Surveying the first transcontinental railroad
From: "Erica Brandt" ebrandt@northcoastchurch.com
I was researching the Transcontinental railway to use as an illustration. Basically how the two sides needed to come together, and if they were one degree off over time, would not have met in the middle.
But I can't find any details on line detailing the actually engineering/mapping of how the two sides were able to meet at the same place on May 10.
I have read that they were only working miles apart as they got closer, but could you point me to anything detailing how they actually mapped it to come together? ...
—Erica Brandt
I was researching the Transcontinental railway to use as an illustration. Basically how the two sides needed to come together, and if they were one degree off over time, would not have met in the middle.
But I can't find any details on line detailing the actually engineering/mapping of how the two sides were able to meet at the same place on May 10.
I have read that they were only working miles apart as they got closer, but could you point me to anything detailing how they actually mapped it to come together? ...
—Erica Brandt
posted from CPRR Discussion Group at 1:44 PM
10 Comments:
From: "Larry Mullaly" lmullaly@jeffnet.org
... Aligning the tracks of the two system was much more of a political than an engineering challenge. Both companies wanted to claim as much mileage as possible because of the bond support this provided from the federal government. The Central Pacific, for example, aspired to build to a point many miles east of Ogden but never laid track that far.
At the time the agreement to meet at Promontory was reached, the Union Pacific and Central Pacific already had surveyed and staked out individual parallel lines for many miles beyond the point of junction. They had also done a considerable amount of grading (earth preparation for the tracks). However, grading was relatively cheap – it was trackage, bridges, culverts, and heavy cuts and fills that cost.
Once the point of encounter was established by the separate managements, survey teams from both roads would have worked together to obtain as much "tangent" or straight track in both directions as possible. Curves were avoided wherever possible and both sides would have wanted to reach a compromise.
A meet would have required a realignment of both railroads to some degree. But realigning the projected line of the road on level ground such as Promontory should not have posed much of a technical problem. ...
—Larry Mullaly
From: "Kyle Wyatt" kylekwyatt@gmail.com
I will add to Larry's discussion a couple of specific at Promontory. By the May 8, 1869, intended ceremony date, both companies had already built parallel grades through the Promontory Summit area. The Central Pacific delegation arrived in time for the planned May 8, 1869, ceremony, but the Union Pacific delegation was delayed, so the ceremony was rescheduled for May 10, 1869. At the time the Central Pacific delegation arrived, no connection had been graded between the grades of the two railroads. Central Pacific intended to grade a connection on the morning of May 9 (I believe that is the correct date – this from memory) to the Union Pacific depot site. But the night before the Union Pacific stole a march on the Central Pacific and graded their own connection just West of the depot site. And so the Golden Spike ceremony took place on the Central Pacific alignment, at the end of the connecting track that the Union Pacific had just completed.
As noted by Larry, grading and track construction on the relatively level plateau of Promontory Summit was pretty easy, and did not require a lot of advance engineering work. My impression is that the Union Pacific connection track was built quickly and easily, with little advance work needed.
—Kyle Wyatt
See, Finding the Way and Fixing the Boundary: The Science and Art of Western Map Making, As Exemplified by William H. Emory and his Colleagues of the U.S. Corps of Topographical Engineers, by Rollie Schafer.
See,
EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS, c. 1853; and,
Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean, made under the direction of the Secretary of War, in 1853-4, Volumes I-XII.
Washington, Government Printing Office, 1855-61.
The exact final location of the Central Pacific Railroad's route was established over the Sierra Nevada mountains and in Utah by Lewis Metzler Clement, as locating engineer. The first exhibit that visitors see when entering the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento is of Clement surveying with his equipment. Skilled use of that equipment measures angles accurately so that the location can be determined using trigonometry.
