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009 - The Kansas Division Kansas Pacific Railway · Story of the First Trans-Continental Railroad

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  Speaker 1: Section nine of the Story of the First Transcontinental Railroad
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  Speaker 1: by William Francis Bailey. This LibriVox recording is in the
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  Speaker 1: public domain recording by Paul Harvey. The Kansas Division Kansas
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  Speaker 1: Pacific Railway conflicting interest on location. Leavenworth, Pawnee, and Western
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  Speaker 1: chartered by Kansas, plans to connect with the Union Pacific
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  Speaker 1: at the hundredth meridian Supplementary Charter eighteen sixty four San
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  Speaker 1: Diego or Denver construction work, Indian troubles, receiverships consolidation with
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  Speaker 1: the Union Pacific. At the time Congress passed the Pacific
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  Speaker 1: Railroad Bill in eighteen sixty two, there were three conflicting
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  Speaker 1: interests contending as to the location. First that in favor
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  Speaker 1: of the northern now the Northern Pacific route, second the Central,
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  Speaker 1: and third that in favor of the Missouri Kansas location.
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  Speaker 1: The Northern interest had not developed to a sufficient extent
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  Speaker 1: to cut much figure, only having the support of Minnesota, Wisconsin,
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  Speaker 1: and Michigan. The Central route was backed by Chicago and
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  Speaker 1: the railroad interests centering there. The Missouri Kansas route had
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  Speaker 1: the support of Saint Louis and the territory tributary There too.
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  Speaker 1: The last two were sufficiently persistent to have both of
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  Speaker 1: them recognized. Accordingly, the charter called for the one line
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  Speaker 1: commencing at the one hundredth meridian and running west, with
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  Speaker 1: branches of feeders reaching that point, one from Omaha, Iowa
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  Speaker 1: Branch Union Pacific Railroad, one from Sioux City to be
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  Speaker 1: known as the Sioux City Branch Union Pacific Railroad, one
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  Speaker 1: from Saint Joseph or Atchison to be built by the
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  Speaker 1: Hannibal and Saint Joseph Railroad, later known as the Central
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  Speaker 1: Branch Union Pacific Railway Eastern Division, and then the Kansas
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  Speaker 1: Pacific Railway, this latter in connection with the Pacific Railroad
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  Speaker 1: of Missouri from Saint Louis to Kansas City to be
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  Speaker 1: the Saint Louis Line. The Pacific Railroad Bill of eighteen
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  Speaker 1: sixty two read the Leavenworth, Pawnee and Western Railroad Company
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  Speaker 1: of Kansas are hereby authorized to construct a railroad from
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  Speaker 1: the Missouri River at the mouth at the Kansas River,
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  Speaker 1: where it should connect with the Pacific Railroad of Missouri
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  Speaker 1: now the Missouri Pacific Railroad, to the hundredth meridian of longitude,
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  Speaker 1: upon the same terms and conditions as applied to the
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  Speaker 1: construction of the Pacific Railroad, which it was to meet
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  Speaker 1: and connect with at the meridian point named through Kansas.
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  Speaker 1: It was to be located so as to make connections
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  Speaker 1: with the several railroads through Iowa and Missouri, provided it
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  Speaker 1: could be done without deviating from the general direction of
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  Speaker 1: the whole line to the Pacific Coast. It further specified
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  Speaker 1: that two hundred miles should be built within the first
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  Speaker 1: two years and one hundred miles a year thereafter, and
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  Speaker 1: after finishing their own line, they could unite on equal
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  Speaker 1: terms with the Union Pacific Railroad Company in the construction
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  Speaker 1: of the latter's line west of the hundredth meridian. This
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  Speaker 1: gave them the alternate sections of land within five miles
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  Speaker 1: on either side, and the United States bonds to the
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  Speaker 1: amount of sixteen thousand dollars per mile, similar to the
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  Speaker 1: eid extended the Union Pacific Railroad Company by the government.
