000
40,000
85,000
25,000
$228,000
«
Now to put twenty-two miles of their own road in working order
would cost—
First. The Crocker contract, etc., for eighteen miles, and
four miles additional
Second. The new cross ties on their present line (40,000 at
70 cents)
Third. The new rails on present line (2,000 tons at $90)
Fourth. New engines and cars on present line, (equal to
those on S. V. R. R. at that time
Fifth. Buildings, etc., at Sacramento
Sixth. And for contingencies, etc., on present line ten per
cent, on above items, $e88,000
Total cost of first twenty-two miles of Central Pacific
Railroad, approximation
To reach a point as far removed from Sacramento as the pre¬
sent terminus of the Sacramento Valley Railroad at
Folsom.
$500,000
28,000
180,000
150,000
25,000
88,000
$971,000
As to mortgages, etc., the total amount would not have been any¬
thing like as much as the present total cost of their road to Newcastle.
The truth is, the company presented to the public a statement as a
justification of their Crocker-contract which was not a correct one; for
I unhesitatingly affirm that the entire road to Auburn station, stocked
and equipped as a first class railroad, would have been very much less
than present cost of their road to Newcastle.
I regret to trouble you with so long a statement, but Mr. Stanford's
assertions are loose; and while a rebuttal of them is not important, still
I wish your committee to know, as far as lays in my power, facts, not
personalities ; for it is facts, ,and physical ones at that, which have to be
encountered in constructing a road across the mountains, and my only
wish now is that the best route across the mountains shall be found and
built upon, regardless of men or interests.
Very respectfully,
L. L. ROBINSON.
TESTIMONY
OF
E. A . BEE
TESTIMONY OF F. A. BEE.
SWORN BY CHAIRMAN OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE.
Chairman—-Where do you reside?
Answer—In Plaeerville.
Question—What is your occupation ?
A.-—I have been in the telegraph building for some time past, and lat¬
terly I have been engaged in constructing railroads.
Q.—Have you any information in regard to railroad matters, in con¬
nection with the operations of companies that are, or have been actually
constructing railroads from navigable tide water in the State of Califor¬
nia, to or toward the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and on any proposed
route from California navigable waters to this State ?
A.—I think 1 have.
Q.—Please state?
A.—There is the Freeport branch of the Sacramento Valley Railroad,
of which I have information from the President of the company in re¬
gard to its construction; the purposes for which it was constructed.
The Freeport was built for two purposes, as I understand from the Pres¬
ident of the company, Mr. Bragg. First, to get below the sand bars
that are continually forming in the Sacramento River. Second, to get
rid of opposition or persecution from the interests in Sacramento City
that appeared to be strongly obnoxious to the Sacramento Valley Railroad.
That road is constructed. It is in good running order. It connects, at a
distance of six or seven miles from Sacramento City with the Sacramento
Valley Railroad. Near the town of Folsom, a little below the town, a
little west, the Plaeerville and Sacramento Railroad intersects the Sac¬
ramento Valley Railroad. That road, the Plaeerville road, is constructed
and in good running order to Latrobe, a distance of fifteen miles from
Folsom. There is probably six miles of the road graded from Latrobe,
east. The iron required (twenty-one hundred tons), is mostly in Latrobe
and Freeport—all the iron required for the Plaeerville road. The schoon¬
ers were unloading it two weeks ago, while I was there. The iron Was
purchased in England and shipped from England. It was purchased by
D. N. Barney, of New York, who is a leading railroad man in the East¬
ern States, and interested deeply in the construction of a railroad to the
western boundary of this State, and to this point, to Carson. He acted
as agent of the company in purchasing the iron. The other requisite
material for the construction of this road is mostly on the ground.
156
Q.—Of what road ? State distinctly.
A.—The Latrobe* and Placerville road. The grading will be com¬
pleted to Shingle Springs, nine miles from Placerville, by the middle of
next summer, or the middle of next June. That reaches a point, at
Shingle Springs, nine miles distant from Placerville.
Q.—How far is Latrobe from Placerville ?
A.—It is eighteen miles from Latrobe to Placerville.
Q.—How many tons "of iron is required for the laying of a mile of rail¬
way ?
A.—The iron purchased for this road lays at the rate of one hundred
(100) tons to the mile.
Q.—And there are twenty-one hundred tons of iron on hand owned
by the Placerville and Sacramento Railroad?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—Sufficient to lay twenty-one (21) miles ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—What is the character of The work necessary to be executed be¬
tween Shingle Springs and Placerville, as to grading?
A.—Between Shingle Springs and Placerville there is but one heavy
cut. The grading from Shingle Springs on, is, a great portion of it, what
railroad engineers call " side hill cut." I know of no obstacle in the
way, between Shingle Springs and Placerville, preventive of the speedy
completion of this portion of the work.
Q.—What is the grade of the located road (if you know), from Latrobe
to Placerville, or about the average grade ?
A.—I am not sure as to that. I think it is in the neighborhood of
fort}7 (40) feet to the mile.
Q.—At what time is it contemplated that this road will reach Placer¬
ville ?
A.—In conversation with the Chief Engineer and other officers of the
company respecting this work, they assured me it was their intention
and expectation to have it completed, at the very latest, by the first of
January next; and that opinion was given on the ground that a part of
the material was on the way here, and the}7 could not be certain as to
the particular day or month on which it would arrive. That is to say,
I understood that there had been a neglect to ship, or reship, a large
amount of "chairs" which had been purchased for the road. The iron
was fully and promptly shipped ; but not a sufficient amount of " chairs."
One of the contractors informed me that he thought the grading could
be finished by the first of August.
Mr. Bishop—The grading could be finished by that time?
A.—Yes, sir. The "grading" constitutes the work. The rail can bo
laid on the graded road at the rate of a mile a day. They laid the rail
nearly at that rate from Folsom to'Latrobe. That is the usual rule of
rate of laying, as calculated by railroad contractors.
Q.—What is your information, if any, and what are, or have been,
your means and modes of obtaining such information, in regard to the
intended construction of a railroad over the Sierra Nevadas, from the
terminus of the Sacramento and Placerville Railroad? I refer to the
"San Francisco and Washoe Railroad Company," so called.
A.—My information in regard to the designs of that corporation is in¬
formation which I obtained directly from those interested in the construc¬
tion of the road. I will, if desired, give you that information. I may
be wrong in some particulars; but as to the general outline of what
they propose to do I am posted.
157
Mr. Bishop—Give us the "general outline," then.
A.—Well, Colonel Lewis, once Surveyor General of the State of Cali¬
fornia, informed me that parties were in this State (that was in October
last), representing a large amount of available English capital, seeking
investment in railroad enterprises here. He said that they bad a com¬
pany surveying from Stockton to Deer Creek. The Latrobe road crosses
Deer Creek a little northwest of Latrobe, a mile or two; that they had
already organized a company and had authorized the survey of the route
from Placerville to the eastern base of the mountains; that competent
parties in Europe had sent their business agents here, two of them, to
procure these surveys, correct and accurate surveys, showing the feasi¬
bility or impracticability of the route. 1 saw, myself, one of the parties
of engineers surveying the route this side of Placerville. Mr. Kidder
and Mr. Bishop were of the party.
Mr. Bishop—When was this that you saw the surveyors?
A.—-It was in the month of October or November, t don't remember
which.
Q.—Have those parties, to your knowledge, made any regular report
of the survey they were then engaged upon ?
A.—The Chief Engineer informed me that he had, and sent me a copy
of the survey as reported. He also stated to me that the survey and re¬
port were highly satisfactory to the parties who had come out here for
the purpose of obtaining it. He said that they had returned to Liver¬
pool, England, for the purpose of laying the facts thus demonstrated be¬
fore the capitalists whom they represented. Mr. Latham, who was the
business agent of these gentlemen I know, returned to England with
them. That was what 1 was told by Mr. Lewis. I was in San Fran-
cisco when they sailed. Since their arrival in New York I have some
information from them. Whether it wTould be of any value to the Com¬
mittee, or not, 1 do not know. It is gleaned from a private telegraphic
dispatch which the parties did not wish, certainly, to make wholly
public.
Mr. Bishop—-We would like to hear anything that would throw light
on the intentions of the company.
A.—I should have stated at the proper time: In conversation with
Mr. Bishop, the Chief Engineer of the Sacramento and Placerville road,
he stated to me that his orders were from the parties to obtain a correct
and minute survey of the route from Placerville to' the eastern base of
the mountains, or to the Nevada State line. He said that he was in¬
structed to survey as practicable a line as possible over the summit of
the Sierra Neva das, and also to report upon the practicability of a tun¬
nel route through the summit. Since the survey was ended, Mr. Bishop
has told me that he has complied with these orders and made a most
complete survey, so much so that contracts could be let and contractors
go right to work immediately, with the specifications from the survey
before them. *
Mr. Bishop—Well, what was the information conveyed in the tele¬
graphic dispatch to which you have alluded?
A.—It is information which I have obtained since I came over here
from Placerville. It is substantially to this effect: That the means to
construct the San Francisco and Washoe Railroad had been secured, and
secured in New York. "Secured in the East," the dispatch was worded.
Q.—What is your opinion now, as a business man, and familiar with
these railroad routes, and the parties in California interested in them;
what is your opinion and judgment in regard to the intentions of the
158
originators of the company for building this line across the mountains.
And what is your opinion in regard to their responsibility? Do you be¬
lieve that the managers of this project are acting in good faith, and that
they have, or can command, the means adequate to the undertaking?
A.—From the information which I have obtained in reference to these
parties and their designs, 1 have no doubt of the good faith of the in¬
tentions, and the entire responsibility and financial competency of the
parties proposing to build this road. I have no doubt whatever in regard
to these subjects, and I can give the committee the grounds upon which
I base that opinion. It is this: Parties have come out here from Eng¬
land, brought special agents representing large capital with them, and
have spent a number of thousands in making the trip and procuring this
survey. They obtained at great expense, but without hesitation at cost
on their part, the best engineering talent on the coast. I saw, as I
stated, their surveying work, when actually being performed. They
have not seemed to spare any expense in securing quickly a perfect sur¬
vey. The organization which now exists, known as the San Francisco
and Washoe .Railroad Company, was formed at the instance of these
parties who design building the road, and who wished to comply at
once with the statutes of California authorizing and granting special
privileges to railroad corporations. They accordingly filed their papers,
maps, etc., in the office of Secretary of State, in Sacramento, California.
Q.—Do you know, of your o\vn knowledge, that these parties of
whom you have spoken, believed to represent large foreign capital and
enterprise, had intimate business consultations and associations, while
here, with prominent business men of California—so generally acknowl¬
edged to be ?
A.—I know that they were obtaining information during their stay
here in reference to the trade and travel between California and this
State, and the probable expense of railroad construction, with a view to
construct a railroad over the mountains if the survey proved satisfac¬
tory ; and in seeking this information, they associated with leading
business men and capitalists of California.
Mr. Slinorland—Has a survey actually been made by these parties,
or for them, to the California and Nevada State line ?
A.—Most assuredly.
Q.—To what extent has the entire survey been made ?
A.—There is a thorough and minute survey to Plaeervtlle from Free-
port : of course, partly constructed upon. I presume you have all been
in Lake Y alley ? Well, the survey has been very minute to where the
preliminary surveys diverge in that valley. One survey is by Hope
Valley, and another contemplates a road down to this valley through
Walton Pass. This was a survey made by Mr. Bishop in one thousand
eight hundred and sixty-two. The stakes were driven somewhere
under this mountain near where the Walton Pass comes in. But there
is a working survey made to the point where this starts, in Lake Yalley.
Mr. Bishop—As I understand you, there is a working survey from
Placerville to Lake Yallev ?
%»
A.—Yes, sir; a thorough one.
Q.—So that contracts could be made and contractors could go to work
without any additional surveying? \
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—The survey is so complete as to show the amount of work actually
required to be done, and just where it is to be done ?
A.—Yes, sir. Then there was another survey made In one thousand
159
eight hundred and sixty-two from a point called the State Line, by Mr.
Lay, down into this valley and to within two or three miles of this city.
Mr. James—You say that these parties representing foreign capital in
this proposed enterprise made some investigation in regard to the
amount of goods transported across the mountains ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—Lo you know anything about the results of that investigation ?
A.—Only from hearsay. 1 understood that they were highly gratified
with the results of that investigation. *
Q.—Did you not see some account of the amount of freight gathered
from their examination ?
A.—Yes, sir, I did. But I could not now state the exact amount. I recol¬
lect 1 saw the statement myself. I recollect that the figures were taken
by a Mr. Swan, who is a toll keeper on the main traveled road. Each
"wagon that passed within such a period was stopped, and the amount
of freight and freight money*ascertained.
Mr. Bishop—That was done for the purpose of finding out what the
profits of the road would be when completed ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—So as to arrive at some conclusion as to what the earnings would
be?
A.—-Yes, sir; I spent some two months on the same inquiry In one
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Mr. Haskell—How much would it amount to in a year ?
A.—I cannot state the exact amount. It was over eight millions of
dollars.
Mr. Bishop—It amounted to sufficient to " gratify " the parties who
required the examination?
A.—Yes, sir. There was over eight millions of dollars on this one
road. /
Q.—That is, for one year ?
A.— Yes, sir; there had to be an estimate of the winter trade, aside.
As you probably know, the greater part of the business is done within
eight months. There were seven thousand wagons engaged in the trade,
counting large and small—counting from a fruit wagon to an eight mule
team.
Q.—In regard to this survey that has been recently made from Placer-
ville to the State line,—does that survey start directly and literally from
the western terminus of the Sacramento and Placerville Road ? It has
been reported that the former is six or seven hundred feet higher than
the Sacramento and Placerville Railroad terminus at Placerville.
A.—That is the " initial point."
Q.—Is there, in point of fact, a direct and absolute connection between
the two, so that the cars may run directly on ?
A.—Yes, sir. The stakes for the Latrobe road are stuck on the north
slope of what is called " Hangtown Hill." The commencement of the
survey of the Placerville and Washoe Road is within rifle shot of the
stakes driven two years or eighteen months ago by the Latrobe Com¬
pany.
Q.—On the same level ?
A.—On the same level ; right across the ravine. The first stake is
driven on a lot of my own, and I can look right across the ravine and
see the other stakes.
Mr. James—Then, the road coming to Placerville from Latrobe can
continue right on by the surveyed route to our State line ?
160
À.—Yes, sir, certainly.
Q.—So that the cars coming upon the Latrobe and Placerville Roaci
would run straight on the track made under this last survey by Mr.
Bishop, from Placerville to the State line ? That is, it would be a con¬
tinuous rail connection ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Mr. Slingerland—You say that the terminus of the Latrobe survey is
on one side of the creek or ravine, and the commencement of the Placer¬
ville and Washoe survey is on the other side ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—What manner of connection would there have to be in order to
bring the two roads together, across the creek or ravine?
A.—The Placerville and Sacramento Railroad terminates ou the side
of the hill, a little to the west and up from the point on the creek where
the termini of the other is located. In order to make the depots, and
storehouses, and freight houses, at that place, they will have to build a
bridge across the creek which lies between the two surveys. The track
of the Latrobe Railroad would cross this bridge that would have to be
made, over to where the Washoe Railroad stakes are stuck. This would
be coming up the ravine, and from the creek, which pitches down in
this manner, (describing by posturing his hands.) You understand that
the stakes of the San Francisco and Washoe Railroad are stuck right
across the creek, up this ravine, near the residence of Mr. Kirk. As the
stakes appear, placed at these points, I do not think that there is (6) six
feet rise between them.
Q.—You could cross precisely upon the same level ?
. A—Yes, sir.
Q.—No difficulty whatever in making the connection ?
A.—Ko, sir, none whatever. I do not think that it is over twenty-five
(25) feet high across there. The same route was located at the same
place some years ago by William J. Lewis—one of the best engineers on
the coast, probably.
Q.—Has there been any work done upon the road east of Placerville? *
A.—Ko, sir; onl}r the survey.
Q.—What is the estimated time for the completion of the railroad, as
the route is surveyed, from Placerville to the State line ?
A.—I could not answer that. All I know in connection with that is
what I have learned from parties intimate with those capitalists or capi¬
tal agents. They informed me that the policy of those capitalists was
to build the road in the speediest possible manner consistent with thor¬
oughness, inasmuch as they were convinced the road would bring them
adequate and large returns.
Q.—You are familiar with the work already done on the railroads from
the Sacramento towards the Sierra Kevada, and you are familiar with
the general features of the route over the mountains which it is pro¬
posed this road shall travel ? 1
A.—Yes, sir, very familiar.
Q.—Perhaps, then, you are competent to draw conclusions in your own
judgment as to how long it would require to build this road over this
route. In your opinion, how long would it take to build the road on
this route from Placerville to the Kevada State line?
A.—If I had the requisite capital, and the management of affairs my¬
self, I think I could construct it—as, indeed, I think they will construct
it—within a period of five years. That is, by the Summit route, as Mr.
Bishop has surveyed it, to the State line in Lake Yalley.
161
Mr. Bishop—What is the distance from Placerville to the State line,
taking the line of survey ?
A.—The road distance from Placerville to the State line, is sixty-eight
miles. I think that the surveyed railroad route is some ninety odd
miles. But I am not positive in my recollection about that. Of course
Mr. Bishop's report will tell you precisely, I believe that from Placer¬
ville to the station known as " Friday's/' it is sixty-seven miles by the
stage traveled road.
Q.—Then that would bo allowing some thirty miles for necessary
curves in the grading of the railroad ?
A.-—Yes, sir; I should judge so. But I do not know positively. They
lost some three or four miles of distance in the vicinity of Placerville,
betweert Weaver Creek and the South Fork of the American.
Q.—From your experience and knowledge, do you think the estimates
made by the surveying engineer, as to the probable cost of the road, are
correct ? Do you think that the road can be built for that amount of
money ?
A.—Beally, sir, my own experience in such matters has not been suf¬
ficient to enable me to form a competent judgment in the premises, I
do know, however, that the engineer who made that survey is one of
the most cautious of men in all his business and professional calculations.
In fact, I do know that the Sacramento and Placerville road is being
built, so far, for something like two hundred and fifty thousand (250,000)
dollars under his estimate, previously made of the cost of the road. I
understand, also, that there has been a saving in addition, of some forty
thousand dollars, between Latrobe and Shingle Springs, on that section
of the road which is now in process of construction. That is, forty
thousand dollars ($40,000) less than was Mr. Bishop's original and re¬
ported estimate of the cost of portions of the work, now completed, on
that section. If you will permit me, I will venture to say, that I think
it is a very easy matter, on this route, to get at pretty accurate estimates
of the necessary expense, because there has been more excavation work
executed by the toll road builders, close along this route—one third
more (if you will allow me to judge) than there would be required to
grade a railroad from Placerville to this point. A railroad bed is, as you
will remember, only eight feet in width. Where it runs along the side
of a hill there will be a difference, according to the slope. A toll road is
from sixteen to eighteen feet in width. I think that those of the Com¬
mittee who have passed over the route will bear me out in saying, that
there is more excavation up the Johnson Pass, and on the Swan road—
more rock excavation—than would be necessary to execute for a railroad.
The width of the excavation for the toll roads more than balances, I
think, the longer route necessary for a railroad gradation. You will
also bear in mind, in this connection, that in cutting into the side of a
hill for a bed, your labor in excavating increases in large ratio the greater
the width required. To illustrate : You may mako a bed eight feet in
width, at a cost in labor and consequent expenditure in money no larger
than would be required in addition in order to widen that same bed of
eight feet to one of ten. That is to say, the first eight feet of side hill
excavation may actually cost no more than will two additional feet of
widening. This is the case in greater or less proportion on every side
hill route.
Q.—By these excavations for toll road purposes, their cost and the
rapidity of their execution, we can arrive with considerable certainty
20a
162
and accuracy at the cost of the work necessary for grading a railroad
bed on this route ?
A.—I should judge so; clearly, I think the data are very competent.
Q.—Do you know anything about the proposed route for a railroad
over the Sierra Nevada, adopted by the Central Pacific Railroad
Company ?
A.—I know nothing with reference to it of my own knowledge. The
information which I heard there, at Washington, in regard to that route,
was such as I gained from the Chief Engineer himself, Mr. Judah. Mr.
Judah is now dead.
Q.—What was Mr. Judah's opinion as to the practicability of that
route, as expressed by him in Washington ?
A.—As far as he had explored, he expressed the utmost confidence in
the route selected by him.
Q.—What are the chief difficulties in the way of a railroad success¬
fully constructed and operating across the Sierra Nevada Mountains ?
A.—I probably should have stated before, that Mr. Bishop informed
me that the only obstacle which these parties thought there was in the
way of the working of the road, was the "snow belt."
Q.—The working of what road ?
A.—The San Francisco and Washoe Railroad.
Q.—Who do you mean by " these parties?"
A.—I mean the parties who procured this survey—the foreign capi¬
talists or their agents.
Q.—Was that their apprehension before or after making the survey?
A.—Before the survey, and all the time. Mr. Bishop also stated to
me that these parties were favorable to the ultimate undertaking of the
tunnel. They expressed a belief that a tunnel three and three quarters
miles in extent, was no obstacle of insurmountable proportions in labor
and cost, after the road was once constructed, and placed in successful
operation over the Summit route.
Q.—Is it the intention of that Company to first construct the road
over the Summit, and afterward to commence and complete the work
of running the tunnel ?
A.—Afterward, if they think proper from the experience they will
then have bad, they propose to construct the tunnel.
Q.—But the proposition is first to build the road over the Summit, and
not to wait the long work of boring the tunnel before actually getting
the cars into the State of Nevada, on a continuous line of railway?
A.—Over the Summit first. Mr. Bishop mentioned to me the reasons
why you cannot at once spend a good deal ot money and labor on a tun¬
nel,—not from any proportion as to length. But very few hands can
be worked at once. All the men whom you can employ must be at work
at one of the two ends, or in some of the air shafts. When I was East
on telegraph matters, I took a tour through different parts of the United
States, and passed through a number of the largest tunnels. I passed
through a tunnel on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad which, 1 think,
is four thousand feet in length—nearly a mile. There was a road once
constructed over the summit, which this cuts off. I went into the Ber¬
gen tunnel, which was then not quite completed. That is through hard,
blue rock. I think that is a mile in length, or over a mile. I went
through one tunnel, and over the top of it, on foot. The Bergen tun¬
nel is now completed, and trains are running through it. It passes
through the hardest rock that I ever saw in my life; and that is saying
a good deal for a Californian.
163
Mr. Haskell—Do you know anything about the Hoosac tunnel?
A.—Only from hearsay; I came from near there.
Q.—What is your opinion in regard to the snows on this route, as to
their being troublesome ?
A.—I don't think that a train of cars could get over the Plaeerville
route in the winter months, wdthout some additional guarantee against
the snow. The snow falls from ten to fifteen feet in depth, for a distance
of seven miles on the main plateau on the top of the summit.
Mr. Bishop—From j^our observation in regard to this matter, do you
think it would be possible to construct a roof over the road on the sum-
ipit, so as to protect it against the snow?
A.—I submitted a plan myself to a convention of railroad men, for a
roofing over the road. I first suppose that a sufficient width for the road
bed is sunk down. On the side hill the cut would present an advantage
of itself for the construction of a roof. But the bed could be sunk down
at most any point, say eight feet. Then a roof could be constructed as
I proposed, eighteen feet in hight, with so sharp a slope as of itself to
furnish nearly sufficient bracing power against the snows, and so steep
that any considerable bodies of snow would slide off from it. It could
be very readily constructed out of cedar. I think it might answer to
construct it simply with a ridge-pole, without any cross bracing.
Q.—Would not the snow, if it should rise over the roof, naturally arch
and become self-sustaining?
A.—That is the case all through the mountains. You frequently see
that illustrated when a tree eight or ten feet high has been covered by
the snow. You will find the tree standing straight up under the snow,
with perhaps no snow near it within from five to ten feet. The heat of
the wood melts the snow away from the body and the branches, and
leaves the tree a little winter hot house of its own making. I have fallen
through some of these arches, or snow houses, a distance of ten or twelve
feet. It is the same way on the old log houses that were built in the
mountains. A short time after the snow has fallen and covers the
house, it melts away from the roof and there is no pressure on top at all.
There is an abundance of timber, of course, for the construction of such
a roof, all the way along the summit.
Mr. Bigby—On the line of this road are there any high bluffs where
the snow slides ?
A.—There is only one place where the snow slides. That is known as
the snow slope. It carried away my telegraph poles and line on that
slope at one time; every one of them. The snow at that point comes
down from a very high peak. When the snow starts at that point, it
comes down in a tremendous avalanche. You have been to that point
on the road, I suppose. The survey of this railroad route is on the
opposite side of the snow flat into which this avalanche sometimes
descends. This road is on the south side of the flat; across the ravine.
This avoids the danger of snow to the railroad at that point of the
route.
Q.—What is the fact in regard to the present or prospective help, or
opposition, of toll road owners on this route toward the construction of
the railroad ?
A.—I can only speak from an examination of the books of the Sacra¬
mento and Plaeerville Railroad Company. On an examination of their
stock books, I found only two toll road owners who held any stock or
had rendered any aid toward the construction of that road. I have
found, by talking with them, that they do not feel much of a liberal or
161
enterprising spirit toward the proposition of a railroad on this route.
The statement that has been current in some newspapers that the toll-
road men on this route constituted the main supporters and advocates of
a railroad on this route, is not true. They might, perhaps, be induced—
some of them—to subscribe toward the building of a railroad to Placer-
ville; but they would not sign for any work, beyond that point, on the
ground that the road would soon leave them in the rear and take away
their income.
Q.—Have any of the hotel keepers along this route shown any favor,
or hostility of disposition, toward this proposed route ?
A.—I could not say as to that. I know that many of the toll road
owners are abundantly able to assist/the building of the road from
Placerville ; but so far they have refused to take any interest in it. I
don't think they have given any railroad from the Sacramento to the
mountains any support, with the two exceptions I have named.
