ritten the Secretary of the
Interior in regard to the work not being up to requirements, more
especially that the buildings were simply makeshifts put up to evade
the law, etc. Through this and other complaints the Government refused
to accept the first section of forty miles and withheld the bonds and
land grants that Congress had granted. Hallett on his trips to
Washington became aware of Talbot's action, and on his return called
him to task with the result that Talbot shot him from a doorway as he
was returning to his work from his midday lunch. After Hallett's death
the work passed into the hands of St. Louis parties with John D. Perry
as Director.

Under the Supplementary Pacific Railroad Bill of 1864, the conditions
as far as the Union Pacific Railroad--Eastern Division as it was then
called, were materially improved. It was authorized to connect with
the Union Pacific Railroad at any point deemed desirable, but no more
bonds or land grants were to be given than if connection were made as
originally contemplated at the hundredth Meridian. It was also given
the option of building from the mouth of the Kansas River to
Leavenworth thence west, or of building directly west with a branch
from Leavenworth connecting with the main line at Lawrence, but in the
latter case no bonds or land grant would be given account the branch
line mileage. Another feature of the Bill was permission to build on
west to a connection with the Central Pacific Railroad, provided when
it, the Union Pacific Railroad--Eastern Division reached the hundredth
Meridian, the Union Pacific Railroad proper was not proceeding with
the construction of its line in good faith. The Company under the
discretion granted them elected to abandon the junction with the Union
Pacific Railroad at the hundredth Meridian and to build directly West.
The Company proceeded to explore the country South and West in search
of a practicable route to the Pacific, which being found they then
went further and had the several routes thoroughly surveyed. In their
investigations they had four thousand four hundred and sixty-four
miles chained and leveled. The most extensive survey on record.

Careful surveys demonstrated that the distance to the point of
connection with the Union Pacific Railroad would have been three
hundred and ninety-four miles from Kansas City, and this much of the
line--Kansas City to Pond Creek, Kan.--was bonded-aided and land
grant, the Government aid a