The Nevada journal., 1853-02-25

with any ether line of travel, must be
merely local, and therefore limited in
amount, and no susceptible Of the same
rate of increase rs upon other roads con-
Meeting with other lines Of Railroad, riv-
er or stage travel.
Applying these reasons TO our propos-
| ed route we shall find that its distance
! is abont sixty miles--that its terminus is
at mountain mining town beyond which
there il not now. and never can be, any
long or considerab lines of travel-that
the great mass of the population tribu-
tary to the road will reside along its
line. and near its terminus at Nevada
1t will also be seen. that although in pro-
portion to population there san immense
amount of travel in the mining regions
of California, still it is the transporta-
tion Of heavy articles that constitutes
the main demand for this road The
people in the mines are compelled to
transport by land all their provisions,
grain, hay, clothing, furniture. ma
chincry and implements-in short, all
the necessaries and comforts of life and
in turn they will give us gold, lumber
stone, and lime.
In addition to these reasons. your com
nittce cannot but think that the differ
ence in the cost of construction is much
greater than was supposed 10y many in
telligent persons. From an extract pub
| lished in late number OF the Times and
Transcript, and taken from the last Jam
uarv number of the = american Rd't.
tcdy ',ude,n it appears that " on the LIST
Of January, 1853 there we're in the Uni
ted States 1927 miles of completed
rnilroad 1928 miles of railroad in va
rious stages Of progress. and abou seven
thousand miles IN the hands of the en-
gineers. which will be built within the
next three Or four years making n to-
tai Of 33, l55 miles of railroad, at an av-
amount) for each mile Of road, including
equipments. etc. This estimate of the
railroads Of the United States diffels ma
tcri,lly from that published by the CEN
sus Office, and that by Mr. Andrews in
his late report to government-bu is
based upon actual ascertainments =
Both of these documents. however, re-
fer 20 IL date anterior 10 1853 -
We think it may be very safely as
sumed that the proposed quite is not bet
Ter than the average Of the different
routes in the other States Of the Uni H.
4 If then the average cost per mile OF oth-
er roads be 100000 what would it cost
per mile in this country, where labor.
| transportation, and every thing else is
SO much higher than elsewhere, and
whore we should be compelled to bri Z
! from other points every thing used in
the construction Of .he road, except the
requisite lumber Au3 alter the rail-
road should he constructed we should
have bu limited facilities for repairs OF
machinery but on the contrary we have
all the materials here at home for the
const' uction and repair of Plank Roads
From the best estimate we have bean
enabled to make, the cost of Pl nix
Road sixteen feet wide along the pio
/ posed route, would net exceed $40 U0t
per mile. 1t would require 237, 600 fee,
of thee inch lumber. board measure
which from inquiries we made, we thihR
! could be had at the mills for $40 pes
thousand. and delivered upon the roao
for SO per thousand-m kiag the cost
Of the lumber amount to the sum Of 81 |
4 $50 per mi c, leaving the sum of IS, l2t
per mile for grading ard other expenses
la this estimate we have not INCLUDED
any allowance Cor string pieces uppt
which to lace the plank. as our iLquIr-
les satisfied US tn t the most approved
and simple mode Of constructing suci
roads is TO lay the pl,nks fiat up0n the
ground,after it has been properly AIDED
Another and very material reason iol
preterring Plank to Railroad vt pre-
sent, is to be found in the fact that the
owners of the numerous saw mills along
the route will subscribe most liberally
to the Flank Road to be paid in lumber
when they would not sub cribe to ;
Railroad, 10 be paid in cash.
The great and paramount importance
OF the proposed road to Sacramento city
Auburn, Grass Valley and Nevada, vii
at once be apparent to every on. 1t il
we'll known that the fine and fertile ag
ricultural val cys of Ca itornia are desii
tute Of timber for building purposes, anC
that all cur cities and towns not situated
in the mines are dependent upon othc,
I points for II supply of timber. The pro
posed route from this side of Auburr
alolg its whole line to Nevada, is skirt
ed by immense forests of pine, affordln;
inexhaastible supplies of timber of tb'
finest description. One of the most ricl
and extensive mining regions IN tn,
State will become tributary to the road
AT Grass Valley, Nevada and Auburn
and in the vicinity Of those places. ther,
are many steam and water SAW mills al
ready in operation, and many more il
process Of construction. At Grass Val
Icy there are several Quartz Mills nov
in successful operation, and others il
process Of erection.
The timber heretofore used in Cali
fornia for building, has been MANI,
brought from Oregon, the northern po
ton Of this State and from the Atlanti
coast around Cape Horn. la Oregon an
in the northern portion Of this State
there is no timber suitable for fine luIn