The telegraph had been invented in 1837 and it made railroading "safe" most of the time.
Instead of relying merely on timetables (the railroads standardized time and created the time
zones we know today), engineers and dispatchers were able to communicate with each other.
Sometimes, a miscommunication would be the cause of an accident.
Poster announcing the opening
of the Transcontinental Railroad
Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov
It had been planned that on May 10, 1868, when the trains from the West and East would meet at
Promontory, Utah, golden and silver spikes would be driven by former governor Leland Stanford
and Thomas Durant. "Union Pacific's No. 119 and Central Pacific's "Jupiter" engines lined up
facing each other on the tracks, separated only by the width of one rail. Leland Stanford,
one of the "Big Four" of the Central Pacific, had brought four ceremonial spikes. The famed
"Golden Spike" was presented by David Hewes, a San Francisco construction magnate. It was
engraved with the names of the Central Pacific directors, special sentiments appropriate to
the occasion, and, on the head, the notation "the Last Spike." A second golden spike was
presented by the San Francisco News Letter. A silver spike was Nevada's contribution, and a
spike blended of iron, silver, and gold represented Arizona. These spikes were dropped into a
pre-bored laurelwood tie during the ceremony. No spike represented Utah, and Mormon Church
leaders were conspicuous by their absence." 10
However, it is claimed that both missed. It is possible that the second missed on purpose to
avoid embarrassment by the first is a matter of controversy. The telegraph was supposed to
record the sound of the spike being driven. However, in the absence of the sound, the telegraph
operator faked the noise and the word, "done" was all that came across the wires. He faked the
sound of the hammer bows by tapping them out to the rest of the country himself. 2
East Meets West!
Central Pacific and Union Pacific
Promontory, Utah May 10, 1869
ANALYSIS
Although the building of the Transcontinental Railroad served its purpose in opening up the west
as well as populating it and creating jobs, it nearly decimated both the Native American and
buffalo populations. It totally changed the Indians' way of life. While it brought prosperity
to those who dreamed, it brought death to those who built it and to those who opposed it. The
railroads were considered to be the first "big business" in America, and it was filled with
greed and corruption, including but not limited to the selling off of government-granted lands
to private settlers at huge profits. It brought the first chain of restaurants (like those along
modern turnpikes) and was probably the most important event in making this country as great and
powerful as it is today.
