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015 - Engineer Reports · Story of the First Trans-Continental Railroad

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  Speaker 1: Section fifteen 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, Appendix five. Engineer Reports.
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  Speaker 1: The following verbatim report of the engineer in charge of
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  Speaker 1: a surveying party on the Kansas Pacific Railway in eighteen
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  Speaker 1: sixty nine will illustrate the difficulties encountered by those engaged
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  Speaker 1: in building the Pacific Railroads. Engineer's Office, Phil Sheridan, June twentieth,
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  Speaker 1: eighteen sixty nine. Colonel William H. Greenwood, Chief Engineer, Kansas
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  Speaker 1: Pacific Railway, Sir. On resuming the location of the line
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  Speaker 1: of the north Fork of the Smoky on Monday last,
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  Speaker 1: I made the change in the line mentioned in my
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  Speaker 1: last report, commencing as far back as station three hundred
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  Speaker 1: and forty five and producing tangent to station four hundred
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  Speaker 1: and thirty eight by twenty seven. We then bore to
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  Speaker 1: the left with a two degree curve and continued to
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  Speaker 1: station five hundred and forty one, leaving the line for
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  Speaker 1: the night. The location of the line was continued on
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  Speaker 1: Tuesday to station seven hundred and nine and ninety five hundredths,
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  Speaker 1: making a total distance from Sheridan of eight and nine
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  Speaker 1: tenths miles. The line is an easy one for gradients.
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  Speaker 1: No heavy work occurs on it, but the many crossings
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  Speaker 1: of the stream obtained make frequent bridges necessary. These should
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  Speaker 1: be of such a character as to allow a waterway
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  Speaker 1: of at least thirty feet, but bridges of simple construction
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  Speaker 1: could be used. Stone of any kind being difficult to obtain.
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  Speaker 1: The soil is sandy and easily worked, but will make
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  Speaker 1: a substantial road bed. Having received your verbal orders to
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  Speaker 1: run a rapid line from a point west of here
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  Speaker 1: on the North Fork, where that valley makes its deflection
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  Speaker 1: to the south eastward to the three hundred and eighty
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  Speaker 1: fifth mile post, I provided myself with ten days supplies
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  Speaker 1: and rations, and on Wednesday the sixteenth, moved up the
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  Speaker 1: North Fork as rapidly as the nature of the ground permitted.
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  Speaker 1: Camping at night near the four hundred and twenty fourth
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  Speaker 1: mile on mister Reynolds's preliminary line. Before camp was fully arranged,
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  Speaker 1: a heavy squall struck it, tearing down all the tents,
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  Speaker 1: destroying one old one used as a cooked tent, and
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  Speaker 1: injuring some of the new ones. The herd was also stampeded,
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  Speaker 1: but was recovered without loss. The next morning, I went
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  Speaker 1: up the valley about ten miles and ascended the divide
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  Speaker 1: to take observations. I found the course of the valley
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  Speaker 1: here was south of west, and continued four miles westward.
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  Speaker 1: Several large branches with deep, broad valleys almost as large
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  Speaker 1: as the main stream, came in from the north, which
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  Speaker 1: it would be impracticable to cross. I returned therefore to
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  Speaker 1: a point in the valley near the four hundred and
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  Speaker 1: thirtieth mile of mister Reynold's line, where ascent from the
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  Speaker 1: valley seemed easy, and commenced my line at station fifteen
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  Speaker 1: hundred and fifty seven by eighty three, and ascended to
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  Speaker 1: an upper plateau in about one and a half miles,
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  Speaker 1: with a grade of fifty two and eight tenths feet
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  Speaker 1: per mile. I then turned to about magnetic east, and
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  Speaker 1: we held this course with some deflections northward, until night.
