3792                    U. S. PACIFIC  RAILWAY  COMMISSION.
was prepared to appear before them ; and so wired the attorneys, but they did not see proper to call me. I afterwards did appear before a committee there, and. made whatever explanations they wanted of me.
HIS APPEARANCE BEFORE THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE OP THE HOUSE.
Q. Before what committee was that?—A. Mr. Hunton's committee—, the Judiciary Committee of the House in 1876.
Q. Were you examined at length with regard to this matter I—A. Everything they wished to know of me.
Q. Did your examination turn on the cost of the construction of the road and the transactions connected with its construction ?—A. I do not think they went into an examination of the cost of the road; but it is impossible for me to state now what they did go into.
Q. Was your examination a protracted one ?—A. I think they had ' me before them twice or three times, two or three hours at a time.
By Commissioner Littler :
Q. Was that testimony printed ?—A. Yes.
Q. What committee was this—a Congressional committee?—A. Yes.
Q. A committee of investigation ?—A. A committee of investigation, as I understood, for some purpose; I do not recollect what.
Q. Who was the chairman of the committee ?—A. Mr. Hunton, of Virginia, I think.
HOW THE MOUNTAIN-CROSSINGS WERE DETERMINED.
By Commissioner Anderson : Q. Give the Commission, in a general way, a statement as to the nature of the road from Omaha to Ogden, referring to any special point where the difficulties of construction were very great or different from the ordinary grades that prevail in the country.—A. How much of a detail do you wish me to go into ? Of course the key to any line crossing the continent is the crossing of the Eocky and other mountains. As you know, they are the Black Hills, the divide of the continent, the Wahsatch Mountains, the Humboldt, and the Cascade. The line east of the Eocky Mountains was entirely controlled by where we could cross those mountains. It took several years before we could discover that point. It was finally discovered by my running what was known as a foot-line at the base of the mountain, from the Laramie Eiver to the south, and a summit line on the top of the mountain, and finding the lowest point in the summit and the highest point in the plains. That happened to be at Sherman and Cheyenne. Thatpoint was discovered or was finally determined in 1866. That, of course, controlled the line from the Eocky Mountains east to the Missouri Eiver. The next point to determine was the divide of the continent. All the attacks upon that country had always been made by the Bridger Line, by the Bridger Pass, and by the South Pass. My early examination, and my examinations when I commanded that department in my Indian campaign, satisfied me that the true line was about half-way between the South Pass and the Bridger Pass. But it was a country wholly unknown. For 300 miles it was occupied by Indians, and nobody had ever theretofore been able to force their way through it. I undertook it with my party, had my chiefs killed, but finally went through myself, forcing the way through, and discovered what I suppose was the true line crossing the divide of the continent.   Then I came to the Wahsatch Mountains, which were