ise received scant
encouragement to attack the problem, for few persons of that day had
much faith in the undertaking. In place of help, ridicule cropped up
from many sources. It was absurd, the public said, to expect such a
wild-cat scheme to succeed. Why, over six hundred miles of the area to
be covered did not contain a tree and in consequence there would be
nothing from which to make cross-ties. And where was the workmen's food
to come from if they were plunged into a wilderness beyond the reach of
civilization? The thing couldn't be done. It was impossible. Of course
it was a wonderful idea. But it never could be carried out. Where were
the men to be found who would be willing to take their lives in their
hands and set forth to work where Indians or wild beasts were liable to
devour them at any moment? Moreover, to build a railroad of such length
would take a lifetime and where was the money coming from? For you must
remember that the men of that period had no such vast fortunes as many
of them have now, and it was no easy task to finance a scheme where the
outlay was so tremendous and the probability of success so shadowy. Even
as late as 1856 the whole notion was considered visionary by the greater
part of the populace."

"But the fun of doing it, Dad!" ejaculated Stephen, with sparkling eyes.

"The fun of it!" repeated his father with a shrug. "Yes, there was fun
in the adventure, there is no denying that; and fortunately for the
dreamers who saw the vision, men were found who felt precisely as you
do. Youth always puts romance above danger, and had there not been these
romance lovers it would have gone hard with the trans-continental
railroads. We might never have had them. As it was, even the men who
ventured to cast in their lot with the promoters had the caution to
demand their pay in advance. They had no mind to be deluded into working
for a precarious wage. At length enough toilers from the east and from
the west were found who were willing to take a chance with their
physical safety, and the enterprise was begun."

Stephen straightened up in his chair.

"Had the only obstacle confronting them been the reach of uncharted
country ahead that would have been discouraging enough. Fancy pushing
your way through eight hundred miles of territory that had never been
touched by civilization! And while you are imagining that, do not forget
that the slender ribbon of track left behind was your only link with
home