Engineering Wonders of the World
Volume III

FIRST AMERICAN TRANS-CONTINENTAL RAILROAD. 133 However, in 1865 a fair and last start was made at the Missouri end. During this year about 40 miles of rails were laid, and the first instalment of the subsidy paid The Railroad over , Government. Engi- leaves Omaha. . neenng difficulties were small eastwards of the Rockies. From Omaha the road climbs to the top of the intervening high ground, and then cuts across to the valley of the Platte, which it follows to the Forks, 290 miles from Omaha. Thence it runs along the south fork of the Platte to Julesberg, 372 miles. In this stretch there is a long steady climb following the grade of the river, and rising from an elevation of 967 feet at Omaha to 2,830 feet at North Platte at the Forks. It is generally conceded that, from an engineering point of view, it would have been advantageous to carry the line along the North Platte and Sweetwater to South Pass, and down the Snake River and Columbia River to Portland. This would have been a longer route, however, and as the road had to be built through almost unexplored country, wherein it was not ex- pected to develop a local business, shortness was of prime importance with funds so hard to get, and every foot adding to the total cost. In 1866 the Union Pacific Company laid 260 miles of track ; in 1867, 240. This brought rail-head to Cheyenne and the edge of the Rockies. The difficulties of In the the mountain passes began to Rockies. crowd upon the engineers, and the work of location to increase correspond- ingly. It was no longer a question of follow- ing the easy grades of a prairie river, but of surmounting granite hills at the prescribed grade of U6 feet to the mile. Reconnaissance and scouting had to be carried out over a wide belt of territory be- fore the proper location could The Perils of obtained. Sometimes it Surveying. seemed as though accident and chance had much to do with the final selection. Yet diligent search, hard work, and danger always preceded success. Take the case of the discovery of the route to Sherman Pass in the Rockies by General Dodge, chief engineer of the railroad. In his narrative of the episode Dodge says: “While returning from the Powder River campaign [1864-65] I was in the habit of leaving my troops and train, and, with a few men, examining all the approaches and passes from Fort Fetterman south over the secondary range of mountains known as the Black Hills, the most difficult to overcome with proper grades, of all the ranges, on account of its short slopes and great height. When I reached the Lodge Pole Creek, up which went the overland trail, I took a few mounted men—I think six—and with one of my scouts as guide went up the creek to the summit of Cheyenne Pass, striking south along the crest of the mountains to obtain a good view of the country, the troops and the train at the same time passing along the east base of the mountains on what was known as the St. Vrain and the Laramie trail. About noon, when in the valley tributary of the Crow Creek, we dis- covered Indians, who at the same time dis- covered us. They were between us and our train. I saw our danger, and took means immediately to reach the ridge and try to head them off, and follow it to where the cavalry could see our signal. We dismounted and started down the ridge, holding the In- dians at bay, when they came too near, with our Winchesters. It was nearly night when the troops saw our smoke signals of danger, and came to our relief ; and in going to the train we followed the ridge until I discovered it led down to the plains without a break. I then said to our guide that, if we saved our scalps, I believed that we had found the cross- ing of the Black Hills. And it is on this ridge between Lone Tree and Crow Creek that the wonderful line over the mountains was built. For two years all explorations had failed to find a satisfactory crossing of this range.” Not only had a crossing been found,