An illustrated history of Sacramento County, California : containing a history of Sacramento County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future portraits of some of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also prominent citizens of today, Part 18

Author: Davis, Winfield J., 1851- 4n
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 916

USA > California > Sacramento County > An illustrated history of Sacramento County, California : containing a history of Sacramento County from the earliest period of its occupancy to the present time, together with glimpses of its prospective future portraits of some of its most eminent men, and biographical mention of many of its pioneers and also prominent citizens of today > Part 18

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All but the two last named were residents of

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY.

Sacramento, showing conclusively that to Sac- ramento and her citizens belongs the honor of inaugurating and carrying to a successful com- pletion the Pacific railroads; for had not Judah spent his time and talents in proving that such an undertaking were possible, it is an open question if to-day the Pacific railroads would be in existence. His coadjutors, named in the foregoing list of officers, and some of whom are still the owners and officers of the road, de- serve full credit for their faith in the enter prise and the masterly manner in which they managed the financial difficulties encountered in the years that elapsed between the organiza- tion of the company and the completion of the road; but we cannot forget that for three or four years previous to the organization of the company Mr. Judah had spent all his time, money and energy in collecting data, without which no prudent man would be inclined to invest a dollar in the project which was so gen- erally believed to be chimerical. After the organization of the company, Mr. Judah was instructed to make a thorough instrumental survey of the route across the Sierras, which he did.

The previous surveys or reconnoisances had included three routes, one through El Dorado County, via Georgetown, another via Illinois- town and Dutch Flat, and the third via Nevada and Henness Pass. The observations had proved the existence of a route across the Sierras by which the summit could be reached with max- imum grades of 105 feet per mile. The instru- meutal survey developed a line with lighter grades, less distance and fewer obstacles than the previous observations had shown. The first report of the chief engineer to the officers of the company gave the following as the topo- graphical features of the Sierra Nevadas, which rendered them so formidable for railroad opera- tions:

1. "The great elevation to be overcome in crossing its summit, and the want of uniformity in its western slope." The average length of the western slope of the Sierras is about seventy

miles, and in this distance the altitude increases 7,000 feet, making it necessary to maintain an even grade on the ascent to avoid creating some sections with excessive grades.

2. "From the impracticability of the river crossings." These rivers run through gorges in many places over 1,000 feet deep, with the banks of varying slopes from perpendicular to 45°. A railroad line, therefore, must avoid erossing these cañons. The line, as established by the surveys of 1861, pursned its course along an unbroken ridge from the base to the summit of the Sierras, the only river crossing in the mountains being that of Little Bear River, about three miles above Dutch Flat. Another prominent feature of the location is the fact that it entirely avoids the second summit of the Sierras. The estimated cost of the road from Sacramento to the State Line was $88,000 per mile.

October 9, 1861, the Board of Directors of the Central Pacific Railroad Company passed a resolution directing Mr. Judah, the chief en- gineer of the company, to immediately proceed to Washington on a steamer as their accredited agent, for the purpose of procuring appropria- tions of land and United States bonds from the Government, to aid in the construction of the road. Mr. Judah went East and this time ac- complished his purpose, as was evidenced by the bill which passed Congress in July, 1862. This bill granted to the roads a free right-of- way of 400 feet wide over all Government lands on their route. The Government also agreed to extinguish the Indian title to all the lands donated to the company, either for right-of-way or to the granted lauds. The lands on either side of the route were to be withdrawn from settle- ment, by pre-emption or otherwise, for a dis- tance of fifteen miles, until the final location of the road should be inade and the United States surveys had determined the location of the section lines. This map of the route was made by Mr. Judah, filed in the office of the Secretary of the Interior, and the lands withdrawn in ac- cordance with the terms of the bill.

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY.

This bill also provided for the issue to the company of United States thirty-year six per cent. bonds, to be issned to the company as each forty-mile section of the road was completed, at the rate of $16,000 per mile for the line west of the western base of the Sierra Nevadas, and at the rate of $48,000 per mile from the western base east to the eastern base of the Sierras, the latter subsidy to be paid on the completion of each twenty-mile section. To secure the Gov- ernment from loss, and insure the repayment of these bonds, they were made a first lien on the road. This was subsequently modified, by an act passed July, 1864, allowing the company to issue first-mortgage bonds, the United States assuming the position of second mortgagee. The land grant in the first bill was every alter- nate section for ten miles, each side of the track. This allowance was subsequently doubled, ınak- ing twenty sections per mile. The State of California also donated $10,000 per mile to the road, by an act approved April 25, 1863.

