The UPRR

Welcome once again to "Threadless Corner". This month the featured item is the historic U.P.R.R. And history this insulator holds. Let's start by giving a little background information on the railroad itself. In the early years of our country, vast areas of land were uninhabited. As cities grew larger, and population rose dramatically, our forefathers pushed westward. Many settlers traveled as far west as California and other coastal regions. There was, between the Mississippi Valley and the West Coast, a large tract of land which was on the most part sparsely settled. As the west and east progressed both financially and industrially, a link by rail was realized as being needed. Several routes were proposed and surveyed. Finally in the 1850's some progress was being made; but the outbreak of the Civil War halted most activity. A company was formed, known as the Union Pacific Railroad Company. 

The first meeting was held in October, 1863. General John A. Dix was appointed as president, and Thomas C. Durant as vice-president. In later years Durant became the real driving force behind construction. On December 2, 1863, construction officially got under way. The place: on the bank of the Missouri River at a point where Omaha, Nebraska, and Council Bluffs, Iowa, face each other. These were two "river towns", depending on the Missouri River for their existence. Supplies were very limited for construction. The only real means of transportation was the Missouri. The nearest railroad to Council Bluffs was over 100 miles away. So rails and ties were brought in from the east on river boats. Grading had been going on for some time; but over one and a half years had gone by before the first rails were laid. 

In 1865 the Civil War ended. That's when the big break finally came for construction. Iron rails, locomotives, ties and other supplies were once again available. And the greatest of all resources was in abundance -- men. Men from both the Union and Confederate armies went in droves to Omaha looking for employment on the Union Pacific. One of these men was Grenville M. Dodge. He was hired by Durant as chief engineer. Dodge was well experienced in surveying and railroad construction. The two of them were determined to get the job done. 

Another company, the Central Pacific Railroad Company, had been formed in California to lay the rails eastward until meeting the U.P. at the Nevada line. By the close of 1865, rails were laid by the UPRR 40 miles into the Nebraska Territory. Construction progressed dramatically. When the rails reached the 100th meridian of longitude, which was 247 miles from Omaha, Durant decided to have a large celebration on the spot. Well known personalities, reporters, politicians, writers and businessmen were all invited. They traveled upriver on boats to Omaha, where they boarded U.P. passenger cars and were taken by rail to the "end of track". Three days were spent celebrating on the prairie. Durant had several shows staged, including an Indian war dance, a surprise mock Indian raid, and a band concert; and on the last night, a 20 mile area of prairie grass was set on fire, which awed the spectators. 

By the end of 1866 the rails reached as far west as a point near what is today North Platt, Nebraska. In reaching Cheyenne, Wyoming, in the winter of 1867, a change had been made by the government.

Previously the Union Pacific and Central Pacific were to meet at the Nevada line. Now, under new legislation, they were to build until they met, wherever the point might be. And a race began. Both railroads wanted to have as much mileage as possible. At that point there was no letup. Obstacles were many, and they had to be overcome. Several tunnels and bridges were to be built. One of the most awe-inspiring bridges was that over Dale Creek. It was 700 feet long and 126 feet high at its highest point. 

Men worked hard, most of the work being done by hand, with a little aid by blasting. Westward these men pushed through towns like Green River, Bear River City, Echo City, through Weber Canyon and north of Salt Lake City, until finally it was decided to join the rails at Promontory, Utah. 

The day when the rails met, May 10, 1869, a large ceremony was held, with officials from both railroads in abundance. The telegraph lines were there also. They were put up alongside the track, being used for several purposes of communication, including the ordering of supplies and reporting the progress of construction, and were possibly responsible for saving Durant's life It seems that two days before the rails were to be joined, workmen demanding their back pay surrounded Durant's car and threatened to hold him prisoner until they got their pay! Durant quickly telegraphed for $500,000 to pay his men what he owed them for their five months of work. And the telegraph played a historic role in the reporting of the laying of the final rail. As the band played and everyone cheered, W. N. Shilling, who worked the telegraph from a small table at trackside, reported to the nation all that was taking place. He had a nationwide hookup, which was the first in our history. Excitement was felt throughout the nation as everyone awaited the driving of the last spike. 

