conscious of his vast possessions. He is not what you
would call a miser, yet he prefers not to spend any of
his money for what most of us deem comforts in this
world. He has one son, a farmer in one of the great
States east of the Rocky Mountains, who will inherit his
vast wealth.
EL CAPITAN— YO-SEMITE VALLEY
SAN MATEO COUNTY 185
A ride
where Mr. Ralston receives us kindly, and asks us to a
seat in his carriage. Our party consisted of Superinten-
dent Sickels, his wife and two daughters, Grace Green-
wood, Mrs. Mitchell, and myself. Mr. William C. Rals-
ton is a man rising forty, of stout build, with a counten-
ance and air which tell of the hospitality and cheer which
he loves so well to bestow. He is free from all affecta-
tion ; and you at once forget the money-king, and see
only the genial gentleman.
The carriage was built upon the English style, with
seats lengthwise, a raised seat in front, and with the
usual attachments of a brake, which is indispensable for
the hills. To it were harnessed four bays of perfect form,
and full of spirit. As soon as we were all seated, Mr.
Ralston himself took the reins, and at a word the horses
started at a lively pace.
We were in a beautiful country — a great park, by
Nature formed and planted. The roads, although dusty,
were wide, and as we passed by we could see the houses
among the low-branching live oaks, which are the pride
of the county.
It was too late for the flowers; the grain, too, had
ripened, and, in most parts had been cut. After a short
ride, we were drawn into the grounds of Milton S. La-
tham, where no expense had been spared to make the
place attractive. We visited the stable, which, for size
and splendour of finish, we never saw surpassed. The
beautiful woods of California had been used, and these
1 86 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC
had been finely polished ; while all the fittings and ap-
purtenances were in keeping. It seemed to be just
completed ; and, in unpacking the furniture which was to
be placed in the servants' quarters above, the men had
set the small mirrors in the stalls, one in each; upon
which one of the ladies remarked : ' Yes, indeed, this is
the finest stable I ever saw ; for don't you see they have
furnished each horse with a mirror to make his morning
toilet by?' The new mansion house here is not yet
completed ; the former one having been, I believe, de-
stroyed by fire.
From here we were driven to the fine estate named
' Valparaiso Park,' owned by F. D. Atherton, Esq. Mr.
Atherton met us upon the piazza ; and, having given the
ladies over to those of the house, conducted the gentle-
men through his fine grounds, where orchards of almond,
nectarine, English walnut, apple, cherry, and fig, were
growing, having been planted only three years. The
cactuses {cactacccc) seemed to delight in this situation ;
and one plant had attained the height of fifteen feet, and
was stout enough to sustain itself. The finest tree not
indigenous to the place was the pepper-tree, near the
house, the feathery foliage of which was swayed by the
slightest breath of air. The great oaks, with their ex-
tended branches, from which hung the moss in graceful
tassels, dotted the extensive grounds ; and flowers, mag-
nificent in colour, and in a profusion unknown to our New-
England gardens, made the air fragrant, and gave to the
place exquisite beauty.
A DAY WITH RALSTON 187
It was too lovely a spot to leave so hurriedly ; but Mr.
Ralston summoned us for a ride towards his own man-
sion. Our party had now been increased by Mr. and
Mrs. Samuel Lawrence of Boston, and Stephen Masset,
Esq., well known as ' Jeemes Pipes of Pipesville/ whose
pleasant bon mots gave a zest to our other pleasures during
the rest of the day.
A Day with Ralston. — It was a delightful drive
which took us towards the village of Belmont — the
neaiest railroad point to Ralston's home. Passing over a
well-built road, through the town, which is regularly laid
out, and where are many pretty cottages, we reach
'Glenwood,' our destination. The first object which
meets our view is the neat building where gas is pro-
duced for lighting the house, out-buildings, and grounds.
Mr. Ralston shows us his stables, where twenty-one
horses await their masters summons, with grooms suffi-
cient to care for them. One thing was noticeable about
the stables, which told something of the character of
its owner — that, while the utmost neatness prevailed, it
was not over-nice, as was the first stable we visited to-day.
The inside is kept freshly whitewashed; and the carriages
seem arranged for instant use, instead of show.
