File:Sandford Fleming, empire builder (1915) (14573051590).jpg

Identifier: sandfordflemin00burp (find matches)
Title: Sandford Fleming, empire builder
Year: 1915 (1910s)
Authors: Burpee, Lawrence J. (Lawrence Johnstone), 1873-1946
Subjects: Fleming, Sandford, Sir, 1827-1915 Railroads
Publisher: London, Oxford University Press
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

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icRailway—the driving of the last spike and the passage ofthe first through train in 1885. Fleming was one of thechief actors in the historic episode, and tells the story. 1 On the evening of October 27, when the regular Winnipegtrain left Montreal, a private car, the Saskatchewan, wasattached, with the design of proceeding to Port Moody, atthat date the terminus, the new city of Vancouver havingno existence. The car contained seven persons ; five camethe whole way from Montreal, one of them joined at Ottawa,and one on their way to Port Moody. . . . The trainbeyond Calgary became a special and reached thewestern crossing of the Columbia in fifty-six hours afterleaving Winnipeg. The gap, however, was not closed, thework having been retarded by incessant rains, so the traincould not proceed farther. Early on the morning of the7th, the junction was verging to completion, and at 9 oclockthe last rail was laid in its place. All that remained tofinish the work was to drive home one spike.
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THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY 117 1 By common consent, the duty of performing the taskwas assigned to one of the four Directors present, the seniorin years and influence, whose high character placed him inprominence—Sir Donald Alexander Smith. No one couldon such an occasion more worthily represent the companyor more appropriately give the finishing blows which, ina national sense, were to complete the gigantic undertaking. 1 Sir Donald Smith braced himself to the task, and hewielded the by no means light spike hammer with as gooda will as a professional tracklayer. The work was carriedon in silence. Nothing was heard but the reverberation ofthe blows struck by him. It was no ordinary occasion, thescene was in every respect noteworthy, from the groupwhich composed it and the circumstances which had broughttogether so many human beings in this spot in the heart ofthe mountains, until recently an untracked solitude. Mostof the engineers, with hundreds of workmen of all nationali-ties,

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