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  Speaker 1: The Leavenworth, Pawnee and Western Railroad Company had been incorporated
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  Speaker 1: by the legislature of the State of Kansas in eighteen
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  Speaker 1: fifty five and was organized in January eighteen fifty seven,
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  Speaker 1: but nothing was done of any consequence under its state
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  Speaker 1: charter The company was reorganized June eighteen sixty three and
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  Speaker 1: changed its name to Harmonize with the Act of Congress
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  Speaker 1: to Union Pacific Railway Eastern Division. Under its state charter,
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  Speaker 1: it was to have extended from Leavenworth, Kansas on the
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  Speaker 1: east to Pawnee, Kansas, Fort Riley on the west, with
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  Speaker 1: the privilege a building on west to the Kansas state line,
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  Speaker 1: the state charter not permitting work outside of the Kansas boundaries.
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  Speaker 1: Ground was broken on the line at Wyandot, Kansas, the
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  Speaker 1: state line between Kansas and Mis in August eighteen sixty three.
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  Speaker 1: Active grading commenced at wine Dot September one, eighteen sixty three.
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  Speaker 1: The contract for the construction was first let by the Leavenworth,
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  Speaker 1: Pawnee and Western Railroad Company to Ross Steele and Company,
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  Speaker 1: but before they got down to actual work, the company
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  Speaker 1: had been reorganized as the Union Pacific Railway Eastern Division
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  Speaker 1: and had changed hands. The work was begun by Samuel Hallett,
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  Speaker 1: who had been very prominent in promoting the latter company,
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  Speaker 1: the contract being in the name of Hallett and Fremont,
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  Speaker 1: the Fremont being the erstwhile candidate for the presidency of
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  Speaker 1: the United States He is best known today as the Pathfinder.
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  Speaker 1: From his several exploring expeditions between the Mississippi Valley and
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  Speaker 1: the Pacific Ocean, Yimont had been identified with the idea
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  Speaker 1: of a railroad to the Pacific in the interest of
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  Speaker 1: Saint Louis, Missouri. He however, did not continue as one
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  Speaker 1: of the contractors, but withdrew. It was a time a
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  Speaker 1: bitter feeling over the slavery question. Missouri was pro slavery,
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  Speaker 1: Kansas free soil. Hallet inaugurated his work by planting a
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  Speaker 1: post inscribed on the Missouri side slavery and on the
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  Speaker 1: Kansas side Freedom. Mister Hallet was assassinated on the streets
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  Speaker 1: of Wyandott July twenty seventh, eighteen sixty four. An employee
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  Speaker 1: named Talbot had surreptitiously written a Secretary of the Interior
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  Speaker 1: in regard to the work not being up to requirements,
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  Speaker 1: more especially that the buildings were simply makeshifts put up
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  Speaker 1: to evade the law, etc. Through this and other complaint,
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  Speaker 1: the government refused to accept the first section of forty
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  Speaker 1: miles and withheld the bonds and land grants that Congress
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  Speaker 1: had granted Hallett on his trips to Washington, became aware
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  Speaker 1: of Talbot's action, and on his return called him to task,
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  Speaker 1: with the result that Talbot shot him from a doorway
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  Speaker 1: as he was returning to his work from his midday lunch.
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  Speaker 1: After Hallett's death, the work passed into the hands of
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  Speaker 1: Saint Louis Parties, with John D. Perry as director. Under
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  Speaker 1: the Supplementary Pacific Railroad Bill of eighteen sixty four, the
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  Speaker 1: conditions as far as the Union Pacific Railroad Eastern Division
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  Speaker 1: as it was then called, were materially improved. It was
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  Speaker 1: authorized to connect with the Union Pacific Railroad at any
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  Speaker 1: point deemed desirable, but no more bonds or land grants
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  Speaker 1: were to be given than if connection were made as
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  Speaker 1: originally contemplated at the hundredth meridian. It was also given
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  Speaker 1: the option building from the mouth of the Kansas River
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  Speaker 1: to Leavenworth, thence West, or a building directly west with
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  Speaker 1: a branch from Leavenworth connecting with the main line at Lawrence,
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  Speaker 1: but in the latter case no bonds or land grant
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  Speaker 1: would be given account the branch line mileage. Another feature
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  Speaker 1: of the bill was permissioned to build on west to
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  Speaker 1: a connection with the Central Pacific Railroad provided. When it
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  Speaker 1: the Union Pacific Railroad Eastern Division reached the hundredth meridian,
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  Speaker 1: the Union Pacific Railroad proper was not proceeding with the
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  Speaker 1: construction of its line, and good faith, the company, under
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  Speaker 1: the discretion granted them, elected to abandon the junction with
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  Speaker 1: the Union Pacific Railroad at the hundredth maride and to
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  Speaker 1: build directly west. The company proceeded to explore the country
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  Speaker 1: south and west in search of a practicable route to
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  Speaker 1: the Pacific, which being found, they then went further and
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  Speaker 1: had the several routes thoroughly surveyed. In their investigations, they
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  Speaker 1: had four thousand, four hundred and sixty four miles chained
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  Speaker 1: and leveled, the most extensive survey on record. Careful surveys
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  Speaker 1: demonstrated that the distance to the point of connection with
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  Speaker 1: the Union Pacific Railroad would have been three hundred and
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  Speaker 1: ninety four miles from Kansas City, and this much of
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  Speaker 1: the line Kansas City to Pond Creek, Kansas was bonded,
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  Speaker 1: aided and land grant the government aid amounting to six million,
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  Speaker 1: three hundred and two thousand dollars. The Hannibal and Saint
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  Speaker 1: Joseph Railroad reached Saint Joseph February eighteen fifty nine, Kansas City.