"WHEAT, CARL I. MAPPING THE TRANSMISSISSIPPI WEST 1540-1861. San Francisco: Institute of Historical Cartography, 1957-1963. First Editions. Folio. Limited to 1000 sets. 5 Volumes in 6. xiv, 264pp.; xiii, 281pp.; xiii, 349pp., xiii, 260pp.; xviii, 487pp. Facsimilies of numerous maps, some color, some folded. ... The series was designed by the Grabhorn Press and the first volume was printed by them. Volumes two, three, and four were produced by Taylor & Taylor, and Volume five by James Printing Company, all of San Francisco. The type for all volumes was set by Mackenzie & Harris, Inc. This five-volume work describes the maps of Western America from the earliest cartographic conjectures to Spanish explorations of the fifteenth century, through early exploration and overland travel up to the beginnings of the great surveys and the Civil War. Dale Morgan's contribution to this classic work was greater than is generally recognized. From the forewords to the individual volumes it seems that Morgan functioned as an unofficial editor and research fellow. Wheat gratefully acknowledged Morgan's liberal contributions of information, footnotes, and editorial work. Of the text itself, Chapter 36 on Mormon maps in the fourth volume, and all of volume five (two books) was Morgan's work. Additionally, because Wheat was victimized by several strokes, about half of the second volume and ninety percent of the third is attributed to Morgan, though he claimed only the complete volume five in his own bibliography in the Morgan papers. ... Lastly, we include a copy of MAPPING THE TRANSMISSISSIPPI WEST, 1540-1861: AN INDEX TO THE CARTOBIBLIOGRAPHY, by Charles A. Seavey, issued as Occassional Paper No.3, by the Map and Geography Round Table of the American Library Association, in 1992 ... a highly desirable supplement. ... "
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THIRTEEN-VOLUME PACIFIC RAILROAD SURVEY ... THE FIRST LARGE-SCALE SCIENTIFIC DOCUMENTATION OF THE WEST.
"The Pacific Railroad Surveys is a series of explorations of the American West designed to find and document possible routes for a transcontinental railroad across North America. The expeditions included surveyors, scientists, and artists and resulted in an immense body of data covering at least 400,000 square miles on the American West. 'These volumes... constitute probably the most important single contemporary source of knowledge on Western geography and history and their value is greatly enhanced by the inclusion of many beautiful plates in color of scenery, native inhabitants, fauna and flora of the Western country.' Published by the United States War Department from 1855 to 1860, the surveys contained significant material on natural history, including many illustrations of reptiles, amphibians, birds, and mammals. In addition to describing the route, these surveys also reported on the geology, zoology, botany, climatology of the land, as well as provided ethnographic descriptions of the Native peoples encountered during the surveys."
"The drive to build a transcontinental railroad was complicated by the important question of where to build it. Political and business rivalries contended to stop any project, or even preparation for the project, for a number of years. Which states would it traverse and, most importantly, where would it start and end. Did the Constitution even allow the Federal Government to be involved in the project? Finally, in 1853-4, Senator Gwin of California got an appropriation into the War Department budget to allow the Secretary of War (Jefferson Davis) to send out surveying parties. The trouble was just beginning ... After the political and sectional dust settled there were four routes to be surveyed - a northern route along the Missouri River, over the northern Rockies and to Puget Sound, along the 47-49th parallels. A middle route, favored by Senator Thomas Hart Benton, following the Kansas River to the Arkansas, through Salt Lake, along the 37-39th parallels. Another route, the 35th parallel route, went from Arkansas through New Mexico and Arizona and across the Mojave Desert. The fourth route, the southern-most and the one favored by Secretary of War Davis, traveled from Texas along the Gila River to San Diego. There were further surveys on the Pacific coast, outlining routes to link San Diego with San Francisco, and San Francisco and the Pacific northwest. Originally the project report was envisioned as taking up three or four volumes. In time a large 12-volume quatro set was finally issued in 13 books. The project report provided details not only on the topography of the land, but the scenery, animals, plants and inhabitants. *It remains a cornerstone piece of Americana.*
Continued ...
*Volume I:* The Introductory Volume.
The first volume of this massive report and, although it contains no illustrations, it does contain much of the correspondence and reports summarizing the effort - including the various reports concerning the practicability and a full description of each route. There are reports by Jefferson Davis and others, including the "Memoranda on Railways, Office of Pacific Railroad Surveys" by Brevet Captain George B. McClellan of the Corps of Engineers. Reports of Explorations and Surveys, to Ascertain the Most Practicable and Economical Route for a Railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.
*Volume II:* The Kansas-Colorado-Utah Route.
This volume covers the routes through Kansas, Colorado, Utah and Nevada, including the report on the route on the 38th and 39th parallels, written by Captain J.W. Gunnison in Salt Lake City shortly before he was killed by local Indians. This report is accompanied by a number of beautiful colored lithographed plates of western scenery. There are also 20 botanical plates showing flora from the 38th, 39th and 41st parallel routes, as well as several plates of fossils.
*Volume III:* The 35th Parallel Route, Along with the Ethnographic Report.
