Collection: Books and Periodicals

About This Item:

Title: A Memorial and Biographical History of Northern California (1891) Collection Type: Books and Periodicals Publisher: Lewis Publishing Company Published: 1891 Copyright: In the public domain or published before 1925 Source(s): Google Books # of Pages: 713 Download PDF: User Login Required Download OCR Text: User Login Required

Date Scanned: 2024-07-22 00:25:09 Item Sourced From: PDF First Created: 2025-03-17 03:11:29 Last Updated: 2025-03-17 06:30:36

Original Held At: Searls Historical Library Location: 161 Nevada City Hwy, Nevada City, CA 95959

Page: of 713  

218 HISTORY OF thovelful of dirt thrown in the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad was in Sacramento, January 8, 1863, by Governor Stanford, at the foot of K street, on the ievee. The contract for building the road from this point to Grider’s, on the California Central Railroad, was let to C. Crocker & Co., December 22, 1862. C. Crocker & Co. sub-let the contract to different parties. Twenty miles of road each year were completed in 1863, 1864 and 1865, thirty miles in 1866, forty-six miles in 1867, 364 miles in 1868, 1904 miles in 1869; making 6904 milesfrom Sacramento to Promontory, where the roads met, May 10, 1869. All of the materials, except the cross-ties, for constructing this road, including a large portion vf the men employed, had to be brovght from the East, via Cape Horn. Toward the latter end of the work several thoueand Chinamen were employed. In addition to this, it was war times, and marine insurance was very high; iron and railroad materials of all kinds were held at enormous figures, and the price of the subsidy bonds was very low. All of these facts tended to make the cost of the road large. The State of California agreed to pay the interest on $1,500,000 of bonds for twenty years, in exchange for which the railroad campany gave a valuable stone quarry. Several of the counties along the line of the road granted bonds of the county in exchange for stock. Sacramento County gave her bonds to the amount of $300,000. These bonds were exchanged for money, and the work pushed forward. There was delay in obtaining the Government subsidy, and the money ran short. When Mr. Huntington returned from New York he found the treasury almost depleted of coin, and the necessity of raising more means or stopping the work was evident. “ Huntington and Hopkins can, out of their own means, pay 500 men during a year; how much can each of you keep on the line ?” was the characteristic way in which this man met the emergency. Before the meeting adjourned these five men had resolved that they NORTHERN CALIFURNIA. would maintain 800 men on the road during the year out of their own private fortunes. About this time (1863) Mr. Judah had sold out his interest in the company and gone East. On the way he was stricken with the Panama fever, of which he died shortly after his arrival in New Yerk, in 1863, at the age of only thirtyseven years. Dr. Strong, of Dutch Flat, though a sincere believer in the enterprise, was unable to furnish what was considered his share of the expenses necessary to be advanced, and retired from the Board of Directors. Bailey, Mr. Marsh and Mr. Booth we hear nothing of after the enterprise was fairly under way, though we know they were all three earnest workers at the com menceinent. S. S. Montague succeeded Mr. Judah as chief engineer of the road, which position he still holds. The location surveys were made under Mr. Montague’s suggestions. The road from Sacramento to Colfax, or Lower Illinoistown Gap, was located on the line rnn by Mr. Judah in 1861; trom Colfax to Long Ravine the line was changed materially; from Long Ravine to Alta the line ran on Judah’s survey, and from Alta to the Summit on an entirely new line, located by Mr. L. M. Clement, engineer, in charge of second division from Colfax to the Summit.. This final location gave a better grade line, and one more tree from snow in the winter, two very desirable objects. The value of these changes is plainly shown by the report of George E. Gray, formerly chief engineer of the New York Central Railroad. Mr. Gray was requested by Leland Stanford, in a letter dated July 10, 1865, to inspect the line of road and surveys then made, and report to the Board of Directors of the company his opinion as to the quality of the work, and the economical location of that portion not then built. Mr. Gray’s report gave as his opinion that the road already constructed would compare favorably with any road in the United States. Of that portion not constructed he reported that Mr. Jadah’s line had been inaterially altered, causing a saving in distance ot nearly 5,000 feet, and also reducing the