And so it was, what seemed like an endless job was now completed, the birth of the first transcontinental railroad. There was still much work to be done. Branch lines were to be built, bridges replaced, better upgrading; but the important thing was that the east and west were joined together. 

Now that we have a little history on the railroad, let's get into telegraph line insulation. As stated before, the telegraph lines followed the progress of construction. It appears that more than one type of insulator was used. At Promontory, where the rails joined, a ramshorn type "hook" can be seen in photographs. There also appears to have been some type of "concave skirt signal" or "compromise" style in the same area. The one we are most familiar with, which is the one covered in this article, is the CD 735 with MULFORD & BIDDLE on one side and UPRR on the other. These seem to have been located at various points along the right-of-way. They have been found in aqua and cobalt blue. The blue ones termed "cobalt" are a little different than what most collectors associate as that color, mainly owing to the fact that we are used to seeing the "cobalt" Hemingrays. The UPRR's lean a little toward what I term sapphire blue; but whatever you call them, they certainly are beautiful. I've seen the green Mulford & Biddles, but can't recall any marked with the UPRR on the other side. If anyone has seen a green UPRR, please let me know, and I'll confirm its existence in a future article. These items have a threadless pinhole that's a little under the standard one inch size.

Photo of an embossed CD 735 UPRR MULFORD & BIDDLE. This one is the beautiful "cobalt" color. These seem to have been used at various areas on the historic rail line that was built over 100 years ago.

 Mulford & Biddle was a manufacturer of telegraph wire in New York City. (See their interesting ad on the following page of this article.) As can be seen in their ad, they supplied "black" and "galvanized" wire. In all probability they had a contract to supply all the wire and materials to be used in the building of the UPRR telegraph line. 

More than likely, the embossed MULFORD & BIDDLES were made on special order by a glass house. It's very doubtful Mulford & Biddle actually made any of these insulators themselves. These were molded in two-piece molds and seem to be well made. They are very uniform and have very few flaws in the glass. The embossing is well done and indicates the work of a skilled mold maker. These embossed jewels seem to be getting much harder to locate. A couple years ago there seemed to be a somewhat adequate supply of them; but as time goes on they are becoming much scarcer. I feel the blue ones are especially underrated in our hobby. They are scarce, and their color alone makes them a nice addition to any collection. I feel in years to come, this is one item which will quickly increase in value as more and more collectors appreciate their true rarity and beauty. 

Value your UPRR threadless highly, if you are fortunate enough to own one. It has a lot of history behind it. It may have carried Durant's message to send one half million dollars for the workers! Or it could have been used in one of the many rip-roaring now extinct towns, such as Bear River City, where on November 19, 1868, a mob attacked the town, burned the jail and ransacked the newspaper office. It could have been used at the amazing Dale Creek bridge, or near the bridge at Devil's Gate, where the bridge was battered by rushing waters from heavy rains, this happening just a couple days in advance of the ceremonies at Promontory. And of all things, the Union Pacific officials were on the wrong side of the bridge! Or your insulator may have been removed from the line by an Indian in an attempt to disrupt service, as they frequently attempted such acts. Yes, the UPRR insulators have history, a lot of it. May I suggest, if you don't have one, that maybe you move it closer to the top of your want list.

If you want to further your research, I strongly suggest reading the book "Westward To Promontory", which shows many photos during and immediately after construction of the railroad. Many of these photos show sharp views of the telegraph lines. The text is written by Barry Combs, American West Publishing Co., publisher, 1969. 

That's all for now. If you have any comments, contact me at my address: 709 Rt. 322, East Orwell, Ohio 44034.

Next month -- the Unembossed CD 732.