CHAPTER XI
THE CROSSING OF THE COUNTRY
In spite of the many excitements crowded into his first day in New YorkStephen found that when his head actually touched the pillow sleep wasnot long in coming and he awoke the next morning refreshed by a heavyand dreamless slumber. He was even dressed and ready for breakfastbefore his father and a-tiptoe to attack whatever program the day mightpresent.
Fortunately Mr. Tolman was of a sufficiently sympathetic nature toremember how he had felt when a boy, and with generous appreciation forthe lad's impatience he scrambled up and made himself ready for abreakfast that was earlier, perhaps, than he would have preferred.
"Well, son," said he, as they took their places in the large diningroom, "what is the prospect for to-day? Are you feeling fit for moreadventures?"
"I'm primed for whatever comes," smiled the boy.
"That's the proper spirit! Indians, bandits and cowboys did not hauntyour pillow then."
"I didn't stay awake to see."
"You are a model traveler! Now we must plan something pleasant for youto do to-day. I am not sure that we can keep up the pace yesterday setus, for it was a pretty thrilling one. Robberies and arrests do not comeevery day, to say nothing of flotillas of ships and Wild West shows.However, we will do the best we can not to let the day go stale bycontrast. But first I must dictate a few letters and glance over themorning paper. This won't take me long and while I am doing it I wouldsuggest that you go into the writing room and send a letter to yourmother. I will join you there in half an hour and we will do whateveryou like before I go to my meeting. How is that?"
"Righto!"
Accordingly, after breakfast was finished, Steve wandered off by himselfin search of paper and ink, and so sumptuous did he find the writingappointments that he not only dashed off a letter to his motherrecounting some of the happenings of the previous day, but ondiscovering a rack of post cards he mailed to Jack Curtis, Tim Barclay,Bud Taylor and some of the other boys patronizing messages informingthem that New York was "great" and he was _sorry they were not there_.In fact, it seemed at the moment that all those unfortunate persons whocould not visit this magic city were to be profoundly pitied.
In the purchase of stamps for these egoistic missives the remainder ofthe time passed, and before he realized the half-hour was gone, he sawhis father standing in the doorway.
"I am going up to the room now to hunt up some cigars, Steve," announcedthe elder man. "Do you want to come along or stay here?"
"I'll come with you, Dad," was the quick reply.
The elevator shot them to the ninth floor in no time and soon they werein their room looking down on the turmoil in the street below.
"Some city, isn't it?" commented Mr. Tolman, turning away from the busyscene to rummage through his suit case.
"It's a corker!"
"I thought you would like to go out to the Zoo this morning while I ambusy. What do you say?"
"That would be bully."
"It is a simple trip which you can easily make alone. If you like, youcan start along now," Mr. Tolman suggested.
"But you said last night that if I would hurry to bed, to-day you wouldtell me about the Western railroads," objected Stephen.
He saw his father's eyes twinkle.
"You have a remarkable memory," replied he. "I recall now that I did saysomething of the sort. But surely you do not mean that you would preferto remain here and talk railroads than to go to the Zoo."
"I can go to the Zoo after you have gone out," maintained Steve,standing his ground valiantly.
"You are a merciless young beggar," grinned his father. "I plainly seethat like Shylock you are determined to have your pound of flesh. Well,sit down. We will talk while I smoke."
As the boy settled contentedly into one of the comfortablechintz-covered chairs, Mr. Tolman blew a series of delicate rings ofsmoke toward the ceiling and wrinkled his brow thoughtfully.
"You got a pretty good idea at the theater last night what America wasbefore we had trans-continental railroads," began he slowly. "You knowenough of geography too, I hope, to imagine to some extent what it musthave meant to hew a path across such an immense country as ours; lay aroadbed with its wooden ties; and transport all this material as well asthe heavy rails necessary for the project. We all think we can pictureto ourselves the enormity of the undertaking; but actually we havealmost no conception of the difficulties such a mammoth workrepresented."
He paused, half closing his eyes amid the cloud of smoke.
"To begin with, the promoters of the enterprise received scantencouragement to attack the problem, for few persons of that day hadmuch faith in the undertaking. In place of help, ridicule cropped upfrom many sources. It was absurd, the public said, to expect such awild-cat scheme to succeed. Why, over six hundred miles of the area tobe covered did not contain a tree and in consequence there would benothing from which to make cross-ties. And where was the workmen's foodto come from if they were plunged into a wilderness beyond the reach ofcivilization? The thing couldn't be done. It was impossible. Of courseit was a wonderful idea. But it never could be carried out. Where werethe men to be found who would be willing to take their lives in theirhands and set forth to work where Indians or wild beasts were liable todevour them at any moment? Moreover, to build a railroad of such lengthwould take a lifetime and where was the money coming from? For you mustremember that the men of that period had no such vast fortunes as manyof them have now, and it was no easy task to finance a scheme where theoutlay was so tremendous and the probability of success so shadowy. Evenas late as 1856 the whole notion was considered visionary by the greaterpart of the populace."