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  Speaker 1: Soon afterwards, the Missouri Pacific Railway reached Kansas City October
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  Speaker 1: eighteen sixty five. Owing to the fact that there were
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  Speaker 1: these railroad connections between the east and the eastern terminal
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  Speaker 1: of the line, the work of construction was greatly facilitated.
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  Speaker 1: In the expense of building the line greatly reduced. The
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  Speaker 1: headway made was slow at first. The work was new
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  Speaker 1: to the officers in charge as well as to the men.
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  Speaker 1: The following table chose the progress made. September first, eighteen
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  Speaker 1: sixty three. Commenced work at State Line Wyandot, Kansas. November
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  Speaker 1: twenty eighth, eighteen sixty four. Reached Lawrence forty miles. October thirtieth,
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  Speaker 1: eighteen sixty five. First forty miles accepted by the government
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  Speaker 1: December fifteenth, eighteen sixty five. Fifty miles done. August eighteenth,
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  Speaker 1: eighteen sixty six, reached Manhattan one hundred and eighteen miles.
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  Speaker 1: October seventh, eighteen sixty six. Reached Pawnee fort Riley one
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  Speaker 1: hundred and thirty five miles. January seventh, eighteen sixty seven
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  Speaker 1: to mile Post one fifty five April eighth, eighteen sixty
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  Speaker 1: seven to mile Post one eighty one October fifteenth, eighteen
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  Speaker 1: sixty seven to mile Post three thirty five Fall eighteen
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  Speaker 1: sixty seven to mile Post four oh five Phil Sheridan
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  Speaker 1: March twenty fourth, eighteen seventy reached kit Carson, four hundred
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  Speaker 1: and eighty seven miles August fifteenth, eighteen seventy, completed into Denver.
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  Speaker 1: The difference in altitude between Kansas City and the western
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  Speaker 1: boundary of Kansas is some twenty seven hundred feet, and
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  Speaker 1: is thus distributed six hundred feet the first two hundred miles,
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  Speaker 1: seven hundred and sixty nine feet in the next one
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  Speaker 1: hundred miles, and thirteen hundred and twenty thence to the
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  Speaker 1: Kansas line. The original intention had been to follow the
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  Speaker 1: Republican River, but this was changed and the Smoky Hill
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  Speaker 1: route from Junction City, Kansas West adopted. When the road
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  Speaker 1: reached Monument, three hundred and eighty six miles from Kansas City,
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  Speaker 1: dissensions arose among the stockholders. One faction was for building
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  Speaker 1: to San Diego on the Pacific Coast via New Mexico
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  Speaker 1: and Arizona. Another was for building the Pueblo and up
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  Speaker 1: the Arkansas River, whilst the third and successful one was
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  Speaker 1: for pushing straight ahead to Denver, from there to a
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  Speaker 1: connection with the main line of the Union Pacific Railroad,
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  Speaker 1: the idea being to secure for Saint Louis a portion
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  Speaker 1: of the transcontinental business and the line the carrying thereof.