The ethnographic volume. This report described the route explored along the 35th parallel by Lieutenant Amiel Weeks Whipple, from Little Rock, Arkansas, through Oklahoma, past Amarillo, along the Arkansas and Canadian Rivers, through New Mexico and Arizona, to Los Angeles. One of the most noteworthy aspects of this report is the section about the Indians of the region, which includes many b/w illustrations and 8 colored lithographs, and a section on the geology.
*Volume IV:* The Botanical Report on the 35th Parallel Route.
The botanical volume. This report describes the botany on the route explored along the 35th parallel by Lieutenant A.W. Whipple, from Little Rock, Arkansas, through Oklahoma, past Amarillo, along the Arkansas and Canadian Rivers, through New Mexico and Arizona, to Los Angeles. This volume was devoted almost entirely to botanical studies, mostly conducted by Dr. J.M. Bigelow. It includes reports on trees by Bigelow (no pics), Cacti by George Engleman (24 plates), a description of the general botanical collections brought back by Bigelow, by Gray (25 plates), and mosses and liverworts by W.S. Sullivan (10 plates). This is followed by an unillustrated summary section of the zoology report, with a note that the full report will appear later, and appendices on astronomical, magnetic, climatological, and barometric observations.
Continued ...
*Volume V:* The First Southern California Volume.
The Southern California volume. A report highlighting the geology, deserts, valleys and flora of southern California, as far north as San Francisco. There are views of the settlements of Los Angeles and San Diego, many lovely views of the deserts, valleys and mountains, and discussion and illustrations of the botany of the area, as well as many plates of fossil shells.
Volume VI:* The California / Oregon Report.
This is the California / Oregon volume, consisting of the report by Lieutenant Henry Abbot on the expedition, under the command of Lieutenant R.S. Williamson, to find routes from the Sacramento Valley to the Columbia River. The first section described the routes and terrain, followed by sections on the geology, the botany (with many colored plates illustrating trees, including the Ponderosa Pine), and the zoological report which included fishes, birds and mammals of the region.
*Volume VII:* The Second Southern California Volume.
The Southern California volume, consisting of the report by Lieutenant John G. Parke on the routes from San Francisco to Los Angeles, and also from the Pimas villages on the Gila River to the Rio Grande.
*Volume VIII:* The First Volume of the Zoology Report.
The first part of the Zoology Report. This volume covers the mammals and includes many lithographed plates of skulls and other skeletal parts, as well as illustrations of rodents fully-in-skin.
*Volume IX:* The Second Volume of the Zoology Report.
The second portion of the Zoology report, covering birds (written by Spencer F. Baird).
*Volume X:* The Third Volume of the Zoology Report.
Parts 3 and 4 of the Zoology report, covering reptiles (by Spencer Baird - just the plates with a note that the Zoology section has become so large that the reptile report has been omitted), fishes (by Charles Girard) and short reports on Birds, Mammals, Fishes and Reptiles by Baird.
*Volume XI:* The Map Volume.
The maps and views volume, with a brief history of the mapping of the West.
*Volume XII:* The Northern Route Report Along with the Summary.
The final volumes, containing a report by the Governor of Washington Territory on the Northern Route, up along the 47th-49th parallels, from St. Paul to Puget Sound. *2 volumes.*"
Continued ...
PACIFIC RAILROAD SURVEY IN THIRTEEN VOLUMES
DAVIS, JEFFERSON [SECRETARY OF WAR]. REPORTS OF EXPLORATIONS AND SURVEYS, TO ASCERTAIN THE MOST PRACTICABLE AND ECONOMICAL ROUTE FOR A RAILROAD FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN. MADE UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE SECRETARY OF WAR, IN 1853-4, ACCORDING TO ACTS OF CONGRESS OF MARCH 3, 1853, MAY 31, 1854, AND AUGUST 5, 1854. Washington: A. O. P. Nicholson, Printer, 1855 - 1861. ...
Howes P3 says, "... it was the best cartographical work on the West up to its time and some copies were colored." Wagner/Camp says, "Despite their flaws, these volumes contain a monumental collection of scientific information, geographical, zoological, botanical, geological, of the still mysterious American West. Upon first examination, the volumes seem forbiddingly disorganized; reports clearly were printed as they were received; there is no overall system or arrangement, nor are there general indices to the volumes, and, as Camp has pointed out, there is the usual duplication of printing and lithography by both houses of Congress. However, these faults are amply compensated by the richness of the material within."
HOWES P3. WAGNER/CAMP 262-267. WHEAT 822, 823, 936. MOFFAT 35, 36, 49.
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