"But the fun of doing it, Dad!" ejaculated Stephen, with sparkling eyes.
"The fun of it!" repeated his father with a shrug. "Yes, there was funin the adventure, there is no denying that; and fortunately for thedreamers who saw the vision, men were found who felt precisely as youdo. Youth always puts romance above danger, and had there not been theseromance lovers it would have gone hard with the trans-continentalrailroads. We might never have had them. As it was, even the men whoventured to cast in their lot with the promoters had the caution todemand their pay in advance. They had no mind to be deluded into workingfor a precarious wage. At length enough toilers from the east and fromthe west were found who were willing to take a chance with theirphysical safety, and the enterprise was begun."
Stephen straightened up in his chair.
"Had the only obstacle confronting them been the reach of unchartedcountry ahead that would have been discouraging enough. Fancy pushingyour way through eight hundred miles of territory that had never beentouched by civilization! And while you are imagining that, do not forgetthat the slender ribbon of track left behind was your only link withhome; and your only hope of getting food, materials, and sometimeswater. Ah, you would have had excitement enough to satisfy you had youbeen one of that company of workmen! On improvised trucks they put upbunks and here they took turns in sleeping while some of their partystood guard to warn them of night raids from Indians and wild beasts.Even in the daytime outposts had to be stationed; and more than once, inspite of every precaution, savages descended on the little groups ofbuilders, overpowered them, and slaughtered many of the number orcarried away their provisions and left them to starve. Sometimesmarauders tore up the tracks, thereby breaking the connection with thecamps in the rear from which aid could be summoned; and in earlyrailroad literature we find many a tale of heroic engineers who rantheir locomotives back through almost certain destruction in order toprocure help for their comrades. Supply trains were held up and sweptclean of their stores; paymasters were robbed, and sometimes murdered,so no money reached the employees; every sort of calamity befell themen. Hundreds of the ten thousand Chinese imported to work at amicroscopic wage died of sickness or exposure to the extreme heat orcold."
"Gee!" gasped Stephen, "I'd no idea it was so bad as all that!"
"Most persons have but a f
aint conception of the price paid for ourrailways--paid not alone in money but in human life," answered Mr.Tolman. "The route of the western railroads, you see, did not lie solelythrough flat, thickly wooded country. Our great land, you must remember,is made up of a variety of natural formations, and in crossing from theAtlantic coast to that of the Pacific we get them one after another. Incontrast to the forests of mighty trees, with their tangled undergrowth,there were stretches of prairie where no hills broke the level ground;another region contained miles and miles of alkali desert, dry andscorching, where the sun blazed so fiercely down on the steel rails thatthey became too hot to touch. Here men died of sunstroke and of fever;and some died for want of water. Then directly in the railroad's patharose the towering peaks of the Sierras and Rockies whose snowy crestsmust be crossed, and whose cold, storms and gales must be endured.Battling with these hardships the workmen were forced to drill holes inthe rocky summits and bolt their rough huts down to the earth toprevent them from being blown away."
"I don't see how the thing could have been done!" Steve exclaimed, withgrowing wonder.
"And you must not forget to add to the chapter of tribulations therivers that barred the way; the ravines that must either be filled in orbridged; the rocks that had to be blasted out; and the mountains thatmust be climbed or tunneled."
"I don't see how they ever turned the trick!" the boy repeated.
"It is the same old tale of progress," mused his father. "Over and overagain, since time began, men have given their lives that the world mightmove forward and you and I enjoy the benefits of civilization. Rememberit and be grateful to the past and to that vast army of toilers whooffered up their all that you might, without effort, profit by thethings it took their blood to procure. There is scarcely a comfort youhave about you that has not cost myriad men labor, weariness, andperhaps life itself. Therefore value highly your heritage and treat thefruits of all hard work with respect; and whenever you can fit your ownsmall stone into the structure, or advance any good thing that shallsmooth the path of those who are to follow you, do it as your sacredduty to those who have so unselfishly builded for you."
There was a moment of silence and the rumble of the busy street rose totheir ears.
"I never shall build anything that will help the men of the future,"observed Stephen, in a low tone.