Mr. James—What is the distance of the snow belt on this summit
which hasjlist been surveyed by Mr. Bishop?
A.—Seven miles. The distance that is now traveled by sleighs over
the mountains on the Pioneer or Placerville route is eleven miles. There
are seven miles of deep snow on the main plateau.
Mr. Haskell—The railroad would necessarily go up on the side of the
"summit," which would make it much longer on the snow belt than the
stage road ?
A.—Three or four miles from the summit, on which you may find ten
or twelve feet of snow, it is bare ground. That is, 1 mean on the other
or western side. I know it is bare ground in Lake Yalley at times when
the snow' is very deep on the summit.
Mr. James—Do you think that without an}r Government or outside
aid, without ahj* other capital than the resources directly at the com¬
mand of the Washoe and San Francisco .Railroad Company, they intend
and are able to build this road ?
A.—I can give you a portion of the information which I have on this
point, and the source from which it was derived. Mr. Louis McLane
informed me that this Company did not intend, to open stock books for
subscriptions in the State of California, or in this State, any further than
to comply with the California statute, which requires, I believe, a thou¬
sand dollars a mile subscribed, and ten per cent, paid in.w The Engineer
told me, that they did not intend to ask for Government aid at present.
And he said that it was not their intention to ask for Government aid
unless they met with some unforeseen difficulties in the way of con¬
structing their road—difficulties which were not now visible. The
Company wanted the right of way guaranteed to them. Perhaps even
this right might not be given without opposition. There was no reason
why they should not apply to the Government of.the United States for
assistance, inasmuch as the Government had assisted other roads. I
know that this argument is generally used to the reverse.
Q.—You are familiar with the principal parties named in connection
with this proposed road ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—Do you know that this company, or any of its officers, or accre¬
dited agents, proposed to urge upon Congress, or ask any one else to
urge upon the Congress of the United States, any grants in behalf of their
road ?
A.—I do not. 1 have this information from their officers and agents.
They say that when they shall have built an.d completed a section of
165
twenty-five miles east of Placerville, the receipts and earnings of the
road will go very far toward constructing the balance of the road up to
the foot of the summit. And when they shall have reached a point so
high up as Strawberry, the nettings of the road will build It to com pie J
tion. That is their calculation, as they see matters at present. And
they wish and intend to so divert the funds. But they do intend to ask
the Government for land for their protection on a right of way. I was
told by Engineer Lewis, I don't know whether it is of any importance to
the committee, but it may explain some matters, that these parties who
proposed the construction of this road did not ask, or expect, any action
to be taken by this Legislature, or any other Legislature, or by Congress,
in the way of giving aid to this road until they were fully aware ot the
practicability of this route, and had seen and examined the printed copy
of this survey. They did not wish any action taken before that was
seen.
Q.—Referring to the survey that has been laid before us?
A.—Tes, sir, Mr. Bishop's. The one that was then in progress of mak¬
ing. I believe that the map and profile has been exhibited to this Legis¬
lature. I would like to explain one matter for the benefit of the commit¬
tee. I believe that all of the committee have not been over this route.
When we hear so much about mountains that are impossible to pass on
this route by a railroad line, we may not be told of the natural adapta¬
tion of the country for a railroad grade. The South Fork of the Ameri¬
can River is within two miles and a half of Placerville. This stream fol¬
lows down a deep canon from near the summit to the foot hills of the
Sierra Nevada. This survey by Mr. Bishop for the San Francisco and
Washoe Railroad Company reaehed that canon from Placerville as soon
as possible. The engineer, in making that survey, got on the upper
ridge of that river canon as soon as possible. The road then follows the
course of the South Fork of the American River, which is an almost due
east course, until it reaches a little below Strawberry. From there the
survey Is ninety-five feet to the mile, up the summit. That is the maxi¬
mum grade.
Q—How does that grade compare with the established grades of rail¬
roads in the East ?
A.—I have traveled over grades in the East of one hundred and
twelve and one «hundred and sixteen feet to the mile. I have been over
one grade of one hundred and sixteen feet to the mile extending a dis¬
tance of eleven miles. I was in a long train of cars, and it was raining
at the time which made the track slippery. We were drawn up by a
locomotive specially constructed for hauling trains up steep grades. It
had six drivers.
Q.—A grade can, then, be very successfully run which rises at the rate
of one hundred and ten feet to the mile?
A.— Yes, sir, except the snows interfere with it. And that Is the fact,
the one only obstacle that is at all formidable in the way of a railroad to
this State by this route is the snow. There is really nothing else of un¬
usual magnitude in the way. There are no extraordinary obstacles, for
a mountain road, to prevent the construction of a good road over the
mountains by this route. 1 think it has been established by actual sur¬
veys that on this route there are no more formidable obstacles to over¬
come in the construction of a railroad than are encountered on the Bal¬
timore and Ohio Railroad. I believe that that road has thirty-nine miles
of very heavy grade. There are roads in the East wh'ere the grade is
over two hundred feet to the mile. They are named in some of the re-
166
ports and comparative statistics that have been printed in reports and
surveys of routes over our mountains.
Q.—Is it easier to construct a road by long-side hill excavations than
to make embankments and cuts in an ordinarily undulating country?
A.—Yes, sir. The most expensive railroads, exclusive of the cost of
actually tunneling, are made where there is continuous cutting or filling.
Q.—How much have the citizens of El Dorado subscribed to this road ?
A.—The county of El Dorado has subscribed two hundred thousand
dollars to the PJacerville and Sacramento Eailroad. The citizens of Pla-
cerville, in their corporate capacity, have subscribed one hundred thou¬
sand dollars. I see by the books of the company that one hundred and
forty thousand dollars in stock is held by the citizens of Plaeerville.
That makes over four hundred thousand dollars.
Q.—-That is for the road west of Plaeerville ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—Is the road from Freeport, which connects with the Sacramento
Valley Eailroad, a part of the Plaeerville and Sacramento Eailroad ?
A.—The agreement with the Messrs. Eoblnson and the other officers
of the Sacramento Valley Eailroad was that they would build and keep
In repair a railroad to the deep water of the Sacramento Eiver. Sand
bars were continually forming In front of the city of Sacramento. This
was an objection to Sacramento as a terminus. There was talk of run¬
ning a road from Plaeerville to Stockton. This would have diverted the
mountain freight from Sacramento and from the Valley road. I under¬
stood that in order to secure a connection with the road to Plaeerville it
was agreed to build this road to Freeport, and thus secure deep water
wharves at all seasons of the year.
Q.—Is that Freeport road a portion of the Sacramento and Plaeerville
road ?
A.—I do not know whether it is now or not. I know, or believe,
that there was a proposition to make one road, under one Company,
from Plaeerville to Freeport. I don't know whether that plan has been
consummated or not. It was not when I left.
Q.—Then does the Freeport branch belong to the Sacramento Valley
Eailroad Company ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—What is the distance by rail from Plaeerville to Fueeport ?
A.—-From Freeport to Latrobe there are forty-seven (47) miles of com¬
pleted road. By the railroad survey, I think it is nineteen miles from
Latrobe to Plaeerville. It may be twenty (20.)
Q.—Do I understand that a preliminary survey has been made by way
of Hope Valley ?
A.—Yes, sir. A preliminary survey has been made from the State
line to the north side of Carson Eiver. A portion of it is through Hope
Valley. I think it goes down what is called Desert Canon. I saw the
engineer^ and conversed with them while they were engaged in making
the survey.
Q.—You were speaking of a road from Lake Valley to Carson Valley?
A.—-Yes, sir. I understood fronj the Chief Engineer that they pro¬
posed to survey a route of which he has already some information, called
the 4< Walker Eoute." He said that he had information to the effect that
it was some thirty miles nearer to Austin by this route.
Mr. Haskell—How much of the Sacramento and Plaeerville Eailroad
has been completed ?
A.—Fifteen miles; from Folsom to Latrobe. *
167
Q.—"What stock lias that Company for their road ?
A.—They have twenty-one hundred tons of iron on hand; a portion
of it at Freeport and a portion of it at Latrobe. It is calculated that that
would lay the track for the road to two or three miles of this side of
Plaeerviile.
Q.-—Was there not an arrangement between the Sacramento Valley
Railroad Company and the Sacramento and Plaeerviile Company to fur¬
nish the iron for the road if the Sacramento and Plaeerviile Company
would do the grading?
A.—There was a proposition to that effect made by Mr. Robinson at a
public meeting, but it was not accepted. They wanted ten per cent, and
first mortgage bonds, I believe.
Q.—How many persons were present at that meeting whom you
knew ?
A.—Well, perhaps there were seven or eight persons.
Q.—How far do you say the iron will go ?
A.—The iron that is now on hand, if no long switches are laid, will
come three miles east of Plaeerviile. This iron the Company have on
hand and have paid for.
Q.—Have they any rolling stock here or on the way ?
A.—No, sir. Thejr are having locomotives and ears constructed.
Q.—Are they being constructed for the San Francisco and Washoe
Kailroad, or for the Sacramento and Plaeerviile Railroad ?
A.—For the Plaeerviile and Sacramento Kailroad, of course.
TESTIMO 3ST Y
OP
. J. LOCKWOOD
AND
C. E. De LONG.
TESTIMONY OF A. J. LOCKWOOD,
(SENATOR FROM ORMSBY COUNTY.)
Mr. Chairman—Were you a member of the la9t (second) Nevada
Constitutional Convention ?
Answer—I was.
Q.—Do you remember the appearance of Leland Stanford, President
of the Central Pacific Eailroad Company, before that Convention ?
A.—I do.
Q.—On what invitation and subject did he appear before that Conven¬
tion ?
A.—Well, he came into the Convention, and it was at the suggestion
of Mr. Warwick that he appeared before us. Mr. Warwick rose and
stated that Mr. Stanford was present and requested an opportunity to
explain to the Convention about railroad matters.
Q.—Have you read his speech and his replies to inquiries then pro¬
pounded to him, as reported by the* official reporter of the Convention?
A.—I have.
Q.—Is that a correct report ?
A.—I do not think it is in some particulars.
Q.—If it is erroneous in any portion, say where and how ?
A.—I will state this : On page ninth of the printed copy, in reply to
the question there recorded as made by Mr. Collins, the answer is incor¬
rectly given. As you will see, the question asked by Mr. Collins was:
"Do you think that if this State shall give bonds for one, two, or three
millions of dollars, or agree to pay the interest for an indefinite period
of time on the bonds of the Company, that would really facilitate and
hasten the completion of the road across the mountains ?" The answer
of Mr. Stanford, as here reported, is :* " It would very much." My recol¬
lection of Mr. Stanford's reply is exactly to the contrary. And my
recollection is very clear upon that subject. I would like to state to the
committee the reason why his answer, as I distinctly understood it, made
a deep impression on my mind. The reports of the Convention will
show, or ought to show, exactly how this was. I will state the reason
why this reply of Governor Stanford made such a deep impression upon
my mind, and convinces me that I am correct in my recollection. The
reports of the Convention will show that the members who were opposed
to the introduction of that clause in the Constitution which allowed the
people of Nevada to vote three millions of dollars to the first Kailroad
172
Company that reached the State line, were very strenuous in their oppo¬
sition. I put. my opposition on the ground that we were not able to give
anything5 that it was as much as we could do to support a State Gov¬
ernment at all. Hence my peculiar and particular interest in the reply
of Governor Stanford to such a question as this. And I state that the
reply by Governor Stanford to the question by Mr. Collins was : " I can¬
not say as it would." Here it is put down : " It would very much." I
would state that 1 have shown this question and answer to every mem¬
ber of the Convention whom I have seen since this printed copy came
out; and I have yet to meet the first one who is not of the same impres¬
sion as I am.
Mr. Haskell—The impression is, then, among you, that there has been
fraud on the part of the official reporter?
A.—I don't know where the fraud is, if there is any; I think there is
a decided error here; I don't charge anybody with fraud; it is a mis¬
take, probably ?
Q. — Well, you think there is a fraud in the printing of this report ?
A.—I think the answer here printed is the very opposite of the one
actually given. If the question and answer had been about a compara¬
tively immaterial point, I might have supposed that so many of us were
mistaken ; but this was a question and answer on the essential point.
We had been discussing this very subject among ourselves and in the
Convention for several days. When Mr. Stanford came upon the stand,
I presume that a majority of the members of the Convention had such
a question as this in their minds.
Chairman—Mr. Lock wood, did you make any notes at that time ?
A.—I did.
Q.—Do you recollect making a note of this question and answer?
A.—Yes, sir, 1 do, distinctly.
Q.—Can you remember how you noted it?
A.—Yes, sir. It was to this effect : Governor Stanford stated, in
answer to a question by some member of the Convention, that this dona¬
tions of two or three millions in bonds, which was proposed, would not
aid in the construction of the railroad so as to hasten its completion
across the mountains so much as a year, or a month, or a week. He
came down to a week; and my impression is that he stated that our
proposed donation would not hasten the completion of the work a single
day. I think that the question was then distinctly asked, if our pro¬
posed donation or bonus would.facilitate the construction of the railroad
one day; to whjch he gave a negative answer.
Mr. Larrowe—What did he say would not facilitate its completion ?
A.—This gift of State aid from Nevada. You understand, I presume,
how it was proposed to place a clause in the Constitution for the benefit
of this Railroad Company? It aipounted to this: The Constitution
was to allow the Legislature to submit a proposition to the people
of Nevada to make a grant or gift of three millions of dollars to the first
railroad that reached the State lino. That was what Governor Stanford
stated ho did not think would facilitate the construction of the road.
Q.—Was all that in reply to Mr. Collin's question ?
A.—No, sir. If I was trying to state the very words which Governor
Stanford used in reply to this question of Mr. Collins, I would say that
he said : u I could not say as it would."
Mr. Haskell—What did he say about its not hastening the completion
of the road ?
173
A.—He said it would not hasten it a year; and 1 think he came down
to a month, and a week, and a day.
Q.—What reason did he give, if any, why it would not facilitate the
completion of the road ?
A.—He put it on the ground that the Company had ample resources
already.
Chairman—Have you read this report of Governor Stanford's speech,
and the questions that were propounded to him, and the answers which
he made ?
A.—I have.
Q—Is such a reply as you have stated—concerning the facilitating of
the construction of the railroad across the mountains by Nevada State
aid—is such an answer to be found in this printed report?
A.—I must say that I have not found it. Mr. Stanford is reported on
the eleventh page of this report as replying that he could not say that
it would make' a difierence of a year. But he stated distinctly that it
would not make any such difference; and I think he came down to a
day; said it would not make any difference at all in the building of the
road. That was the substance of what he said.
Mr. Larrowe—He said in reply to the question which you have read,
by Mr. Collins, that he could not say that it would facilitate and hasten
the completion of the road across the mountains; and gave as a reason
that the company already had sufficient means for the completion of the
work ?
A.—Yes, sir. I took notes of what he said for the purpose of making
an argument against the proposed clause in the Constitution, to which I
have referred. I undertook to prove the gross impropriety of putting
such a clause in the Constitution, by Stanford's own speech ; because he
said that the time for the completion of the work would not be hastened
by this amount of aid from Nevada.
Q.—And your impression is that Governor Stanford said that this pro¬
posed three million aid would not hasten the completion of the road to
this State a month, or a week, or a day ?
A.—Yes, sir. He said so.
Q.—But you are not positive whether that reply was made to Mr. Col¬
lins, or to some other member of the Convention ?
A.—I think the question which brought out that reply in full, came
from Mr. De Long.
Q.—What do you say as to the accuracy of the other questions and
answers, as they are printed in this report?
A.—Why, sir, I do not pretend, and 1 did not at that ^ime, to charge
my memory with these questions and answers. I do not pretend to put
m}' memory against the general accuracy of this report. I presume that
it is generally accurate. I do not doubt or question that. But I did
charge my memory, and I only charged my memory, in regard to such
qqestions and answers as immediately pertained to the argument I pro¬
posed to make , at that time. I was looking out for just such questions
and answers as this, at that time, and I have notes which sustain my
memory on theso points. If 1 had expected a summons before this
Committee this morning, I would have brought my notes down with
me. If I am mistaken, then every other member of the Convention
whom I have been able to see since this report came out, are mistaken
with me. And I think that if we are in error, at least a great majority
of the Convention were in error, and acted in regard to this proposition
on a strange misapprehension.
174
Q,—Well, you don't pretend to say that you can give the exact lan¬
guage which Governor Stanford used in reply to Mr. Collins' question ?
You give only your impression ?
A.— I do pretend to say, most emphaticalty, that Governor Stanford
did not use the words which are here printed in reply to this question
by Mr. Collins. I am positive as to that. For this reply here is in con¬
flict with the understanding that every one had ; and it is even in con¬
flict with an answer which Governor Stanford is credited with making
on page eleven of this report. Here he says, according to this report,
that a gift of two or three millions to the Company by the State would
very much hasten the completion of the work. On page eleven, he says
that " he could not say that it would make a difference of a year." That
is to say, he does not think that three millions aid granted in the form
which he preferred would hasten the completion of the road a year. I
watched him very close, in noticing his answers to all this class of ques¬
tions, from this fact, among others : I thought he was very guarded in
making his replies to these questions.
Mr. Haskell—You say that he stated in answer to this question of Mr.
Collins' : u I could not say that it would ? "
A.—I say, if I was to attempt to give the very form of his answer I
should say that he said : " I could not say that it would." I repeat, I
have asked a number of members of the Convention about this question,
and they have unanimously agreed that that was the answer.
Mr. Larrowe—Would it make a very material difference of impression
on your mind whether he said " I could not say that it would," or re¬
plied, as it is here reported, " It would very much."
A.—Well, I should rather say it would. If you want an answer
directly to that question, I will say that it would make a very material
difference. I take it there is a vast difference between those answers.
And I think that very few men standing in such a position as Governor
Stanford did at that time, before the Convention, would \nake a reply to
a question of that character in such an indistinct and equivocal tone as
to leave an understanding quite the opposite to his words. I will state
again, that he appeared to be guarded in his reply to these questions,
and he spoke with clearness. I will state further, that the impression
and understanding left upon the minds of the members of that Conven¬
tion by these replies contributed very materially toward the striking out
of that clause in the Constitution proposing State aid to this railroad
company ; because, soon after Governor Stanford had closed his remarks
before the Convention that clause was stricken out almost unanimously.
Q.—Did h estate that the railroad company of which he was President
had sufficient aid for the construction of the road which they had under¬
taken ?
A.—He stated that they had abundant resources.
Mr. Haskell—This printed report came from Mr. Marsh, the Official
Reporter of the Constitutional Convention, on the request of the Com¬
mittee ?
Chairman—Yes, sir.
Mr. Haskell—And is supposed to be an official report from Mr. Marsh,
is it not ?
Chairman.—Yes, sir.
TESTIMONY OF CHARLES E. DELONG
SWORN BY CHAIRMAN OP SENATE COMMITTEE.
Chairman—Were you a member of the last Nevada Constitutional
Convention ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—Do you remember the appearance before that Convention of Le-
land Stanford, President ot the Central Pacific Railroad Company?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—On what invitation did he appear before that-Convention ?
A.—He appeared before us on the invitation of members of the Con¬
vention, to address us on the subject of the Pacific Railroad.
Q.—Have you read the reported speech of Governor Stanford before
the Convention, and the following questions and answers, as furnished
the Committee on Railroads by the Official Reporter of the Convention ?
A.—Yery little of it. 1 first saw it this morning.
Q.—Did you observe any material errors in that report ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—Will you state to the Committee what errors you have noticed in
that report ?
A.—My recollection argues substantially with the statement which
Mr. Lockwood has just made in regard to this answer to Mr. Collins'
question, found on page nine.
How, if the committee will permit me, I will make a little statement
of what my recollection in general is in regard to this matter ) and then,
of course, I will answer any interrogatories that may be put to me.
Chairman—Certainly—proceed.
Mr. De Long—I gave up my seat to Mr. Stanford, and moved to a
seat directly in front of him, which I occupied while he was speaking.
I took with me a pencil and some paper, and sat down in front of him
for the purpose of making notes of his speech, as I was decidedly in
favor of striking out all provisions for appropriations to any road. Ac¬
cordingly, while he was speaking, I took notes. I made a note of his
estimates. He made a showing of all the assets ot the Company, in the
shape of the road already built, the government bonuses, the first mort¬
gage bond privilege, the appropriation from San Francisco, and from
Sacramento and Placer counties, the guarantee of interest in gold by the
State of California on a certain amount of their bonds, which made them,
he said, as good as so much money in hand After he had proceeded
with his statistics upon that branch of the subject, he then proceeded
with bks estimates of probable costs. After he had concluded that branch
176
of his speech, my figures showed that 'the sura total of the assets, as
given by him, exceeded the sura total of his estimates of cost, something
like two millions of dollars. I then so stated the fact to him, and he did
not deny the correctness of my figures. Mind: In speaking of these
assets, I merely refer to those which he gave as available toward the
construction of the road. But' then I included, of course, the actual
Government subsidies which would come to the Company at so much
per mile as the road progressed. Strictly speaking, these would not be
assets on hand ; but if they could progress with the road as the law re¬
quired, these would fall to the Company in the course of its construc¬
tion. My figures embraced the present and prospective assets of the
Company, as he detailed them. They had reference to the Government
subsidies that would accrue as the road was built; and I took into ac¬
count the right the Company had to issue first mortgage bonds. I recol¬
lect rising in my seat and saying to Governor Stanford : Well, then, sir,
if these figures and facts which you have given us are correct, your
Company has two or three millions of dollars of assets available for the
construction of the road more than you need to complete it ?
He did not deny this statement.
I recollect, then, distinctly, asking Governor Stanford this question, in
this very form, I think :
Governor, suppose we were to pass this clause providing for an appro¬
priation of threè millions of dollars from this State for the benefit of
your road, suppose the Legislature should submit that proposition to the
people, and the people should endorse it, and the Legislature should then
act in conformity with that endorsement, considering the limited re¬
sources of Nevada, the small amount of taxable property—showing
plainly that it would be very hard for us to raise an amount sufficient to
carry on the State Government—what do you suppose you could nego¬
tiate the bonds for, which would be issued by us, in the city of New
York ?
He said that he did not know.
I asked him if he thought they could negotiate them for seven hun¬
dred and fifty thousand dollars.
He said he thought they could.
I then asked him how much he thought that netted appropriation of
seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars would hasten the completion
of the Central Pacific Railroad to this State. How much sooner it would
come with our appropriation than without ?
His reply was, that he did not know.
I then asked him if he could state any particular amount of time that
would be saved in the construction of the road by our aid through such
an appropriation ?
He said he could not state.
1 then questioned him in regard to this matter of saving time by our
appropriation ; and I ran down in my questioning on this point to one
week; and my recollection is very distinct that his final and concluding
answer was, that our appropriation would not bring the road here three
days sooner than it would come if the appropriation was not made.
I was then perfectly satisfied, and then I closed my inquiries. And as
soon as Governor Stanford was through I moved to strike out the clause
in the Constitution providing for an appropriation, and it was stricken
out by an almost unanimous vote. I am very clear about the fact
that he said that our appropriation would not bring the road here
sooner by three days than it would come without the appropriation.
177
I will state here, that I may not be misunderstood, thftt I was not in
favor of placing any power to appropriate in the Constitution ; but know¬
ing, at the outset, that I could not carry that point, I framed an amend¬
atory proposition, providing that a three million grant might be submit¬
ted by the first Legislature. I thought that was better than the provi¬
sions in the first Constitution. But I was really opposed even to this.
I am very frank to admit that I watched Governor Stanford during his
speech for the very purpose of obtaining reasons to urge in favor of
striking out this provision. I did not wish to fix on the State of Nevada
a liability to incur any great railroad debt. I did not think we were
able to stand it.
Mr. Larrowe—Have you examined the questions put by you and the
answers made by Governor Stanford, as reported and printed in this
copy ?
A.—Very hastily; and only a few moments ago. I didn't notice any
particular error ; though my recollection agrees with Mr. Lockwood's
about the answer to Colonel Collins' question. What I remember more
particularly were the omissions. I don't think all the questions and
answers are there. I know they are not.
Mr. Haskell—You did not notice any positive'material errors ?
A.—I cannot say that I did, myself.
Q.—But you think there are some omissions?
A.—I known there are ; I don't think anything about it.
Mr. LarrowçÂ-Can you direct us to any portion of the report where
you think these omissions occur ?
A.—I cannot exactly tell where my questions and interruptions eame
in, I only state what I know passed between Governor Stanford and
myself while he was on the stand ; and that matter belongs in there
somewhere.
Q—I see on page seven of this report you are represented as asking
this question : " Then I understand you to say that you prefer that there
should be no donation at all rather than to limit it as this proposition is
limited?"
A.—Yes, sir, that is correct.
Mr. Haskell—I not»ce a question on page five, right hand column,
near the top: "Do you think they would sell in the aggregate for more
than seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars?"
A.—I asked some such question.
Q.—But above that you make the inquiry : "I will ask the Governor
this question : What do you suppose the bonds of the State of Nevada
for three millions of dollars, at seven per cent a year interest, could be
negotiated for abroad, without a railroad running to our borders?"
A.—That question is not full enough, I went on and stated : Consider¬
ing our limited resources, and almost incapacity to carry on a State
Government, what would the bonds realize. Now here is thereply, as
reported here: " Really, Mr. De Long, without a road at least contem¬
plated, they would be very low in the market, in my opinion." Then I
am reported as questioning him : " Do you think they would sell in the
aggregate lor more than seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars?"
The answer here is: "Yes, sir, I think they would realize over that
amount, and certainly, with the prospect of a railroad," and so on. Now,
sir, right in this place there should come another question binding him
exactly to this point, that he could not say that they would sell for over
seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars; but he thought they would
sell for that amount at least. Then, I asked him how much this amount
21a
178
realized from our bonds would facilitate the construction of the road, in
point of time. I think the interrogatory came in right there. And he
answered me as I have already stated.
