Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1850-04-13
t)0tifit lioiI l3ooo.
Pacific RAIL ROAD CONVENTION.


The convention re-assembled at 10 o.
clock on the morning of the 4th inst.
After the usual preliminary action, and
the reading Of the original Resolutions
offered by lbc Secretary, it was announced
tha, Letter and Plans had been sent to
the Convention by Colonel Fremont.
The following was then read by the Sec
rotary, and listened to with deep attention.
Col. Fremonrs Letter.
To Nossrs p. e. bard, and others, Com
mite. &,.
GENrLEAEN It would have gwen me
great pi assure 10 have been able to accept
your kind invitation, and to have met the
interesting Mississippi and Pacific Railroad
Convention, on Monday, but the remains
OF Chagres fever confine me to my room,
and leave me no other mode of showing my
sense of your attention, and manifeSting the
interest take in the great object which
assemblies this Convention, than TO Contri-
butte, so far as can, to to the mass of the
information which will be laid before it,
In doing this, regret that the state of my
health does not permit even the labor ne
cesSary to give the distances and barome-
trical elevations along the route which |
shall offer for your consideration, but |
have caused skeleton map rudely sketch
ed, to be prepared to accompany this com
munication, and which in exhibiting the
prominent features of the country and gen.
eral direction of the line, will be found
sufficiently full ard accurate to illustrate
what l have 10 say.
Many lines of exploration through the
wilderness country from our inhabited from
tier to the Pacific Ocean, have conclusively
satisfied me that the region or belt of coun-
| try, lying between the 3Sth and 39th par
ralels of latitude offer singular facilities and
extraordinary comparative advantages fol
the continuation of the proposed road.
| propose, therefore, to occupy your at.
tention solely with this line, for the clearer
understanding OF which, it will aid to keeI
under the eye the accompanying map
upon which the unbroken red lines are In
tended to show that the regions which they
traverse have been already explored, while
the broken red lines indicate what is known
only from reliable information.
The country TO be traversed by the pro
posed road exhibits but two great feature
the prairies, reaching to about the lO5tt
degree of longitude and the mountain
with which it is brlstling from that point tt
the shores of the Pacific ocean. Some year
of travel among these mountains, durins
which was occupied principally in search
ing for convenient passes and good lines
communication, gradually led me to com
prehend their structure and to understand
that among this extended mass of noun
tains there is nowhere to be found grea
continuous range having an unbroken crest
where passes are only to be found IN tn
comparatively small depressions OF the sum
nit line.
Throughout this great extent of countr,
stretching in each way about II degree
all these apparently continuous range
are composed of heightened blocks G
mountains, separate and detached--of great
+ er or less length according TO the magnitud
of the chain which they compose-eac
one possessing its separate, noted and prom
!. inent peaks, and laying parallel to eac
other, but not usually so to the general dI
rection of the range, but in many cases ly
ing diagonally across it, springing suddenl
. up from the general level of the cour
try; sometimes rising into bare and rock
SUBMITS of great height, they leave open
ings through the range but little above tn
general level, and by which they can
passed without climbing a mountain. Ger
orally these openings are wooded yallie
| yvhare the mountain sDrinps from eitht
side collect together, forming often the mai
branches of some mighty stream. Aggr,
b gated together in this way, they go on
J, form the great chains of the Rocky Moul
!, tains and Sierra Nevada, as well as II
smaller and secondary ranges which occur