People began to understand that with the acquisition of California the nation had obtained practically half a continent, of which the future possibilities were almost unlimited, so far as the development of natural resources and the genera production of wealth were concerned.

With the reorganization of 1898 finished, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad entered a new period in its history.

As the contest proceeded, public interest increased and the entire country watched to see which company would win the big government subsidies through the mountains.

The construction of extensive railways, however, and particularly the consolidation of small, experimental lines into large systems, dates from the days of the discovery of gold in California

In the decade before the Civil War various north and south lines of railway were projected and some of these were assisted by grants of land from the Federal Government

Farmers, merchants, manufacturers, and the traveling public have all had their troubles with the transportation lines, and the difficulties to which these struggles have given rise have produced that problem which is even now apparently far from solution.

The railroad originally was as completely dissociated from steam propulsion as was the ship