Transcribe
Translate
Peter A. Dey correspondence, 1863-1865
Page 01
More information
digital collection
archival collection guide
transcription tips
Omaha June 20th 1864 T.C. Durant Esq Dear Sir Some days since I received a letter from Francis M. Case of Denver saying that he had received an appointment as first Assistant Engineer and had been directed to report to Richard P. Morgan at Denver, that he had neither seen nor heard of Mr Morgan and wanted to know what to do- I wrote him that arrangements would probably be made for that survey at any rate he would be advised before long - Mr Carmichael came out here with a letter containing two propositions written by Mr Henry one to take some work by contract the other to work for the company and take charge of men at a certain fixed amount per month - I telegraphed you his prices which I thought high and put him at work on the last proposition of Mr Henry - Our experience has shown that it is useless to pay the expenses of men out here to do this work as every train that starts for Bannock takes from the work from [ten?] to twenty men to drive the teams. [Spragues Canada?] Wood cutters have nearly all left - If there is any object in [hurrying?] this grading I think the only course we can pursue is to get a lot of single & Double wheeled scrapers and run them with horses and cattle - one hundred of these scrapers will do the work of five hundred men in this material and at about the same cost possibly a little lower at the present rates of labor - the single or one horse scraper
Saving...
prev
next
Omaha June 20th 1864 T.C. Durant Esq Dear Sir Some days since I received a letter from Francis M. Case of Denver saying that he had received an appointment as first Assistant Engineer and had been directed to report to Richard P. Morgan at Denver, that he had neither seen nor heard of Mr Morgan and wanted to know what to do- I wrote him that arrangements would probably be made for that survey at any rate he would be advised before long - Mr Carmichael came out here with a letter containing two propositions written by Mr Henry one to take some work by contract the other to work for the company and take charge of men at a certain fixed amount per month - I telegraphed you his prices which I thought high and put him at work on the last proposition of Mr Henry - Our experience has shown that it is useless to pay the expenses of men out here to do this work as every train that starts for Bannock takes from the work from [ten?] to twenty men to drive the teams. [Spragues Canada?] Wood cutters have nearly all left - If there is any object in [hurrying?] this grading I think the only course we can pursue is to get a lot of single & Double wheeled scrapers and run them with horses and cattle - one hundred of these scrapers will do the work of five hundred men in this material and at about the same cost possibly a little lower at the present rates of labor - the single or one horse scraper
Building the Transcontinental Railroad
sidebar
