598 



RAILWAYS. 



join with us in securing a return of peace for all 

 kingdoms, law for the barbarians, calm for the mon- 

 asteries, good order for the Church, discipline for the 

 clergy, and for God an acceptable people. (St. Bern, 

 de Considerat., iv. 4.) God is standing in His holy 

 place ; He is in the midst of us in our councils and in 

 our acts ; He, in this effort of His abundant mercy, 

 has chosen us to be His ministers and fellow-laborers ; 

 and it behooves us to be so devoted to this service 

 that we now consecrate our minds, our hearts, our 

 strength, to Him alone. 



But conscious of our own weakness, we distrust 

 our powers, and our eyes are raised, our players 

 are addressed, with confidence to Thee, Spirit of 

 God. Thou Fount of true Light, and of the Wis- 

 dom of God, do Thou pour the illumination of 

 Thy grace into our minds, that we may see what 

 is right, what is salutary, what is most excellent; 

 do Uiou rule, mould, and direct our hearts, that 



whatever this Council shall do may have a right 

 beginning, a prosperous course, and a happy ter- 

 mination. 



And Thou too, Mother of fair love, of knowledge 

 and holy hope, Thou Queen and bulwark of the 

 Church, do Thou take our consultations and our toils 

 under the secure protection of Thy motherly care, 

 and by Thy prayers to God gain for us the grace to 

 be ever one in spirit and one in heart. 



Be you also with us, ye angels and archangels ; and 

 thou, too, prince of the Apostles, blessed Peter ; and 

 thou, fellow-apostle of Peter, Paul, doctor of the Gen- 

 tiles and. preacher of truth in the whole world ; and 

 all ye saints of heaven, ye especially whose relics we 

 venerate in this place, by your powerful intercession 

 procure for us that we may all faithfully fulfil our min- 

 istry ; and may receive mercy from God in the midst 

 of His temple, to whom be honor and glory for ever 

 and ever. 



B 



RAILWAYS. The official figures showing 

 the number of miles of railway constructed in 

 the United States in 1869, exhibit an actual 

 increase of about 7,745 miles for the calendar 

 year, which is far greater than the aggregate 

 of any former year. The largest amount in 

 any previous year was in 1856, when 3,640 

 miles of road were built, while in 1868 only 

 2,970 miles of new rails were laid. Since 

 1826, when Massachusetts hegan to lay iron 

 tracks, the construction of railways in this 

 country has averaged more than 1,000 miles a 

 year. 



Counting the cost of construction at $40,000 

 a mile, we expended during the last year 

 $300,000,000 in building railways, with prob- 

 ably $300,000,000 for expenditures besides 

 building; such as new rails, new cars, de- 

 pots, etc. 



The present distribution of railway lines is 

 nearly as follows : 4,000 miles in New England, 

 17,000 miles in the Western States, 900 in the 

 Pacific States, 10,000 in the Middle States, 

 11,000 in the Southern and Gulf States. The 

 war scarcely checked railway building in the 

 North and West ; but, for the time, it ruined 

 the Southern roads, most of which have since 

 been relaid and supplied with rolling-stock, or 

 are now in process of relaying and supply. 

 And new roads are now building, or are pro- 

 jected, in every part of the Southern States, un- 

 der the belief that they are essential to the full 

 development of their agricultural resources. 

 Texas is pushing through a central road, which 

 may become the Southern route to the Pacific 

 coast. Illinois is building a dozen different 

 roads, which will cover 500 miles, and Indiana 

 yet more. Michigan is engaged upon three 

 new roads, covering 500 miles. Six new 

 roads, extending over 300 miles, are in prog- 

 ress in Iowa. Missouri is pushing on her 

 South Pacific. Oregon, California, Kansas, 

 and Nevada, are all building new railways, 

 And last, not least, Virginia projects a great 

 central road through the State, which will 



make, with connections, direct transit from 

 Norfolk, on the Atlantic coast, to San Fran- 

 cisco, free from snow. 



These are the leading railway enterprises 

 now seeking aid from the North, and to these 

 should be added the efforts New York and 

 Baltimore are making to perfect their railroad 

 connections with the West. 



The following table presents a summary of 

 the miles of railroad in operation in each 

 State, at the close of the year 1869 or beginning 

 of 1870, compared with the beginning of the 

 year 1864, or a period of six years. This 

 shows an aggregate -outlay of over $2,200,- 

 000,000 in railroad construction, and an ag- 

 gregate mileage of 48,860 miles ; which latter 

 will probably, before the middle of the year 

 1870, exceed 50,000 miles in actual opera- 

 tion. This is in addition to double tracks 

 and sidings, constructed on a large number 

 of the roads in this country. 



The Pacific Railroad was completed on the 

 10th of May, 1869, by the junction of the 

 Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroads, 

 at Promontory Summit, Utah, a point 1,084 

 miles west from Omaha, and 690 east from 

 Sacramento. The last spike was driven with 

 imposing ceremonies, and on the 15th of May 

 through-trains began to run regularly. By a 

 subsequent arrangement between the two com- 

 panies, and in conformity with a resolution 

 passed by Congress, Ogden, 52 miles east from 

 Promontory Summit, and 1,032 miles west 

 from Omaha, was fixed as the dividing point 

 between the Central Pacific and the- Union 

 Pacific Railroads. The former, therefore, ex- 

 tends from Sacramento, California, to Ogden, 

 Utah, a distance of 742 miles, and the latter 

 from Ogden to Omaha, 1,032 miles. From the 

 beginning, the work has been vigorously prose- 

 cuted, and its completion in May of 1869 

 was reached a year earlier than had been an- 

 ticipated by the company. This rapid progress 

 has been due largely to the aid rendered by 

 the General Government. The Union Pacific 