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  Speaker 1: The line was built under contract by the following firms
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  Speaker 1: Hallett in Fremont, Wyandot to Lawrence, Kansas, thirty nine miles
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  Speaker 1: Ira M. Shoemaker and Company, Lawrence to mile Post one
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  Speaker 1: hundred and forty, a distance of one hundred miles Shoemaker
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  Speaker 1: and Miller mile Post one hundred and forty two mile
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  Speaker 1: post four hundred and five, two hundred and sixty miles
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  Speaker 1: west of mile post four hundred and five, or Phil
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  Speaker 1: Sheridan as it was then called. The Denver Extension was
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  Speaker 1: built by the company itself, General W. J. Palmer being
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  Speaker 1: in charge during the instruction of the line. The contract
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  Speaker 1: to feed the forces at the front was led to
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  Speaker 1: Goddard Brothers, who utilized to a very great extent Buffalo
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  Speaker 1: meet for this purpose. To procure these they employed a
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  Speaker 1: W F. Cody at five hundred dollars per month, During
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  Speaker 1: this engagement, Cody claims to have killed four thousand, two
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  Speaker 1: hundred and eighty buffaloes, earning for himself the Appalachian buffalo bill,
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  Speaker 1: by which name he has ever since been known. The
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  Speaker 1: best heads were, by special arrangement, shipped to the headquarters
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  Speaker 1: of the company at Kansas City, where they were nicely
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  Speaker 1: mounted and used as an advertisement of the road. The
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  Speaker 1: line reached Ellsworth, Kansas the spring of eighteen sixty seven,
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  Speaker 1: and made for some time its terminus there. In all
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  Speaker 1: the history of the boomtowns or railroad towns, there were none.
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  Speaker 1: It surpassed this place for ninety three consecutive days there
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  Speaker 1: was one or more homicide in the town or its
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  Speaker 1: immediate vicinity, one hundred in all. Another place that sprang
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  Speaker 1: into prominence during the time it was the end of
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  Speaker 1: the track was phil Sheridan, located near the point where
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  Speaker 1: the road crossed the hundredth meridian mile post four hundred
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  Speaker 1: and five. During its brief existence, it was a rattling,
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  Speaker 1: noisy place, full of life and vigor, rowdyism predominating. Not
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  Speaker 1: a steake, brick or shingle is left market site. It
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  Speaker 1: was here the construction rested for nearly a year and
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  Speaker 1: a half, financial troubles, uncertainty as to whether to build
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  Speaker 1: to San Diego, California or Denver, and some very fine
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  Speaker 1: work on the part of the Union Pacific Proper being
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  Speaker 1: the oasi of the suspension of work. On June twenty sixth,
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  Speaker 1: eighteen sixty five, work was begun on the branch line
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  Speaker 1: from Leavenworth to Lawrence, Levenworth and Lawrence Railroad Major B. S.
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  Speaker 1: Hennings being in charge as superintendent. Upon the completion of
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  Speaker 1: the branch in the spring following, the headquarters of the
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  Speaker 1: Union Pacific Railway Eastern Division was moved to Lawrence, the
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  Speaker 1: operation of the line being under the direction of R. H. Shoemaker, Superintendent,
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  Speaker 1: who was succeeded in December eighteen sixty seven by George Noble.
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  Speaker 1: The work of construction was in charge of General W. W. Wright.
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  Speaker 1: At the meeting of the company held April first, eighteen
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  Speaker 1: sixty seven, mister John D. Perry of Saint Louis was
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  Speaker 1: elected President, mister Adolph Meyer of the same place vice president,
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  Speaker 1: and among the directors was Thomas A. Scott of Philadelphia,
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  Speaker 1: afterwards president of the Pennsylvania Railroad. In eighteen sixty four,
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  Speaker 1: The population of the state of Kansas was one hundred
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  Speaker 1: and thirty five thousand, eight hundred and seven in eighteen seventy,
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  Speaker 1: when the line was completed three hundred and sixty four thousand,
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  Speaker 1: three hundred and ninety nine. This marvelous increase was due
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  Speaker 1: in no small degree to the construction of this line
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  Speaker 1: and the facilities it provided for the settlers to reach
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  Speaker 1: the cheap land in the interior of the state, as
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  Speaker 1: well as the security it gave them against Indian depredations.