At the house, the party was welcomed by Mrs. Ralston,
whose gracious manners soon taught us to feel at home,
and that the house was made to live in, and all the
splendid and costly things surrounding us to be not only
looked at, but handled. I should judge that the house
was not built at once, upon a matured plan, but was the
1 88 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC
outgrowth of required accommodation. A dining-room,
drawing-room, and library, surrounded on three sides by
a gallery, with windows extending from floor to ceiling,
with the kitchen and laundry in the rear, and built directly
into the hill, with a beautiful corridor at the top of the
main staircase, from which the chambers open, while
over the kitchen is a large but as yet unfinished banquet-
hall, comprise the main house. It is of wood, painted
white, and is placed in a very sheltered position among
the foot-hills of the coast-range of mountains, on the side
towards the bay. Fine pictures, costly bronzes, and
other works of vertu, are scattered about in defiance of
all conventional taste ; but their very freedom gives a
pleasing and hospitable air to the house.
At twelve, breakfast was announced ; and, for nearly
two hours, the courses of delicately-prepared food were
brought in, while conversation and gaiety filled up the
intervals. After breakfast particular pains were taken to
conduct us to the kitchen, and show us the Chinese
cooks, who prepared the food of which we had partaken.
Here a chief cook with two assistants presides, while
Chinamen do all the general housework. The steward
is a coloured man ; the waiters are white men, probably
Frenchmen ; and these, together with the help employed
out of doors, make some twenty-five. Such an estab-
lishment, conducted in an orderly manner, would be a
wonder in the East, and with our present service system
quite impossible. The same order and conduct on
the part of the servants prevail here daily, as I am
A DAY WITH RALSTON 189
assured by those who have spent several days together
at the mansion. I was strongly reminded of an English
country house.
To me the most beautiful development of Eng-
lish life and character are the country homes scat-
tered over the smiling land where reign so much peace,
plenty, and virtue. England has a stronger bulwark
of national life and prosperity in these, than in all
her navies and all her armies. Would that in America
we had more such homes ! Our cities are growing at the
expense of the country. Home ties are forgotten in the
rush for wealth, and our people are finding themselves
with riches but without health and cultivated tastes to
enjoy them. I must end this digression, and continue
my narrative.
We were next taken to view the estate. From the
eminences we had beautiful views of the surrounding
country. Leaving Ralston's at three o'clock, we passed
from one fine estate to another, charmed with the beau-
tiful gardens and parks around the houses. We also
drove through the place where lives Hay ward, the ruler in
the stock-board, who, by the recent fall in stocks, found
himself raised by millions — almost the only one who
profited by that terrible calamity which overtook the
' dwellers in California Street.'
When the Boston Board of Trade and their friends
returned from San Francisco, all we heard of for some
time was the praises of their entertainment by Mr. Raiston ;
and I must own that they could not war-praise the
elegant manner in which the hospitality of Glenwood was
190 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC
dispensed. I have described our visit thus minutely, that
my readers might gain an idea of the mode in which
rich Californians entertain their friends ; for, although
Mr. Ralston's receptions are more princely, still there
are many others who outdo our Eastern magnates.
Homeward Bound. — Finally leaving San Francisco
on June 23, we are soon under full speed towards
Sacramento. Having disposed of our traps, we look
around to see if all our friends are here. Superintendent
Sickels has Grace Greenwood (Mrs. Lippincott), and
Joaquin Miller the poet, as guests for the journey. Our
car is the directors' car of the Union Pacific Railroad.
It is very large and heavily built, probably weighing
more than three ordinary passenger-cars. In one end is
a complete kitchen, a range, racks for dishes, an ice-box,
a sink, &c. ; next, and separated from the kitchen, are
sections, two on each side, like the Pullman, which can
be transformed into beds at night ; next — another par-
tition dividing, and occupying, say, one-third of the car
— is the drawing-room, dining-room, and by night a
sleeping-room. An extension-table occupies one corner ;
and on either side is a sofa ; and a sideboard upon each
side of the door towards the kitchen, above each of which
is placed a mirror. Beyond this is another room as large
as the kitchen, where is placed the heating apparatus ;
and on the side is a rack of six rifles, and drawers for
ammunition — probably added as a defence against the
Indians, — now only required for game of other sorts.
