It was in 1862 that, in spite of the Southern Mem-
bers of Congress, who wished a more southerly route,
it was decided to lay the road between the forty-first
and forty-second parallels. President Lincoln himself
fixed the end of the line at Omaha, in Nebraska. The
work was at once commenced, and pursued with true
American energy; nor did the rapidity with which it
went on injuriously affect its good execution. The
road grew, on the prairies, a mile and a half a day.
A locomotive, running on the rails laid down the even-
ing before, brought the rails to be laid on the morrow,
and advanced upon them as fast as they were put in
position.

The Pacific Railroad is joined by several branches
in Iowa, Kansas, Colorado, and Oregon. On leaving
Omaha, it passes along the left bank of the Platte
River as far as the junction of its northern branch,
follows its southern branch, crosses the Laramie terri-
tory and the Wahsatch Mountains, turns the Great
Salt Lake, and reaches Salt Lake City, the Mormon
capital, plunges into the Tuilla Valley, across the
American Desert, Cedar and Humboldt Mountains,
the Sierra Nevada, and descends, viâ Sacramento, to
the Pacific,--its grade, even on the Rocky Mountains,
never exceeding one hundred and twelve feet to the
mile.

Such was the road to be traversed in seven days,
which would enable Phileas Fogg--at least, so he

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