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  Speaker 1: Stage lines between the Missouri River points and Denver had
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  Speaker 1: been running between Saint Joseph Atchison and Omaha for several years,
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  Speaker 1: but after the line was built some distance the route
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  Speaker 1: was changed and the connection was made between the end
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  Speaker 1: of the track and Denver by the Holiday overland mail.
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  Speaker 1: Much trouble was caused by the Indians during the construction,
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  Speaker 1: even more than was encountered on the Union Pacific Railroad.
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  Speaker 1: To this cause, and no small degree were the delays
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  Speaker 1: of eighteen sixty eight and eighteen sixty nine attributable. It
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  Speaker 1: was necessary not only to arm the engineer Corps but
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  Speaker 1: also the Greaters, the government issuing arms and ammunition for
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  Speaker 1: that purpose. Military escorts and guards were furnished by the
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  Speaker 1: Army to the railroad men, both on the grade and
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  Speaker 1: a head surveying for the better protection of the road
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  Speaker 1: and construction forces. Army posts or forts proper were maintained
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  Speaker 1: as follows. Fort Riley mile Post one, forty Fort Harker
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  Speaker 1: Mile Post two, thirty, Fort Hayes Mileposts three hundred, Fort
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  Speaker 1: Wallace mile Post for twelve. It was the Cheyennes, Arapahos,
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  Speaker 1: Sioux and the Utes who made the trouble. In March
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  Speaker 1: eighteen sixty nine, the company was authorized by special Act
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  Speaker 1: of Congress to assume the name of the Kansas Pacific
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  Speaker 1: Railway Company instead of Union Pacific Railroad Eastern Division. A
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  Speaker 1: witty epigram on this change that went the rounds of
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  Speaker 1: the papers at the time read as follows, the Union
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  Speaker 1: pacifics about to apply for a change in its name,
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  Speaker 1: and no wonder 'tis as warlike as Jove, that great
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  Speaker 1: god of the skies, and Pacific about as his thunder.
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  Speaker 1: And talking of this, it is strange, as it goes
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  Speaker 1: through perpetual snows in some quarters, the railroad should be
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  Speaker 1: in the midst of its foes, perpetually in hot water
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  Speaker 1: while those in authority had decided to push through to Denver,
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  Speaker 1: the idea of building through to San Diego was not abandoned,
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  Speaker 1: and in eighteen seventy two a branch line was commenced
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  Speaker 1: at kit Carson, destined to Pueblo and then south along
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  Speaker 1: the Rampart Range to New Mexico and thence to the coast.
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  Speaker 1: This line was completed nearly due south to Fort Lyne,
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  Speaker 1: and some twenty miles of grading dune between Fort Lyne
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  Speaker 1: and Pueblo. Financial stringency, together with the building of the Atchison,
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  Speaker 1: Topeka and Santa Fe into the same territory, resulted in
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  Speaker 1: the abandonment of these plans, and eventually the track from
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  Speaker 1: kit Carson to Lyons was taken up under the following circumstances.
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  Speaker 1: The owners of the Central Branch Union Pacific R. M. Pomeroy,
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  Speaker 1: Austin and associates were pushing the construction of this line
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  Speaker 1: westwardly and announced their intention building to Denver, thus making
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  Speaker 1: a competitor for the Kansas Pacific Railway. Mister J. Gould,
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  Speaker 1: who at that time eighteen seventy nine was the principal
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  Speaker 1: owner of the latter line, while out on an inspection
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  Speaker 1: trip over the line instructed his general manager Sill Smith
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  Speaker 1: mister Sylvester T. Smith, to build into their territory and
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  Speaker 1: parallel them. Out of this grew the Junction City and
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  Speaker 1: Fort Kearney Railway, now a part of the Union Pacific Railroad.
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  Speaker 1: Smith was unable to buy sufficient rails to build and
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  Speaker 1: accordingly took up those on the branch of the Kansas
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  Speaker 1: Pacific Railway Kit Carson to Lyons, i e. The Arkansas
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  Speaker 1: Valley Railroad and relaid them on the Junction City line.