The engineering difficulties were great, and had been considered insurmountable, but the financial difficulties were also great, and un- doubtedly required more labor and thought than the engineering, though of a different kind. That these difficulties were surmounted, and the originators of the effort still retain the owner- ship and control of the road, and, in addition to the original line, have built thousands of miles of road in California and Arizona, proves the ability of the leaders in this movement. These men were merchants in what cannot be classed among the large cities, and consequently not largely known to the financial world; they had never been engaged in the railroad business, and were supposably ignorant of the immense undertaking in which they had embarked. Aside from the natural difficulty of the situation, they enconntered opposition from the moneyed men of San Francisco and other places, who gave their enterprise the not very pleasant name of the " Dutch Flat Swindle."

Mr. Huntington, Vice-President of the com- pany, was sent East, with full power of attorney

to do any acts he might think best for the in- terest of the company. One of the main objects of this visit was to see that the bill which was then before Congress should not oblige the com- pany to pay interest on the bonds received of the Government for ten years, at least, from the date of their issue. After the passage of the bill, the books were opened for stock subscrip- tions, to the amount of $8,500,000, and for a long time the stock was disposed of very slowly. Huntington, on endeavoring to dispose of the bonds of the company in New York, was in- formed that they had no marketable value until some part of the road was built. Before he could dispose of them, he was obliged to give the personal guarantees of himself and four partners, Hopkins, Stanford, and the Crockers, for the money, until such time as they could be exchanged for United States bonds. The bonds so obtained, $1,500,000, built thirty-one miles of the road.

In 1862 the company was granted the right of way into the city of Sacramento, and also granted the Slough, or Sutter Lake. The first shovelful 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 levee.

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 con- tract 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, 190g miles in 1869; making 690} miles from Sacramento to Prom- ontory, where the roads met, May 10, 1869.

All of the materials, except the cross-ties, for constructing this road, including a large portion of the men employed, had to be brought from the East, via Cape Horn. Toward the latter end of the work several thousand 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

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY.

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 in- terest on $1,500,000 of bonds for twenty years, in exchange for which the railroad company gave a valuable stone quarry. Several of the counties along the line of the road granted bonds of the counties in exchange for stock. Sacra- mento 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. Hunting- ton returned from New York he found the treasury almost depleted of coin, and the neces- sity 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 many can each of you keep on the line?" was the characteristic way in which this man inet the emergency. Before the meeting adjourned these five men had resolved that they would maintain 800 men on the road during the year out of their own private fortunes.

Abont this time (1863) Mr. Judah had sold ont 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 York, in 1863, at the age of only thirty- seven 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 en- terprise was fairly under way, though we know they were all three earnest workers at the com- mencement.

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 directions. The road from Sacramento to Colfax, or Lower Illinoistown Gap, was located on the line run by Mr. Judah in 1861; from 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 free 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. Judah's line had been materially altered, causing a saving in distance of nearly 5,000 feet, and also reducing the aggregate length of the tunnels about 5,000 fcet, a saving in cost of construction of over $400,000 at least. The road progressed, as we have stated above, slowly at first, but more rapidly toward the close, until, on the 10th day of May, 1869, the last spike was driveu, which completed the railroad connection between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. A large party were gathered on Promontory Point to see this ceremony. Telegraph wires had been connected with the different large cities of the Union, so that the exact moment of driving the last spike could be known in all at the same time. The hour designated having arrived, Leland Stan- ford, President of the Central Pacific, and other officers of the company came forward. T. C. Durant, Vice-President of the Union Pacific, accompanied by General Dodge and others of the same company, met them at the end of the rail, where they paused, while Rev. Dr. Todd, of Massachusetts, gave a short prayer. The last tie, made of California laurel, with silver plates bearing suitable inscriptions, was put in

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY.

place, and the last connecting rails were laid by parties from each company. The last spikes were made, one of gold from California, one of silver from Nevada, and one of gold and silver from Arizona. President Stanford then took the hammer of solid silver, to the handle of which were attached the telegraph wires, by which, at the first tap on the head of the gold spike, at 12 M., the news of the event was flashed over the American continent.

A locomotive of the Central Pacific Railroad Company and another of the Union Pacific Rail- road Company approached from each way, and rubbed their pilots together, while bottles of champagne were passed from one to the other.

During the building of this road the track- laying force of the Central Pacific laid ten miles and 200 feet of track in one day. This herculean feat was performed on the 20th of April, 1869, when only fourteen miles of track remained to be laid to connect with the Union Pacific Rail- road, and was entirely finished by 7 P. M.

By mutual agreement between the two roads Ogden was made the terminus of each. By this arrangement the Union Pacific sold fifty- three miles of road to the Central, making the length of road owned by the Central Pacific proper 743} miles, from Sacramento to Ogden.

August 20, 1870, the Western Pacific, San Joaquin Valley, California & Oregon, and San Francisco, Oakland & Alameda railroads were all consolidated under the name of the Central Pacific Railroad.

