The Port Gibson herald, and correspondent., 1850-04-26
THE PACIFIC RAILROAD.
Letter from The Hon. John C. Fremont.

a. thS ScSSioli vi tle ullduelpuld OOll-
Vention, on the Sd inst, letter was read
from Col. Fremont, containing his views
upon the route of the proposed Pacific
Railroad. He prefers the region between
the 3Sth and 39th parallels of latitude, and
does not discuss any other route. His let
ter is as follows:
I0MeSSrs. B. Gebhard and others, Committee &c:
GENTLEMEN.-It would have given me
great pleasure to have been able to accept
your kind invitation, and to have met the
interesting Mississippi and Pacific Rail-
road Convention, on Monday, but the re-
mains of a Chagres fever con6ne me to
nv room, and leave me no other mode Of
showing my sense Of your attention, and
manfesting the interest take in the great
object which assemblies this convention,
than to contribute, so far as | can. 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 necessary to give the distance
and barometrical elevatlons along the route
which shall offer for your consideration,
but have caused skeleton map, rudeiy
sfetched, to be prepared to accompany this
communication, and which in exhibiting
the prominent features Of the country and
general direction Of the line, will be found
sufficiently full and accurate to illustrate
what | have 10 saw.
i Many lines Of exploration through the
wilderness country from our inhabited IRON
tier to the Pacific ocean, have concinslvely
satisfied me that the region or belt of coun-
try living between the 3Sth and Both par.
allels of latitude offer singular facilities and
extraordinary comparative advantages for
the continuation OF the proposed road.
propose. therefore, to occupy your at
tention solely with this line, for the clear
er understanding Of which, it will aid to
keep under the eve 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
7 only from reliable information.
The country 10 be traversed by the pro-
posed road exhibits but two great features
the praires, reaching to about the l05th
degree Of longitude: and the mountains
) with which it is bristling from that point
I to the shores Of the Pacific ocean. Some
wears of travel among these mountains, du-
ring which | was occupied principally in
searching for convenient passes and good
lines Of communication, gradually led me
to comprehend their structure and to under
/ stand that otnong this extended mass Of
| mountains there is nowhere to be found a
] great continuous range having an unbro-
ken crest, where passes are only to be
found in the comparatively small depreS-
sions of the summit line.
Throughout this great extent of coun-
!, try-stretching in each way about l7o-
n all these apparent continuous ranges are
composed Of heightened blocks Of noun.
$ tains, separate and detached-of greater OF
! less length, according to the magnitude ot
the chain which they compose-each one
!. possessing its separate, noted and prominenI
!. peaks, and lying parallel to each other, buI
!. not usually so to the general direction o.
r the range, but in many cases lying diago
naly across it, springing suddenly up from
e the general level Of the country, sometimes
= = rising into bare and rocky SUBMITS of grea
! height, they leave openings through the
i range but little above this general level
S and by which they can be passed without
J climbing a mountain. Generally these
e openings are wooded valleys where the
t mountain springs from either side collec
. :. together, forming often the main branche;
: :. Of some mighty stream. Aggregated to
gether in this way, they 90 on to form the
!. great chains Of the Rocky Mountains ant
!, Sierra Nevada, as well as the smaller ant
d secondary ranges which occupy the inter
e vening space. With the gradual discove
; rv of this system, became satisfied. no
= = only Of the entire practicability, but Of th'
, easy construction Of railroad across thi
5. rugged region. AS this peculiarity in th'
IS country forms the basis of my information
d, | desire to state it clearly at the outset, il
m order that might be more readily under
stood in proceeding TO show that this con
tinent can be crossed from the Mississippi
: to the Pacific, without climbing mountain
and on the line which every national con
sideration would require to connect tn
great Valley of the West with the Pacifi
ocean.
In describing the belt of country throug.
which the road should pass, it will be foun'
- convenient 10 divide the entire line int
Is three parts-the eastern, reaching from tn
n. mouth Of the Kansas to the head of tn
d. Del Norte; the middle from the head ofth
m Del Norte to the rim of the Great Basir
or and the western from the rim Of the Gree
Basin to the ocean. Beginning near tn
39th parallel of latitude at the mouth of tn
Kansas, the road would extend along tn
valley of that river some three or four hur
of dred miles, traversing a beautiful and wooc
re ed country of great fertility of soil, we
ii adapted 20 settlementand cultivation. Fror
IN the upper waters of the Kansas falling owe
e. into the valley of the Arkansas. the roa
III strikes that river about hundred mile
ID below the foot of the mountains, continr
le ing up it only to the mouth of the Huerfi
of no river. From this point the prairl
plains sweep directly up to the mountain
which dominate them as highlands to tn
a. ocean. The Huerfano is one of the uppe
~ f-If