New-York daily tribune., 1849-10-25
The California rait-ksiiroad 70 the Pc
cidc-Condiilen OF the Country, sc.
Corrrspondence OF The Tribune.
pt.rr Rwru lln n,,i.. W., ., -,

cihc-Coadiiien OF the Ceantry, SC.
Correspondents OF The Tribune
PLATTE RyxA 600 miles Wet OF Fort
LNsniie.) July 2s. ls+s-saeday II o'cloci
About 30 miles shove Fcrt Laramie the road
divides one branch goes up near the river and Is
called the River Road the the other goes farther OF
10 the South and is called the road over the Bsch
Hills. a souhrlquetts which comes from the face
that the ridges and mountains are all dotted over
with pine and cedar timber, which ~ compared
20 the ridges bluffs, &c. we see below, (which are
eutrely ithoat tiriber,) gives them darn or IN
iced black appearance. In my last, wrote you
of the heat being 1T near 30 iegrees, this morn
ing /. WAS b tier cold, and 90 { mounted my mule
she was trembling like an sspea lesi. Indeed our
whole stoek 800 OF mules, seemed to bs iosen.
A scarcity OF grass. for day or two and hard
travelling 10 reach some, no doubt. prepared them
tie more kcenly to suffer from 30 sudden and vic
lent change. | rode out to the mountains foot.
q our let some J or miles. and then pursuei the
base for or miles In search OF grsss and suffered
very much from tho cold but We are In latitude
a. so 50F aud at al altitude OF tsot ieet above
the level Of the see, tl2 from Salt Lake and 600
from ~ mouth Of Platte. A few miles hence Wa
crss tire Pate North Fork) for the first time and
| believe We cross the same stream twice more
before we reach the South Pass whichus about 50
miles west. Thus you will see | have already
psssed over 600 miles OF Col. Benton's GRADED
Railroad. sni the only exception there 10 TO its
being graded 10, since we left Fort Laramie tn.
river IN several places, passed directly through
mountain, having washed channel through red
| sand stone aud cong glomerste rocks with perrsn
| dicalar palisades Ot these rocks on each s'ae
rh sc have not been able to examine IL person.
| Those of our party Who have. a. well as one or
| two old inhsbitau,s say, there Is generally room
| for Railroad alongside the channel, bat may be, in
| one or two instances there is not From my own
observation, at these places the descent 10 a. very
| rapid, that spprehend it would In some oi ,hsr
at least be too great, except tor stationary ca
| ginss. Therefore, am inclined to think that IN
these places cot OF can be taken and thus over.
come ths steep ascent BY q more circutous roat
snd this too, without much labor Ia grading iOr
have obser ed in passing along the road that Ihese
spurs of mountains which run down to the river
aud have formerly no doubt, been fully ccnnecics
across it, are high single ridges with large deep
csnons running down each side OF them, empty
ing themselves into the river above and below tte
gorge, and therefore, by going up one OF these
which head directly against another on tho other
sids (which are easily found q tunnel can bo
| made with comparatively small expense, and
with saving OF quite number Of miles Ia dis
| tSGce. Below Fort Laramie scarcely any coat
| would accrue, and none TO speak Of below tho
| South Fork In bridging incoming tributaries
| Tor there are hardly any OF them. Most OF tho
water which comes down from the bluffs sinAs in
| the ssndy bottom without even making q channel
greatly increased in hight, and are composed OF
rocks instead of sand, and arc 90 much nearev tho
river that out OF every canon almost there 10 o
broad wide channel now dry, but In tho Spring
sending down rivers OF 200 yards width these OF
course mus, be brdged near the river. for there
they have the narrowest bounds These would
increase the cost and perhaps diminish the perma
nency OF the road. have DO pretention 10 any Ell.
aineering knowledge, and tn ereore cannot pretend
Ia say whether these bridges ought 10 be OF
stone or piles. II OF stone with arches, which
need not be high (never over from TO feet
above iAe channel OF these beds, for the water ~
all appearance never rises hisher.) would they
s'and on this sandy foundation II OF piles ffor
there is tho cedar or Pine TO make tnem) would
they lsst - most Of the year they would be dry
and 10. constantly wet - pilos driven In low
bottoms above the level OF the water IN tho rvor
Coal has Already been discovered q short dis
tance above here. feel there 10 not much hsx
ard ia asserting, that II will be ioond plentiful In
large space OF cosntry, above Fort LARAMIE.
while Il AbOunds with limestone, pine and oedsf
timber aud as suggested In my last with very
general appearance OF Iron ore. Why, then, may
not the company that builds the road a. once es
tablish eat Of Laramie iron works, saw milis &c.
&c. and make tho road both ways having here
upon the ground, the most ample materials Tor its
construction lying broad-cast over q vast extent
OF coQntTyl Ia the Summer, water power oil un
limited extent presents Itself ct every turn OF the
eye and in Winter, steam may be added. these
manufactures wsuld furnish q workshop tor az
the IN ech anics IN the world who are afflicted with
pulmonary diseases. and in two or thrsj years
send them back 10 their native homes, with
bsalth and yieor only known in such coontry -
this, where fresh yenison will scarcely become
pu:ni from days OF ex posare 10 the son, wnsn mo
mercury stands above e0o at midday Wnetnor
this road II made would be travevsd during ." the
Winter have 90 means Of giving an opinion 70
be worth relying on; we are fsnd VIII not % 'us
therl near 43o North, which 10 consids'so'y oootn
Of Dstroi', and although suppose tnsse 70 more
snow and seyersr winds than on the Lskes' s'iil,
do not believe either will add any 'nsaperaois
objection for a. tho road would 80 down the
bottom near the bank. the wind would more hksay
blow the snow away from than on the rosd. Ono
ob.otion 10 sl this 10 found in the general stsrls
spoesrspcs of the country, for bread and meat
and vegetables for the support OF the hands In
making the road or continuing the proposed manu-
fsc,ores, ought to be raised near where thsy 10
Dor; an answer, in part, 10 at hsnd-ths 10 the
facet natural grazing country 10 the Union, and l
believe the lsands OF the rivers aud valleys 10
the csfons viii ultimately return handsome and
profitable crops OF wheat, oats. rye and many
Vegetables ss a compensation 10 the Easbandmsn
for expending the sweat Of bis brow.
Yours, j. W