The "Western Pacific Railroad Company " was incorporated December 13, 1862, for the purpose of constructing a railway from San José, through the counties of Alameda and San Joaquin, to the city of Sacramento. Its capital stock was $5,400,000. The road was 137} miles in length, and made the whole length of the Central Pacific 881 miles. This road was not completed until 1870. The franchise had, we believe, passed into the hands of the Central Pacific Railroad Company a year before the above date of consolidation. The San Joaquin Valley Railroad is now the property of the

Southern Pacific. The California & Oregon Railroad leaves the Central Pacific at Roseville, and runs from thence to Redding, California.

The "California Pacific Railroad Company" was for some time an active competitor for the carrying trade of the State, and at one time it was thought that the intention of its owners was to construct a line of railroad to connect with the Union Pacific. This company bought the boats and franchises of the California Steam Navigation Company, and for some time really controlled the rates of freight between Saera- mento and San Francisco.

It was incorporated Jannary 10, 1865, with a capital stock of $3,500,000. Work was begun in Vallejo in 1867, and the road was finished to Washington, Yolo County, November 11, 1868, and to Marysville in November, 1869. In June, 1869, this company purchased the Napa Valley Railroad; the two railroads were consolidated in December, 1869, with a capital of $12,000,000.

In 1869 and 1870 the Central Pacific and California Pacific railroads were at war with each other. The track of the Central Pacific being laid on the levee, it was impossible for the California Pacific road to cross the river, and secure depot and switch accommodations, without crossing this track. Various attempts were made to lay the track and form the cross- ing of the two tracks, but these attempts were resisted; and at one time it appeared as if bloodshed would result. The crossing, however, was made, and passengers landed by the Cali- fornia Pacific in Sacramento, January 29, 1870. The train was received with a regular ovation; guns were fired, the fire department turned out, and intense enthusiasm was manifested on all sides. The war continned until August, 1871, during which time the rates of freight and travel were very low, and neither road could have made much profit. In August, however, these roads were consolidated, since which time, with the exception of competition by river for a short period, the Central Pacific Railroad Company has had a monopoly of the carrying trade from Sacramento.

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY.

The California Pacific gave the " Vallejo ronte" to San Francisco. The trip was made to Vallejo by rail, and from thence to San Fran- cisco by boat. This was a very popular ronte, and monopolized the majority of the travel be- tween Sacramento and San Francisco. Decem ber 28, 1879, the new road via Benicia was opened, and the trains have since been run through to Oakland, and the Vallejo route as a line of travel to San Francisco was abandoned. The large ferry at Benieia will be superseded by a bridge in a few years.

The " Sacramento Valley Railroad " was the first constructed in California. The company was organized August 4, 1852, when ten per cent. of the stock subscribed was paid in, amount- ing to $5,000. The company re-organized No- vember 9, 1854, and made immediate prepara- tion for building the road. The first shovelful of dirt was thrown in February, 1855, the first tie came in May, and the first vessel load of ma- terial and rolling stock arrived from Boston in June. The first work done on a railroad car in California was on this road, July 4, 1855. The first rail was laid Angust 9, 1855, and the first train was placed on the track August 14. The road had some little trouble with its finances, but was not impeded materially in its progress.

November 13, 1855, an excursion train was run to Patterson's, ten miles from Sacramento, the round trip costing $1.00. By January 1, 1856, the road was completed to Alder Creek, and on February 22 was finished to Folsom. The length of the road was twenty-two and one- half miles, and cost $1,568,500. The capital stock was $800,000-8792,000 of which were issued. The road was a very profitable one from the date of its completion. Its effect was to move the terminns of the stage and freight lines running to the northern mines to Folsom, build- ing npquite a town at that point. At one time twenty one different stage lines were centered at Folsom, all leaving shortly after the arrival of the trains from Sacramento.

In August, 1865, the Central Pacific Com- pany purchased the Sacramento Valley road.

The purchase was made by George F. Bragg, on behalf of himself and others, of the entire stock held by L. L. Robinson and Pioehe and Bayer- que. The price paid for this stock was $800,- 000. Bragg, soon after coming into possession, transferred the stock to the owners of the Cen- tral Pacific. The latter company was forced to do this in order to secure the whole of the Wa- shoe trade, which at this time was immense, amounting to several million dollars per annum. The short line of the Sacramento Valley road alone declared an annual profit of nearly half a million dollars the year previous to its purchase, most of which came from the freights going to the Washoe and other mining districts.