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  Speaker 1: This day's work, some six miles, is extremely heavy, the
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  Speaker 1: first two miles averaging about forty thousand cubic yards of
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  Speaker 1: earthwork each. On Friday, we continued the line, swinging more
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  Speaker 1: to the northward as the heavy ravines and rough country
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  Speaker 1: forced us away from our course. Running ten miles. We
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  Speaker 1: found a good camping place at end of line at
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  Speaker 1: night in a large branch of the North Fork, the
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  Speaker 1: same which comes in two miles west of Sheridan, where
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  Speaker 1: there were numerous large ponds of water the drainage from
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  Speaker 1: the lake rains. The line during the day had crossed
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  Speaker 1: the water courses at that immediate level between the heavy
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  Speaker 1: breaks near the divide and those near their outlets. Still,
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  Speaker 1: the work is very heavy, the crossings being wide, and
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  Speaker 1: any attempt to improve the line would only result in
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  Speaker 1: throwing it northward to the divide, coinciding with your preliminary
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  Speaker 1: line of eighteen sixty seven. At the end of the
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  Speaker 1: work Friday, I obtain a grade of sixty three feet
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  Speaker 1: per mile for six thousand and one hundred feet with
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  Speaker 1: extremely heavy work on straight lines. Saturday morning we made
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  Speaker 1: one and a half miles further and were obliged to
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  Speaker 1: abandon the line for the day. On seventeen miles of
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  Speaker 1: this work, we obtain average per mile excavation five thousand,
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  Speaker 1: five hundred cubic yards embankment nine thousand, six hundred cubic
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  Speaker 1: yards total per mile fifteen thousand, one hundred cubic yards.
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  Speaker 1: I have suggested in the transit notes a change for
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  Speaker 1: three or four miles, which will save considerable work and
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  Speaker 1: improve the lineinement materially. On Saturday morning, while looking up
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  Speaker 1: the line, about two miles ahead of the party, I
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  Speaker 1: was attacked by ten mounted Indians who came out of
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  Speaker 1: a ravine and were very close before I discovered them.
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  Speaker 1: My horse was wounded by a pistol ball and a
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  Speaker 1: hip at the first start, but I was able to
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  Speaker 1: dodge them and was gaining enough distance to enable me
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  Speaker 1: to dismount and fight them on foot when another party
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  Speaker 1: about forty in number, cut me off in front and
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  Speaker 1: surrounded me, leaving as I supposed no chance of escape,
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  Speaker 1: shooting down the nearest as they closed in. My horse,
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  Speaker 1: though wounded in four places and drenched in blood, carried
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  Speaker 1: me bravely and broke through their line. They closing up
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  Speaker 1: in my rear, one having a fast horse, closed in
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  Speaker 1: with me as mine stumbled and partially fell. He emptied
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  Speaker 1: his revolver at me, but without other effect than to
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  Speaker 1: tear my clothes, then striking me on the head with
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  Speaker 1: his lance. Staff told me in good English to come off,
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  Speaker 1: which under the circumstances I did not feel justified in doing.
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  Speaker 1: Having him then in good range, I placed my gun
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  Speaker 1: against his side and fired, shooting him diagonally through the
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  Speaker 1: body and dismounting him. Fielding my horse giving away, I
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  Speaker 1: threw myself from the saddle, and catching the nearest Indian
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  Speaker 1: as he turned, disabled him so that he fell to
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  Speaker 1: the ground. In a short distance. They were now all
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  Speaker 1: scattering under whip and spur. Having turned the moment I
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  Speaker 1: leaped from my horse. I had now come in sight
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  Speaker 1: of the party and observed a fresh band endeavoring to
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  Speaker 1: cut off the level party and back flagmen. Mister Morton
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  Speaker 1: a rear flag, finding his pony too much excited to
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  Speaker 1: be managed, jumped off, successfully repelling the Indians with his carbine.
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  Speaker 1: Messrs Schuyler and McCarty Rodman went to his assistance, though
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  Speaker 1: only armed with small revolvers. The Indians, shooting as they passed,
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  Speaker 1: struck mister Schuyler and the leg, the ball passing through
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  Speaker 1: the fleshy part of the thigh, wounding him severely but
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  Speaker 1: not seriously. The mules of the line wagon, becoming unmanageable,
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  Speaker 1: were unhitched and fastened to the wagon securely, while the
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  Speaker 1: instruments were being secured and preparations made for a general attack.
