The Story of the First Trans-Continental Railroad Part 13

SHELTON, NEB.--Named after the cashier of the Company at Omaha.

KEARNEY, NEB.--Named after Gen'l Kearney of Mexican War fame. Was the site of Old Ft. Kearney established in 1858 for the protection of the Overland Route.

COZAD, NEB.--Named after a gentleman from Cincinnati, Ohio, who purchasing 40,000 acres from the railroad laid out the town.

WILLOW ISLAND, NEB.--So named from the large number of willow bushes on an island in the Platte River near by.

BRADYS ISLAND, NEB.--From an adjacent island in the Platte River.

OGALLALA, NEB.--From the Ogallala, a division of the Sioux or Dacotah tribe of Indians, of which Spotted Tail was the most famous chief. The word means "throwing at or into."

BRULE, NEB.--From the Brule Sioux. Red Cloud was its most famous chief. The word is French meaning "burnt." They call themselves "Burnt thighs."

BIG SPRINGS, NEB.--Named after several large springs in the vicinity.

A noted camping ground on the Overland.

JULESBURG, NEB.--Named after an agent of the Overland Mail Co., variously referred to as Jules Bernard, Jules Beni, Jules Burg or Dirty Jules, who was at one time agent of the Stage Company at that point.

LODGE POLE, COLO.--From a stream of that name which the railroad follows for some little distance.

SIDNEY, NEB.--Named after Sidney Dillon, at one time president of the Union Pacific.

BROWNSON, NEB.--Called after a former General Freight Agent of the Company.

KIMBALL, NEB.--Named after Thos. L. Kimball, General Pa.s.senger Agent, and afterwards General Manager.

PINE BLUFFS, WYO.--Takes its name from the stunted growth along the adjacent bluffs.

HILLSDALE, WYO.--Named after an engineer, (Hill) who was killed here during the preliminary survey.

CHEYENNE, WYO.--From an Indian Tribe of that name. The word is supposed to be derived from the French "Chien" a dog and to mean Dog soldier. Other authorities connect it with the Indian word "Shallana"

meaning red or red man.

BUFORD, WYO.--Named after old Ft. Buford.

SHERMAN, WYO.--The highest point on the line named after the tallest General (Sherman) in the Union Army.

TIE SIDING, WYO.--Vast quant.i.ties of ties were shipped from this point for use in the construction, they coming from the mountains in the vicinity.

LARAMIE, WYO.--The name comes from Jacques Laramie, a fur trader who was killed in this vicinity by the Indians in 1820.

MEDICINE BOW, WYO.--From the Medicine Bow Mountains among which it is situated.

FT. STEELE, WYO.--From Ft. Fred Steele, established in 1868 on the same site.

RAWLINS, WYO.--Named after Gen. Jno. A. Rawlins, Gen'l Grant's, Chief of Staff and his First Secretary of War.

CRESTON, WYO.--So called from being the crest of the Rocky Mountains.

GREEN RIVER, WYO.--From the river of that name whose waters run through a green shale, and while not discoloring the water impart that shade to the river.

BITTER CREEK, WYO.--From the creek of that name so called from the character of its water.

GRANGER, WYO.--Named after an old settler, a Mr. Granger.

OGDEN, UTAH.--Named after Peter Ogden, an attache of the Hudson Bay Co., who lived in this vicinity in the (18) thirties.

APPENDIX IV.

_Paddy Miles' Ride._

The following is taken verbatim from a prominent newspaper of 1869, and is a very excellent ill.u.s.tration of the style of writing prevalent at that time.

Mr. Miles, or "Paddy" as he was familiarly called, was foreman to the Cas.e.m.e.nt Brothers, who laid the track of the Union Pacific Railroad.

One morning, Paddy started down Echo Canon with a long train of flat cars, sixteen in number, loaded with ties and iron rails for the road below Echo City, where were then, as now, the station, switches, etc.

The reader will remember that, from the divide to the mouth of Echo Canon is heavy grade, no level s.p.a.ce on which cars would slack their speed.

The train had proceeded but a few miles down the canon, going at a lively rate, when the engineer discovered that the train had parted, and four loaded cars had been left behind. Where the train parted the grade was easy, hence that portion attached to the locomotive had gained about half a mile on the stray cars. But when discovered, they were on heavy grade and coming down on the train with lightning speed.

What was to be done? The leading train could not stop to pick them up, for, at the rate of speed at which they were approaching, a collision would shiver both trains, destroying them and the lives of those on board.

There were two men, Dutchmen, on the loose cars, who might put on the brakes, and stop the runaway. The whistle was sounded, but they heard it not; they were fast asleep, behind the piles of ties. On came the cars, fairly bounding from the track in their unguided speed, and away shot the locomotive and train. Away they flew, on, around curves and over bridges, past rocky points and bold headlands; on with the speed of the wind, but no faster than came the cars behind them.

"Let on the steam," cried Paddy, and with the throttle chock open, and wild terrible screams of the whistle, the locomotive plunged through the gorge, the mighty rocks sending back the screams in a thousand ringing echoes.

"Off with the ties," shouted Paddy, once more, as the whistle shouted its warning to the station men to keep the track straight and free, for there was no time to pause--that terrible train was close on to them, and if they collided, the canon would have a fearful item added to its history. On went the train past the side-tracks, the almost frantic men throwing off the ties, in hopes that some of them would remain on the track, throw off the runaways, and thus save the forward train. Down the gorge they plunged, the terror keeping close by them, leaping along--almost flying, said one, who told us the tale--while the locomotive strained every iron nerve to gain on its dreaded follower. Again the wild scream of the locomotive of "Switches open,"

rung out on the air and was heard and understood in Echo City. The trouble was surmised, not known, but the switches were ready, and if the leading train had but the distance it could pa.s.s on and the following cars be switched off the track, and allowed to spend their force against the mountain side. On shot the locomotive, like an arrow from the bow, the men throwing over the ties until the train was well nigh unloaded, when just as they were close to the curve by which the train arrives at the station, they saw the dreaded cars strike a tie, or something equally of service, and with a desperate plunge rush down the embankment, some fifteen feet, to the little valley, and creek below. "Down breaks," screamed the engine, and in a moment more the cars entered Echo City, and were quietly waiting on the sidetrack for further developments. The excited crowd, alarmed by the repeated whistling, was soon informed of the cause of these screams, and immediately went up the track to the scene of the disaster, to bring in the dead bodies of the unfortunate Dutchmen, who were surely crushed and torn in pieces. When they arrived at the scene of the disaster, they found the poor unfortunates sitting on the bank, smoking their pipes and unharmed, having just woke up. The first they knew of the trouble was when they were pitched away from the broken cars on the soft green sward. The debris of car frames, wheels and ties gave them the first intimation they had received that something was the matter.

APPENDIX V.

The following verbatim report of the engineer in charge of a surveying party on the Kansas Pacific Railway in 1869 will ill.u.s.trate the difficulties encountered by those engaged in building the Pacific Railroads.

Engineer's Office.

Phil Sheridan, June 20th, 1869.

Colonel William H. Greenwood, Chief Engineer, Kansas Pacific Railway.

Sir:--

On resuming the location of the line up the North Fork of the Smoky, on Monday last, I made the change in the line mentioned in my last report.