Q.—You will see by referring to the next column, that Mr. Fitch
asked Governor Stanford: " I will ask Governor Stanford, what is the
average estimated cost, per mile, of building the road from Sacramento
to the State line ? Governor Stanford replies: "The original estimate
made by Mr. Judah, the Chief Engineer, who made the surveys, was,
that it would cost between twelve and thirteen millions of dollars; that,
however, was prior to any action of Congress giving assistance to the
road, and it was not then contemplated to build so good a road as the
Act of Congress requires. That requires a first class road 4n every re¬
spect. A road might be built which would, to some extent, answer the
purposes of a railroad, at some less expense. Since that time there never
has been a complete estimate of cost of a first class road, such as we are
building ?"
A.—Yes. sir, that is all there, but it don't answer the question.
Mr. De Long—Does this printed report profess to be a full and com¬
plete report of Governor Stanford's remarks ?
Chairman—It is so endorsed. It commences with Mr. Stanford's intro¬
duction to the Convention, and closes with a vote of thanks extended to
him for his remarks and replies.
Mr. De Long—Well, it is no such thing as a full report. It don't be¬
gin to be. I pledge my recollection and word, it is not two thirds of what
was said. I thought this only purported to be a portion ot his speech.
Upon my word, this don't contain more than a fraction of what Gover¬
nor Stanford said; now I look at it I am satisfied it does not. Why,
Governor Stanford was engaged in speaking to us for an hour and a
half, and here is a speech that could not have occupied over fifteen or
twenty minutes in delivering.
Chairman—Will you please read the question and answer to which
Mr. Lockwood particularly referred, on page nine?
Mr. De Long examined the questions of Mr. Collins, and the reply as
printed.
Mr. De Long—Mr. Lockwood was certainly right in his testimony.
Governor Stanford never made that answer. I don't remember particu¬
larly about this question by Mr. Collins; but then Governor Stanford's
replies, when on this point, were all to the contrary of this. This was
the great point we had to urge, and we took the conclusive statement
out of his own mouth.
Chairman—What was the result—if a result on the main question
which'was then before you, can be traced directly from his remarks—
what was the result of Governor Stanford's speech and his replies to
queries before the Convention on that occasion ?
A.—I have no earthly doubt but that if Governor Stanford had not
come over here, this Nevada Constitution would have contained a clause
providing for an appropriation of three millions of dollars by the Legis¬
lature to the first road that reached our State line. The fact of that
clause being stricken out from our Constitution was the direct result of
his speech ; it immediately followed the conclusion of his remarks and
replies. He seemed to satisfy the whole Convention, as he satisfied me,
that by putting that clause into the Constitution we should only mort¬
gage ourselves and our posterity for a road, the completion of which to
our doors was not to be hastened a day by our aid. At least that was
Governor Stanford's testimony on behalf of the Company of which he
was President.
179
Mr. James—Then, partially, the object of the examination was to
know whether an appropriating clause should be put in the Constitution,
or not ?
A.—He stated to me what his object was in desiring to appear before
the Convention. He said that he would rather have nothing in the Con¬
stitution than have it provided as was proposed, that three millions of
bonds should be issued to the railroad company that first reacheçl the State
line. He said that this was for the reason, that when they went East
to sell their bonds, they did not want it generally understood in market
that there was a possibility of there being another road built across tho
mountains. He said that such an impression wquld injuriously affect
the negotiation of their bonds. He told me, distinctly, that he would
rather have the proposition left out entirely, than have it in that shape.
And we gratified him by striking it out entirely. In one sense he was
successful in his arguments and statements before the Convention. The
amount of it was : If the Central Pacific Eailroad Company could not
have these bonds issued or guaranteed directly to them, or could not get
an express provision for paying the interest on so many of that Com¬
pany's bonds, Governor Stanford did not want a clause in the Constitu¬
tion providing for any railroad appropriation at all.
Q.—On page seven of the printed report, first column, near the top of
the page, you are reported as asking this question :
" Inasmuch as the appropriation heretofore proposed by the Conven¬
tion is not agreeable to you in its present form, and inasmuch, as, if wo
make a direct issue of three millions of dollars in bonds, it will not be
worth much—take either horn of the dilemma—what is it the wish of
the Company that we should, do ? Let you alone ?"
To this the President of the road is reported to reply:
"I would prefer that you should let us alone, rather than provide
that the State should grant assistance to the first road that comes to the
State line, and thereby impair confidence in this route."
You say : " We want to stimulate strife."
To this Mr. 'Stanford replies :
" You can hardly expect to get two roads built across the mountains,
Mr. He Long ?"
Is that correctly reported :
A.—It is. But what I have just stated had more particular reference
to the substance of a conversation which I had with Governor* Stanford,
outside of the Convention, and before he came in. We had a full under¬
standing as to this matter before he appeared in the Convention. I
recollect about these questions and answers; but I remember that he
told me, with a great ideal of emphasis, that he had rather have no pro¬
vision in the Constitution at all fora railroad appropriation, than tohavo
the clause which we proposed. He did not want an appropriation con¬
tingent on anything. He said they would not need any help when they
got on the plains. What they wanted was aid in constructing the work
across the mountains. He wanted an appropriation, or a provision for
an appropriation, directly to the Central Pacific Eailroad Company, to
aid#them in getting into the Territory ; and he didn't want a clause in
our Constitution which would indicate or intimate that there was another
road pointing this way with any prospects or probable chances of suc¬
cess. He said that such a clause would raise this intimation or suspicion,
and hurt their negotiations in Eastern money markets. He would rather
have nothing in the Constitution about railroad appropriations, than
have it read in that way.
TESTIMONY
OF
JOSEPH KLOPPEN STEIN.
TESTIMONY OF JOSEPH KLOPPENSTEIN
Joseph Kloppenstein, being duly sworn, testified as follows :
Chairman—Where do you reside?
A.—I reside at Sacramento city.
Q.—What is your occupation ?
A.—Merchant. »
Q.—How long have you resided in Sacramento?
A.—Fifteen years last summer.
A.—Are you acquainted with the Directors of the Central Pacific Rail¬
road Company?
A.—I am.
Q.—Are you somewhat familiar with the inauguration of the work
known as the Central Pacific Railroad ? -
A.—I am, somewhat.
Q.— What is the character of your acquaintance with the institution of
that work ?
A.— Well, I don't know exactly the character that you want to
come at.
Q.—Do you know about the date when the first work was commenced
on that railroad ?
A.—I could not tell the date exactly. I suppose it is about two
years ago.
Q.—You know the Company was organized under what was known
as the Pacific Railroad Act?
A.—I do.
Q.—Have you any connection with the Central Pacific Railroad
Company?
A.—I have not, at present.
Q.—Were you ever connected with it?
A.—Wh}% I had taken some stock, or did subscribe to take some
stock ; but I never paid my assessment. I refused to pay it.
Q.—How much stock did you subscribe for?
A.—Well, I had agreed to take ten thousand dollars' worth in the first
place; and one of the directors came to mo and told me that I could
just take what I wanted then, merely to make a commencement. So I
just put down one thousand dollars, and Said the balance could be taken
at any time. I had agreed to take ten thousand dollars worth—prom¬
ised to.
Q.—What sums did you pay ?
184
A.—I did not pay any sums.
Q.—You did not pay any ?
A.—-No, sir.
Q;—Why did you not pay any ?
A.—I was not satisfied with the proceeeding of their work—the way
they were going on.
Q.-—Now will you be kind enough to tell the Committee how they
they were proceeding with the work ?
A.—When the Company came to let the contract, the contract was let
without any publication or public notice.
Mr. Haskell—That was the reason you did not take stock—because
you were not satisfied ?
A.—No ; the reason was this : I did take some stock in the first place,
and agreed to take ten thousand dollars if everything went on straight;
and as the work did not go on straight, according to their agreement—
what I supposed was the agreement—I did not take any more stock,
and refused to pay the assessment when they came around to collect.
Chairman—What was the agreement which you understood them to
make for the prosecution of the work, when they had sufficient subscrip¬
tions for their stock.
A.—The understanding was, that they should give public notice, and
have bidders come in and compete with them for the work. But the
"work was let without any publication or notice in the prints, that I have
ever seen. The contract was let to. Charles Crocker & Co. without any
notice. I supposed there was something wrong in the proceedings, and
would not pay any assessments. I refused to have anything to do
with it.
Q,—Did you pay anything on the original one thousand which you
subscribed ?
A.-—I did not, sir.
Q.—You state that, so far as you know, they did not publicly call for
contractors, but let the work to Charles Crocker & Co., without any such
publication ?
A.— Yes, sir ; if any such notice has ever been published, 1 havo
never seen it ; and I think I was there all the time this was going on.
Q—From what you know of the proceedings of that company, and
from your acquaintance with the parties and their acts, what is your
opinion as to their good faith, or the contrary, in the prosecution of this
railroad enterprise?
A.—In regard to the faith that Ixhave in thb men and the work under
their control, I think my opinion is this : ThaWthey expect to build the
road as far as will control the travel over the mountains. That Is my
opinion, and beyond that I do not know what they mean to do. They
may mean to build it across here, and they may not. I think they merely
mean to control the travel over and across the mountains.
Mr. Haskell—" What is your opinion in regard to the good faith of the
parties having this work in charge ? " Is that about the sense of the
question, Mr. Sumner?
Chairman—Yes, sir.
Mr. Haskell—What is the answer?
Witness—The answer is, that I think they mean to go on with the
road until they can control the travel and freights over the mountains
with their toll road.
Q.—And no further. Do you say that is your opinion ?
185
A.—What they expect to do further than that I do not know. I judge
from indications, and what I have seen so far.
Chairman—Do you know the general reputation which this company
has in Sacramento, or elsewhere, among business men, as to the good
faith of their intentions to prosecute this railroad enterprise to the ex¬
treme limit of their section ?
A.—Opinions and faith are somewhat divided among the people gen¬
erally in the,city, and, by what 1 can ascertain, abroad.
Q.—In regard to faith in their proceeding with the work, have the
capitalists in Sacramento generally subscribed, and paid assessments on
their subscriptions to the stock of this compan}*?
A.—I never saw the books containing a record of what has been paid
in, and 1 do not know the amount. Men told me that the}r had paid
their assessments, and I know men who have subscribed who never paid
their assessments.
Q.—Did you desire to see the contract which was let to Crocker & Co.?
A.—I did.
Q.—Were you permitted to see that contract?
A.—I was not.
Q.—Did you ever ask to see the books of the company generally?
A.—I did not ask to see the books of the company. I asked for that
contract, which was for four hundred thousand dollars. I beiieve it was
for four hundred thousand dollars. There was a committee of citizens
called upon to meet down at their office one evening. I was one of the
number. They were called upon to examine the report of the works;
what they had done up to that time. I was a little late, and Mr. Judah
had already made an explanation. There was none of the committee
looked at the books, that I remember of. When they get through I
asked for the contract, the original contract between Charles Crocker
and the Central Pacific Railroad Company. They said they had a copy
there; that we could see it. I asked for the original, myself.
Mr. Haskell—They said you could see this copy ?
A.—They said they would show us a copy of it. I asked for the origi¬
nal one, but they did not want to show it, and I took up my hat and
left.
Q.—What reason did they assign for not wishing to show you the
original contract?
A —They gave no reasons. I wranted to see it to satisfy myself.
Q.—They gave no reasons at all ?
A.—Ho, sir, no reasons. They said that this copy was the same as the
the original, I believe, os something of that kind.
Chairman—You desired to see the original?
A —Yes, sir.
Mr. Haskell—But they said there was a copy, which you might see.
A.—Yes, sir. They said there was the copy. I did not look at it.
Chairman—When they offered the copy did you still insist on seeing
the original?
A.—When they did not want to show the original I did not insist on
it, because it was none of my business. I had none of the stock paid in
then, and thought it was none of my business, and did not insist on see¬
ing it. I took my hat and left.
Mr. Haskell—You desired to see the contract, and they showed you a
copy ?
A.—I did not see it, but they offered to show it.
Chairman—Why did not you look at the copy ?
186
Mr. Hai nés—Did they express an unwillingness to show the original?
A.—Well, they said that was a copy of it, and the same as the origi¬
nal. Upon that I left.
Chairman—Did they say where the original was?
A.—I do not remember whether they did or not.
Q.—Did they say it was not there in the office?
A.—No, sir, I do not think they did. I would not be positive about
that.
Mr. Haskell—You are not positive about that ?
A.—No, sir, I am not. I do not think I asked them whether the origi¬
nal was there or not.
Chairman—Have they ever called on you for your assessments?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—What did you say when they called upon you?
A.—I told them I would not pay my assessment.
Q.—Did you give them any reason ?
A.—I did.
Q.—What did you give as a reason ?
A.—I told them I did not think they were going on with the road in
good faith. I told them that the indications which were before us did
not look clear enough.
Mr. Haskell—What were the indications by which you thought that
they were not going on with the road ?
A.—This first letting of the contract between Crocker and the Com-
pany. I wanted to know the parties interested.
Q.—You do not understand me. I ask, what were the indications
which led you to suppose they were not going on with the work ?
A.—Well, I thought the Central Pacific Bail road Company took the
contract themselves; without giving public notice for bidders.
Q.—You misunderstand the question ?
A—No, sir ; I understand the question.
Q —-I ask, what were the indications which led you to this conclusion?
A.—Those were the indications.
Q.—Did not they go on with the work ?
A.—They went on with the work. But I am telling you about the
letting of the contract.
Q.— But the point is this : Were you afraid they were not going on
with the work ? ,
A.—No, sir; that is not the point. Butas regards my faith in the
work ; I did not think they were going on rapidly. I did not think they
were going on earnestly. But they went on witi the vfrork. You asked
me what reasons I had for disbelieving, or losing faith, in their going
on with the work. That is the way I understood you.
Mr. Haines—I understood you. say, that their course in not publish¬
ing a notice for bids, but giving the contract to their own Company, was
not in good faith ; that they did not give it to the lowest bidder, but let
it to their own Company without any bids?
A.—That is the idea.
Mr. Haskell—One question only. You say 3rou did not pay your
assessments because you were afraid they were not going on with the
work, I believe ? >
A.—I mean, in the proper manner; in the way I thought they should
go on with it.
Chairman—One question. What was Charles Crocker's connection
187
•with the Company at the time this contract was let to him, or just pre¬
vious thereto ? Was he an officer ?
A.—T would not be positive, but I think he was.
Mr. Haskell—You do not know?
A.—I would not be positive ; Jjut think he was.
Mr. James—He was a large stockholder, was he not?
A.—Yes, sir; he was a large stockholder,—at least he was so re¬
ported,
Mr. Haines—A large stockholder ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Mr. Haskell—Ho you know whether he had any stock or not ? *
A.—Well, only by what he said. I did not go and look at the stock
book to see what he had taken or you had taken.
Q.—You only know by what was said ?
A.—Well, we heard that stock was taken to the amount of five hun¬
dred thousand dollars, and divided among five or six men.
Mr. James-—Directors of the road ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Mr. Haskell—-I asked you if Mr. Crocker owned any of the stock, and
you stated you did not know of your own knowledge ?
A.—I did not see the stock issued to him. I never even saw the cer¬
tificates of the Company.
Q.—Bo you know whether he was an officer or not ?
A.—Well, the papers said he was. I did not see him sworn in ; so I
cannot swear positively, as to whether he was an officer or not.
Mr. Haines—You found his name published as one of the officers of
the road, and he was considered so by the citizens of Sacramento and
California ?
A.—That is the way we looked at it; it being so published in the
papers.
Mr. James—Do you know whether his name has been published in a
report of the Company as one of the stockholders?
A.—J do not know. I do not think any publication was made stating
who the stockholders were, but only the officers. But in the list of the
originators of the road, he was amongst them. I never saw any of the
stock issued ; never saw any of the railroad stock in my life.
Chairman—"You never saw any of the stock ?
A.—No, sir, I did not; and I never saw any of the men who put down
for stock, or any of the members. I may have seen a few of them, I
think ; I might have, but I would not undertake to remember how much
they had. But it is supposed if a man is a director of a road, he must
owh so much stock. That is tho law.
Mr. Bishop—I understand you to say that this work commenced
about two years since ?
A.—I do not remember the exact time. If I was to go home and
refer back to incidents which have happened since, I could probably tell.
Q.—How much stock did you subscribe for at the start?
A.—The agreement was that I was to take ten thousand dollars worth
of stock. ^
Q.—Did yon or not subscribe for that amount of stock in this Com¬
pany ?
A.—No, sir; I did not, at that time, or at any other time either. I
took a thousand dollars at one time.
Q.—You took one thousand dollars at ono time?
188
A.—Yes, sir; I subscribed for one thousand dollars at one time. And
I agreed at the same time to take ten thousand dollars in all.
Q.—Did you really ever subscribe for that ten thousand dollars ?
A.—No, sir; I never really subscribed for it. The agreement was
that I was to subscribe it—I believe at>he time the work was going on,
before the contract was let.
Q.—Did you ever take that one thousand of stock ?
A.—No, sir.
Q.—You never did.
A.—No, sir.
Q.—You say you were not satisfied with the proceedings of the Com¬
pany; that you did not think they were going to proceed in good faith
towards the road ; that the first thing that led 3^011 to think tlu^y were
acting unfairly, was their letting the contract to Crocker & Co. Who
did 3'ou refer to as composing the " Company " in Crocker & Co. ?
A.—The Pacific Eailroad Company, with Crockers.
Mr. James.—The balance of the Directors?
A.—Yes, sir
Mr. Bishop.—Do I understand you that the contract for grading the
road was let by the Company to officers of the Company?
A.—That is what I understand. I do not know who the partners of
Charles Crocker were, or are.
Q.—Was there an3Tthing in that contract which was calculated ta de¬
fraud any of the members of that Compan}r in anjr way ? 5
A.—Well, it wouid in this way : If they took a contract which was a
very fat one, of course they would make the monej7 themselves
Q.—The Company consisting of a certain number of stockholders,
each one being an owner in the concern, and the contract let to the
Companjr, with Charles Crocker as President and at the head of the
Company, could }7ou imagine any way in which there could be a swindle
perpetrated ?
A.—Well, I think there could bo a swindle—yes, sir. They might let
a very fat contract to themselves. While the other stockholders or
owners in the road might hold most of the stock, they might let a con¬
tract for one hundred thousand dollars more than it was worth and take
it themselves.
A.—Do }tou say that contract was let to officers of the road or Com¬
pany ?
A.—The road let it to one of the officers of the road.
Q—Do you know anjTthing more about how this contract was let than
*>y common rumor ?
A.—Common rumor; just exactly what it is to the present day.
Q.—You know nothing positive in regard to how this contract was let,
then ?
A.—I never saw the contract.
Q.—Did you ever hear any person give testimony upon that point, so
that you could be positive ?
A.—I have heard men testify their opinion in regard to it.
Q.—Merely from rumor?
A—I do not know whether from rumor, or what kind of rumor, or
how it was.
Q.—Well, it was mere conversations between friends and enemies of
the road ?
A.—Yes, sir.
189
Q.—Has that Company been engaged in the construction of the road
since that time ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—Do j7ou know whether they are still engaged in the construction
of the road, or not ?
A.—I have never been up to or seen 'the work out of Sacramento.
Eumor says they have been at work; that they had one thousand or
fifteen hundred men at work. I do not know anything about it ; 1 have
not been to see them at work.
Q.—You say you think this Company intends to build the road so far
as to enable them to control the freight and passenger trade across the
mountains, and no further?
A.—That is my opinion.
Q.—Upon what do you base that opinion ?
A.—My opinion is based upon their opposition to this memorial which
you wish to send on to Congress. I base my opinion upon the fact of
their fighting that memorial, considering that an evidence that they do
not wish Congress to allow any opposition road to come in contact with
them.
Q.—Is that the ground of your opinion ?
A.—That is on»e of the grounds.
Q.—Have you any other grounds, aside from their opposition to this
memorial ?
A.—Well, my business calculation would tell me that they were not.
the men to build it, the way they are going on.
Q.—Have they expended money lavishly and foolishly ?
A.—I do not know as they have.
Q.—Have you known of their making contracts with any parties for
a greater amount of money than was necessary?
A.—I do not know as they have. They have got the thing to them¬
selves.
Q—Do you know anything about the prices they have paid for lumber,
iron, or other materials?
A.—I do not.
Q.—Do you know anything about the prices they are paying for labor
or superintendents on the road ?
A.—I do not know what they are paying. I have heard it said, but
simply have it as a rumor.
Q.—Do you know anything about what amounts the Secretary, or
other officers of the Company, have been receiving from the Company ?
A.—I do not.
Q.—You are acquainted with the grants and bonuses made by Con¬
gress to the Central Pacific Eailroad Company?
A.—O yes, sir. I do not know as I remember them distinctly.
Q.—Do not you think that, with the Congressional aid given to the
Company, and the capital owned by the stockholders, they will be ena¬
bled to construct that road ?
A.—I do not think they will build it.
Q.—Do not you think that they would be enabled to build it, by virtue
of that aid ?
A.—I do not know as they can. They may build it. That is my
opinion, of course, and does not make it so.
Q.—Do you not believe that the Government pays enough money to
build the road ?
A.—If it is expended properly, they may build it.
190
Q.—As a business man and as a financier, have you knowledge of the
cost of constructing a railroad? Do not you think that Congress has
given donations liberal enough, and money and bonds sufficient to con¬
struct that road across the mountains?
A.—It would depend altogether whether they would expend it
properly.
Q.—Well, provided it is expended properly, then do you think the
road could be built with that aid ?
A.—I do not know as I could tell whether it would be built or not. It
depends on whether it is expended properly, in my opinion.
Q.—I ask you whether, if expended properly, in a judicious mannor
and to advantage, they could complete the road?
A—I do not know as I can form a correct idea of what it will cost to
tunnel through these mountains. If I was to make a careful calculation
I could tell.
Q.—Then, I understand, you are unable to give any real opinion as to
whether they could build the road or not?
A.—I do not know as a man could tell; I do not know asf any man
could tell whether they could build it or not. *
Q.—Are you not governed in your opinion more by your prejudices
against the road, than any knowledge you have ofttheir fraudulent
transactions ?
A.—I have no prejudices against any body connected with the road.
Q.—You, say that you do not know of their having made any foolish
or extravagant use of money, so far?
A.—I do not make it my business to go and inquire into their business,
because I do not owe them anything, and they do not owe me anything.
Q—you say that you asked to see the contract that was entered into
between the Company and Crocker?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—They remarked to you that they would show you a copy ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—Did you make any remark, at the time, that you would rather see
the original? Or was that all the conversation that took place at the
time ?
A.—I would not be positive, but I think I left then. I think that
when they refused to show the contract, 1 left the room and went away.
Q.—Did they explain, in any way, why they would show you the copy
instead of the original ?
A.—I do not know as they did ; I do not remember as they did. 1 do
not think there was anything more said, because I was satisfied then
that I could not get a sight at what I wanted to see, and went away.
Q.—You stated that }7ou were a little late when you got there that
evening, and that Mr. Judah had been explaining matters to those who
were present?
A.—Yes, sir; in regard to the Central Pacific road.
Q.—And the general condition of the company ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—Do you know whether this company had been examining the
books, or not?
Witness—which ?
Mr. Bishop—The committee you speak of?
A.—They did not see the books ; they just saw the survey. At least,
when I was there, they only saw the survey, and heard the explanation
of Mr. Judah.
191
Q.—Did you hear Mr. Judah make his explanations that evening, any
portion of them ?
A.—I heard some of them.
Q.—What did Mr. Judah say ? What was the substance of his infor¬
mation ?
A.—I could not tell you exactly what he said. It is too long ago to
remember any such thing as that.
Q.—Well, about what did he say?
A.—Well, he was in favor of the road, and they could build it, and so
on. He assumed to be in favor of this as the route if the road was built,
which is now claimed as the Dutch Flat swindle.
Mr. Haskell—You state that you do not know of any moneys that they
have improperly expended in any instance?
A.—No, sir, I do not know as they have; but I do not know how they
expended any. I cannot tell. I know they are at work frittering away
money and doing something. I do not know how they expended money
because I did not make it my business to inquire.
Chairman—Are you a surveyor or civil engineer?
A.—No, sir.
Q.—You do not profess to be?
A.—No, sir.
Q.—You were asked if it were possible for this company, being stock¬
holders, and taking a contract, to defraud themselves. Is it, or is it not
notorious that the General Government has granted this company large
subsidies for building this road over the mountains?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—Would not it be very easy to, and is it not very obvious that this
compan}^ could take contracts and gather to themselves the fruits of
these subsidizes, by letting them out at figures disproportionate to thei>
actual value of the work. Could not they take contracts on the basis of
the stock, and make their figures so large for the contracts as to absorb
the subsidies ?
A.—I think they could.
Q—And in that way could not they swindle the Government out of
the subsidies ?
A.—That is what I am afraid of. That is the point I am afraid of. If
it is done all on the square, it is all right; but I have not the faith that
it is all right. That first contract was for " four hundred and fifty thou¬
sand dollars," and I was afraid of it, as it was given to Charles Crocker!
Mr. Hai nes—What was the general opinion and feeling, as you heard
it expressed, at the time the first contract was let for four hundred and
fifty thousand dollars ?
A.—Well, I suppose there were at least one half, if not two thirds, of
the friends of the Pacific Railroad that objected to it, to my knowledge;
those with whom I have conversed.
Q.—Stockholders?
A.—Stockholders and riends pf the road. It did hot make any differ¬
ence whether they were friends or stockholders; half or two thirds of
those I have conversed with expressed a regret that the contract was let
the way it was. I mean those of my acquaintance.
Q.—Did they or did they not think that they might, if they had adver¬
tised for proposals, as is the usual way, have had that same work done
for much less money?
A.—It was told me by a gentleman who seemed to be conversant with
that kind of work, that it could be done for much less.
192
Q.—How much less ?
A.—Well, I have heard some gentlemen say for one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars less. I never figured on the work, consequently I could
not tell.
Q.— Has there been any report made since then, of the work done and
mone}7 paid, and so on, of the-stockholders, to your knowledge?
A.—1 never saw it. If I have seen it I do not remember it.
