The daily union., 1852-05-13

n0,es even more uoisyorsby with the railroad line,
I Ihen we estimate that there willgo 70 California ap
Iy one hundred and fifty thousand persons, and that
s hundred thousand oil them will settle there and fifty
oh will come back the annual saving Of expense
~ having the railroad will be So2,7o0,0O0.
wHIrSEYs soRrHERs PACIFIC RAILROAD
an aware, cir, that MIR. Whilneys project has many
friends in the United States but ior this he is more in
as,sd for the great anxiety aprevas for speedy and
eso communication with our vast interests on the Pa
s than for any merit perainingt TO the location OF his
osd or his scheme for its construction: The distance
-. New York city TO Lake Michigan is eight hundred
m;Iss From this point. Mi. Whitney proposes 10 con-
i,@"et railway 10 the mouth OF the Columbia river, on
'hs Pacic which is about one thousand hye hundred
lies north OF San Francisco and the gold mines.
The distance from Lake Michigan 10 the mouth OF the
columbia is estimated by Mr.. Whitney at 2200 miles.
sbch Is nearly TOO miles further than the route from
V;rk sbug 10 San Diego, and nearly far the entire
'on,heu route from New York In his memorial 10
Congress in 1913, Mr.. Whitney states his plan in these
words
aYour memorialist would now represent and explain
s pmys mat your honora BILE body win be pleased
sart and sell 10 him sixty miles wide OF the public lands
ra an equivalent for any which have been taken up)
m Lake Michigan The Pacific ocean, Tor this especial
narpose. He has explored and examined part Of the
af he very best quality but nearly 800 miles this $40
without timber and then no timber on 10 the Rocky noun
a the land is represented as very poor,oo poor 70
s,ain settlement therefore the whole work is based upon
sSsh he road woud create and give to seemen inter
course and communication with the markets. would rem
der part of the poor land useful and vsluable."
From this il will be seen that Mr. Whitney, although
o,cnoed solely for many years on this scheme has only
explored his proposed route to The Rocky mountains and
H. has no accurate information which TO rest the be-
lief that his road can cross the mountains at all.
Again he says, five hundred OF the first eight hun
dred miles of his 'tritout timber, aad then no
timber on 10 s Rocky ouniaias and that the balance of
The route being fourteen hundred miles, rs TOO poor to
This confession alone the truth OF which is confirmed
by travellers is sufficient to satisfy any practical mind
that his road cannot be built With fourteen hundred
miles OF umabable country and more than five hundred
miles destitute Of timber either for fuel building pur
poses in the frozen region AZ deg. Of north latitude,
with no means in the immediate country Of sustaining
either man beast during the construction OF the road
or after its complexion and entire absence OF building
material for many hundred miles, the cost of the
ture could scarcely be calculated II the road built
could impa value to the fourteen hundred miles OF
desert which is too poor to sustain settlements" and
consequently il would not open the public domain to
ignton or cultivation, and the road would receive no
lateral support whatever.
Add to these objections The certainty of the heavy falls
Of snow which annually occur in this inhospitabe
gon with the imminent peril oil being frozen 10 death
for six months in the year. and the conviction becomes ir
Tessble that the work will never be accomplished.
The Hon. WILLARD P, HALL, Of Missouri, now mem.
Der this floor, has himself made personal reconnois
sancs Of part OF the country in question, and in
communication to the Committee Public Lands, under
date OF May, lS4S. he speaks as follows:
"tis exceedin2ly probematical whether railroad will
be found practicable by the way of the South Pass OF the
Of the undersigned Left California on his return TO The Uni
ted States On the I'D of that month he crossed Of the
pass On thai day he travelled for thirty miles over snow
which was frequently more than twenty feet deep He
mette valley that the the Cascade mountains OF
Oregon were as deep in June last those he encountered
South Pass to he Valleys Of California and uduSy orsyo
only exceedingly rugged but so elevated that If may
believe his own senses l. Is covered for many months in
Again: the donation TO one man OF domain sixty
miles wide by Two thousand two hundred miles in length
covering an area larger than several States OF this Unon
is proposition at which every mind revolis. But even
Mr. Whitney's road could be built and put into sue
esslul operation. the great length OF time il would
ylre TO construct it through bsreG uninhabied. and
wen reg ION. forsaken alike by God and man. should
kregarded insuperable objection.
The memorial of John Pumbe 10 the Congress OF the
United States contains the following illustration this
point:
"The following brief letter. which has been repeatedly
published. has been satisfactorily answered. and
therefore presumed that Mr. Whitney unable 10 con,ro
vert the general correctness OF It's conients
BosroS Sept 10, lsl9.
TO the Chamber Of Commerce, NsU York:
GrsrIEMsss We observe that you recommend Whncy's
sssood ba vo 70 G H. sn n we had mn
insure the Of the road the present generation Will
you De so KIND as 70 explain to us how the use OF The road
psn
lie proposes hrst 10 build miles OF road and then
y the sale OF lands) the OF building the
miles May safely assume that il will take
hin at least year to build the first miles then one
year more 70 cell tho land then three years get
hspayi Thus, the end Of Eve years, he win be pre-
pared money in handy to build the next ten miles.
According to this ratio OF five years for each
'uceesve ten miles. II viii take eight hundred and fy
years 10 make thousand hundred and fy miles
oil aioadl IL (by stretch Of inaon) should be
d tha. he will in single yesr build the 6rst ten miles
and within the same year sell his land and get bis pay,
even then i will take hundred and seventy years
oolid one thousand seven hundred miles OF railroad.
An eahY reply will ooiige. respectfully.
WILLIAM INGALLS,,
w rn Il. III. DERBY, r-a.
J. @. DUNN.
r.. p r. DEGRAND,
o. ID. ASHLEY,
Committee.
A short review Of Mr.. Wbiineys plan makes il evil
cent that the location OF his road and his scheme for its
construction, present obstacles which be
come.
SOUTHERN PACIFIC ROUTE.
from this barren, frigd, and desolaie picture, we turn
WIN pleasure TO the Southern Pacific ROUTE where we
ma ha Nature has furnished every nducement alike TO
me eupdity and the patriotism OF man. TO engage in the