The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-12

| work No, it certainly cannot be expected that
any sane man, after having devoted nine years to
the study and examination Of the whole subject,
would undertake the execution OF work which
he is fully satisfied is impossible.
On the plan and on the route whicl, have
proposed, | can successfully accomplish this
work; but on any other route or with any ma.
terial alteration OF my plan, cannot undertake
It; and believe that it cannot be done, nor can
undertake it if the bill is not made law at
this session OF Congress; and, if il is not now
acted on, it must be abandoned, and the hope OF
having a railroad to the Pacific, must, ms
believe also be abandoned but the issue
will be made before the people for gov
eminent road. believe that the route which |
have fixed upon is not only possible, but the
only feasible one, as shall show; but any de-
| lay for surveys would defeat the work, because
in that delay the lands on the first part Of the
route would be taken up by settlers and soldiers
bountes TO such an extent that the lands could
not be had for the means besides, it is not
necessary to delay action on the bill, or even de-
lay commencing the work. We know the
route to be feasible beyond any doubt to the
South Pass. Now, while the road is being
built to bridging place on the Mississippi, u
route can be fixed upon to n bridging place on
the Missouri, and so on to the South Pass and,
while these three sections are being built, the
route thence to the Pacific can be surveyed and
fixed upon but, repeat, delays for surveys will
surely defeat the work
Action on my bill at this session is objected
to by those who propose surveys Of routes and
estimates of cost, that, though the route is
feasible, and the road might be completed for
ten or twelve hundred miles, it would then
stop" A very little examination would show
this objection to be without foundation. 1t is a
well known and universally admitted fact that
to the South Pass, latitude AZ deg. "a min. and
longitude 100 deg. 20 min., the route is feasible
beyond any doubt 1t has been so often and 80
we'll described by Col. Fremont and others that
no further descriptions is necessary. Col. FIRE.
mont says, at page sixty Of his report: zap
preaching it from the mouth of the Sweet Wa
ter river, sandy plain one hundred and twenty
miles long conducts by gradual and regular as
cent to the summit, about seven thousand feet
above the sea and the traveller, without being
reminded of any change by toilsome ascents,
suddenly finds himself on the waters which flow
into the Pacific ocean," From this to the nav
igable waters of the Columbia, the elevations
taken by Colonel Fremont, and the immense
and constant emigration to Oregon and Califor-
mia, abundantly certify that the route for a rail-
road is feasible. We have seen that, on arri-
irving at the South Pass, we have overcome the
difficulties on the one side, for the whole route
is but regular gentle ascent, and we may there
meet the waters flowing into the Pacific, and,
with all the facts and evidences before us, is it
not reasonable to suppose that they can be fol-
lowed down to the Columbia river, which is the
only stream running west from the Rocky
mountains to the Pacific, through our posses
sions, cutting its course through the mountains,
and making the only feasible route for a rail
road from the Mississippi valley to the Pacific
except that there may be, and probably is, one
n nth of it,
have devoted much time and study to ascer-
tain not onlya feasible route, but also to satisfy
my own mind that the work could be accom-
plished on any route, and produce the results we
aim after, and besides, to satisfy myself that
could undertake it with any hope of success
My examinations have resulted in a full satisfac-
tion--frst that there is no feasible route south
of the one have fixed upon because of the
geographical formation of the country, from its
divisions, and from the courses of its streams
| On reference to Fremonts, or any of the re-
Gently published maps, the divisions which
| shall here attempt to describe may be more
clearly understood. We will first take the Rio
del Norte, which heads on the parallel of about
3S deg. 30 min, longitude l07 deg, and an ele-
walton of between ten and eleven thousand feet
above the Gulf of Mexico 1t runs nearly due
south, between two ranges of mountains, to
Paso del Norte, latitude 81 deg. 40 mn., and
longitude about LOG deg, where its elevation is
three thousand eight hundred and fourteen feet
Having cut its way through the eastern range
of high lands, it then runs eas.erly into the
Gulf of Mexico; so that, to approach this river
from the east, after passing the head-watc Of
the streams which flow east through Texas into
the gulf, or through Arkansas into the Mssis-
| sippi, range of mountains or high lands must
be passed. which are elevated two thousand feet
and upwards above the lie ell Of the stream, SO
that this river cannot be reached short of going
over an elevation of from six to eight thousand
feet, and almost Immediately descending two
thousand feet. Santa Fe is on an elevation of
over seven thousand feet above the gulf After
crossing the Rio del Norte west, the other hig,
range of two thousand feet and upwards above
the level of the river must be assembled and de.
scended before reaching the branches of the
Colorado or the Ga; and our side of the ella
is represented as being not feasible for even q
wagon road to its junction with the Colorado
where its elevation is only one hundred and sew
enty feet from the Gulf Of California, thence to
the Pacific ocean ; the Sierra Nevada or cordil-
leras of California are to be crossed through a
pass, with an abrupt elevation of three thousand
aud fifty feet, and then rapid descent to San
Diego, fifteen.miles of the ascent averaging one
hundred and forty-one and half feet per mile
and ten miles of the descent averaging two hun
dred and thirty three and half feet per mile.
We will now 90 to the Arkansas river, and
see it followed up by Colonel Fremont, on a
gentle elevation, to Boiling Spring river, where
| its elevation is four thousand four hundred and
eighty-nin feet, latitude 38 deg 20 min, longi-
tude lo4 deg. 90 min, and then up to its source
latitude 80 degrees 25 min, ngtude LOG deg
30 min where its elevation is ten thousand three
hundred and thirty feet. We also find that the
south fork Of the Platte heads at latitude about
80 deg, and longitude about LOG deg, elevation
ten thousand two hundred and ninety-two feet
Further north we find the head-waters of the
north fork of Platte, latitude 40 deg. 30 min.
longitude between LOG and lot deg, and west
of the highest range of the Rocky mountains
which high range extends north of the parable
of 40 deg. The elevation of the head. waters
Of this stream Is great 1t flows north to its