Q.—Has there been such a report made at any time?
"Witness—In regard to what ?
Mr. Haines—The money expended and the condition of the road?
A.—I never saw it, or if I have I do not recollect it.
Q.— You have been in a position to hear of it?
A.—Yes, sir.
Mr. Haskell—Has not the Chairman of this committee such a report
in his possession ?
Witness—You might have seen it and I not.
Mr. Haines—Have not we the only report over here?
A.—1 have never seen one.
. Q.—You are one of the citizens and residents of Sacramento. Has
there been any report published and circulated there, which we have
not here ?
A.—I never saw one.
Mr. Bishop—You state that you never inquired in regard to any of the
business of the company ?
A.—I mean that I have never gone to examine any of the books of the
company. This which I have stated has been talked about among busi¬
ness men.
Q.—One more question in regard to this contract for four hundred and
fifty thousand dollars: Is that the contract you refer to as having been
made with Crocker & Co.?
A.—It was the first contract let, I think. I believe so; I would not
be positive.
Q.—That was the contract made with Crocker & Co.?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—You say you have never seen that contract, and know nothing
about it, except from rumor ?
A.—That is all. The papers published it.
Q.—You would not swear it was four hundred and fifty thousand ?
A.—Only from what the papers published and rumor generally. I
never saw the contract.
Q.—Then I understand you that you have spoken from the informa¬
tion which you have gained from outside sources, nothing official ?
A.—Outside sources. I have obtained my information from the
papers. The contract was published in the papers, or the amount it was
let for, I believe.
Q.—Then you have gained your information merely from newspapers,
conversations on the streets and talk with business houses?
A.—From stockholders and people interested in the road.
Mr. Haskell—What stockholders ?
A.—Stockholders in the city.
Q.—-Name some of them ?
A.—I do not know as I could remember who the men are just now.
Q.—Name any one of them, just one will do ?
A.—J could not swear to any particular one, because this was two
193
years ago. Anything like that I would not be very likely to charge my
mind with.
Q.—But if there was a general clamor among the stockholders I should
think you could remember the name of one ;
A.—I did not say there was a general clamor.
Q.—Well, two thirds, you said ?
A.—I did not say two thirds, did I.
Mr. Haskell—Half or two thirds, you said.
A—Stockholders or friends, I said. There are a good many men who
are friends of the road but not stockholders.
Q.—You can correct your testimony, if wrong.
Witness—I have repeated it two or three times. I said stockholders
or friends of the road.
Mr. Haines—You did not know whether they were stockholders or
not ?
A.—I could not tell. Do not know who the stockholders are.
Mr. Haskell—And you cannot name any one stockholder who ex¬
pressed himself as dissatisfied with the mode in which this contract was
let ?
A.—I cannot at this time. 1 suppose, if I could think back, I could
remember half a dozen of them.
Q.—But you cannot now name any ?
A.—Ho, not exactly. No, I cannot.
Chairman—You were originally a friend of this road, were you?
A.—I was, and I am.
Q.—You are a friend of a road across the mountains ?
A.—Yes, sir, I am.
Q.—You are interested, as a citizen and business man in the construc¬
tion of such a road ? t
A.—I am. If I had not been I would not have held out the induce¬
ment that I did.
Mr. Haines—You are particularly interested in the building of the
Pacific Railroad ?
A.—Yes, sir. Jt has not done me any good either.
Chairman—Have you any interest in the Sacramento Yalley Railroad ?
A.—I have not.
Q.—Have you any interest, present or prospective, in the San Fran¬
cisco and Washoe Railroad ?
A.—I have not. " ,
Mr. Bishop—Are not you as much financially interested in the San
Francisco and Washoe road as you are in the Pacific. That is, that you
own no stock in either?
A.—I do not own any stock. They can make me j)&y for some stock in
the Central Pacific road, if they are a mind to do it. They can make
me pay twenty per cent, I suppose.
Q.—But you own no stock in the other road?
A.—None in the other.
Chairman—If a road jjvas constructed, via Dutch Flat, to Washoe,
would it not be more advantageous to your business than would a road
from Freeport ?
A.—It certainly would be more advantageous to me than a road from
Freeport.
Q.—Naturally the Dutch Flat road would be more to your advantage,
would it not?
22a
1M
A.—5Tes, sir. Because Freeport cuts off Sacramento City, and of course
a road built by that route would undoubtedly hurt us.
Mr. Bishop—Are you acquainted with the different routes proposed by
these Railroad Companies ?
A.—Well, I have traveled over the mountains I don't know how many
times—probably a dozen or two. I do not know as I have followed the
surveys or not.
Q.—Are you sufficiently acquainted to give an opinion as to the feasi¬
bility or practicability of either route ?
A.—I do not know as I could. In fact, it would be impossible for me
to do it if I desired to.
Mr. Haskell—Have you ever formed an opinion which is the best nat¬
ural route ?
A.—I do not know as I have, or expressed it in "any way. I might,
and I might not.
Q.—Do not you know that the Central Pacific Railroad Company has
had a great many hindrances in the way of lawsuits and litigation?
You know that the California State Aid Law was opposed, do you not ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q,—Do you know who opposed it ?
A.—Weil, the people did.
Q.—Do you who, and where their interests lay ? Do you know the
common rumor about that ?
Q.—Because they were obtaining a great deal of money out of the *
people generally, and they did not know where it was to be expended.
Q.—You never heard it from any other source ?
A.—No, I do not know as I did.
Q.—Do you know who opposed their obtaining the subscription from
San Francisco ?
A.—I suppose the enemies of the road, or the people in San Francisco
themselves, the same as I would, if a property owner and resident there.
Q.—You never heard anything about it, and do not know anything
about it, do you ?
A.—O ! yes, sir. I have heard of it. I have a good many things. I
suppose you might term it Louis McLane & Co., or some body else, and
citizens of San Francisco—those opposed to the tax. That is the way I
take it.
Q.—Citizens of San Francisco never opposed the California State Aid
Law, did they ?
A.—Did not they ! Well, I should think they did oppose it.
Q.—Where ?
A.—Well, the people among themselves, there.
Q.—Where ?
A.—Well, among the citizens, there.
Q.—Did they oppose it at the polls ?
A.—They did not have anything to do with it at the polls; but when
it -came up in the Legislature, they did. The bill had friends and
enemies. The friends of the bill, of course, carried it through. Of
course, some had objections against the bill.
Q.—You say the citizens of Sacramento opposed it. Where ?
A—In the Legislature. Did not they oppose it there, and make a
fight against it, before they gotrtheir bill granted ?
Q.—I ask where the citizens of Sacramento opposed it ?
A.—I am testifying to what I know has been done—that is all.
195
Q.—Some fought against it, but the members from Sacramento went
for it, did not they ?
A.—I do not remember whether they all went for it, or not; but I
think they did. Sacramento does not constitute the whole State of Cali¬
fornia, if there are two or three or four members from there.
Mr. Haines—Has not it been your experience that almost any bill can
be passed through almost any legislative body (that ever met in Califor¬
nia) where there is money enough expended for that purpose ?
A.—That is what they say.
Q.—Is it not a conceded fact, so far as any interest of Sacramento is
concerned ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Q.—That money will carry almost any measure proposed ?
A.—Yes, sir.
Mr. James—Are they pushing forward the work on the Latrobe road ?
A.—I have not seen anybody at work. I have passed*there. They
may bo at work off from the main road on which I traveled.
EYIDEN CE
OP
L. L. ROBINSON, C. E.,
AND
F. A. BISHOP, C. E.,
AND
WILLIAM J. LEWIS, C. E.
EVIDENCE OF L. L. ROBINSON, C. E.
San Francisco, March 7, 1865.
Charles A. Sumner, Esq.,
Chairman Senate Committee, and
H. Epstien, Esq.,
Chairman Mouse Committee, Legislature State of Nevada :
Gentlemen :—I am in receipt of your favor, second instant, covering
certain interrogatories propounded to me, and answer them seratim$
to wit :
Question.—Where do you reside ?
Answer.—For the time in Sacramento city.
Q.—What is your occupation ?
A.—I am by profession a Civil Engineer.
Q.—What has been the extent of your experience in your occupation
or profession ?
A.—I have been engaged in the construction of railways and public
works for over twenty years; and in that time have had charge, as
engineer, and constructed, as constructor, railways in Canada, Maine,
New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Illinois,
and California, and have visited and examined, in connection with my
profession, ail the public works of engineering importance or notoriety,
throughout Europe and the United States.
Q.—Are you, or have you, been officially connected with any railroad
company constructing a road from the Sacramento Kiver, or any point
thereon, to or toward the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada ? If
yea, what is the history, present work and business intentions of said
company ?
A.—My only connection with any work of that kind is with the Sac¬
ramento Valley Kail road. I constructed it in one thousand eight hun¬
dred and fifty-five, and opened it for business in one thousand eight
hundred and fifty-six. It was constructed, or nearly so, under the late
Mr. Judah, as its engineer. He left the service of the company before
it was completed. The road eost very much more than the engineer's
estimate, and its receipts were very much less than the estimate of the
engineer. It was originally intended to construct the road to Marysville,
but owing to the embarrassments of the company, it was never con¬
structed any farther than its present terminus—Folsom. It has always
enjoyed a large local business, and has always fostered and encouraged,
in all ways, other routes connecting with it.
200
Q.—Are you acquainted with the officers of what is known as the " Sail
Francisco and Washoe Railroad Company ?"
A.—I am acquainted with the President and Chief Engineer, but do
not know that I am acquainted with any other officer of the Company.
I know, perhaps, two or three of the Directors.
Q.—If " yea," is it a bona fide company ?
A—Yes.
Q.—If you are acquainted with them, what is the business character
and capacity of the officers and original incorporators of the San Fran¬
cisco and Washoe Railroad Company ?
A.—So far as my acquaintance extends, I knew them to be men of
wealth and good standing in society, as also men of integrity. The
Engineer of the Company I know well, and I have a high estimation
of his professional acquirements.
Q,—Do you know when it was proposod to organize the Company ? if
so, when ?
A.—In the year one. thousand eight hundred and sixty.
Q—Between what points is the Company authorized to build ?
A.—Between Plaeerville and the eastern line of the State of California.
Q.—What work has been done, if any ; its character, extent, cost, etc.,
toward the fixing of a route across the Sierra Nevada, by the San Fran¬
cisco and Washoe Railroad Company, or its originators?
A.—The only work which has been done between Plaeerville and the
State line, is a full and careful instrumental locating survey to the east¬
ern line of the State, and the preparation of elaborate maps and profiles,
with careful estimates of quantities and cost, at a cash expenditure of
about ten thousand dollars. Between Plaeerville and Folsom (the present
terminus of the Sacramento Valley Railroad) a very large amount of
work has been performed. The road was opened for business between
Folsom and Latrobe, a distance of fifteen miles (thirty-eight from Sacra¬
mento,), last August ; another section of twelve miles is far advanced
toward completion, and will be in operation by June—making a distance
of fifty miles out of Sacramento; and the balance of the distance to
Plaeerville (some ten miles,) has been located, and will probably be com¬
pleted and in operation within one year. All the iron required for the
road to Plaeerville, and be3<ond, is on hand in California. I do not know
the actual amount expended (including cost of the iron), between Folsom
and Plaeerville, but should think it near seven hundred and fifty thou¬
sand dollars.
Q.—What has been the business conclusion of the originators or mana¬
gers of said Company, upon such surveying work across the Sierra Ne¬
vada, as may have been done under their direction, and at their expense ?
A.—The conclusion arrived at is, that the route is a practicable one,
with maximum grades of ninety-five feet per mile, and a minimum
radius of curvature of eight degrees, at an average cost of seventy-five
thousand dollars per mile
Q.—What is your opinion and belief as to the command of capital for
the construction of a railroad from Plaeerville to the base of the eastern
slope of the Sierra Nevada, by the San Francisco and Washoe Railroad
Company ?
A.—I believe that capital can be raised under negotiations now
pending.
Q.—If you think adequate capital can be commanded for such work
by the San Francisco and Washoe Railroad Company, can you state,
with explicitness from what sources it may be expepted, or has been
201
guaranteed ; or upon what basis do you date your conviction (if such it
be) that this amount of capital, for this purpose, can be obtained ? Please
answer fully and with as many particulars as are in your power to
impart.
A.—I date my conviction that capital can be obtained from my knowl¬
edge of the negotiations now in progress in Europe and the United
States ; also from the fact that the route offers inducement for private
capital over and above all other routes so far developed across the moun¬
tains, as being of lighter grades and curvatures, of less cost in construc¬
tion, of being central to the traffic of the country in its location, of re¬
quiring less time in construction, that it can be worked cheaper per mile
per year when completed, and that it commences at Placerville, a dis¬
tance of about sixty miles from the Sacramento River, leaving a much
less distance to build by this company than by ixny other; and from the
further fact, that when the line is completed to the valley of the Carson,
it will have a virtual control of the local trade and travel of the richest
and most thickly populated portions of Nevada.
Q.—Does, or not, the survey of the San Francisco and Washoe Rail¬
road route start from the last stake of the Placerville and Sacramento
Yalley Railroad at Placerville terminus of the latter?
A.—It does. The differences of elevation betw,een**the initial point
and the old terminus of the Placerville and Sacramento Yalley Railroad
is one hundred feet; distance over one mile. The relocation throws the
Placerville and Sacramento Yalley Railroad, fifteen feet higher, and it
can be thrown eighty feet higher, if necessary, sp that a connection can
be made, if desirable, on nearly a level grade.
Q.—Have you ever made any railroad survey from the Nevada State
line to the base of the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. If so, when,
and what was the character of such survey ?
A.—I never made such survey.
Q.— Within what period of time do you think a railroad can be com¬
pleted from Placerville (the assumed point of commencement), to the
base of the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, on the surveyed route of
the San Francisco and Washoe Railroad, with the employment of all the
labor that can be made simultaneously available on the same ?
A.—From my knowledge and experience of mountain work, and from
the many delays which will necessarity arise on a work of such magni¬
tude, coupled with the difficulty of working to advantage during the
winter months, and the scarcity and uncertainty of labor on this coast, 1
should say that five years would be a reasonable time, provided there
was no delay from financial causes.
Q.—Within what time do you think the road will be built on that
route ?
A.—I am unable to answer with precision ; but from my knowledge of
both routes across the mountains, and the physical obstacles which must
be encountered on both, I have no hesitation in stating my conviction
that the road via the San Francisco and Washoe Railroad route will be
completed much sooner than will be the case on any other route.
Q.—Has the San Francisco and Washoe Railroad Company, or any of
its originators and incorporators, opposed or hindered the construction
of the Central Pacific Railroad ? Please state in reply fully, as you are
informed or otherwise ?
A.—Not to my knowledge. I am without information from any one,
and do not know that any of the originators or incorporators of the San
202
Francisco and Washoe Railroad Company have in any way opposed or
hindered the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad.
Q.—Are you acquainted with the route across the Sierra Nevada,
adopted by the Central Pacific Railroad Company ?
A.—I have a general knowledge of the route adopted by that com¬
pany.
Q—If "yea/' what thoroughness (or otherwise), of examination have
you given to that route ?
A.—£ have examined with some considerable closeness the route from
Sacramento to Dutch Flat, and thence to head of Bear Valley.
Q.—How is the Central Pacific Railroad Company's adopted route
marked. By what indications, and are they distinct?
A.—Their route is marked, so far as my knowledge extends, by a road
in operation to Newcastle; thence by stakes, showing a locating survey
to Dutch Flat, or near there ; and from there across the mountains by
distinctive marks, so far as stakes are concerned. But the physical eon-
formation of the country above Dutch Flat fixes their route from thenco
to the Truckee. It is possible that a route may be found crossing the
drainage of Bear and Yuba rivers, and so crossing by Henness Pass ;
but from ray knowledge of the country, consequent on my connection
with wagon roads, I conceive that it would be, if anything, worse than
the present proposed route of the Central Pacific Railroad.
Q. — Please give your opinion, with detail, of the character of so much
and such portions of the route adopted by the Central Pacific Railroad
Company as you have already examined ?
A.—The work from Sacramento to the actual foot hills of the moun¬
tains is exceedingly light. From thence to Newcastle it is not very
heavy; although grades of one hundred and five feet per mile are en¬
countered. From Newcastle to Clipper Gap some heavy work is en¬
countered. From Clipper Gap to Illinoistown considerable heavy work
is met with. From Illinoistown to Dutch Flat there is very heavy work.
And from Dutch Flat to head of Bear River is, if anything, worse. And
from head of Bear River to the foot of the heavy work on the east slope
of the Sierra it is literally tremendous. ,
Q.—As a railroad builder, please give your opinion as to the time that
will necessarily be consumed in the construction of the Central Pacific
Railroad over such portions of their route as you have examined ?
_ A.—I should say that it would take the company until the month of
July, working two thousand men, to reach Clipper Gap; and working
economically, with an ordinary force of men, until some time in next
year to reach Illinoistown. If this road can be constructed to Dutch
Flat within three years I should consider it a very short time in view of
the labor that must be performed. Taking into account the physical
difficulties on this route, and the enormous amount of expenditures ab¬
solutely required, also the difficulty of doing heavy work during the win¬
ter months, I should say, if the company were placed in possession of
funds sufficient to construct the road as rapidly as economy would jus¬
tify, they might build the road across the mountains in ten years. But
when labor is scarce and prices as high as is the case on this coast, and
where financial difficulties must more or less retard a work of such mag-
nitude over such a route, I am of the opinion that ten years is too short
a time for the company to construct such a road.
Q.—What are the comparative merits of the Central Pacific Railroad
company's route, and the route selected by the San Francisco and Washoo
203
Bailroad Company, with respect to ease, cheapness and rapidity of con¬
struction ?
A.—From my knowledge of the country and examination of the sur¬
veys made by Mr. Bishop, of the route of the San Francisco and Washoe
Bailroad Company, I am of the opinion that a railroad upon this route
can be constructed in a very much less time than a railroad can be built
on the route of the Central Pacific Bailroad Company—I think in less
than one half the time—and I am confident that the former can be con¬
structed at less than one half the cost of the latter.
Q.—AVill you describe and illustrate some of the main difficulties in thë
construction of a mountain road—such difficulties as are encountered,
according to your observations, on the Dutch Flat, and on the Placer-
ville projected routes ?
A.—Great difficulty is met with in the construction of mountain rail¬
ways along the cliffs and canons. As the cross canons, which intersect
at right angles the face or line of main canon, cot so deep into face of
main cliff that it is often impossible to run a railway into them and out
againi When the sinuosities of the main and cross or intersecting
canons can be followed, the location is entirely practicable; but as they
often cannot be followed, the railroad line is forced to cut into the cliffs
on each side of the cross in intersecting canon, in order to get as far up
the cross canon as possible, so that it can be bridged or trestled. If the
line is forced to cross the intersecting canon near its mouth, the crossing
becomes so wide and so high thi at it is almost impossible to accomplish
it. This necessity of throwing the line into the face of the cliff of the
main canon involves exceedingly heavy work. And in this canon form¬
ation peculiar to the Sierra Nevada, it will often happen that a face of a
cliff, with a moderate general slope from vertical, will look, to an
unskilled observer (and may, even, sometimes, deceive a practical
engineer, at first glance,) as if a railway could easily be blasted out of
the face ; whereas a detailed instrumental examination will develop work
almost, if not quite, impracticable.
Mr. Bishop's line intersected several of these cross canons; but they
were Of such magnitude and length as permitted him to ascend them on
one side, cross them, and then descend upon the other side. In these
places he encountered his heaviest work in entering the cross canon, in
crossing it when he had ascended it as far as practicable, and in getting
back again into the valley or main slope of the American Biver. Diffi¬
culties of this kind will be encountered on the Dutch Flat route, above
Dutch Flat, without the character of relief in the topography of the
country which was found by Mr. Bishop on the Placerville route. Hence,
I term the Central Pacific Bailroad Company's route almost "im¬
practicable."
It would be utterly impossible to cross the cafions %t their mouth ; as
the line is necessarily so high up on the face of the main valley, that to
continue straight across would necessitate a structure of such hight as
to be entirely impracticable ; but on the Placerville route, by curving
into the cross canon (which rises very rapidly), and continuing up it un¬
til a structure can be built to cross it. Mr. Bishop finds a practicable
route. And, in fact, this distance gained by the line in ascending and
descending the cafion is so great as to enable him to decrease his maxi¬
mum grades. It will readily be understood that if a railway has a given
number of feet to ascend, between two points, the shortest line will have
the heaviest grade.
The difference between Mr. Bishop's line and the Dutch Flat line is in
204
this particular very much in his favor. As he wants distance, and as his
line follows the main drainage of the country, it is enabled to ascend and
descend the tributary drainage, and so gain distance; whereas, on the
Dutch Flat route the line follows the ridge oV division of drainage, and,,
hence, being, as it were, in proximity to the head of the cross or tribu¬
tary drainage, cannot develop distance, but is forced to follow the fac'e
of the cliff, and wher^the line does intersect the cross canons they are so
short and deep that as the line cannot ascend and descend (as on Bishop's
route), it must cross them. If it cross in line of face of cliff the crossings
become tremendous, if not utterly impracticable; so it is forced to cut
Into face of the cliffs as far as possible in order to get up the cross canon
to the greatest attainable distance, and thereby decrease width and
height of crossing.
It îs quite a difficult matter, without full illustrative diagrams, to de¬
scribe these things so that they will be entirely comprehended.
Q.—Do you consider that Mr. Bishop's survey has demonstrated the
fact that a railway can be built on the Placerville route over the Sierra
Nevada, with a grade of not more than ninety-five feet to the mile?
A.—That fact has been demonstrated bjr Mr. Bishop's surveys.
Q.—Has it been demonstrated by Instrumental survey that the rail¬
road projected, via Dutch Flat, across the Sierra Nevada, can be built on
a grade of not more than one hundred and sixteen feet to the mile ?
A.—That has not been demonstrated. I have not a shadow of doubt
In my own mind but that the maximum grades of the Central Pacific
Railroad, as limited by Congress, are too low to carry the work over the
mountains via Dutch Flat ; in other words, the maximum grade of one
hundred and sixteen feet per mile, fixed by Congress, will not carry that
road over the summit. The distance in miles from Sacramento, multi¬
plied by the one hundred and sixteen feet, will much more than reach
the elevation of the summit. But it must be borne in mind that from
Sacramento, for a distance of twenty-three or twenty-four miles, the
grade is quite light, not more than from fifteen to twenty five feet per
mile, and that from there to Clipper Gap, and beyond, their grades are
one hundred and five to one hundred and sixteen feet per mile, with
short intervals of level, or light grades. The report of Mr. Montague,
Acting Chief Engineer of the Central Pacific Railroad Company, shows
that they cannot maintain their maximum grade from Clipper Gap to
Dutch Flat, but are forced to a reduction, as the ridge falls away nearly,
or quite, to a level. Considering these facts, and adding to their con¬
sideration, the remark which Mr. Judah once made to my brother, J. P.
Robinson, when speaking about the route of the Central Pacific Railroad,
"that he knew what no one else knew, which if known would damn the
concern," and coupling these with my knowledge of the country through
which the road is projected to pass, I am led to the confident conclusion
and almost certainty, that their maximum grade will not carry them
over the mountains. I think this is really one great reason why they
have never had made, and publicly reported, a close instrumental survey
across the mountains, via their proposed route. They dare not have
that done; for if a close locating survey, like Mr. Bishop's, were made,
and tho fact ascertained and published that their route requires one hun¬
dred and twenty-five to one hundred and fifty feet grades, their Con¬
gressional aid would immediately fail them. I think that their object is
to get the road built as far as possible before the exposure takes place,
in the hope that their railroad will then be so far along that their wagon
road will control the Washoe trade.
205
Q.—Were you intimately acquainted with Mr. Judah, late Chief En¬
gineer of the Central Pacific Eailroad Company?
A.—I was intimately acquainted with him, for ten years.
Q.—If " yea," please state fully what you know of his history as a
railroad engineer on this coast; and what you know of his connection
with the Central Pacific Eailroad Company ?
A.—His first connection with railroads on this coast was as engineer
on the Sacramento Valley Eailroad, which road I constructed as con¬
tractor. He left the service of the Sacramento Valley Eailroad Com¬
pany before the road was finished to Folsom. He subsequently made a
survey for a railroad from Sacramento to Bcnicia, and also for a short
railroad branch from the California Central Eailroad, which he raised
means to grade. After all other active employment failed him, he was
engaged by Sacramento Valley Eailroad Company's Trustee, J. Mora
Moss, Esq., and the Superintendent, J. P. Eobinson, to explore the Sierra
Nevada Mountains, for routes for wagon roads north of the South Forks
of the American Eiver, and at the same time act as agent for the Sacra¬
mento Valloy Eailroad Company, in soliciting freight, etc^ During his
service with that company, he projected what is now known as the
"Dutch Flat route" across the mountains, and made a report in regard
to it which was printed in the newspapers without the consent or know¬
ledge of the parties who were employing him. The Trustee of the Sac¬
ramento Valley Eailroad Company, deeming this information acquired
b}r Mr. Judah the property of that company, and that the report should
have been made to that eompan}^, instructed the Superintendent to dis¬
charge Mr. Judah; which was done. Mr. Judah was very indignant at
being dismissed. Mr. Judah, from that time exerted all his energies
toward building a railroad across the mountains; organized what is
known as the " Central Pacific Eailroad Company," upon subscriptions
raised by himself ; connected himself with the present control of that
road ; remained in the employ of the company as Chief Engineer until
he realized one hundred thousand dollars of their bonds, when his con¬
nection with it was dissolved, and he went home, never to return.
Q.—Can you furnish any statistics in regard :to aid furnished by the
General Government, or by States, to Eastern railroad companies ?
A.—I have no statistics with me, such as you wish. I know of no road
in the East built with the aid of Government bonds ; although lands have
been granted freely to aid in the building of railroads in the Western
States. The Illinois Central Eailroad Compan}^ received six square miles
of land per mile (three thousand eight hundred and forty acres)—all
agricultural lands, lying on each side of the railroad, and so brought into
active market by the construction of the road. The Erie Eailroad was
aided by the State of New York to an extent of three millions of dollars.