California Central Railroad .- In the spring of 1857 a company was formed in Marysville, to build a railroad from that city to the ter- minns of the Sacramento Valley Railroad, at Fol- somn. This company was entirely independent of the Sacramento Valley Company. Colonel C. L. Wilson, who was one of the contractors on the Sacramento Valley road, was sent East to procure funds for building the road. This object he effected, and the construction com- menced forthwith. The road, however, never was finished to Marysville by the original com- pany. By 1861 the track was laid to Lineoln. The name was subsequently changed to the California & Oregon Railroad, and is now known as the Oregon Division of the Central Pacific Railroad. Shortly after the completion of the Central Pacific Railroad to Roseville, the company purchased the California Central Rail- road; that portion of the road between Rose- ville and Folsom was abandoned; the bridge over the American River was condemned and sold in 1868.

The Placerville && Sacramento Valley Rail- road commences at Folsom and runs to Shingle Springs, in El Dorado County, and is commonly known as the Shingle Springs road. It was constructed in 1864 or '65.

The Amador Branch of the Central Pacific Railroad runs from Galt to Ione, a distance of twenty-seven miles, and was built by the Central

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HISTORY OF SACRAMENTO COUNTY.

Pacific Company in 1876, to gain access to some coal mines at or near Ione.

Freeport Railroad .- This originated in a scheme to divert the northern trade from Sacra- mento by building wharves, etc., at Freeport, and a railroad from there to some point on the Sacramento Valley road. The road-bed was graded for a distance of nine miles from Free- port, and the track laid; but before its comple- tion, the Sacramento Valley road became the property of the Central Pacific, and the value of the Freeport road, never very large, became still smaller, until its decease.

In addition to these roads, which at some time had a real existence, there have been a num- ber of other companies incorporated, some part of whose lines would touch Sacramento County.

There are now sixty miles of railroad in Sac- ramento County.

The depot building, in the northwest corner of the city of Sacramento, is up with the times in capacity, convenience and beauty. A portion of the building is a hotel.

RAILROAD SHOPS.

Small shops were established at the time of the first construction of the road, but it has only been in late years that the growth of the con- struction works here has led to such enlarge- ment of the shops. At the present time, the works, or as they are generally called, " The Railroad Shops," with the track room and yard room necessarily included, occupy about fifteen acres of ground, and each year finds a larger area in use. They comprise at present about twenty large buildings, and scores of small ones. Most of the large ones are of brick with slate roofs, or are of wood and corrugated iron. A statement of the principal buildings, and the use to which they are devoted, will convey a good idea of how completely the work of car and engine construction is carried on.

The main buildings are: 1, General Foundry; 2, Wheel Foundry; 3, Brass Foundry; 4, Cop- per Shop; 5, Tin Shop; 6, Rolling-mill; 7,

Boiler Shop; 8, Blacksmith Shop; 9, Round House; 10, Locomotive Machine Shop; 11, Car Machine Shop; 12, Car Repair Shop; 13, Car Erecting Shop; 14, Cabinet Shop; 15, Paint Shop; 16, Upholstery Shop; 17, Pattern Shop; 18, Pattern Lofts. Besides these, there have recently been erected an addition to the paint shop, 80 x 100 feet; a large brick addition, two stories high, to the car machine shop, and a large brick addition to the car erecting shop. The great increase in the clerical force necessary to the operation of the works demands more room than is now available, and the erection of a large brick building, solely for office use, is in contemplation. The works are under the direc- tion of Mr. H. J. Small, Superintendent M. P. M .; Benj. Welch, Master Car Builder, and Win. Mckenzie, Assistant General Master Machinist.

To the thoughtful observer, the tour through the works is most interesting, as in much of what is going on in the construction in wood, and iron, and brass, and otherwise there are suggestions of new lines of manufacture that might well be developed in the city, to the great profit of those who should first intelligently un- dertake the work. Only a very general idea can be given here of the character of the work, or of its magnitude. There are employed own an aggregate of abont 2,600 men. Work in many departments is carried on day and night, by different shifts of men, and the aid of unmer- ons large electric lights. The shop and shed room is totally inadequate to the work to be done.

The shops are called upon to do work of this class for the whole road, from Ogden to San Francisco, San Francisco to Ashland, and from . here to El Paso; while the road from Ashland to Portland will eventually demand the same, 'and work for that road is already rapidly coming into the shops. The company of course buys its rails from the rail-mills in Europe and the East, but the rail trimmings for these thousands of miles of track are made here. Did bnt one foundry have the manufacture of these chairs, fish-bars and bolts, etc., it would be a handsome

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addition to the industries of the city. But the company do more: they make their own car- wheels. They also make large quantities of bridge material of wood and iron, all used in fact, except in the case of iron bridges built by bridge-building companies of the East, who make and supply their own material. They en- tirely construct locomotives. The steel tires come mostly from Germany via New York, and

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Author: Davis, Winfield J., 1851- 4n Publication date: 1890 Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 916

Author: Davis, Winfield J., 1851- 4n
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: Chicago : Lewis Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 916