Page 10 - golden-spike-centennial-program

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Page 10
had already been laid, and everything finished except the
leave Los Angeles station at 9 a.m. on the 5th and that layng and spiking down of the rails.
"Supt. Hewitt of the railroad is happy and yet he is "The laying of the remaining 1050 feet of track and the
unhappy; happy at the event and unhappy because he connecting of the through line was done as soon as the
can't invite the whole community to witness the
railroad officials and invited guests could alight from the
demonstration. There will be only 40 invitations!"
Progre88 of the Great Southern San Francisco train and take their places. Charles·
The train consisted of eight-wheel engine No. 25, the Crocker superintended the work in person," continued
last of a group of five built by Schenectady in 1875 and Pacific Railroad. the Chronicle reporter.
shipped to Los Angeles by sailing vessel, and five The crossties were neatly lined up at proper spacing for
coaches which seated about 60 persons each, enabling Last Spike Driven in the Los 1050 feet, two spikes were laid at each end of each
him to pick up a few extra passengers on the way to Angeles Division. crosstie, and the surveyor's guideline was in place. To
Lang. He had forgotten about the brass band which was a impress the spectators, the Chinese graders and stone
necessity for an occasion such as this, and by the time the Tbe CfrtWIHltl W1tu,1tcl hJ Large 01'1• masons were lined up in rows on each side of the
train left Los Angeles Hewitt had 191 passengers. After
,1at1e■1 rrea Buth C'ttMII. roadbed. What a showman Crocker was - what a pity
stopping at the stations enroute, more people boarded we have no photographs of this inspiring sight! Each Lang station in 1936. The first station at the
the train and by the time they reached the end of track
Grttat Enthuslo.sth. Over th• ·tracklaying gang had a long, four-wheeled push-car site was built in 1876, but burned down in a
near Lang, there were standees in the aisles, on the
.A u•plclou& Event. loaded with between 35 and 40 rails, with eight track brush fire 12 years later. This station replaced
platforms and hanging on the steps. Many others made layers, a foreman and several relief men as was the it, but was torn down when passenger service
their way by horse-drawn carriages, on horseback or on CJ.a.· ended in 1971.
foot, and were at Lang ahead of the special trains.
Colto■ , Goyeraor Staaford
Quoting a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle: aad Otllera.
"Shortly after 1 o'clock, the San Francisco excursion
train, having been delayed a trifle by the giving out of the
Lui Trip of the Los Angeles Stage
air brakes, pushed its way through the narrow pass to the
Coach.
place of junction, near Lang Station. Our magnificent
ten-wheeled engine was gaily decorated with flags and as
&IUULill TIUl!IIN BUWU!'I THU" CITI ,UIIJ j
soon as it came in sight was hailed by loud shouts by the
!UN t'B1lffl!iCO TU BUHJIC KliJIC-
Los Angeles group who, .to the number of more than a
!'iUm TO-D11.
thousand, had arrived at an earlier hour."
The Los Angeles Star's reporter said: "On arriving at
the point of junction at Lang Station the entire working
10.A.L K&OIO ,,,
force of the road - some 4000 strong - was seen drawn
up in battle array. Swarms of Chinese and scores of
teams and drivers formed a working display such as is
seldom seen. The secret of rapid railroad building was OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
apparent at a glance. The spot selected for the ceremony
ALBE~
was on a broad and beautiful plain surrounded by
undulating hills on the one side and the rugged peaks and DOifi:.
deep gorges of the San Fernando mountains on the
The l!!k>u• hern Pacli'10 Steadily •
other. The scene was one worthy of the painter's pencil,
~tretchln.i O~ ·.1.·owo.rd
but by some strange oversight, no photographer was
the East.
present and the picture presented will live only in the
memories of those whose good fortune it was to be
89■ rrawd-. .&epreae■tatlnia l'NatN d La
present."
, •••. " wt ln•l•I•
The Chronide reporter resumed: "There were nearly
4000 people on the ground, nearly 3000 being Chinese
Delialatr.1 Tenala•t.i•• of • Meet
employees of the railroad who with their picks, shovels
A11111tioloaa D•~•
and bamboo hats arranged on either side of the track
looked on with wondering eyes and jabbering away like
so many parrots."
Your historian would like to note at this point that this The event received mammoth headlines in
group of 4000 formed the railroad workers only; another every newspaper. This one is from the Alta
1000 or more were the spectators who gathered at California of San Francisco.
various vantage points to view the scene. The crossties .,t _.v'., r .. ··
Gerald M. Best collection