Massachusetts loaned the company engaged in boring the Hoosac Moun¬
tains three or four millions of dollars. Many railroads in the East have
been aided by States; but the heavier roads 'have generally taken care
of themselves. Cities and counties and towns have aided, but the Gen¬
eral Government has not.
Q.—Do you know of any organized plan for the construction of a
railroad from Freeport south, toward the city of San Francisco?
A.—The papers of organization for such a company having such a
work in view, are all signed and ready to be filed. We have been wait¬
ing the result of examinations. It is intended to construct a railroad
from Freeport to Antioch,on the San Joaquin, and thence via Kerker's
Pass and San Pablo Creek or San Leandro Creek to Oakland or Alameda,
206
and to Yerba Buena Island. It is a distance of about seventy-five miles.
There are but two places on the line where heavy work is encountered,
and then only for a short distance. At least sixty miles of the entire
route is either level or nearly so, with scarcely any work at all required
upon it. The explorations are going forward, and the instrumental sur¬
veys will be made entire within the next ninety daj^s. This road will
probably be built by the company now organizing for that purpose, and
when it is completed we shall have the shortest (by sixty miles), and the
cheapest (by some millions), route between San Francisco and either
Freeport or Sacramento.
Q.—Please furnish any information concerning proposed or projected
railroad lines or routes across the Sierra Nevada, which information may
be suggested as desirable by these inquiries, or which you deem of value
to this Committee, and the people of Nevada.
A.—In answer to this request, I can only say, that so far as my know¬
ledge extends, there are at present but two competing routes across the
'mountains ; one via the American River, one other via Dutch Flat and
Bear and Yu^a Rivers. The first has been constructed as the wants of
the local population called for it ; and until the organization of the San
Francisco and Washoe Railroad Company, was being constructed as a
local road. The survey made by Mr. Bishop across the Sierra Nevada,
developing the fact that this route was highly favorable, an organization
was effected which has given this route importance as the most feasible
route for a railroad between the Sacramento Valley and the Carson Val¬
ley ; and it is losing its position as a local road and taking its position as
a through route across the mountains—having, I believe, no other object
than to reach some point in the vicinity of Virginia City, where it can
command the traffic to which it will be legitimately entitled in that sec¬
tion, and to reach some central point in the Reese River section of Ne¬
vada. That is all, as at present contemplated. The other route was
Çrojected as a part kof the great Pacific Railroad across the continent,
n its course, as projected, it can never compete with the other for the
trade of Virginia, the Carson Valley, and all that portion of Nevada
south of Carson, or directly east of Carson as far as Reese River. The
one route is fostered by Government patronage and subsidies of
various kinds; the other is being constructed by private energy and en¬
terprise, with but limited assistance from the county (El Dorado) through
which it passes. Yet, I think, there is little or no doubt but that the
San Francisco and Washoe road can be built so much cheaper, that the
difference in cost between the two routes will fully reach the present
amount of Government aid extended to the Central Pacific Company,
and so, eventually, both routes will stand equal as regards ability to
construct.
[Signed.] L. L. ROBINSON.
Subscribed and sworn to before me, this eighth day of March, in the year
of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
J. W. McKenzie, [seal.]
{InteTiSrnue} Notary Public.
EVIDENCE OF F. A. BISHOP, C. E.
To the Hon. Chas. A. Sumner, and Hon. Henry Epstein,
Chairmen Joint Committee on Railroads, of the Legislature of Nevada :
Gentlemen : — Your communication, bearing date of the second
of March, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, stating that "the
Committee on Railroads of the Nevada Legislature, beg leave to pro¬
pound the following inquiries," is at hand. To the best of rny'ability, I
most cheerfully comply with your request :
Question.—Where do you reside ?
Answer.—In the city of Placerville, California.
Q.—What is your occupation ?
A.—I am a Civil Engineer.
Q.—What has been the extent of your experience in your occupation
or profession ?
A.—I have been engaged in it about thirteen years.
Q.—Are you, or have you, been officially connected with any railroad
{company constructing a road from the Sacramento River—any point
thereon—to or toward the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada?
A.—I am Chief Engineer of the Placerville and Sacramento Yalley
Railroad Company, whose road is now in the process of construction.
Fifteen miles of this road is in operation, five miles more will be ready
for the iron and superstruction by the tenth day of April next.
The western terminus of this road is at the town of Folsom, the east¬
ern terminus at the city of Placerville. Connection is made with the
Sacramento River, by the Sacramento Yalley Railroad, which runs from
Folsom to the city of Sacramento, also by the Freeport Railroad, which
branches from the Sacramento Yalley Railroad, and strikes the river
about fourteen miles (by the river") below Sacramento.
Q.—Are you acquainted with tne officers of what is known as the
"San Francisco and Washoe Railroad Company ?"
A.—I am.
Q.—If so, is it a bona fide company ?
A.—It is, to the best of my knowledge and belief.
Q.—If you are acquainted with them, what is the business character
and capacity of the officers and original incorporators of the San Fran¬
cisco and Washoe Railroad Company?
A.—The originators and officers of the San Francisco and Washoe
Railroad Company, are considered by the community in which they
208
reside, as men of probity^and honor All are business men, and at least
possess fair business capacity. Several of them have the reputation of
possessing large means, which I believe to be true.
Q —Do you know when it was first proposed to organize this com¬
pany ? If so, when ?
A.—I believe that its organization was intended as early as one thou¬
sand eight hundred and sixty, but for certain reasons was not perfected
until one thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
In the year one thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, when in the
employ of the United States Government as Civil Engineer, I reported
to the Secretary of the Interior in favor of this route. Although not
generally known, tho matter of constructing a railroad over the Sierra,
on the Placervilie route, has been a subject of earnest consideration
among certain heavy capitalists for a long time.
Q.—Between what points has the company incorporated authority
to build ?
A.—Between the city of Placervilie and the eastern boundary of Cali¬
fornia, in Tahoe Lake Yaliey, a distance of ninety-two miles.
Q.—What work has been done, if any, (its character, extent, cost, etc.)
toward the fixing of a route across the Sierra Nevada by the San Fran¬
cisco and Washoe Eailroad Company, or its originators.
A.—What is called by engineers ua thorough location," has been
made. This enables the cost of tho work to be estimated with great ac¬
curacy, and to arrive very closely to its outside limit.
It is not to be understood that this particular line in all places is the
best. When the construction is undertaken it will probably be found
that the reduction of a grade, or a slight defection in the line in different
places, may effect a great saving. The estimates show what this line
will cost. There has been about ten thousand dollars expended in mak¬
ing the survey, and other matters pertaining to the fixing of the route
across the Sierra.
Q.—What has been the business conclusion of the originators or man¬
agers of said company upon such surveying work across the Sierra Ne¬
vada, as may have been done under their direction and at their expense ?
A.—The result of the survey was most satisfactory, the route proved
to be superior to what was anticipated, and at once the necessary steps
were taken to enlist capital and insure its construction, as an investment
its value is quite apparent.
Q.—What is your opinion and belief as to the command of capital for
the construction of a railroad from Placervilie to the base of the eastern
elope of the Sierra Nevada by the San Francisco and Washoe Eailroad
Company ?
A.—I believe that the company can command the capital necessary to
construct the road.
Q.—If you think adequate capital can bo commanded for such work
by tho San Francisco and Washoe Eailroad Company, can you state with
explicitness from what sources it may be expected, or has been guaran¬
teed. Or, upon what basis do you date your conviction (if such it be),
that this amount of capital for this purpose can be obtained. Please
answer fully, and with as many particulars as are at your power to com¬
mand ?
A.—This question, perhaps the most important in the series, I cannot
answer to your satisfaction without the betrayal of business secrets. I
can say, however, that it is not expected that home capital will be em¬
ployed in the undertaking.
209
Q.—Does, or not, the survey of the San Francisco and Washoe
Eailroad route start literally from the last stake of the Plaeerville and
Sacramento Yalley Eailroad, at the Plaeerville terminus of the latter, on
the same level ?
A.—It does ; but for reasons of policy the public are not informed of the
exact terminus of either road until the right of way has been secured.
Land damages in cities are sometimes excessive. The "initial point"
of the San Francisco and Washoe Eailroad, at Plaeerville, is between
ninety-six and one hundred feet (I have not the notes at hand for per¬
fect accuracy), above the terminus of the Plaeerville and Sacramento
Yalley Eailroad, as located by Mr. Wm. J. Lewis, in one thousand eight
hundred and sixty.
The distance, a little over one mile, in my relocation of the line in one
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, the terminus was thrown some
fifteen feet higher, which reduces the altitude between the two points so
that a grade of between eighty and ninety feet will connect them. The
location of the two lines are such that a very light grade could be ob¬
tained if necessary. There has been much cavil concerning the initial
point of the San Francisco and Washoe Eailroad, therefore in addition
to my own surveys I offer the testimony of Mr. Win J. Lewis, who sur¬
veyed the first railroad line into Plaeerville. The following will be
found on page eight of that gentleman's report :
"As the Plaeerville and Sacramento Yalley Eailroad is designed to
form a link in the great railroad across the continent, I was desirous to
so locate the line at Plaeerville that it could be continued eastward from
that point. A line was run from a point in the explored line a short dis¬
tance west of the town, crossing the creek, passing in the rear of Mr.
Kirk's house, and following up the ravine through which the George¬
town road passes, which5 attained the summit between the waters of
Hangtown Creek and the south Fork of the American Eiver in a dis¬
tance of one mile, and at an elevation of ninety-six feet above the initial
point. Adopting a grade of eighty feet to the mile the line would cross
this ridge with a cut of only sixteen feet. A reconnoissance of the divid¬
ing ridge, without instruments, satisfied me that there are also practica¬
ble passages through it east of this point."
I trust that it will be sufficient to say that the "initial point" of the
San Francisco and Washoe Eailroad is on the same summit where Mr.
Lewis' line terminated.
Q.—Have you ever made any railroad survey from the Nevada State
line to the base of the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada. If so, when;
and what was the character of such survey ?
A.—I made a preliminary survey across the eastern summit, through
Walter's Pass, during the autumn of one thousand eight hundred and
sixty-two. This survey enabled me to ascertain the practicability of the
route, but was not sufficiently close to obtain detailed estimates. I think,
however, that I got information sufficient to justify my estimate of the
aggregate cost of constructing a road from the State line to the base of
the eastern slope of the Sierra.
Q.—Within what period of time do you think a railroad can be com¬
pleted from Plaeerville (the assumed point of commencement), to the
base of the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada, on the surveyed route of
23a
210
the San Francisco and Washoe Railroad, with the employment of all the
labor that can be made simultaneously available on the line ?
A.—Were it possible to place all the skilled labor on the line that could
be made available, the work could be completed in a very short time;
say so soon as the longest tunnel could be constructed. The average
penetration per diem of some of the principal tunnels in the United
States, was a little over four feet. The longest tunnel reported on the
San Francisco and Washoe Railroad is seventeen hundred and eighty
feet, which, at above rate, would require four hundred and forty-five
days. But with the exception of the tunnels the work could not be car¬
ried on during the entire year, seven months, perhaps, would be a liberal
allowance for working time per year on the whole line. With the con¬
ditions of the question filled, I think the road could be constructed within
three years.
Q.—Within what time do you think the road will be built on that
route?
A.—From five to seven years, depending, of course, upon the political
condition of the country.
Q.—Has the San Francisco and Washoe Railroad Company, or any of
its originators and incorporators, opposed or hindered the construction
of the Central Pacific Railroad ? Please state in reply fully, as you are
informed, or otherwise.
A.—As a private enterprise it has never been opposed. But parties
interested in the San Francisco and Washoe Railroad have objected to
paying taxes for the advancement of a concern which was projected on
the most meager information, and which, up to this day, is not positively
known to be practicable.
It is also assumed, that if the amount of traffic should accrue to the
road when completed, as estimated in their reports, it would be sufficient
to enlist all the private capital necessary for its construction. Private
capital, with the immense grants of land and bonds from the General
Government, ought to suffice without levying an additional tax upon
the people of California.
Q.—Please furnish any information concerning proposed and projected
railroad routes or lines across the Sierra Nevada, which information may
be suggested as desirable by these inquiries, or which you. deem of pro¬
bable value to this Committee, and to the people of Nevada ?
A.—The subject of railroad routes across the Sierra Nevada, has been
thoroughly discussed by the press of Nevada and California. There has,
however, been a great want of information concerning the details of the
topography of the routes traversed, so.necessary to insure entire practi¬
cability. The survey of the San Francisco and Washoe Railroad has
supplied the information so long wanting, and being the only " thorough
survey" yet made over the mountains, must prove to be of great value
to the public. The only other route which claims attention, is that of
the Central Pacific Railroad Company. Those two will doubtless be the
only ones projected across the Sierra for a long time to come. The for¬
mer is designed to penetrate directly to the commercial center of Nevada,
a fact which should not be overlooked. It is certainly to the interest <of
the people of Nevada to encourage all means which promise speedy
communication to the Pacific ports. The greater the competition for
the carrying trade, the greater must be the prosperity of the State.
There is, in my opinion, no State in the Union, and perhaps none in the
world, which would be so greatly benefited with a complete system of
211
railways, as Nevada. There will be business for all. Let her govern¬
ment then bestow its favors with an impartial hand, and in the fullness
of time it will reap many fold returns.
FBANCIS A. BISHOP, C. E. [seal.]
V
Subscribed and sworn to before me, by the said Francis A. Bishop, at my
office, in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California,
this eleventh day of March, in the year of our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and sixty-five ; as witness my hand and official seal.
F. J. Thibault,
Commissioner for Nevada in California.
EVIDENCE OF WILLIAM J. LEWIS, C. E.
To the Committee on Railroads of the Nevada Legislature :
Gentlemen :—In reply to your interrogatories, I respectfully submit
the following answers:
Question—Where do you reside?
Answer—I reside in San Francisco, California.
Q.—What has been your experience as a Civil Engineer ? What
length of time have you been engaged in such profession, and with what
engineering works have you been connected? *
A.—1 commenced my profession of civil engineering on the survey of
the Philadelphia and Columbia Eailroad, on the first of April, one thou¬
sand eight hundred and twenty-eight, and was engaged in the survey
and construction of that road until February, one thousand eight hun¬
dred and thirty-two, except for a short time, when I was absent on the
location of the Little Schuylkill, and of the Camden and Amboy Eailroad.
Was then Eesident Engineer on the Philadelphia, Germantown and
Morristown Eailroad, until its completion in one thousand eight hundred
and thirty-five. Had charge of and completed the construction of the
Brooklyn and Jamaica Eailroad in one thousand eight hundred and
thirty-six. Was engaged as Eesident Engineer in the surveys across
the Alleghany Mountains, on the Louisville, Charleston and Cincinnati
Eailroad in one thousand eight hundred and thirty-seven, and in the
following years in the location and construction of the part of that road
(since called the South Carolina Eailroad) between Columbia and Branch-
ville. The last road in the East was the New Jersey Central, of which
I was Chief Engineer from July, one thousand eight hundred and forty-
seven, to January, one thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, when I
resigned to come to California. In one thousand eight hundred and
fifty'-one, I made the first survey and report ,on the San Francisco and
San José Eailroad. In one thousand eight hundred and fifty-three, I
located the railroad from Benicia to Marysville. In one thousand
eight hundred and fifty-five, a location of the San Francisco and
San José Eailroad, and in one thousand eight hundred and sixty, 1
made a survey and location for the citizens of Placerville, of a railroad
from Folsom to that place. In one thousand eight hundred and sixty-
one, the construction of the San Francisco and San José Eailroad was
commenced. I acted as Chief Engineer until it was completed.
213
Q.—With what railroad construction are you interested at present ?
A.—-I am now engaged in the location and construction of the Western
O o
Pacific Railroad extending from San José to Sacramento.
Q—Are you acquainted with the route adopted by the Central Pacific
Railroad Company, for a line of railway across the Sierra Nevada ?
A.—-I am not acquainted with the route of the Central Pacific Railroad
by personal examination, and know nothing more respecting it than is
stated in the report of the engineers of the company.
Q.—If yea, what is your opinion as to the practicability of that route.
Please answer with such details as will illustrate the character of any
section of the route (if such there be), which presents unusual difficulties
in the path of railroad construction. What think you will be the aver¬
age mile cost of this road in the mountains proper ?
A.—The report of Mr. Judah states that the maximum grade of the
Central Pacific Railroad is one hundred and sixteen feet to the mile,
which is also the maximum grade on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad,
one of the most successful railroads in the United States.
The only formidable obstacle to be encountered in the working of the
Central Pacific Railroad is from the presence of deep snow on fifty miles
of the road for several months in each year. I have carefully read Mr.
Judah's statements in regard to the extent and depth of snow, and am
of the opinion that the road can only be kept open during the entire sea¬
son by protecting it by heavy roofing over the elevated portions of the
Sierra Nevada.
The estimate of the cost of construction of the road is stated at certain
i
prices per mile. No exhibit is made of amount of earthwork, rock ex¬
cavation, masonry, bridging or other it.ems, to enable an engineer not
acquainted with the line passed over, or familiar with the country tra¬
versed, to form an opinion in regard to the sufficiency of his estimate.
A.—About what would be the regular and safe daily carrying capacity
of a single track railway over the Sierra Nevada on the Central Pa¬
cific Railroad route with its published gradients and curvatures ?
A.—One engine of thirty (30) tons weight, with connected wheels,
will ascend a grade of one hundred and sixteen feet to the mile at a
velocity of ten (10) miles per hour, carrying a net freight of one hundred
(100) tons, exclusive of engine, tender and cars. It is evident, without
further statement, that a single track railroad, with side tracks at sta¬
tions, will be sufficient for the traffic across the Sierra Nevada for many
years. There is no railroad of any considerable length which is strictly
single track. Sidings are laid at stations, and increased as the business
of the road increases, until it becomes more convenient to facilitate the
passage of the trains to complete the second track throughout the length
of the road. All the principal railroads of the Atlantic States have now
telegraph lines working in connection with the road, by which the Super¬
intendent is kept constantly informed of the position of trains and the
liability of collision almost entirely avoided. The cost of widening the
road for a second track is, under ordinary circumstances, far less than
the preparation of the road bed for the first track.
Q.—Were you acquainted with Mr. T. D. Judah, late Chief Engineer
of the Central Pacific Railroad Company ?
A.—I was well acquainted with the late T. D. Judah, but know noth¬
ing of his reasons for leaving the employ of the Central Pacific Railroad
Company.
Q.—Within what period of time, if you can form any opinion in the
premises, do you think that with the exercise of energy and the com-
214
mand of abundant means, a railroad can be constructed across the Sierra
Nevada on the Central Pacific Eailroad route?
A.—With abundant means and reasonable energy the Central Pacific
Eailroad could be completed, I think, across the Sierra Nevada, within
three years.
Q.—Have you seen the recently published report of a survey made
across the/ Sierra Nevada by Mr. F. A. Bishop ?
A.—I have seen, and carefully read, Mr. F. A. Bishop's report of Jan¬
uary, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Q.—If yea, what is your opinion of that report?
A.—The route of the road from Placerville to the State line appears to
have been carefully treated, and the amount of work calculated and
stated in the report. The prices attached to each item are ample, and
there is no doubt that with means on hand the work could be contracted
for and executed within the estimates. No details are given for the cost
of the work from the State line to the summit of the divide between Car¬
son and Washoe valleys, the minute survey not being carried beyond
the eastern boundary of California. Knowing well Mr. Bishop and Mr.
Arnold (under whose immediate direction the survey was executed), I
have no doubt the facts of the case are honestly Stated.
Q.—What acquaintance have you, general or particular, with the to¬
pography of the country over which Mr. Bishop's survey passes ?
A.—In November last I traveled over the country between Placerville
and Carson, and examined the route surveyed by Mr. Bishop, my object
being to note particularly the qualities of soil and rock and other mat¬
ters pertaining to that route. I expected to return via the route of the
Central Pacific Eailroad, but was prevented by the storm in the latter
part of that month.
Q.—Have you ever made any surveys over, or extending eastwardly,
into the Sierra Nevada?
A.-—I have never made any surveys eastward of Placerville.
Q.—If yea, please state as to the locality and character of those sur¬
veys, and what connection or reference they may illustratingly have in
considering the merits of the Central Pacific or San Francisco and
Washoe Eailroad routes ?
A.—This question is already answered as far as regards my own surveys.
Maps of the different routes are before the Committee, who can make
their own calculations in regard to distances and advantages. As my
opinion is asked, I will state that I believe the shortest and most eco¬
nomical connection between San Francisco and Virginia City, and the
southern portion of the State of Nevada, is by the way of what is known
as the Placerville route. The maps before you and your own knowl¬
edge of the wants of your enterprising young State, will exhibit this
matter so fully that probably no further illustrations are needed by your
honorable Committee.
[Signed.] WM. J. LEWIS.
Subscribed and sworn to before me, by said William J. Lewis, at my
office in San Francisco, California, this third day of April, in the year
of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, as witness my
hand and seal.
F. J. Thibault,
Commissioner for Nevada in California.
QUESTIONS
ADDRESSED TO
LELAND STANFORD, PRES'T C. P. R. R. CO.
QUESTIONS
TO LELAND STANFORD, SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA.
The Committee on Railroads of the Senate and Assembly of the State
of Nevada, beg leave to propound the following inquiries :
1. What is your connection with the Central Pacific Railroad Com¬
pany, and how long have you held your present official connection
therewith?
2. What amount of stock has been subscribed to the Central Pacific
Railroad Com pan}7 ?
3. What amount of money has been paid into the treasury of the
Central Pacific RailroadJ^ompany on the subscribed stock?
4. Wh'at amount of stock has been subscribed for by Sacramento
County ?
5. What amount of stock of the Company has been subscribed and
taken by Placer County ?
6. What amount of money has been realized to the treasury of the
Central Pacific Railroad by the sale or other disposition of the bonds, or
subscribed and taken stock, of the railroad company by the counties of
Sacramento and Placer, respectively ?
7. What amount of stock of the company has been subscribed for by
individuals, and assessments refused to be paid thereon ?
8. Will you please furnish us the contract items of expenditure made
out of moneys received from assessments on subscribed stock by indi¬
viduals, and county subscriptions and aids?
9. Among the delinquents (of stock subscribers) are there any of the
Directors, and other officers of the company ? If so, what is the amount
of t,heir delinquencies, respectively ?
10. Have any original subscribers to the stock of the company re¬
fused or failed to pay assessments on their subscriptions, on the asserted
ground of lossW lack of confidence in the proper management of the
company ?
11. Have any of the officers of the company received contracts from
the company ?
12. If "yea" to question eleven, for what work and for what sums
have such contracts been made, and by whom have such contracts been
taken ?
13. Have any of the former, (at one time) officers of the company,
soon after a resignation of official connection with the company, received
contracts from the company ?
218
14. If "yea" to question thirteen, then for what work and sum ?
15. Have any of the funds of the company been expended in the
construction of what is known as the Dutch Flat wagon road? If "yea,"
to what amount ?
16. Has the credit of the railroad company, by hypothecation or
otherwise, been used toward the construction of the Dutch Flat wagon
road ? If "yea," to what amount?
17. Have any of the funds of the company been used to carry elec¬
tions in favor of county subscriptions to the stock of the road, or other
county aid ? If " yea," to what amount ?
18. What are the salaries, respectively, of the officers of the com¬
pany ?
19. Have the company Directors (or other officers ip charge) refused
on any occasion to show their books and accounts to any investigating
committee, appointed from any of the counties of the State of California ?
20. How much does the company receive per mile for the construc¬
tion of the road from Sacramento to the base of the western slope of the
Sierra Nevada from the United States Government? What in bonds—
(of what character ?)—and what in land ?
21. At what distance from Sacramento, on the line of the road, has
it been decided that the "base of the western slope of the Sierra Ne¬
vada" was to be held, for the purpose of rating the amount of subsidy
due the railroad company, under the Pacific Eailroad Bill, original and
amended ?
22. What is the grade of the road from Sacramento to the " western
base," etc. ?
28. What is the grade of the road from the "western base" to New¬
castle, and from thence to Illinoistown ? *
24. What amount of United States bonds and land have the com¬
pany received, if any ?
25. What amount of United States bonds (exclusive of amount
already received,) if any, are now due the company?
26. Have any moneys been received by the treasurer of the com¬
pany arising from the sale, or other disposition of United States bonds,
obtained by the company in the fulfillment of their work on the road, as
required by the Pacific Eailroad Act ?
27. If the company have United States bonds in keeping, what is the
market value of such as may not have a coin (gold or silver) interest
guaranteed ? 1
28. What amount of aid has the State of California given to the road,
and in what form, and to what advantage now statable ?
29. When was the first work literally performed in constructing the
Central Eailroad ?
30. At the time of the commencement of the work on the road, was
it expected by the officers of the company that they would be able to
comply with the terms for progress in the work laid down in the original
Pacific Eailroad Act ?
31. What amount of United States Government aid, in bonds and
land, is now awarded for the construction of the road from the " western
base" of the Sierra Nevada eastwardly at the rate of twenty-five miles
or more per year ? [The Committee have been unable to procure a
copy of the amended Pacific Eailroad Act, and beg leave to propound this
inquiry in this connection. Thêre is a dispute (charge of error, merely)
as to statement of amount qf (xovernment subsidy per mile, found on
page six of your letter to the Committee of January fourteenth?]
219
32. Since the work was inaugurated on the road, and up to thi& date,
what has been the average progress of the work ?
33. In what manner has the material, the rolling stock, etc., been ob¬
tained ? By cash payments, or transfers of stock or bonds ?
34. What number of men are now actually at work upon the road—
engaged in the extension of it ?
35. How many men were actually laboring on the road on the first
of December, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-four ?
36. When do the company expect to reach Dutch Flat with their
rail ?
