to the President. There was a divergence of opinions as to
the best gauge for railroad tracks. At this time the Erie, and Ohio
and Mississippi Railroads used a six foot gauge. The California
legislature had fixed five foot as the gauge in that state, while the
principal eastern roads including the Baltimore and Ohio, New York
Central as well as the Chicago and Iowa lines, were what is known as
standard gauge (i. e. four feet, eight and a half inches.) A committee
of Parliament had settled on five feet, three inches as the gauge in
England. President Lincoln had announced himself as in favor of five
foot and the Central Pacific people had ordered their equipment of
that width. The influence of the Chicago-Iowa lines as well as that of
the Union Pacific people, was thrown in favor of the so called
standard gauge, and on March 2nd, 1863, Congress passed what is one of
the shortest laws on the Statute Books, namely,

"Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States in Congress assembled, that the gauge of
the Pacific Railroad and its branches through its whole
extent from the Pacific Coast to the Missouri River, shall
be and hereby is established at four feet, eight and
one-half inches."

In 1869 about the time the Credit Mobilier Company was about to turn
the finished road over, disgruntled stock and bondholders under the
leadership of "Jim Fisk" endeavored to wrest possession from the Union
Pacific Railway Company. Certain stock was recorded in his name and
although paid for with a check that was refused by the bank on which
it was drawn, Fisk went into court and secured an injunction
preventing the board of directors acting until his relations with the
Company had been adjudicated by the Courts. Under cover of these legal
proceedings in the state courts, the New York Offices were forcibly
entered, the books and securities of the Company removed and a feeling
of insecurity and uncertainty aroused that caused a serious
depreciation in the value of the securities they were endeavoring to
market. W. M. Tweede being appointed receiver by the State Courts of
such property of the Company as was to be found within its
jurisdiction. It is said the trouble cost the Company some six or
seven million dollars. Appealing to Congress, they were granted
authority to remove its eastern offices from New York City to Boston.
The next appearance in Congress was made necessary by