A HOTEL-CAR 191
There are small and well-appointed toilet-rooms par-
titioned off ; and all the sections are covered with a
heavy Brussels carpet. The rear platform is surrounded
by a railing, making it a safe place where to sit and
observe the country. At night the car is well lighted ;
and the windows are double, to keep out dust as well as
the cold. It rests on many springs ; and the trucks have
six wheels each, so that ease and comfort are secured.
Our stores are ample. Tom Cornish is to act as
general manager, while Henry Foure is to preside in the
kitchen ; and, as they are well trained in the manage-
ment of a hotel-car, no doubt we shall be well cared for.
We are again in Sacramento, which has arisen from
the devastation of floods and fires, and is to-day probably
the handsomest city in the State. As all the railroad
grandees live here, of course much has been done by
them to make this a centre of various railroad lines, and
add material wealth by the establishment of the work-
shops and car-shops of the Central Company. The
streets are wide, the buildings in many instances very
fine, the trees and herbage magnificent in their almost
tropical luxuriance ; and the energy and business enter-
prise of its citizens very notable. The capitol is to be a
grand edifice, a pride of the whole State. The city is
growing very fast both in population and wealth ; and
none of those evidences of overgrowth are seen here,
which are so lamentably shown in San Francisco.
Along our journey over the Central we found no new
interest, save to notice how successfully the trees and
192 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC
plants had been grown in the lands just about the
stations in the great desert, which had been subjected to
irrigation. Facts and experience are fast proving that
the lands which a few years ago were thought entirely
incapable of cultivation can be made to grow many of
the usual vegetable products of the West. There were
some apple-trees which were growing very finely indeed
at Battle- Mountain Station, in soil which had heretofore
been pronounced entirely incapable of sustaining plant
or tree.
We found good company in a ' Pullman ' with our train.
The second night on the road we arranged a little
entertainment in our car, and invited the ladies and
gentlemen from the other cars into our improvised
music-hall. The exercises consisted principally of reci-
tations, with delineations of the characters by Grace
Greenwood ; and the name assures the success of the
renderings. The young ladies sang for us.
The next morning, at Ogden, we make the usual
change of cars, and began our journey on the Union
Pacific. It requires some time to make up the train for
the East, as all the baggage is changed, as well as the
mails and express matter. It would seem that the cars
ought to be run through ; but I am told that the
distance between Omaha and San Francisco is too great
to keep a car in continued motion.
The Story of the Central Pacific. — Having
finished our round trip over the Central Pacific ; now
THE CENTRAL PACIFIC 193
let us tell the story of the building of this road, and say
a few words about its management. Those who have
told this story heretofore have selected one of the few
men who were the promoters of the enterprise, and
eulogized him, often to the disparagement of the others ;
but I will try to do all justice, and state the part which
each took in the great scheme, out of which was evolved
the railroad, which, in its passage of the Sierras, stands
to-day a triumph of engineering skill.
Five men, entire strangers to the building of railroads,
promulgated, fostered, and carried to a successful issue,
this important enterprise. Stanford was the governor of
the State, but before that was a wholesale grocer ; the
two Crockers were dealers in dry goods ; and Hunt-
ington and Hopkins were hardware merchants. They all
lived in Sacramento, then a small inland town, which had
a precarious existence between fire and flood. In that
city, at No. 54 K Street, may be seen to-day the sign
' Huntington and Hopkins.' It is a store for the sale
of hardware, and the business is still pursued in about
the same style as in the early days of the enterprise.
It was in a back room of this store, where the gentlemen
named used to meet to pass away their evenings, that
they organized their company. They early perceived the
necessity for a road, talked it over night after night, till
they became so ' filled with the faith,' that even though
they had small means and few friends, they thought
they could build the road. They resolved to act ; and
they began in earnest, although upon a small scale, to
o
194 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC
develope a plan. The time of which we speak was
1856-58 ; and the road only existed in the dreams of
these enthusiasts, who, in the far-off future, saw the iron
horse snorting over the snow-clad Sierra. Engineers of
repute had said that the mountains could not be passed ;
and, whenever a Pacific Railroad bill was presented to
Congress, these reports were conned over ; and the very
idea of a road amid these almost everlasting snows was
ridiculed by grave senators.