37. Do the company feel warranted in assuring the public that they
will, from this,, make such progress in the construction of the railroad
as is required by the Pacific Bailroad Act now in force ?
38. Have the Central Pacific Bailroad Company a thorough locating
survey over the Sierra Nevada?
89. If "yea" to question thirty-eight, when was such survey made,
and by whom ? And has such survey been entirely reported to the
company and the public ?
40. What is the entire estimated cost of the construction of the road
from Sacramento to the State line, in coin ?
41. What is the aggregate value, in coin, of all the subsidies and aids
extended to the company from the United States Government, the State
of California, and the counties of Sacramento and Placer? What is the
present ascertained market value, in coin, of all these aids?
42. What is the amount of monthly estimates for work now being
performed on graduations, with the amount paid for such work ?
43. What wages were offered (and what per diem has been paid) to
laborers applying for work on the road on the recent call for five thou¬
sand laborers?
44. What are the names of the present contractors, actually at work
or directing work on the line of the road ?
45. How much interest money does the company pay on their pre¬
sent mortgage debt ?
No reply has been received to these inquiries.
*
Accompanying these questions was the following letter :
State op Nevada, *)
Senate Chamber, March 1st, 1865. j
To Leland Stanford, Sacramento, California :
Sir:—The Joint Committee on Bailroads of Nevada Legislature, beg
leave to propound the enclosed series of inquiries. The answers to many
of the questions will, of course, be substantially a repetition of statements
already furnished us; but the Committee deem it desirable to ask
for your full recital of facts in the form and with the connections ob¬
served by the enclosed.
Some of the questions are propounded for the purpose of giving you a
direct opportunity to enlighten our people as to certain current charges
of mismanagement in the conduct of the affairs of the company of
which you are President. ,
Yery respectfully,
C. A. STJMNEB,
Chairman Senate Committee.
H. EPSTEIN,
Chairman Assembly Committee.
STATEMENT
OF THE
ACTION OF FIRST NEVADA LEGISLATURE
ON
JOINT RESOLUTIONS CONCERNING TRANS-SIERRA RAILWAYS.
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTION,
ON RESOLUTIONS CONCERNING PROJECTED RAILROADS ACROSS THE
SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAINS.
IN HOUSE.
Wednesday, December 21, 1864.
Mr. Cutter, of Storey, offered the following preamble and resolutions^
Whereas, The necessity for the speedy completion and establishment
of railroad communication between the navigable tide waters of the
Pacific and the mining regions of the State of Nevada is apparent to us
as great and imperative; and '
Whereas, Congress has provided what was deemed to be a liberal
bonus for the construction of such a railroad, and said Congressional pro¬
vision has been secured exclusively to and under a corporation named
and known as the Central Pacific Eailroad Company, which, up to this
date, has constructed only thirty miles upon its proposed route, and
whose principal labor seems to have been to reduce the number of miles
ordered to be built per year (on pain of forfeiture), in the original Pa¬
cific Eailroad Bill, having particular reference to this section of the great
trans-continental railway ; and #
Whereas, Competition and rivalry in the construction of railways
which are to command the enormous passenger and freight traffic be¬
tween the Pacific and the eastern slope of the Sierras, on a railway line,
is eminently desirable ; and
Whereas, A line of railroad has already been constructed from the
town of Freeport, at the head of tide water on the Sacramento, and the
town of Latrobe, it being a distance of thirty-eight miles, on a nearly
direct line of communication with the Capital of Nevada; and
Whereas. We have creditable information that a large and wholly re¬
sponsible body of respectable capitalists are prepared, with reasonable
encouragement, to push forward the railroad from Latrobe to the Capi¬
tal of our Statej on a route direct and feasible; therefore, be it
jResolved, by the Assembly, the Senate concurring, that our Senators
be instructed, and our Eepresentatives in Congress requested, to use
their utmost endeavors to secure the passage of an Act giving to the
corporation, or corporations undertaking, or which shall undertake, the
construction of a road from Latrobe, in the State of California, to Carson
224
City or Virginia, in the State of Nevada, the sum of ten millions of dol¬
lars in United States six per cent bonds, at dates of thirty years, or less ;
the same to be issued and made over to said corporation, or corpora¬
tions, at such time as the work herein described shall have been com¬
pleted; provided that the railway communication by this line from the
town of Freeport, at the head of tide water on the Sacramento River, to
Carson City or Virginia, in the State of Nevada, be «fully established and
in perfect running order, without break or interval of stage transporta¬
tion, within a period not exceeding three years from the fourth day of
March, A. D., eighteen hundred and sixty-five.
Resolved, That his Excellency, the Governor, be requested to transmit
a copy of these resolutions to each of our Senators and our Representa¬
tives in Congress.
Referred to a special committee of five, composed of Messrs. Cutter,
Rosenblatt, Brown, St. Clair and Beck.
Thursday, December twenty-second, reported back with a unanimous
recommendation that the resolution do pass.
Wednesday, December twenty-eight, recommitted to . the Standing
Committee on Federal Relations.
Friday, January sixth, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, a
majority of said committee, consisting of Messrs. Haskell, Walter and
Shackleford, reported, recommending the passage of the following sub¬
stitute :
Resolved, That in view of the magnitude of the work of constructing a
railroad over the Sierra Nevada mountains, and the necessity of its
speedy construction, Congress is hereby requested to extend such addi¬
tional aid in such manner as will best secure the earliest practical com¬
pletion of that portion of the Pacific Railroad lying between the Sacra¬
mento River and the valleys lying east of those mountains.
>
A minority of the Committee, consisting of Messrs. Epstein and Bien
dissented from the report of the majority.
Reports were accepted and placed on file, and original resolutions and
substitute made the special order for Friday, January thirteenth, twelve
o'clock, m.
Friday, January 13th.
Consideration of the resolutions was postponed to Monday, January
sixteenth, at twelve m.
Monday, January 16th.
The resolutions were considered in Committee of the Whole.
#Mr. Patten, of Storey, offered the following substitute :
Whereas, Railroad communication with the navigable waters of the
Pacific Ocean is deemed by the people of Nevada to be absolutely essen¬
tial to their prosperity; and,
Whereas, Congress has passed an Act to aid in constructing a Pacific
Railroad from the Missouri River to the navigable waters of the Sacra¬
mento River, in said Act creating a franchise for that purpose, and
making conditional grants of bonds and land to the companies autho¬
rized to enter upon the work of building said Pacific Railroad to the
boundary and across the territory of this State ; ..therefore,
Resolved, By the Assembly, the Senate concurring, That our Sena¬
tors and Representatives be requested, in view of the magnitude of the
225
work of constructing a railroad over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, to
urge Congress to grant such additional aid to the companies authorized
by law to construct it as will best secure the earliest possible completion
of that portion of the Pacific Railroad between the navigable waters of
the Sacramento River and valleys lying east of those mountains.
Mr. Epstein, of Douglas, offered the following as a substitute for the
whole series :
"Whereas, The speedy construction and establishment of railway
communication between the navigable waters of the Pacific and the
mining districts of Nevada, is vitally important to the interests of this
State; therefore, be it
Resolved, By the Assembly, the Senate concurring, That our Senators
be and are hereby instructed, and our Representatives in Congress
requested, to use their utmost endeavors to secure the passage of a law
by Congress, fixing the sum of ten millions of dollars ($10,000,000,) in
United States Bonds, at dates of thirty years or less, to such corporation
as shall first complete a line of railway and establish the same in perfect
running order, without break or interval of stage transportation, between
the navigable waters of the Sacramento River and the base of the east¬
ern slope of the Sierra Nevadas.
Resolved, That his Excellency, the Governor, be requested to transmit
a copy of these resolutions to each of our Senators and to our Repre¬
sentative in Congress, by telegraph.
Mr. Cutter, of Storey, introducer of the original resolutions, accepted
the substitute offered by Mr. Epstein, which, together with that offered
by Mr. Patten, was ordered printed and made the special order for
Wednesday, January eighteenth, at seven p. m.
Wednesday, January 18th.
The substitute resolutions were considered in Committee of the Whole
and made the special order for Tuesday, January twenty-fourth, at seven
p. m.
Tuesday, January 24th.
The resolutions were again considered in Committee of the Whole,
and the substitute offered by Mr. Patten was laid on the table—ayes, 16 ;
nays, 14.
À motion to indefinitely postpone the substitute offered by Mr. Epstein
was lost—ayes, 13 ; nays, 18.
The Epstein resolutions were then made the special order for Friday,
January twenty-seventh, at seven, p. m.
Friday, January 27th.
The resolutions were considered in Committee of the Whole, and made
the special order for Wednesday, February first, at seven, p. m.
Wednesday, February 1st.
The resolutions were again considered in Committee of the Whole,
reported back to the House, ordered engrossed, and made the special
order for Monday, February sixth, at seven, p. m.
24a
226
Monday, February 6th.
The resolutions were considered, and the question being on their pas¬
sage, they tailed to receive a constitutional vote—ayes, 18; nays, 17;—
the Constitution requiring a majority of all the members elect.
Tuesday, February 7th.
In pursuance of notice given, Mr. Cutter, of Storey, moved to recon¬
sider the vote by which they failed to receive a constitutional majority;
which motion prevailed, and the resolutions were made the special order
for Tuesday, February fourteenth, at seven p. m.
Tuesday, February 14.
The resolutions were considered, and the House adjourned, without
action.
Monday, February twentieth, the rules were suspended, resolutions
taken up and made the special order for that evening at seven o'clock;
at which time they were accordingly considered and finally passed—
ayes, 19; noes, 16.
IN SENATE.
Tuesday, February 21, 1865.
The Epstein resolutions were received from the House. A motion
was made to indefinitely postpone, which was lost—ayes, 3 ; noes, 11.
The resolutions were then macfo the special order for Monday, February
twenty-seventh, at seven p. m.
Monday, February twenty-seventh, the resolutions were considered
and passed—ayes, 11 ; noes, 6.
MEMORIAL AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS,
IN REFERENCE TO THE CONSTRUCTION OF A RAILROAD FROM THE CITY
OF VIRGINIA TO THE CITY OF AUSTIN, IN THE STATE OF NEVADA.
To the Honorable the Senate and House of Representatives in Congress
assembled:
Your memorialists, the Legislature of the State of Nevada, respect¬
fully represent to your honorable bodies, that the discovery of large de¬
posits of gold, silver and other minerals in the vicinity of Austin, in said
State, and the consequent influx of a large, energetic and thrifty popu¬
lation, forming a settlement comprising near one fourth part of the entire
population and present wealth of the State, the sure guarantee from ex¬
ploration and present developments of the immeasurable richness and
unbounded extent of these deposits, the unproductiveness of the sur¬
rounding country, the value of these mining interests, both to private
speculation and to the National Government, the remoteness of the
place from the commercial metropolis and present mining center of the
State—Virginia being separated therefrom by a dry, barren and almost
uninhabited and uninhabitable desert of two hundred miles in width—
and next to impossible to pass on account of the deep sands and alkali
flats; the consequent exorbitant high price of labor and living; the
necessary delay and extravagant expense in extrâcting and reducing
the ores; the danger to transmit by animals from hostile tribes of In¬
dians who infest these deserts, and the almost entire absence of grass
and water for beasts for a distance of over one hundred and fifty miles;
in the opinion of your memorialists render the building and completion
of a railroad from the city of Virginia aforesaid, to said city of Austin,
over the present Overland Mail road, as nearly as may be, at the earliest
possible moment, an absolute necessity, demanded alike by the people
of that new region and the country at large.
Wherefore, In consideration of the premises, and the great expense
and outlay requisite in the construction of such an enterprise and road,
your memorialists most earnestly petition your honorable body for a do¬
nation, under proper restrictions, of five millions of dollars in aid of such
company, or companies, as shall undertake and complete such enterprise
within the shortest reasonable time; said road, when built, to form a
branch of the great Pacific Eailroad. Therefore, be it
Resolved, by the Senate and Assembly of the State of Nevada, That
our Senators be instructed, and our Eepresentatives in Congress re-
228
quested, to use all arid proper exertions and means to procure the above
mentioned aid for the object aforesaid.
Resolved, That his Excellency, the Governor, be requested to forward
to each of our Senators, and to our .Representatives in Congress, a copy
of this memorial and joint resolution^ duly authenticated by the great
seal of the State thereto attached.
J. S. C.ROSMAN,
President of the Senate.
L. B. MOOEE,
Secretary of the Senate.
C. W. TOZEE,
Speaker of the Assembly.
IL E. ALLEN,
Clerk of the Assembly.
*.
Senate Memorial and Joint Eesolutions Ko. 233, originated February
twenty-fourth, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-five.
Passed the Senate March sixth, one thousand eight hundred and
sixty-five.
L. B. MOOEE,
Secretary of the Senate.
Passed the Assembly March tenth, one thousand eight hundred and
sixty-five.
TJ. E. ALLEN,
Clerk of the Assembly.
State of Nevada, Department of State, ss.:
I, C. N. Noteware, Secretary of State of the State of Nevada, do hereby
certify that the foregoing is a full, true and correct copy of the original
" Memorial and Joint Eesolution in reference to the construction of a
Railroad from the city of Virginia to the city of Austin, in the State of
Nevada," now on file in my office.
In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the great
seal of the State. Done at the office in Carson City, Nevada,
on the third day of May, A. D. one thousand eight hundred and
sixty-five.
C. N. NOTEWAEE,
% Secretary of State.
By Chas. Martin, Deputy.
S T A. T EMEN T
OF
4
I. E. J^MES,
CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE VIRGINIA AND TRUCKEE R. R. CO.
STATEMENT
OF THE CHIEF ENGINEER OF THE VIRGINIA AND TRUCKEE RATLROAD
COMPANY.
[The first Nevada Legislature passed a Charter Bill for a railroad from
Virginia City, Storey County, to a point known as Fuller's Crossing, on
the Truckee River. The subjoined statement furnishes the latest results
of surveys on this rproposed line of railway. The publication of this
body of evidence has been somewhat delayed in order to procure the
information herein afforded, respecting the most important railroad pro¬
ject, and the only actually surveyed route for a railroad exclusively
within our State.]
DESCRIPTION OF ROUTE.
The Virginia and Truckee Railroad commences at Taylor on F street,
in Virginia City; passes in a southwesterly direction along F street in
Virginia; passes through Gold Hill directly in front of the mines; pass¬
ing through American Flat, it follows the hill side until it strikes the
Washoe Divide; turning at Washoe Divide, it runs northerly by way of
Franktown and Ophir to Washoe city; thence down the outlet of
Washoe Lake to Steamboat Springs; and from thence to Fuller's
Crossing on the Truckee.
DISTANCES.
From.
Miles.
Total.
Taylor Street, in Virginia City, to the Washoe Divide.
Washoe Divide to Washoe City
Washoe City to Steamboat Spring
Steamboat Springs to Fuller's Crossing
Carson Branch, from Washoe Divide to Carson City.
Length of line from Virginia City to Fuller's Crossing..
Total length of main and branch lines
15
9
5 9.10
9 5.10
4 *
3d 4.10
43 4.10
CHARACTER OF GRADES, CURVES AND WORK.
Maximum grade per mile 70 feet.
Minimum radius of curvature 500 u
Longest tunnel 1600 "
Total length of tunneling 5085 u
Average grade of curved line, per mile . 59 "
282
Heavy work for the first fifteen miles, the cuttings, generally, through
rock. Balance of the distance through sandy country, with little rock-
cutting required.
TIME AND COST OE COMPLETION.
This road could be completed entire in eighteen months, or so soon as
the iron could be laid on the ground, if negotiations were commenced
for it immediately.
No close estimates have been made of cost, but it is believed by those
who have the enterprise in charge, that the road can be constructed and
fuliy stocked and equipped as a first class road for $3,800,000—at that
cost would undoubtedly be the best paying railroad in the world, not
excepting the Panama railway.
PACIFIC RAILROAD BILLS
M
PASSED BY
THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES,
ACTS OF CONGRESS.
AN ACT to aid in the construction of a Railroad, and a Telegraph line from
the Missouri River to the .Pacific Ocean, and to secure to the Government
the use of the same for Postal, Military and other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled : That Walter S. Burgess, William
P. Blodget, Benjamin H. Cheever, Charles Fosdiek Fletcher of Rhode
Island; Augustus Brewster, Henry P. Haven, Cornelius S. Bushnell,
Henry Hammond of Connecticut; Isaac Sherman, Dean Richmond, Royal
Phelps, William H. Ferry, Henry A. Paddock, Lewis J. Stancliff, Charles
A. Secor, Samuel R. Campbell, Alfred E. Tilton, John Anderson, Azâriah
Boody, John S. Kennedy, H. Carver, Joseph Field, Benjamin F. Camp,
Orville W. Childs, Alexander J. Bergin, Ben Holladay, I). N. Barney, S.
DeWTitt Bloodgood, William H. Grant, Thomas W. Olcott, Samuel B.
Ruggles, James B.Wilson of New York; Ephraim Marsh, Charles M.
Harker of Hew Jersey; John Edgar Thompson, Benjamin Haywood,
Joseph H. Scranton, Joseph Harrison, Geo. W. Cass, John H. Bryant,
Daniel J. Morrill, Thomas M. Howe, William F. Johnson, Robert Finney,
John A. Green, E. R. Myre, Charles F. Wells, junior, of Pennsylvania;
Noah L. Wilson, Amasa Stone, William H. Clement, S. S. L'Hommedieu,
John Brough, William Dennison, Jacob Blickinsderfer of Ohio; William
M. McPhcrson, R. W. Wells, Willard P. Hall, Armstrong Beatty, John
Corby of Missouri; S. J. Hensley, Peter Donahue, C. P. Huntington, T.
D.vJudah , James Bailey, James T. Ryan, Charles Hosmer, Charles
Marsh, D. 0. Mills, Samuel Bell, Louis McLane, George W. Mowe,
Charles McLaughlin, Timothy Dame, John R Robinson of California;
John Atchison and John D. Winters of the Territory of Nevada; John
D. Campbell, R. N. Rice, Charles A. Trowbridge and Ransom Gardner,
Charles W. Penny, Charles T. Gorham, William McConnell of Michigan ;
William F. Coolbaugh, Lucius H. Langworthy, Hugh T. Reid, Hoyt Sher¬
man, Lyman Cook, Samuel R. Curtis, Lewis A. Thomas, Piatt Smith of
Iowa; William B Ogden, Charles G. Plammond, Henry Farnum, Amos
C. Babcock, W. Seldon Gale, Nehemiah Bushnell and Lorenzo Bull of
111 inois; William H. Swift, Samuel T. Dana, John Bertram, Franklin S.
Stevens, Edward R. Tinker of Massachusetts; Franklin Gorin, Laban J.
Bradford and John T. Levis of Kentucky ; James Dunning, John M.
Wood, Edwin Noyes, Joseph Eaton of Maine; Henry H. Baxter, George
W. Collarner, Henry Keyes, Thomas H. Canfield of Vermont; William
S. Ladd, A. M. Berry, Benjamin F. Harding of Oregon ; William Bunn,
junior, John Catlin, Levi Sterling, John Thompson, Elihu L. Phillips,
Wwalter D. Mclndoe, T. B. Stoddard, E. H. Brodhead, A. H. Virgin o
236
Wisconsin ; Charles Paine, Thomas A. Morris, David C. Branham,
Samuel Hanna, Jonas Yotaw, Jesse L. Williams, Isaac C. Elston of
Indiana; Thomas Swan, Chauncey Brooks, Edward Wilkin s of Mary¬
land ; Francis R. E. Cornell, David Blakely, A. D. Seward, Henry A.
Swift, Dwight Woodbury, John McCusick, John R. Jones of Minnesota ;
Joseph A. Gilmore, Charles W. Woodman o$ Hew Hampshire ; W. H.
Grimes, J. C. Stone, Chester Thomas, John Kerr, Werter R. Davis,
Luther C. Chaliss, Josiah Miller of Kansas ; Gilbert C. Monell and
Augustus Kountz, T. M. Marquette, William H. Taylor, Alvin Saunders
of Nebraska; John Evans of Colorado; together with five Commission¬
ers to be appointed by the Secretary of the Interior, and all persons who
shall or may be associated with them and -their successors, are hereby
created and erected into a body corporate and politic in deed and in law,
by the name, style and title of u The Union Pacific Railroad Company,"
and by that name shall have perpetual succession, and shall be able to
sue and to be sued, plead and be impleaded, defend and be defended in
all courts of law and equity within the United States, and may make
and have a common seal; and the said corporation is hereby authorized
and empowered to lay out, locate, construct, furnish, maintain and enjoy
a continuous railroad and telegraph with the appurtenances, from
a point on the one hundredth meridian of longitude west from Green¬
wich, between the south margin of the valley of the Republican River,
and the north margin of the valley of the Platte River, in the TerJ
ritory of Nebraska, to the western boundary of Nevada Territory|
upon the route and terms hereinafter provided, and is hereby vested
with all the powers, privileges and immunities necessary to carry
into effect the purposes of this Act as herein set forth. The capital
stock of said company shall consist of one hundred thousand shares,
of one thousand dollars each, which shall be subscribed for and held
in not more than two hundred shares by any one person, and shall
be transferable in such manner as the by laws of said corporation
shall provide. The persons hereinbefore named, together with those to
be appointed by the Secretary of the Interior, are hereby constituted
and appointed Commissioners, and such body shall be called the Board
of Commissioners of the Union Pacific Railroad and Telegraph Com¬
pany, and twentjr-five shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of
business. The first meeting of said board shall- be held at Chicago, at
such time as the Commissioners from Illinois herein named shall appoint,
not more than three nor less than one month after the passage of this
Act, notice of which shall be given by them to the other Commissioners,
by depositing a call thereof in the post office at Chicago, post paid, to
their address, at least forty days before said meeting, and also by pub¬
lishing said notice in one daily newspaper in each of the cities of Chicago
and St. Louis. Said board shall organize by the choice, from its num¬
ber, of a President, Secretary and Treasurer, and they shall require
from said Treasurer such bonds as may be deemed proper, and may,
from time to time, increase the amount thereof as they may deem
proper. It shall be the duty of said Board of Commissioners to open
books, or cause books to be opened, at such times and in such principal
cities in the United States as they, or a quorum of them, shall determine,
to receive subscriptions to the capital stock of said corporation, and a
cash payment of ten per centum on all subscriptions, and to receipt
therefor. So sopn as two thousand shares shall be, in good faith, sub¬
scribed for, and ten dollars per share actually paid into the treasury of
the company, the said President and Secretary of said Board of Com-
237
missioners shall appoint a time and place for the first meeting of the
subscribers to the stock of said company, and shall give notice thereof
in at least one newspaper In each State in which subscription books have
been opened, at least thirty days previous to the day of meeting, and
such subscribers as shall attend the meeting so called, either in person
or by proxy, shall then and there elect by ballot, not less than thirteen
Directors for said corporation ; and in such election each share of said
capital shall entitle the owner thereof to one vote. The President and
Secretary of the Board of Commissioners shall act as inspectors of said
election, and shall certify, under their hands, the names of the Directors
elected at said meeting, and the said Commissioners, Treasurer and Sec¬
retary shall then deliver over to said Directors all the properties, sub¬
scription books and other books in their possession, and thereupon the
duties of said Commissioners and the officers previously appointed by
them, shall cease and determine forever; and thereafter the stock¬
holders shall constitute such body politic and corporate. At the time of
the first and each triennial election of Directors by the stockholders, two
additional Directors shall be appointed by the President of the United
States, who shall act with the body of Directors, and to be denominated
Directors on the part of the Government. Any vacancy happening in
the Government Directors at any time may be filled by the President
of the United States. The Directors to be appointed by the President,
shall not be stockholders in the " Union Pacific Bailroad Company/' The
Directors so chosen shall, as soon as may be after their election, elect from
their own number a President and a Vice President, and shall also elect a
Treasurer and Secretary. No person shall be a Director in said company
unless he shall be a bona fide ownef of at least five shares of stock in the
said company, except the two Directors to be appointed by the President
as aforesaid. Said company, at any regular meeting of the stockholders
called for that purpose, shall have power to make by-laws, rules and
regulations as they shall deem needful and proper, touching the disposi¬
tion of the stock, property, estate and effects of the company, not incon¬
sistent herewith, the transfer of shares, the term of office, duties and
conduct of their officers and servants, and all matters whatsoever which
may appertain to -the concerns of said company. And the said Board of
Directors shall have power to appoint such engineers, agents and sub¬
ordinates as may from time to time be necessary to carry into effect the
object of this Act, and to do all acts and things touching the location
and construction of said road and telegraph. Said Directors may require
payment of subscriptions to the capital stock, after due notice, at such
times and in such proportions as they shall deem necessary to com¬
plete the road and telegraph within the time in this Act prescribed.
Said President, Yice President and Directors shall hold their office for
three years, and until their successors are duly elected and qualified, or
for such less time as the by-laws of the corporation may prescribe ; and
a majority of said Directors shall constitute a quorum for the transaction
of business. The Secretary and Treasurer shall give such bonds, with
such security as the said board shall, from time to time, require, and
shall hold their offices at the will and pleasure of the Directors. Annual
meetings of tho stockholders of the said corporation for the choice of
officers (when they are to be chosen) and for the transaction of annual
business, shall be h old on at such time and place and upon such notice
as may be prescribed in the by-laws.
Sec. 2. And be it farther enacted, That the right of way through the
public lands be, and the same is hereby granted to said company for
288
the construction of said railroad and telegraph line, and the right, power
and authority is hereby given to said company to take from the public
lands adjacent to the line of said road, earth, stone, timber and other
materials for the construction thereof. Sajd right of way is granted to
said railroad to the extent of two hundred feet in width on each side of
said railroad, where it may pass over the public lands, including all
necessary grounds for stations, buildings, workshops and depots, machine
shops, switches, side tracks, turn-tables and*water stations. The United
States shall extinguish as rapidly as may be the Indian titles to all lands
failing under the operation of this Act, and required for the said right of
way and grants hereinafter made.