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  Speaker 1: Some of the Arkansas Valley Railway bonds were owned in Holland,
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  Speaker 1: and a representative of the Dutch happened along on an
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  Speaker 1: investigating tour but was unable to find any road. The
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  Speaker 1: matter soon got into court and an effort was made
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  Speaker 1: to locate who was responsible for the tearing up of
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  Speaker 1: the Arkansas Valley Railway. Finally, General Manager Smith was put
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  Speaker 1: on the stand and frankly acknowledged what he had done
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  Speaker 1: and that he had no orders from President, Directors or anyone.
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  Speaker 1: The question was then asked, who ordered you to build
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  Speaker 1: the Junction City and Fort Kearney Railway, and the answer
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  Speaker 1: was Jay Gould, and who is he for? At that time,
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  Speaker 1: he was not the well known man he afterwards became.
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  Speaker 1: At this point, Judge Dillon obtained permission to interrupt the
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  Speaker 1: proceedings with a query, as in whose behalf all this
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  Speaker 1: investigating was being done? The holders of the bonds? Was
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  Speaker 1: the reply? Then that must be myself, for said he,
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  Speaker 1: I have here in my hands all of the bonds
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  Speaker 1: in question. Mister Gould had quietly bought in the bonds
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  Speaker 1: while the matter was in the courts, bringing the inquiry
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  Speaker 1: to an end. The line cost for its six hundred
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  Speaker 1: and seventy three miles Kansas City to Denver and branch
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  Speaker 1: Leavenworth to Lawrence thirty six million, seven hundred and forty
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  Speaker 1: seven thousand, three hundred dollars, or about fifty two thousand
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  Speaker 1: dollars per mile. In eighteen seventy three, the road was
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  Speaker 1: unable to meet its obligations and was placed in the
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  Speaker 1: hands of C. S. Greeley and Henry Vollard, receivers, a
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  Speaker 1: majority of its stock passing into the hands of interests
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  Speaker 1: friendly to mister J. Gould. About eighteen seventy seven, complaint
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  Speaker 1: was made that Villard and Greeley were not the proper
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  Speaker 1: men to act as receivers that they were antagonistic to
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  Speaker 1: the owners of the bonds, lacking practical knowledge, et cetera.
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  Speaker 1: The matter finally reached the Supreme Court of the United States, who,
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  Speaker 1: in remanding it back to the district court, ordered their
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  Speaker 1: removal and the appointment of one man, and he a
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  Speaker 1: practical railroad man, as receiver in their stead. Under this order,
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  Speaker 1: in eighteen seventy nine, Sylvester T. Smith, who had been
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  Speaker 1: connected with the road in various capacities, including that of
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  Speaker 1: general manager, was appointed receiver. In eighteen seventy nine, the
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  Speaker 1: company was reorganized and in January eighteen eighty consolidated with
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  Speaker 1: the Union Pacific Railroad under the name of the Union
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  Speaker 1: Pacific Railway Company, the holders of Kansas Pacific Railway stock
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  Speaker 1: being given share for share in the new consolidated company.
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  Speaker 1: The basis of the consolidation being Union Pacific Railroad one thousand,
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  Speaker 1: forty two miles capital stock, thirty six million, seven hundred
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  Speaker 1: sixty two thousand, three hundred dollars funded debt, seventy eight million,
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  Speaker 1: five hundred eight thousand, three hundred fifty dollars and sixty
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: five cents the Kansas Pacific Railway six hundred and seventy
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: five miles capital stock of ten million dollars, fund a
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: debt of thirty million, five hundred sixty seven thousand, two
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: hundred eighty two dollars and seventy eight cents, and the
• 25:50
  Speaker 1: Denver Pacific Railroad one hundred and six miles capital stock
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: fifty million, seven hundred sixty two thousand, three hundred dollars,
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: the funded debt being one hundred nine million, six hundred
• 26:05
  Speaker 1: and fifty six thousand, six hundred thirty three dollars and
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: forty three cents, for a combined total of one thousand,
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: eight hundred and twenty three miles capital stock totaling fifty million,
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: seven hundred sixty two thousand, three hundred dollars and funded
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: debt totaling one hundred nine million, six hundred and fifty
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: six thousand, six hundred thirty three dollars and forty three cents.
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: End of Section nine. Recording by Paul Harvey,