Probably what gave the greatest impetus to the enter-
prise was the bold assertion of the engineer, Theodore
judah, who was engaged to build the Sacramento Valley
Road, and who was so earnest in his declarations that a
track could be laid across the mountains, that he was
called ' Pacific-Railroad Crazy.' He at last so gained
the confidence of the people directly about him, that,
by much solicitation, he raised a subscription of fifty
dollars to enable him to make a survey. This was the
real beginning of the work. Having made a partial
examination, he became more fully convinced of the
correctness of his declaration ; and, by a little more
aid, he proceeded with his surveys, until he proclaimed,
that, by way of ' Dutch Flat,' he had found a long and
easy ascent of the mountains. He called public
meetings of citizens of the mining villages along the
route ; and gradually the inhabitants became convinced
of the practicability of the road, although the scheme
seemed so unlikely to succeed, that all the banks and
bankers, as well as the moneyed men, kept aloof from it ;
THE CENTRAL PACIFIC 195
for they had little faith in the ' Dutch Flat Swindle,'
as it was called, the five men first mentioned being about
the only ones who were ready to give their money and
stake their fortunes in the enterprise.
We can imagine all kinds of difficulties to be met and
overcome ; and by no means the least was the ridicule
heaped upon the enterprise, especially by the bankers.
In the city of San Francisco there was not a dollar raised ;
and the great express company (Wells, Fargo, and
Company), the steamship lines, and all the various
stage lines and river steamship companies, vied with
each other in their opposition to building a railroad.
The laws of the State of California, under which any
company must act, were very illiberal towards corpora-
tions and the stockholders; and the people stood aloof from
the scheme, leaving a few bold spirits to work out the
problem, and reap the rewards which have followed from
the completion of the line — large, surely, but only just.
Another turning-point in the life of the enterprise was
when, at a meeting of gentlemen at Governor Stanford's
house, in i860, after much and earnest discussion, and
all seemed upon the point of flagging, Mr. Huntington
rose and said, ' I will be one of eight or ten to carry
out this scheme.' New life was infused ; new purposes
were awakened ; and seven bold spirits put their names
to a compact to pay all expenses for three years, to
complete surveys, estimates, plans, &c.
Of these seven, Judah, who had been the prophet sent
from afar to show the people of California the way over
196 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC
their mountains towards the Atlantic, had no money, and
soon afterwards died. To Judah must be awarded
much praise ; for it was a bold spirit which could, in the
face of such ridicule, still proclaim what to him seemed
not only possible, but easy of accomplishment. He was
a pioneer — a mind which perceived before others ; one
who lived outside of the circumstances which surrounded
him. He took a grand step forward in railroad engineer-
ing, like Brunei in steamships, or Lesseps in canals.
Another of the little band became disheartened, and
fell by the way ; leaving only the five whom I have men-
tioned—Stanford, Huntington, Hopkins, and the two
Crockers.
They organised their company with the first-named
as president, the second as vice-president, and the third
as secretary and treasurer — positions which they still
hold, managing with marked ability the affairs of the
company. This was in i860. The passage of the
Pacific Railroad Bill by Congress gave this little com-
pany an assured life ; and each fell naturally to work in
his particular sphere. The usual fortune of railroad
enterprises was apparent : they resolved to reap
themselves the advantages of their early planning and
patient toil. They established their offices at 54
K Street, where they are to-day, and began work i?i
detail, considering well each step, and surmounting the
difficulties as they arose. Stanford— full of genuine
good sense, a man of vigour and determination — was at
the head, and did valiant service in the State. Hopkins
THE CENTRAL PACIFIC 197
— the man of figures and calculations, who had made his
business successful by calculating every cost — now ap-
plied the same careful calculations to this larger scheme ;
and Huntington — intrepid, with innate honesty, of good
address — went to Washington, New York, and other
cities, to negotiate bonds, buy material, and make the
people of the East know that the road was to be built,
and that they must lend their money to do it. He suc-
ceeded ; and, for materials for construction, he exchanged
bonds, which were guaranteed by the personal endorse-
ments of the promoters of this grand, yet, at that time,
hazardous enterprise. All the iron, and a large portion
of all the material, had to be brought from the Atlantic
cities, round Cape Horn, by a long and tedious voyage ;
the prices were fluctuating by the war ; the bonds which
the government issued to them fell to a low figure in
gold ; and thus circumstances seemed to frown upon this
plan for a railroad over the mountains which would serve
to supply a new trade which had arisen between Sacra-
mento and Nevada, as well as for a link in a grand trans-
continental line.