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  Speaker 1: By the time I had reached the wagon, the men
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  Speaker 1: were concentrated and prepared for any attack and force. The
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  Speaker 1: Indians now molested us but little, occasionally making a dash
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  Speaker 1: and firing a few shots, then dashing away again. We
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  Speaker 1: moved slowly toward camp, keeping out flankers, and in a
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  Speaker 1: short distance met Lieutenant Smith with a few dismounted men,
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  Speaker 1: the first alarm being given by Morton's pony coming in,
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  Speaker 1: followed close by a few of the Red Devils. Camp
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  Speaker 1: had been struck and the wagons loaded preparatory to moving
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  Speaker 1: out to meet us. An attempt was made to stampede
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  Speaker 1: the stock, but it resulted in a miserable failure. The
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  Speaker 1: spencer carbines of Lieutenant Smith's detachment telling with effect. As
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  Speaker 1: it was unwise to separate the force, and as mister
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  Speaker 1: Schuyler's wound needed attendants, we deemed it best to come
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  Speaker 1: into Sheridan, it being only fifteen miles. I cannot too
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  Speaker 1: highly commend the conduct of the men. They were all
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  Speaker 1: cool and ready. Messrs McCarty, Morton, Schuyler, Scott and wheeler
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  Speaker 1: leveler were especially noticeable for presence of mind and cool courage.
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  Speaker 1: At very critical moment, Lieutenant Smith and his men, by
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  Speaker 1: prompt and vigorous action alone save the stock and rendered
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  Speaker 1: the safety of the line wagon. Certain about seventy Indians
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  Speaker 1: were engaged, of whom four are known to be killed.
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  Speaker 1: Several others seemed hurt from their actions, though nothing certain
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  Speaker 1: is known. The fight has demonstrated to me the inefficiency
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  Speaker 1: of our escorts and the need of more men upon
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  Speaker 1: the line, especially with the front and rear flag and
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  Speaker 1: level party. These men, engaged as they are, have no
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  Speaker 1: chance to observe any movements about them, and could be
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  Speaker 1: surprised very easily and shot down without an opportunity of defense.
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  Speaker 1: The fact of my being surprised myself and allowing these
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  Speaker 1: Indians to get behind me and within fifty and seventy
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  Speaker 1: five yard guards before discovering them, although always on the lookout,
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  Speaker 1: proves that we cannot feel safe without extraordinary precautions. My
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  Speaker 1: horse was severely wounded, but was able to come in
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  Speaker 1: here where he will receive every attention and will in
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  Speaker 1: a short time I think be fit for service, say
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  Speaker 1: one or two months. I must repeat urgently what I
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  Speaker 1: have before reported, the necessity for a good strong horse,
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  Speaker 1: fast enough to outrun an Indian pony, strong enough to
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  Speaker 1: carry my heavy weight, with endurance to keep up his
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  Speaker 1: speed for miles if necessary, and hardy enough to stand
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  Speaker 1: constant hard riding, such as will enable me to see
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  Speaker 1: all the country as we pass it. Our loss in
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  Speaker 1: property was as follows. Two shovels abandoned from necessity, one flag,
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  Speaker 1: one chain overlooked and left lying on the ground. Private loss,
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  Speaker 1: one field glass mode of loss on No. One probably
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  Speaker 1: cut off by a ball. One spur cut off by ball,
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  Speaker 1: saving the foot part of this property may be recovered.
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  Speaker 1: I shall start on the line again tomorrow and try
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  Speaker 1: and get through to Carlisle's station. I omitted last week
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  Speaker 1: to report some changes in the party. I have been
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  Speaker 1: too much occupied as yet to send in an estimate
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  Speaker 1: for my supplies for the month of July, but will
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  Speaker 1: do so from Monument station very respectfully. Howard Schiler, President Engineer.
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  Speaker 1: End of section fifteen recording by Paul Harvey. End of
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  Speaker 1: the Story of the First Transcontinental Railroad by William Francis
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  Speaker 1: Bailey