New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-10-22
CALIFORNIA.
Nan Francisco and San Jose kaiifoa''
Of The N Y. Tribune

SAW JOSE, sssusday, Sept H. 1851
Perceiying by your daily Mes, which
come to me regularly by every mail steamer
tha, Won take pains 10 collect information on
.nh,ec,s Of importance TO the commercial inter
90, m the various States, am induced % seno
Won a few hasty scraps IN reference TO the or
,anrza,ion of the San Jose and San FRANCISCO
Railroad" being the first railroad OF Caiiiofnia'
and m all probability the commencement OF that
vas, enterprise so important to the commercial
interests OF our whole Union, the Atahtic ana
pac,6c Mountaineering to prepare you some
thing more at leisure. by the time the next
'."as az comes round, that small inform you
fnllv of the condition, circumstances ana pros
80 ~ th,s project The route is beautifully
ppSan,ed TO the making Of railroad, and az
sb,pos appear to shape at present twlll prooaoly
,esnt unless the price of labor should rise enol-
mously by the time the Directors are ready 70
rive out contracts, that tins will be the cheapes'
road ever built. That the Company Is luliy'
actually and ehectually organized there can 9e
no doubt. the law OF this State requiring for the
attainment OF charter that at least : ,OOo Tor
every mile Of the proposed road shall De
actually, and in good faith, subscribed ana "
DER cent on that amount pad IN: nc III
tors are then appointed, and on filing the proper
certificates with the Secretary OF Sta'e' ,no
charter is obtained. The length OF thls foau Is
suppesed 10 be 81 miles, and ten per cent olI
,hout $4,000 Of the amount, subscribed mas
been already paid The Board OF Directors IS
fully organized, and competent Engineers are
now engaged in making the survey necessary 10
determine the true amount OF expenditure lequi'
site 10 the completion OF the work. In all othei
respects the law has been fully computed WIN,
and in few days the charter Will be iolwsIueu
from the Secretay's office. In addlttoli 70 'liIs,
the universal response which the appeal meets
on ali sides. and the well known vigor and energy
with which California enterprise advances hei
n,o,ects leaves us no room 10 believe but that the
work is fairly begun, and that 1t VIII DC energetl-
cally pursued and completed IN less TIME ,I n
was ever known in any former instance Inc
eapitaI stock is fixed at 81 ,250,O0o, anu OF TINS
ths greater part will be required 70 wNK the
latter portion of the rOad-about ten mules from
San Francisco being hllly and bare OF timber.
The rest of the route is as level as your Long
Island Mains. and runs though portion OF
country a thousand times as handsome and pro-
ductiye At this end and for 30 maes we nave
vast forests Of red wood, species OF tlmoef
that owing to some component element, wiz
never rot and forms the finest sleeper that can
he had IN any country. By commencing, there
fore. at this end of the route, the timber can be
carried down on the road itself as fast as 1t pro-
crosses, and thus supply the other terminus with
all the necessary timber comparatively Tree Oh
the cost of transportation, so expensive an item
as that is in this country. Much OF Tie route,
too passes through large tracts OF land belonging
10 individuals, from whom in all probability the
right of way will be free GIFT. One OF these
tracts is about twelve miles IN length, another
SIX, and many others are two and three miles,
and the facilities for taking the produce to
market from these large ranches or farms VIII
be so great that their owners can well aifCrd 10
donate the right of way and contribute labor
besides
When it is considered that the fare from here
10. San Francisco for passengers 10y stage was $50
all last Winter and is now firmly held at $50,
the trip. taking all the business portion OF the
day; that to go on horseback costs, including
horse hire about $40, and generally the best
part of two days time that even IN these dullest
OF dull times the stage is ever full, and the road
speckled with travellers; that thousands OF stock
are being constantly driven to the San Francisco
market; that the whole line of the road lead,
through the finest agricultural and grazing
country, and at this terminus communicates
with only more extensive producing lands that
here we have those mountains OF cinnabar Sc
rich that she quicksilver almost flows OF ltsel1
from the ore-we cannot be mistaken IN declar-
ing that the work will be most rapidly prose
cuted to completion, and will be likewise good
dividend stock. BY the next steamer VIII
endeavOr TO give YOU fuller accounts, with sta
tistics and regret very much that took up my
pen so late for the present mail
Yours, d. P B.