Several times their money was all used up ; and then
individual pluck was shown, and a few men were paid by
each ; and so the work was kept on. Each contract was
looked to closely, and its terms were scanned ; for
these men were daily pledging every dollar they were
worth, as well as their honour and reputation. These
facts I state thus minutely, that they may be compared
with the circumstances attending the building of the
19S THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC
other road which forms the Pacific line. Many were the
obstacles which they encountered ; and much credit is
due to Grey and Montague, the engineers who made the
plan and laid the grades, as well as found the way to
take huge locomotives over the mountains by ox-teams,
and make a road-bed with snow-banks from ten to
twenty feet deep around them. Upon the Alkali Plains
they were obliged to bring water and fuel many miles,
and to find men to do all this work. Chinese were brought
over, and, to the number of several thousand, lent their
toil to tfrs great undertaking.
The Central Company, of course, as they made success
sure, found many friends ; and, after all the great diffi-
culties were passed, many were ready to aid them with
money. This company pushed east as far as it could,
and, as it approached the westward marching line of
the Union, shot by it, on towards the Atlantic ; and
here came a warfare to determine where the two roads
should meet. Congress had to interfere, and fix upon
Union Junction, five miles west of Ogden, as the place of
union. At length the year 1869 saw the road completed.
The Central Company are now the owners of the whole
railroad system of California, and are pushing their lines
in all directions. The California and Oregon line is
being pushed north through the great Sacramento Valley,
around Mount Shasta, on towards Portland, there to join
the railroad system of Oregon. To the south, through
the Santa Clara and San Joaquin Valleys, they have the
Southern Pacific, which is to reach Los Angeles, and
THE CENTRAL PACIFIC 199
thence on to the Colorado River. The California
Pacific has pierced the Napa Valley ; and the Sacra-
mento Valley Road is pushing east into the mountains.
In the prosecution of these various enterprises, the
Company is spending some half-million of dollars per
month ; and the whole machinery of this vast corporation
is so nicely adjusted, and works so smoothly, that all
these plans are being successfully carried out at once.
Montague is still the chief engineer; Grey has charge of
the Southern Pacific ; while the same officers who were
long ago first elected to their positions retain their places.
Mr. Towne, the general superintendent, is a gentleman
who admirably fills his place — one of the most responsible
and important of the many.
I was told that the company had in its employ within
the State of California over 7,000 men, which seemed
at first a large number ; but when we consider how
many lines of road are under construction, and how
vast is the business of the through line, I am not so sur
prised. The road-bed is in good order ; the snow-sheds
are all permanent structures ; the rolling-stock is of a fair
grade, but not as comfortable as the Union Pacific ; and
what was painfully noticeable was, that the conductors
were not so obliging and gentlemanly as they should have
been. An air of arrogance was shown, which seemed to
say, ' that, until a southern road is built, this is the only
train for San Francisco, and we graciously allow you to
ride in our cars.' Competition will no doubt remedy
this, but it is an evil which should sooner be removed ;
200 THE ATLANTIC TO THE PACIFIC
for some day in this country, as it has been in England,
it will be decided that railroads are to be worked for the
public, and for their benefit and accommodation. Cor-
porations and monopolies, cliques and combinations,
may, for a time, oppress and hinder the people; but there
always comes a day when the public assert — and assert-
ing, maintain — their rights.
The Union Pacific. — As we leave Ogden. we begin
our journey upon the Union Pacific Railway, whose
history lacks all romance, and is only distinguished in