"Every human being is building all the time," replied his father. "He isbuilding a strong body that shall mean a better race; a clean mind thatshall mean a purer race; a loyalty to country that will result in finercitizenship; and a life of service to his fellows that will bring intime a broader Christianity. Will not the world be the better for allthese things? It lies with us to carry forward the good and lessen theevil of the universe, or tear down the splendid ideals for which ourfathers struggled and retard the upward march of the universe. Ifeverybody put his shoulder to the wheel and helped the forward spin ofour old world, how quickly it would become a better place!"
As he concluded his remarks Mr. Tolman took out his watch.
"Well, well!" said he. "I had no idea it was so late. I must hurry or Ishall not finish my story."
"As I told you the men from the east and those from the west workedtoward each other from opposite ends of the country. As soon as shortlengths of track were finished they were joined together. Near the greatSalt Lake of Utah a tie of polished laurel wood banded with silvermarked the successful crossing of Utah's territory. Five years laterNevada contributed some large silver spikes to join her length of trackto the rest. California sent spikes of solid gold, symbolic both of hercooperation and her mineral wealth; Arizona one of gold, one of silver,and one of iron. Many other States offered significant tributes ofsimilar nature. And when at last the great day came when all the shortlines were connected in one whole, what a celebration there was from seato sea! Wires had been laid so that the hammer that drove the last spikesent the news to cities all over the land. Bells rang, whistles blew,fire alarms sounded. The cost of the Union Pacific was about thirty-ninemillion dollars and that of the Central Pacific about one hundred andforty million dollars. The construction of the Southern Pacificpresented a different set of problems from those of the Northern, butmany of the difficulties encountered were the same. Bands of robbers andIndians beset the workmen and either cut the ties and spread the rails,or tore the track up altogether for long distances. Forest fires oftenovertook the men before they could escape, although trains sometimescontrived to get through the burning areas by drenching their roofs andwere able to bring succor to those in peril. Then there were washoutsand snowstorms quite as severe as any experienced in the northerncountry."
"I'm afraid I should have given the whole thing up!" interrupted Steve.
"Many another was of your mind," returned Mr. Tolman. "The frightfulheat encountered when crossing the deserts was, as I have said, thegreatest handicap. Frequently the work was at a standstill for monthsbecause all the metal--rails and tools--became too hot to handle. Thedifficulty of getting water to the men in order to keep them alive inthis arid waste was in itself colossal. Tank cars were sent forwardconstantly on all the railroads, northern as well as southern, and thesuffering experienced when such cars were for various reasons stalledwas tremendous. The sand storms along the Southern Pacific route wereyet another menace. So you see an eagerness for adventure had to bebalanced by a corresponding measure of bravery. Those early days ofrailroad building were not all romance and picturesqueness."
Stephen nodded as his father rose and took up his hat and coat.
"I'd like to hear Mr. Ackerman tell of the early steamboating," remarkedthe lad. "I'll bet the story couldn't match the one you have just told."
"Perhaps not," his father replied. "Nevertheless the steamships hadtheir full share of exciting history and you must not be positive inyour opinion until you have heard both tales. Now come along, son, ifyou are going with me, for I must be off."
Obediently Stephen slipped into his ulster and tagged at his father'sheels along the corridor.
What a magic country he lived in! And how had it happened that it hadbeen his luck to be born now rather than in the pioneer days when therewere not only no railroads but no great hotels like this one, and noelevators?
"I suppose," observed Mr. Tolman, as they went along, "we can hardlyestimate what the coming of these railroads meant to the country. Allthe isolated sections were now blended into one vast territory whichbrought the dwellers of each into a common brotherhood. It was no smallmatter to make a unit of a great republic like ours. The seafarer andthe woodsman; easterner, westerner, northerner, and southerner exchangedvisits and became more intelligently sympathetic. Rural districts wereopened up and made possible for habitation. The products of the seacoastand the interior were interchanged. Crops could now be transported;material for clothing distributed; and coal, steel, and iron--on whichour industries were dependent--carried wherever they were needed.Commerce took a leap forward and with it national prosperity. From nowon we were no longer hampered in our inventions or industries and forcedto send to England for machinery. We could make our own engines,manufacture our own rails, coal our own boilers. Distance was diminisheduntil it was no longer a barrier. Letters that it previously took daysand even weeks to get came in hours, and the cost and time for freighttransportation was revolutionized. In 1804, for example, it took fourdays to get a letter from New York to Boston; and even as late as 1817it cost a hundred dollars to move a ton of freight from Buffalo to NewYork and took twenty days to do it. In every direction the railroadsmade for national advancement and a more solid United States. Nosoldiers, no statesmen of our land deserve greater honor as usefulcitizens than do these men who braved every danger to build across thecountry our trans-continental railways."
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