Sec. 3. And be it f urther enacted, That there be, and is hereby granted
to the said company, for the purpose of aiding in the construction of said
railroad and telegraph line, and to secure the safe and speedy transpor¬
tation of the mails, troops, munitions of war and public stores thereon,
every alternate section of public land designated by odd numbers, to the
amount of five-alternate sections per mile on each side of said railroad,
on the line thereof, and within the limits often miles on each side of said
road, not sold, reserved, or otherwise disposed of by the United States,
and to which a preemption or homestead claim may not have attached
at the tîmé the line of said road is definitely fixed; provided, that all
mineral lands shall be excepted from the operation of this Act, but where
the same shall contain timber the timber thereon is hereby granted to
said company, and all such lands so granted by this section which shall
not be sold or disposed of by said company within three years after the
entire road shall have been completed shall be subject to settlement and
preemption like other lands at a price not exceeding one dollar and
twenty-five cents per acre, to be paid to said company.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That whenever said company shall
have completed forty consecutive miles of any portion of said railroad
and telegraph line, ready for the service contemplated by the Act, and
supplied with all necessary drains, culverts, viaducts, crossings, sidings,
bridges, turnouts, watering places, depots, equipments, furniture, and all
other appurtenances of a first class railroad, the rails and all the other
iron used in the construction and equipment of said road to bo American
manufacture of the best quality, the President of the United States
shall appoint three Commissioners to examine the same, and report to
him in relation thereto; and if it shall appear to him that forty consecu¬
tive miles of said railroad and telegraph line have been coufpieted and
equipped in all respects as required by this Act, then upon certificate of
said Commissioners to that effect, patents shall issue conveying the right
and title to said lands to said company, on each side of the road, as far
as the same is completed, to the amount aforesaid; and patents shall in
like manner issue as each forty miles of said railroad and telegraph
line are completed, upon certificate of said Commissioners. Any vacan¬
cies occurring in said Board of Commissioners, by death, resignation, or
otherwise, shall be filled by the President of the United States : Provided,
however, that no such Commissioners shall be appointed by the President
of the United States, unless there shall be presented to him a statement,
verified on oath by the president of said company, that such forty miles
have been completed in the manner required by this Act, and setting
forth with certainty the points where such forty miles begin, and where
the same end, which oath shall be taken before a Judge of a Court of
Record.
Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That for the purposes herein men-
239
tioned, the Secretary of the Treasury shall, upon the certificate, in writ¬
ing, of said Commissioners, of the completion and equipment of forty
consecutive miles of said railroad and telegraph, in accordance with the
provisions of this Act, issue to said company bonds of the United States,
of one thousand dollars each, payable in thirty years after date, bearipg
six per centum per annum interest, (said interest payable semi-annually)
which interest may be paid in the United States treasury notes, or any
other money or currency which the United States have, or shall declare,
lawful money, and a legal tender to the amount of sixteen of said bonds
per mile for such section of forty miles. And to secure the re-payment
to the United States as hereinafter provided, of the amount of said bonds,
so issued and delivered to said company, together with all interest
thereon wrhich shall have been paid by the United States, the issue of
said bonds and delivery to the company shall, ipso facto, constitute a
first mortgage on the whole line of the railroad and telegraph, together
with the rolling stock, fixtures and property of every kind and descrip¬
tion, and in consideration of which, said bonds may be issued; and on
the refusal or failure of said company to redeem said bonds, or any part
of them, when required so to do by the Secretary of the Treasury, in
accordance with the provisions of this Act, the said road, with all the
rights, functions, immunities* and appurtenances thereunto belonging,
and also all lands granted to the said company by the United States,
which, at the time of said default shall remain in the ownership of the
said company, may be taken possession of by the Secretary of the Treas¬
ury for the use and benefit of the United States; provided, this section
shall not apply to that part of any road now constructed.
. Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That the grants aforesaid are made
upon condition that said company shall pay said bonds at maturity, and
shall keep said railroad and telegraph line in repair and use, and shall at
all times transmit dispatches over said telegraph line, and transport mails,
troops, and munitions of war, supplies and public stores, upon said rail¬
road for the government, whenever required to do so by any department
thereof, and that the government shall at all times have the preference
in the use of the same for all the purposes aforesaid, (at fair and reason¬
able rates of compensation, not to exceed the amounts paid by private
parties for the same kind of service,) and all compensation for services
rendered for the government, shall be applied to the payment of said
bonds and interest, until the whole amount is fully paid. Said company
may also pay the United States, wholly or in part, in the same or other
bonds, treasury notes, or other evidences of debt against the United
States, to be allowed at pa,r; anc^ after said road is completed, until said
bonds and interest are paid, at least five per centum of the net earnings
of said road shall also be annually applied to the payment thereof.
Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That said company shall 'file their
assent to this Act, under the seal of said company, in the Department of
the Interior, within one y oar after the passage of this Act, and shall
complete said railroad and telegraph from the point of beginning, as
herein provided, to the western boundary of Nevada Territory, before
the first day of July, one thousand eight hundred and seventjT-iour ; pro¬
vided, that within two years after the passage of this Act said company
shall designate the general route of said road, as near as may be, and
shall file a map of the same in the Department.of the Interior; where¬
upon the Secretary of the Interior shall cause the land within fifteen
miles of said designated route, or routes, to be withdrawn from preemp¬
tion, private entry and sale; and when any portion of said route shall
240
be finally located the Secretary of the Interior shall cause the said lands
hereinbefore granted to be surveyed and set off as fast as may be neces¬
sary, for the purposes herein named; provided, that in fixing the point
of connection, of the main trunk with the eastern connections, it shall be
fixed at the most practicable point for the construction of the Iowa and
Missouri branches, as hereinafter provided.
Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That the line of said railroad and tel¬
egraph shall commence at a point on the one hundredth meridian of longi¬
tude west from Greenwich, between the south margin of the valley of
the Eepublican Biver, and the north margin of the valley of the Platte
Biver, in the Territory of Nebraska, at a point fixed by the President of
the United States, after actual surveys; thence running westerly upon
the most direct, central and practicable route through the Territories of
the United States to the western boundary of the Territory of Nevada,
thence to meet and connect with the line of the Central Pacific Bailroad
Company of California.
Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That the Leavenworth, Pawnee and
"Western Bailroad Company, of Kansas, are hereby authorized to con¬
struct a railroad and telegraph line from the Missouri Biver, at the
mouth of the Kansas river, on the south side thereof, so as to connect
with the Pacific Bailroad of Missouri, to the aforesaid point, on the one
hundredth meridian of longitude west from Greenwich, as herein pro¬
vided, upon the same terms and conditions, in all respects, as are pro¬
vided in this Act, for the construction of the railroad and telegraph line
first mentioned, and to meet and connect with the same at the meridian
of longitude aforesaid ; and in case the general route, or line of road
from the Missouri Biver to the Bocky Mountains, should be so located as
to require a departure northwardly from the proposed line of said Kan¬
sas Bailroad before it reaches the meridian of longitude aforesaid, the
location of the said Kansas road shall be made so as to conform thereto;
and said railroad through Kansas shall be so located between the mouth
of the Kansas Biver, as aforesaid, and the aforesaid point on the one
hundredth meridian of longitude, that the several railroads from Mis¬
souri and Iowa, herein authorized to connect with the same, can make
connection within the limits prescribed in this Act; provided, that the
same can be done without deviating from the general direction of the
whole line to the Pacific coast. The route in Kansas, west of the meri¬
dian of Fort Biley, to the aforesaid point on the one hundredth meridian
of longitude, to be subject to the approval of the President of the United
States, and to be determined by him on actual survey. And said Kan¬
sas Company may proceed to build said railroad to the aforesaid point
on the one hundredth meridian of longitude west from Greenwich, in the
Territory of Nebraska. The Central Pacific Bailroad Company of Cali¬
fornia, a corporation existing under the laws of the State of California,
are hereby authorized to construct a railroad and telegraph line from
the Pacific coast, at or near San Francisco, or the navigable waters of
the Sacramento Biver, to the eastern boundary of California, upon the
same terms and conditions, in all respects, as are contained in this Act
for the construction of said railroad and telegraph line first mentioned,
and to meet and connect with the first mentioned railroad and telegraph
line on the eastern boundary of California. Each of said companies shall
file their acceptance of the conditions of this Act in the Department of
the Interior within six months after the passage of this Act.
Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That the said company chartered
by the State of Kansas, shall complete one hundred miles of their said
241
road, commencing at the mouth of the Kansas Kiver as aforesaid, within
two years after filing their assent to the conditions of this Act as herein
provided, and one hundred miles per year thereafter, until the whole is
completed; and the said Central Pacific Railroad Company of California
shall complete fifty miles of their road within two years after filing
their assent to the provisions of this Act as herein provided; and fifty
miles per year thereafter, until the whole is completed. And after com¬
pleting their roads respectively, said companies, or either of them, may
unite upon equal terms with the first named company in constructing
so much of said railroad and telegraph line, and branch railroads and
telegraph lines in this Act hereinafter mentioned, through the territories
from the State of California to the Missouri River, as shall then remain
to be constructed, on the same terms and conditions as provided in
this Act, in relation to the said Union Pacific Railroad Company.
And the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railroad, the Pacific Railroad Com¬
pany of Missouri, and the first named company, or either of them, on
filing their assent to this Act as aforesaid, may unite upon equal terms
under this Act, with the said Kansas company, in constructing said rail¬
road and telegraph to said meridian of longitude, with the consent of
the said State of Kansas; and in case said first named company shall
complete their line to the eastern boundary of California, before it is
completed across said State by the Central Pacific Railroad Company of
California, said first named company is hereby authorized to continue in
constructing the same through California, with the consent of said State,
upon the terms mentioned in this Act, until said road shall meet^and
connect, and the whole line of said railroad and telegraph is completed ;
and the Central Pacific Railroad Company of California, after complet¬
ing its road across said State is authorized to continue tfie construction
of said railroad and telegraph through the territories of the United
States to the Missouri River, including the branch road specified in this
Act, upon the routes hereinbefore and hereinafter indicated, on the
terms and conditions provided in this Act in relation to the said Union
Pacific Railroad Company, until said roads shall meet and connect, and
the whole line of said railroad and branches and telegraph is completed.
Sec. 11. And be it further enacted, That for three hundred miles of
said road, most mountainous and difficult of construction, to wit: one
hundred and fifty miles westwardly from the eastern base of the Rocky
Mountains, and one hundred and fifty miles eastwardly from the western
base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, said points to be fixed by the
President of the United States, the bonds to be issued to aid in the con¬
struction thereof, shall be treble the number per mile hereinbefore pro¬
vided, and the same shall be issued and the lands herein granted set apart,
upon the construction of every twenty miles thereof, upon the certificate
of the Commissioners as aforesaid, that twenty consecutive miles of the
same are completed; and between the sections last named of one hun¬
dred and fifty miles each, the bonds to be issued to aid in the construc¬
tion thereof, shall be doublo the number per mile first mentioned, and the
same shall be issued and the lands herein granted be set apart, upon the
construction of every twenty miles thereof, upon the certificate of the
Commissioners as aforesaid, that twenty consecutive miles of the same
are completed; provided, that no more than fifty thousand of said bonds
shall be issued under this Act, to aid in constructing the main line of
said railroad and telegraph.
Sec. 12. And be it further enacted, That whenever the route of said
railroad shall cross the boundary of any State or Territory, or said meri-
25a
242
dian of longitude, the two companies meeting, or uniting there, shall
agree upon its location at that point, with reference to the most direct
and practicable through route; and in case of difference between them,
as to said location, the President of the United States shall determine
the said location; the companies named in each State and Territory to
locate the road across the same, between the points so agreed upon, ex¬
cept as herein provided. The track upon the entire line of railroad and
branches shall be of uniform width, to be determined by the President
of the United States, so that when completed cars can be run from the
Missouri River to the Pacific coast; the grades and curves shall not ex¬
ceed the maximum grades and curves of the Baltimore and Ohio Rail¬
road; the whole line of said railroad and branches and telegraph shall
be operated and used for all purposes of communication, travel and
transportation, so far as the public and Government are concerned, as
one connected, continuous line; and the companies herein named in
Missouri, Kansas and California filing their assent to the provisions of
this Act, shall receive and transport all iron rails, chairs, spikes, ties, tim¬
ber and all materials required for constructing and furnishing said first
mentioned line between the aforesaid point on the one hundredth meri¬
dian of longitude and western boundary of Nevada Territory whenever
O %J w
the same is required by said first named company, at cost, over that
portion of the roads of said companies constructed under the provisions
of this Act.
Sec. 13. And be it further enacted, That the Hannibal and St. Joseph
Raijroad Company, of Missouri, may extend its road from St. Joseph,
via Atchison, to connect and unite with the road through Kansas, upon
filing its assent to the provisions of this Act, upon the same terms and
conditions, in all respects, for one hundred miles in length, next to the
Missouri River, as are provided in this Act for the construction of the
railroad and telegraph line first mentioned, and may for this purpose use
any railroad charter which has been, or may be granted by the Legisla¬
ture of Kansas; provided, That if actual survey shall render it desirable,
the said company may construct their road with the consent of the Kan¬
sas Legislature on the most direct and practicable route west from St.
Joseph, Missouri, so as to connect and unite with the road leading from
the western boundary of Iowa, at any point east of the one hundredth
meridian of west longitûde, or with the main trunk road at said point;
but in no event shall lands or bonds be given to said company, as herein
directed, to aid in the construction of their said road for a greater dis¬
tance than one hundred miles. And the Leavenworth, Pawnee and
Western Railroad Company, of Kansas, may construct their road from
Leavenworth, to unite with a road through Kansas.
Sec. 14. And be it further enacted, That the said Union Pacific Rail¬
road Company is hereby authorized and required to construct a single
line of railroad and telegraph from a point on the wTestern boundary of
the State of Iowa, to be fixed by the President of the United States,
upon the most direct and practicable route, to be subject to his approval,
so as to form a connection with the lines of said company at some point
on the one hundredth meridian of longitude aforesaid, from the point of
commencement on the western boundary of the State of Iowa, upon the
same terms and conditions in all respects as are contained in this Act,
for the construction of the said railroad and telegraph first mentioned;
and the said Union Pacific Railroad Company shall complete one hund¬
red miles of the road and telegraph in this section provided for, in two
years after filing their assent to the conditions of this Act, as by the
243
terms of this Act required, and at the rate of one hundred miles per
year thereafter until the whole is completed; provided, that a failure
upon the part of said company to make said connection in the time
aforesaid, and to perform the obligations imposed on said company by
this section, and to operate said road in the same manner as the main
line shall be operated, shall forfeit to the Government of the United
States, all the rights, privileges and franchises granted to and conferred
upon said company by this Act. And whenever there shall be a line of
road completed through Minnesota or Iowa to Sioux City, then the said
Pacific Hail road Company is hereby authorized and required to construct
a railroad and telegraph line from said Sioux City, upon the most direct
and practicable route, to a point on and so as to connect with the branch
railroad and telegraph in this section hereinbefore mentioned, or with
the said Union Pacific Railroad. Said point of junction to be fixed by
the President of the United States, not further west than the one hund¬
redth meridan of longitude aforesaid, and on the same terms and condi¬
tions as provided in this Act for the construction of the Union Pacific
Bailroad as aforesaid, and to complete the same at the rate of one hund¬
red miles per year; and should said compan}^ fail to comply with the
requirements of this Act in relation to the said Sioux City Railroad and
Telegraph, the said company shall suffer the same forfeitures prescribed
in relation to the Iowa branch railroad and telegraph hereinbefore men¬
tioned.
Sec. 15. And be it further enacted, That any other railroad company
now incorporated or hereafter to be incorporated, shall have the right
to connect their road with the road and branches provided for by this
Act, at such places and upon such just and equitable terms as the Presi¬
dent of the United States may prescribe. Wherever the word " com¬
pany " is used in this Act, it shall be construed to embrace the words
"their associates, successors, assigns," the same as if the words had
been properly added thereto.
Sec. 16. And be it further enacted, That at any time after the passage
of this Act, all of the railroad companies named herein and assenting
hereto, or any two or more of them, are authorized to form themselves
into one consolidated company; notice of such consolidation in writing
shall be filed in the Department of the Interior, and such consolidated
company shall thereafter proceed to construct said railroad and branches
and telegraph line, upon the terms and conditions provided in this Act.
Sec. 17. And be it further enacted, That in case said company or com¬
panies shall fail to comply with the terms and conditions of this Act, by
not completing said road and telegraph, and branches, within a reason¬
able time, or by not keeping the same in repair and use, but shall permit
the same, for an unreasonable time, to remain unfinished or out of repair
and unfit for use, Congress may pass an Act to insure the speedy com¬
pletion of said road and branches, or put the same in repair and use,
and may direct the income of said railroad and telegraph line to be
thereafter devoted to the use of the United States, to pay all such ex¬
penditures caused by the default or neglect of such company or compa¬
nies ; provided, that if said roads are not completed so as to form a con¬
tinuous line of railroad ready for use, from the Missouri River to the
navigable waters of the Sacramento River, in California, by the first day
of July, one thousand eight hundred and seventy-six, the whole of said
railroads before mentioned and to be constructed under the provisions of
this Act, together with ail the furniture, fixtures, rolling stock, machine
shops, lands, tenements and hereditaments, and property of every
244
\
kind and character, shall be forfeited to and taken possession of by the
United States; provided, that if the bonds of the United States, in this
Act provided to be delivered for any and all parts of the road to be con¬
structed east of the one hundredth meridian of west longitude from
Greenwich, and for any part of the road west of the west fi>ot of the
Sierra Mountains, there shall be reserved of each part an installment
twenty-five per centum to be and remain in the United States treasury
undelivered until said road, and all parts thereof, provided for in this
Act are entirely completed ; and of all the bonds provided to be deliv¬
ered for the said road between the two points aforesaid, there shall be
reserved out of each installment fifteen per centum, to be and remain in
the treasury until the whole of the road provided for in this Act is fully
completed ; and if the said road, or any part thereof, shall fail of com¬
pletion at the time limited therefor in this Act, then and in that case the
said part of said bonds so reserved shall be forfeited to the United
States.
Sec. 18. And be it further enacted, That whenever it appears that the
net earnings of the entire road and telegraph, including the amount
allowed for services rendered for the United States, after deducting all
expenditures, including repairs and the furnishing, running and man¬
aging of said road, shall exceed ten per centum upon its cost, exclusive
of the five per centum to be paid to the United States, Congress may
reduce the rates of fare thereon, if unreasonable in amount, and may
fix and establish the same by law. And the better to accomplish the
object of this Act, viz : to promote the public interest and welfare by
the construction of said railroad and telegraph line, and keeping the
same in working order, and to secure to the Government at all times, (but
particularly in time of war,) the use and benefits of the same for postal,
military and other purposes, Congress may at any time, having due
regard for the rights of said companies named herein, add to, alter,
amend or repeal this Act.
Sec. 19. And be it further enacted, That the several railroad compa¬
nies herein named are authorized to enter into an arrangement with
the Pacifie Telegraph Company, the Overland Telegraph Company, and
the California State Telegraph Company, so that the present iino of
telegraph between the Missouri River and San Francisco may be moved
upon or along thé line of said railroad and branches as fast as said roads
and branches are built; and if said arrangement be entered into, and
the transfer of said telegraph line be made in accordance therewith to
the line of said railroad and branches, such transfer shall, for all pur¬
poses of this Act, be held and considered a fulfilment on the part of said
railroad companies, of the provisions of this Act, in regard to the con¬
struction of said line of telegraph. And in case of disagreement, said
telegraph companies are authorized to remove their line of telegraph
along and upon the line of railroad herein contemplated without preju¬
dice to the rights of said railroad companies named herein.
Sec. 20. And be it further enacted, That the corporation hereby created
and the roads connected therewith, under the provisions of this Act,
shall make to the Secretary of the Treasury an annual report, wherein
shall be set forth ; first—The names of the stockholders and their places
of residence, so far as the same can be ascertained ; second—The names
and residences of the Directors and all other officers of the company;
third—The amount of stock subscribed and the amount thereof actually
paid in; fourth — A description of ^he lines of road surveyed of the
lines thereof fixed upon for the construction of the road and the cost'
245
of such surveys ; fifth—The amount received from passengers on the
road; sixth—The amount received for freight thereon; seventh—A
statement of the expenses of said road and its fixtures; eighth—A state¬
ment of the indebtedness of said company, setting forth the various kinds
thereof, Which report shall be sworn to by the President of the said
company and shall be presented to the Secretary of the Treasury on or
before the first day of July in each year.
Approved July 1, 1862.
AW ACT to amend an Act entitled "An Act to aid in the construction of a
Railroad and Telegraph Line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean,
and to secure to the Government the use of the same for postal, military and
other purposes f approved July first, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-
two.
Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That the capital stock
of the company entitled the Union Pacific Railroad Company, authorized
by the Act of which this Act is amendatory, shall be in shares of one
hundred dollars instead of one thousand dollars each; that the number
of shares shall be one million instead of one hundred thousand; and that
the number of shares which any person shall hold to entitle him to serve
as a Director in said company (except the five Directors to be appointed
by Government), shall be fifty shares instead of five shares; and that
every subscriber to said capital stock for each share of one thousand
dollars, heretofore subscribed, shall be entitled to a certificate for ten
shares of one hundred dollars each ; and that the following words in sec¬
tion first of said Act : " Which shall be subscribed for and held in not
more than two hundred shares by any one person," be, and the same are
hereby repealed.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the Onion Pacific Railroad
Com pan}7 shall cause books to be kept open to receive subscriptions to
the capital stock of said company (until the entire capital of one hundred
million dollars shall be subscribed), at the general office of said company
in the city of New York, and in each of the cities of Boston, Philadel¬
phia, Baltimore, Chicago, Cincinnati, St. Louis, and at such places as may
be designated by the President of the United States, and in such other
localities as may be directed by him. No subscription for said stock
shall be deemed valid unless the subscriber therefor shall, at the time of
subscribing, pay, or remit to the Treasurer of the company, an amount
per share subscribed by him equal to the amount per share previously
paid by the then existing stockholders. The said company shall make
assessments upon its stockholders of not less than five dollars per share,
and at intervals of not exceeding six months from and after the passage
of this Act, until the par value of all shares subscribed shall be fully
paid. Any money only shall be receivable for any such assessment, or
as equivalents for any portion of the capital stock hereinbefore author¬
ized. The capital stock of said company shall not be increased beyond
the actual cost of said road. And the stock of the company shall be
deemed personal property, and shall be transferable on the books of the
company at the general office of said company, in the city of New York,
or at such other transfer office as the company may establish.
246
Sec. 3. And be it further enactedf, That the Union Pacific Railroad
Company, and all other companies provided for in this Act, and the Act
to which this is an amendment, be, and hereby are, empowered to enter
upon, purchase, take and hold any lands or premises that may be neces¬
sary and proper for the construction and working of said road, not ex¬
ceeding in width one hundred feet on each side of its center line, unless
a greater width is required for the purpose of excavation or embankment ;
and also any lands or premises that may be necessary and proper for
turnouts, standing places for cars, depots, station houses, or any other
structures required in the construction and operating of said road. And
each of said companies shall have the right to cut and remove trees or
other materials that might, by falling, encumber its road bed, though,
standing or being more than one hundred feet therefrom; and in case
the owner or claimant of such lands or premises and such company can¬
not* agree as to the damage, the amount shall be determined by the ap¬
praisal of three disinterested commissioners, who may be appointed upon
application by any party to an}7 judge of a court of record in any of the
territories in which the lands or premises to be taken lie; and said com¬
missioners, in their assessment of damages, shall appraise such premises
at what would have been the value thereof if the road had not been
built; and upon return into court of such appraisement, and upon the
payment to the clerk thereof of the amount so awarded by the commis¬
sioners, for the use and benefit thereof, said premises shall be deemed to
be taken by said company, which shall thereby acquire full title to the
same, for the purposes aforesaid. And either party feeling aggrieved by
said assessment, may, within thirty days, file an appeal therefrom, and
demand a jury of twelve men to estimate the damage sustained; but
such appeal shall not interfere with the rights of said company to enter
upon the premises taken, or to do any act necessary in the construction
of its road; and said party appealing shall give bonds, with sufficient
surety or sureties for the payment of any costs that may arise upon such
appeal. And in case the party appealing does not obtain a more favora¬
ble verdict, such party shall pay the whole cost incurred by the appellee,
as well as his own. And the payment into court, for the use of the
owner or claimant, of a sum equal to that finally awarded, shall be held
to vest in said company the title of said land, and the right to use and
occupy the same, for the construction, maintaining and operating of the
road of said company. And in case any of the lands be taken as afore¬
said, shall be held by any person residing without the territory, or sub¬
ject to any legal disability, the court may appoint a proper person, who
shall give bonds with sufficient surety or sureties, for the faithful execu¬
tion of his trust, and wTho may represent in court the person disqualified
or absent as aforesaid, when the same proceeding shall be had in refer¬
ence to the appraisement of the premises to be taken, and with the same
effect as have been already described. And the title of the company to
the land taken by virtue of this Act, shall not be affected nor impaired
by reason of any failure, by any guardian, to discharge faithfully his
trust, and in case it shall be necessary for either of the said companies
to enter upon lands which are unoccupied, and of which ther^ is no ap¬
parent owTner or claimant, it may proceed to take and use the same for
the purpose of its said railroad, and may institute proceedings in manner
described for the purpose of ascertaining the value of, and acquiring a
title to, the same ; and the court may determine the kind of notice to be
served on such owner or owners in the case of his or their incapacity or
non-appearance. But in case no claimant shall appear within six years
247
from the time of the opening of said road across any land, all claim to
damages against said company shall be barred. It shall be competent
for the legal guardian of any infant, or any other.person under guardian¬
ship, to agree with the proper company as to damages sustained by rea¬
son of the taking of any lands of any such person under disability as
aforesaid; and upon such agreement being made and approved by tho
court having supervision of the official acts of said guardian, the said
guardian shall have full power tornake and execute a conveyance thereof
to the said company which shall vest the title thereto in the said com-
pany.
Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, That section three of said Act be
hereby amended by striking out the word "five," where the same occurs
in said section, and by inserting in lieu thereof the word "ten ;" and by
striking out the word " ten," where the same occurs in said section, and
inserting in lieu thereof the word "twenty." And section seven of said
Act is hereby amended by striking out the word " fifteen," where the
same occurs in said section, and inserting in lieu thereof the word
"twenty-five." And the term " mineral land," wherever the same oc-
t
curs in this Act, and the Act to which this is an amendment, shall not
be construed to include coal and iron land. And any lands granted by
this Act, or the Act to which this is an amendment, shall not defeat or
impair any preemption, homestead, swamp land or other lawful claim,
nor include any Government reservation or mineral lands, or the im¬
provements of any bona fide settler on any lands returned and denomi¬
nated as mineral lands, and the timber necessary to support his said im¬
provements as a miner or agriculturist, to be ascertained under such
rules as have been, or may be established by the Commissioner of
the General Land Office, in conformity with the provisions of the Pre¬
emption Law; provided, That the quantity thus exempted by the opera¬
tion of this Act, and the Act to which this is an amendment, shall not
exceed one hundred and sixty acres for each settler who claims as an
agriculturist, and such quantity for each settler who claims as a miner,
as the said Commissioner may establish by general regulation; provided,
also, that the phrase, " but where the same shall contain timber the tim¬
ber thereon is hereby granted to said company," in the proviso to said
section three, shall not apply to the timber growing, or being on any
land further than ten miles from the center line of anv of said roads or
»/
branches mentioned in said Act or in this Act. And all lands shall be
excluded from the operation of this Act, and of the Act to which this is
an amendment, which were located or selected to be located under the
provisions of an Act entitled "An Act donating lands to the several
States and Territories which may provide Colleges for the benefit of
Agriculture and the Mechanic Arts," approved July second, one thou¬
sand eight hundred and sixty-two, and notice thereof given at the proper
Land Office.
Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, That the time for designating the
general route of said railroad, and of filing the map of the same, and the
time for the completion of that part of the railroads required by tho
terms of said Act of each company, be, and the same is hereby extended
one year from the time in said Act designated, and that the Central
Pacific Railroad Company of California shall be required to complete
twenty-five miles of their said road in each year thereafter, and the
whole to the State line within four years, and that only one half the
compensation for services rendered for the Government by said com
248
panies, shall be required to be applied to the payment of the bonds is¬
sued by the Government in aid in the construction of said roads.
Sec. 6. And be it further enacted, That the proviso to section four of
said Act is hereby modified, as follows, viz : And the President of the
United States is hereby authorized, at any time after the passage of this
Act, to appoint for each and every of said roads, three Commissioners
as provided for in the Act to which this Act is amendatory; and the
verified statement of the President of the California Company, required
by said section four, shall be filed in the office of the United States Sur¬
veyor General for the State of California, instead of being presented to
the President of the United States; and the said Surveyor General shall,
thereupon, notify the said Commissioners of the filing of such state¬
ment, and the said Commissioners shall thereupon proceed to examine
the portion of said railroad and telegraph line so completed, and make
their report thereon to the President of the United States, as provided
by the Act of which this is amendatory. And such statement may be
filed, and such railroad and telegraph line be examined and reported on
by the said Commissioners, and the requisite amount of bonds may be
issued, and the lands appertaining thereto may be set apart, located and
patented, as provided in this Act and the Act to which this is amenda¬
tory, upon the construction by said railroad company of California, of
any portion of not less than twenty consecutive miles of their said rail¬
road and telegraph line, upon the certificate of said Commissioners that
said portion is completed as required by the Act to which this is amend¬
atory. And section ten of the Act to which this is amendatory is hereby
amended, by inserting after the words, "United States,:" in the last
clause, the words, " the States intervening."
Sec. 7. And be it further enacted, That so much of section seventeen
of said Act as provides for a reservation by the Government of a portion
of the bonds to be issued to aid in the construction of the said railroads
is hereby repealed. And the failure of any one company to comply
fully with the conditions and requirements of this Act, or the Act to
which this is amendatory, shall not work a forfeiture of the rights,
privileges or franchise of any other company or companies that shall
have complied with the same.
Sec. 8. And be it further enacted, That for the purpose of facilitating
the work on said railroad, and enabling the said company as early as
practicable to commence the grading of said railroad in the region of the
mountains, between the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains and the
western base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, so that the same may be
finally completed within the time required by law, it is hereby provided
that whenever the chief engineer of the said company, and said Com¬
missioners shall certify that a certain portion of the work required to
prepare the road for the superstructure on any such section of twenty
miles is done (which said certificate shall be duly verified), the Secre¬
tary of the Treasury is hereby authorized and required, upon the deliv¬
er}7 of such certificate, to issue to said company a proportion of said
bonds, not exceeding two thirds of the amount of bonds authorized to
be issued under the provisions of the Act to aid in the construction of
such section of twenty miles, nor in any case exceeding two thirds of
the value of the work done, the remaining one third to remain until the
said section is fully completed, and certified by the Commissioners ap¬
pointed by the President, according to the terms and provisions of the
said Act; and no such bonds shall issue to the Union Pacific Railroad
Company for work done west of Salt Lake City under this section, more
249
than three hundred miles in advance of the completed 'continuous line
of said railroad from the point of beginning, on the one hundredth me¬
ridian of longitude.
Sec. 9. And be it further enacted, That to enable any one of the said
corporations to make convenient and necessary connections with other
roads, it is hereby authorized to establish and maintain all necessary
ferries upon and across the Missouri Eiver, and other rivers, which its
road may pass in its course; and authority is hereby given said corpora¬
tion to construct bridges over said Missouri River, and all other rivers,
for the convenience of said road; provided, that any bridge or bridges it
may construct over the Missouri River, or any other navigable river, on
the line of said road, shall be constructed with suitable and proper draws
for the passage of steamboats, and shall be built, kept and maintained
at the expense of said company, in such manner as not to impair the
usefulness of said rivers for navigation to any greater extent than such
structures of the most approved character necessarily do; and provided,
further, that any company authorized in this Act to construct its road
and telegraph line from the Missouri River to the initial point aforesaid,
may construct its road and telegraph line so as to connect with the
Union Pacific Railroad at any point westwardly of such initial point, in
case such company shall deem such westward connection more practica¬
ble, or desirable; and in aid of the construction of so much of its road
and telegraph line as shall be a departure from the route hereinbefore
provided for its road, such company shall be entitled to all the benefits
and be subject to all the conditions and restrictions of this Act; provided,
further, however, that the bonds of the United States shall not be issued
to such company for a greater amount than is hereinbefore provided, if
the same had united with the Union Pacific Railroad on the one hun¬
dredth degree of longitude, nor shall such company be entitled to re¬
ceive any greater amount of alternate sections of public land than are
also herein provided.
Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That section five of said Act be so
modified and amended that the Union Pacific Railroad Company, the
Central Pacific Railroad Company, and any other Company authorized
to participate in the construction of said road may, on the completion of
each section of said road, as provided in this Act, and the Act to which
this Act is an amendment, issue their first mortgage bonds on their re¬
spective railroad and telegraph lines, to an amount not exceeding the
amount of the bonds of the United States, and of even tenor and date,
time of maturity, rate and character of interest with the bonds author¬
ized to be issued to said railroad companies respectively. And the lien
of the United States bonds shall be subordinate to that of the bonds of
any or either of said companies hereby authorized to be issued on their
respective roads, property and equipments, except as to the provisions of
the sixth section of the Act, to which this Act is an amendment, relating
to the transmission of dispatches and the transportation of mails, troops,
munitions of war, supplies and public stores, for the Government of the
United States. And said section is further amended by striking out the
word " forty," and inserting in lieu thereof the words, "on each and
every section of not less than twenty/'
Sec. 11. And be it further enacted, That if any of the railroad compa¬
nies entitled to the bonds of the United States, or to issue their first
mortgage bonds herein provided for, has, at the time of the approval of
this Act, issued, or shall thereafter issue, any of its own bonds or securi¬
ties in such form and manner as in law or equity to entitle the same to
250
priority or preference of payment to the said guaranteed bonds, or said
first mortgage bonds, the amount of such corporate bonds outstanding
and unsatisfied, or uncancelled, shall be deducted from the amount of
such Government and first mortgage bonds which the company may be
entitled to receive and issue ; and such an amount only of such Govern¬
ment bonds and such first mortgage bonds shall bo granted or permitted
as added to such outstanding, unsatisfied or uncancelled bonds of the
company shall make up the whole amount per mile to which the com¬
pany would otherwise have been entitled. And, provided farther, That
before any bonds shall be so given by the United States, the company
claiming them shall present to the Secretary of the Treasury an affidavit
of the President and the Secretary of the company, to be sworn to be¬
fore the judge of a court of record, setting forth whether said company
has issued any such bonds or securities, and if so, particularly describing
the same, and such other evidence as the Secretary may require, so as to
enable him to make the deduction herein required; and such affidavit
shall then be filed and deposited in the office of the Secretary of the In¬
terior, and any person swearing falsely to any such affidavit, shall be
deemed guilty of perjury, and on conviction thereof shall be punished
as aforesaid ; provided, also, That no land granted by this Act shall be
conveyed to any party or parties, and no bonds shall be issued to any
company or companies, party or parties, on account of any road or part
thereof, made prior to the passage of the Act to which this Act is an
amendment, or made subsequent thereto, under the provisions of any
Act or Acts other than this Act and the Act amended by this Act.
Sec. 12. And he ft further enacted, That the Leavenworth, Pawnee and
Western Lai 1 road Company, now known as the Union Pacific Railroad
Company, eastern division shall build the railroad from the mouth of
the Kansas Liver, by the way of Leaven worth, or if that be not deemed
the best route, then the said company shall, within two years, build a
railroad from the city of Leaven worth to unite with the main stem at or
near the city of Lawrence; but to aid in the construction of said branch
the said company shall not be entitled to any bonds. And if the Union
Pacific Lai 1 road Company shall not be proceeding in good faith to build
the said railroad through the Territories, when the Leavenworth, Paw¬
nee and Western Lai 1 road Company, now known as the Union Pacific
Lai 1 road Company, eastern division, shall have completed their road to
the one hundredth degree of longitude, then the last named company
may proceed to make said road westward until it meets and connects
with the Central Pacific La il road Company on the same line. And the
said railroad, from the mouth of Kansas Liver to the one hundredth
meridian of longitude, shall be made by the way of Lawrence and Topeka,
or on the bank of the Kansas Liver, opposite said town ; provided, that
no bonds shall be issued, or lands certified by the United States, to any
person or company for the construction of any part of the main trunk
line of said railroad west of the one hundredth meridian of longitude, and
east of the Locky mountains, until said road shall be completed from, or
near Omaha, on the Missouri Liver, to the said one hundredth meridian
of longitude.
Sec. 13. And he it further enacted, That at and after the next election
of Directors, the number of Directors to be elected by the stockholders
shall be fifteen ; and the number of Directors to be appointed by the
President shall be five; and the President shall appoint three additional
Directors to serve until the next regular election, and thereafter five
Directors. At least one of said G overnment Directors shall be placed on
251
each one of the standing committees of said company, and at least one
on every special committee that may be appointed. The Government
Directors shall, from time to time, report to the Secretary of the Interior
in answer to any inquiries he might make of them touching the condi¬
tion, management and progress of the work, and shall communicate to
the Secretary of the Interior, at any time, such information as should be
in the possession of the Department. They shall, as often as may be
necessary to a full knowledge of the condition and management of the
line, visit all portions of the line of road, whether built or surveyed, and
while absent from home attending to their duties as Directors, shall be
paid their actual traveling expenses, and be allowed and paid such rea¬
sonable compensation for their time actually employed, as the Board of
Directors may decide.
Sec. 14. And be it further enacted, That the next election for directors
of said railroad, shall be held on the first Wednesday of October next,
at the office of said company, in the city of Hew York, between the
hours of ten o'clock, a. m., and four o'clock p. m. of said day ; and all
subsequent regular elections shall be held annually thereafter, at the
same place; and the directors shall hold their offices for one year, and
until their successors are qualified.
Sec. 15. And be it f urther enacted, That the several companies author¬
ized to construct the aforesaid roads, are hereby required to operate and
use said roads and telegraph for all purposes of communication, travel
and transportation, so far as the public and the Government are con¬
cerned, as one continuous line ; and in such operation and use to afford
and secure to each equal advantages and facilities, as to rates, time and
transportation, without any discrimination of any kind in favor of the
road or business of any or either of said companies, or adverse to the road
or business of any or either of the others, and it shall not be lawful for the
proprietors of any line of telegraph authorized by this Act, or the Act
amended by this Act, to refuse or fail to convey for all persons requiring
the transmission of news and messages of like character, on pain oi for¬
feiting to the person injured for each offense the sum of one hundred
dollars, and such other damage as he may have suffered on account of
said refusal or failure, to be sued for and recovered in any court of the
United States, or of anjr State or Territory of competent jurisdiction.
Sec. 16. And be it further enacted, That any two or more of the com¬
panies authorized to participate in the benefits of this Act, are hereby
authorized, at any time to unite and consolidate their organizations as the
same may, or shall be, upon such terms and conditions, and in such man¬
ner as they may agree upon, and as shall not be incompatible with this
Act, or the laws of the State or States in which the roads of such com¬
panies may be. and to assume and adopt such corporate name and style
as they may agree upon, with a capital stock not to exceed the actual
cost of the roads so to be consolidated, and shall file a copy of such con¬
solidation in the Department of the Interior, and thereupon such organi¬
zation so formed and consolidated shall succeed to possess and be enti¬
tled to receive from the Government of the United States, all and sin¬
gular, the grants, benefits, immunities, guarantees, acts and things, to
be done and performed, and be subject to the same terms, conditions, re¬
strictions and requirements which said companies respectively, at the
time of such consolidation are, or may be entitled or subject to under
this Act, in place and substitution of said companies so consolidated re¬
spectively, and all other provisions of this Act, so far as applicable, re¬
lating, or in any manner appertaining to the companies so consolidated,
252
or either thereof, shall apply and be of force as to such consolidated
organization. And in case, upon the completion by such consolidated
organization, of the roads, or either of them, of the companies so consol¬
idated, an}- other of the road, or roads, of either of the other companies
authorized as aforesaid (and forming or intended, or necessary to form a
portion of a continuous line from each of the several points on the Mis¬
souri River, hereinbefore designated, to the Pacific coast), shall not have
constructed the number of miles of its said road within the time herein
required, such consolidated organization is hereby authorized to con¬
tinue the construction of its road and telegraph in the general direction
and route upon which such incomplete, or unconstructed road is herein¬
before authorized to be built, until such continuation of the road of such
consolidated organization shall reach the constructed road and telegraph
of said other company, and at such point to connect and unite therewith ;
and for and in aid thereof the said consolidated organization may do and
perform in reference to such portion of road and telegraph as shall
so be in continuation of its constructed road and telegraph, and to the
construction and equipment thereof, all and singular the several Acts
and things hereinbefore provided, authorized or granted to be done by
the company hereinbefore authorized to construct and equip the same,
and shall be entitled to similar and like grants, benefits, immunities,
guarantees, acts and things to be done and performed by the Govern¬
ment of the United States, by the President of the United States, by the
Secretaries of the Treasury and Interior, and by Commissioners, in re¬
ference to such company, and to such portion of the road hereinbefore
authorized to be constructed by it; and upon the like and similar terms
and conditions, so far as the same are applicable thereto. And said con¬
solidated company shall pay to said defaulting company the value, to be
estimated by competent engineers, of all the work done and material
furnished by said defaulting company, which may be adopted and used
by said consolidated company in the progress of the work under the pro¬
visions of this section ; provided, nevertheless, that said defaulting company
may at any time before receiving pay for its said work and material, as
hereinbefore provided, on its own election, pay said consolidated com¬
pany the value of the work done and material furnished by said consoli¬
dated company, to be estimated by competent engineers, necessary for,
and used in the construction of the road of said defaulting company, and
resume the control of its said road; and all the rights, benefits and priv¬
ileges which shall be acquired, possessed or exercised, pursuant to this
section, shall be to that extent an abatement of the rights, benefits and
privileges hereinbefore granted to such other company. And in case
any company authorized thereto, shall not enter into such consolidated
organization, such company, upon the completion of its road, as herein¬
before provided, shall be entitled to, and is hereby authorized to con¬
tinue and extend the same under the circumstances and in accordance
with the provisions of this section, and to have all the benefits thereof,
as fully and completely as are herein provided touching such consoli¬
dated organization. And in case more than one such consolidated or¬
ganization shall be made, pursuant to this Act, the terms and conditions
of this Act hereinbefore recited as to one, shall imply in like manner,
force and effect to the other; provided, however, that the rights and inter¬
ests at any time acquired by one such consolidated organization, shall
not be impaired by another thereof. It is further provided, that should
the Central Pacific Railroad Company of California complete their line
to the eastern line of the State of California before the line of the Union
253
Pacific Railroad Company shall have been extended westward so as to
meet-the line of such first named company, said first named company
may extend their line of road eastward one hundred and fifty miles on
the established route, so as to meet and connect with the line of the
Union Pacific road, complying in all respects to the provisions and re¬
strictions of this Act as to said Union Pacific road; and upon doing so
shall enjoy all the rights, privileges and benefits conferred by this Act
on said Union Pacific .Railroad Company.
Sec. 17. And be it further enacted, That so much of section fourteen of
said Act as relates to a branch from Sioux City be, and the same is,
hereby amended so as to read as follows: "That whenever a line of
railroad shall be completed through the States of Iowa or Minnesota to
Sioux City, such company now organized, or as may hereafter be organ¬
ized, unde^ the laws of Iowa, Minnesota, JDacotah, or Nebraska, as the
President of the United States, by its request, may designate or approve
for that purpose, shall construct and operate a line of railroad and tele¬
graph from Sioux City, upon the most direct and practicable route to
such a point on and so as to connect with the Iowa branch of the Union
Pacific Railroad from Omaha or the Union Pacific Railroad, as such com¬
pany may select, and on the same terms and conditions as are provided
in this Act, and the Act of which this is an amendment, for the con¬
struction of the said Union and Pacific Railroad and telegraph line and
branches ; and said company shall complete the same at the rate of fifty
miles per year ; provided, that said Union Pacific Railroad Company shall
be, and is hereby, released from the construction of said branch. And
said company constructing said branch shall not be entitled to receive in
bonds an amount larger than the said Union Pacific Railroad Company
would be entitled to receive if it had constructed the branch under this
Act, and the Act to which this is an amendment; but said company
shall be entitled to receive alternate sections of land for ten miles in
width on each side of the same, along the whole length of said branch.
And provided, further, That if a railroad should not be completed to Sioux
City, across Iowa or Minnesota, within eighteen months from the date
of this Act, then said company designated by the President as aforesaid
may commence, continue and complete the construction of said branch,
as contemplated by the provisions of this Act; provided, however, that if
the said company so designated by the President as aforesaid, shall not
complete the said branch from Sioux City to the Pacific Railroad within
ten years from the passage of this Act, then and in that case all of the
railroads which shall have been constructed by said company shall bo
forfeited to and become the property of the United States.
Sec. 18. And be it further enacted, That the Burlington and Missouri
River Railroad Company, a corporation organized under and by virtue
of the laws of the State of Iowa, be, and hereby is, authorized to ex¬
tend its road through the Territory of Nebraska, from the point
where it strikes the Missouri River south of the mouth of the Platte
River to some point not further west than the one hundredth meridian
of west longitude, so as to connect by the most practicable route with
the main trunk of the Union Pacific Railroad, or that part of it which
runs from Omaha to the said one hundredth meridian of west longitude.
And for the purpose of enabling the said Burlington and Missouri River
Railroad Company to construct that portion of their road herein authorized,
the right of way through the public lands is hereby granted to said com¬
pany for the construction of said road. And the right, power and au¬
thority is hereby given to the said company to take from the public landB
254
adjacent to tho line of said road, earth, stone, timber, and other mate¬
rials, for the construction thereof. Said right of way is granted to said
company to the extent of two hundred feet, where it m ay pass over the
public lands, including all necessary grounds for stations, buildings,
work shops, depots, machine shops, switches, side track, turn tables, and
water stations. The United States shall extinguish as rapidly as may
be consistent with public policy and the welfare of the said Indians, tho
Indian titles to all lands falling under the operation of this section, and
required for the said right of way and grant of land herein named.
Sec. 19. And be it further enacted, That for the purpose of aiding in
the construction of said road, there be and hereby is granted to the said
Burlington and Missouri River Railroad Company every alternate sec¬
tion of public land (except mineral lands as provided in this Act) desig¬
nated by odd numbers, to the amount of ten alternate sections per mile
on each side of said road on the line thereof, and not sold, reserved, or
otherwise disposed of by the United States, and to which a pre-emption
or homestead claim may not have attached at the time a line of said
road is definitely fixed; provided, [that] said company shall accept this
grant within one year from the passage of this Act by filing such ac¬
ceptance with the Secretary of the Interior, and shall also establish the
line of said road, and file a map thereof with the Secretary of the Inte¬
rior within one year of the date of said acceptance, when the said Sec¬
retary shall withdraw the lands embraced in this grant from market.
Sec. 20. And he it further enacted, That whenever said Burlington
and Missouri River Railroad Company shall have completed twenty con¬
secutive miles of the road mentioned in the foregoing section, in the
manner provided for other roads mentioned in this Act and the Act of
which this is an amendment, the President of the United States shall
appoint three Commissioners to examine and report to him in relation
thereto, and if it shall appear to him that twenty miles of said road have
been completed as required by this Act, then upon certificate of said
Commissioner^] to that effect, patents shall issue conveying the right
and title to said lands to said company on each side of said road, as far
as the same is completed, to the amount aforesaid; and such examina¬
tion, report and conveyance by patents shall continue from time to time
in like manner until said road shall have been completed. And the Presi¬
dent shall appoint said Commissioners to fill vacancies in said Commis¬
sion, as provided in relation to other roads mentioned in the Act to
which this is an amendment. And the said company shall be entitled
to all the privileges and immunities granted to the Hannibal and St.
Joseph Railroad Company to aid in the construction of said extension of
its road ; and provided, further, that said extension shall be completed
within the period of ten years from the passage of this Act.
Sec. 21. And be it further [enacted], That before any land granted by
this Act shall be conveyed to any company or party entitled thereto
under this Act, there shall first be paid into the treasury of the United
States, the cost of surveying, selecting and conveying the same by the
said company or party in interest, as the titles shall be required by said
company, which amount shall, without any further appropriation, stand
to the credit of the proper account, to be used by the Commissioners of
the general land office for the prosecution of the survey of the public
lands along the line of said roads, and so from year to year, until the
whole shall be completed, as provided under the provisions of this Act.
Sec. 22. And be it further enacted, That Congress may, at anytime,
alter, amend, or repeal this Act.
Approved July two, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-four.
255
AN ACT amendatory of and supplementary to an Act to amend an Act
entitled "An Act to aid in the construction of a Railroad and Telegraph
Line from the Missouri River to the Pacific Ocean, and to secure to the
Governmeyt the use of the same for postal, military and other purposes
approved July first, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, approved
July two, one thousand eight hundred and sixty four.
Section 1. Be it enacted by the Senate and. House of Representatives of
the United States of America, in Congress assembled, That section ten of
said Act of July two, one thousand eight hundred and sixty-four, be so
modified and amended as to allow the Central Pacifie Railroad Company
and the Western Pacific Railroad Company, of California, to issue their
six per centum thirty years bonds, interest payable in any lawful money
of the United States, upon their separate roads. And the said compa¬
nies are hereby authorized to issue, respectively, their bonds to the ex¬
tent of one hundred miles, in advance of a continuous completed line
from Sacramento.
Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That the assignment made by the
Central Pacific Railroad Company of California, to the Western Pacific
Railroad Company of said State, of the right to construct all that por¬
tion of said railroad and telegraph from the city of San José to the city
of Sacramento, is hereby ratified and confirmed to the said Western Pa¬
cific Railroad Company7, with ail the privileges and benefits of the sev¬
eral Acts of Congress relating thereto, and subject to all the conditions
thereof; provided, that the time within which the Western Pacific Rail¬
road Company shall be required to construct the first twenty miles of
their said road shall be one year from the first day of July, one thousand
eight hundred and sixty7-five, and that the entire road shall be completed
from San José to Sacramento, connecting at the latter point with the
said Central Pacific Railroad within four years thereafter.
Prom letters recently7 received, it is known that Senator Stewart for¬
warded to the Committee a condensed statement in regard to congress¬
ional proceedings on the Pacific Railroad bills. By some mishap the
the statement has not come to hand, though publication has been delayed
to the latest time, in hope that it would reach us.
Under date of March eleventh, one thousand eight hundred and sixty7-
five, Cornelius Cole, late Member of Congress from California, writes to
the Chairman of the Railroad Committee :
" This end of the Pacific Railroad is in Wall Street, and seems never
likely to get out. A set of swindlers and stock jobbers have it, and
they don't intend to build the road, nor any more of it than they can
help. I am rather proud of the California end, for they7 have finished a
few miles/'
An intelligent and thoroughly informed correspondent of a California
daily7 journal writes, under date of first of March : The impression is
gaining ground here, that the parties who undertook the construction of
the eastern sections of the Pacific Railroad, are not acting in good faith
with the Government, or likely to speedily accomplish what they have
256
agreed to in the way of advancing the work. Accordingly, Mr. Cox has
introduced, and had -referred to the Pacific Eailroad Committee of the
House, a series of Joint Resolutions:
First.—Authorizing the President to employ any portion of United
States troops, not otherwise engaged, to prepare the bed and construct
the Pacific Railroad.
Second—Authorizing the value of the work which maybe done by the
troops to be deducted from the bonds, or other aid extended by law to
the companies who have undertaken the construction of the road under
the Act of Congress.
Third—Authorizing an increase of the compensation of Officers and
men while thus employed, not to exceed the amount of bonds, or other
aid withheld from the companies.
5556 042 360230
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