The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1853-12-21


seven thousand ies shove the level Of the sea) that
snow becomes the basis for the best land
alter me steam cathe sleigh so that ihis te lncsve-
zion OF d'y ground between Canton and New York win
prove 70 os no obstacle eilhe, n samme, Or winter
India merchant may look back and say voyage IS I'M
TINS" says Col Benton, lis the North American road
to India, all ready now for use, except" &c.
But "a ls49 be began to doubt ths feasibility not only
OF the North Pass through which the result OF thirty
meoe" would lead and foreusr remains but the South
Pass, and the pass degree south OF that. also!
IN hs speech in the Senate on his Pacific railroad
biil--Febfnary 7, ls49-he elaboraely examines the
works OF Fremont, and makes numerous and copous
tracts 10 show The nature, value, position and height OF
me rocky Mountain passes, and among other absurd
things, says
"Mr Fremon, (n his third exped,ion) straight
line from he frontier Of Missouri, Independence, 10
bay OF San Francisco and ionnd practicable way and
| AN inhabtabe country"
| do not believe that either OF The three principal propo
slions IN the foregoing short be maintained
by either Col Benton or by Mr. Fenont, noiwiihsland
ing the pocenes OF the assertion And Col Benton evil
denty shares my unbeisf; Tor in subsequent part Of his
speech he thus admits the mpractcabliy OF building
railroad on his route:
ageous leaving 70 practical men to say where not
The difficulty which presents itself mnd is the deep
lies deep among the Rocky 1t for pracl-
cal men 70 say whether the railroad can go there or
ancetne sleigh for exampcor that region, in the time
Of The SHOWS +"
This was the 7h Of February. On The Ell Of the pre-.
cedng month Mr.. F.snonrs +" Geographical Memoir"
had been ordered be printed by the Senate. On The
/ 9th page OF that work he says:
IAN the large tribaaries, the Aux-umne. To.walum
ne, Sanislaas and Mksl umne, required 70 be boated
and pouring down deep volume Of water from the
mountains one 70 Two hundred yards wide The high
past winter, had great depth in The
ain and the end Of June lay the approaches TO the
this below Of 500 feet. Ia rainy seasons, when
the rains begin with November, and the lie the
lpV mi
In the year-the length OF time depending on the season
i With this ascerained fact before him. Col Benton did
well 10 qualify his assertions by talking about the diff
culy presented to his mind and ny proposing 10 leave
it to practical 10 say whether The railroad 90
there. whether will be found necessary to find
other conveyance-he sleigh, for exampe-for that re-
gion in the time OF the SHOWS"
Where did he want il to CO. and to what region do his
doubts appyi OF course to the route he Is discussing
viz the straight ne from Independence TO the bay OF
San Francisco This line would take him over the Rocky
mountains point about 900 feet high and Of course
where. according TO Fremont no railroad could be used
Let US look at Colonel Benons route, and indulge
the supposon that the will melt as early IN the
season IN the gorges OF the Rocky mountains they
will at a similar height in ibe Sierra Nevada,
he South t[ss according to Ere mont, is 400 feet
high according to the Bear River Pass ascertanmen OF
Fenon snow ought 10 linger in the South Pass until
June. But many Intelligent men, of solid judgment,
firmly believe that far lower pass will yet be found
through the Sierra Nevada also better one than the
South Pass and little south OF IT, in the Rocky Noun
lains Whether they will be disappointed mol cannot
say; but my faith in their strong that shalt
zealousy labor to Obtain appropriation for thorough
survey that direction, and every northern and western
man ought 10 desire exploration. COL Benton's
route is not merely mpacicable, but ridiculous ls
absudity is noticeable that school. boy old enough
to read maps and that has learned that the head OF
spring branch higher Than It's distant mouth grasp
and appreciate it, vii state it, Al one place upon the
mountains the waters flow Uss INTO the Colorado; a,
point no, far distant the How into the Arkan
sas; another sda and close by, the water OF the
springs south into the Rio del Norle; and short
he
Platte Here then, within small area four great rivers
take their rise and flow Oh in opposite directions. From
the very springs thee waters Now with RAPID current,
and, passing precpices and through oanons, Ind
their 10 tue Atlantic and Pacific oceans mere
look The map mnst show any scholar that at the spot
where these grsai rivers take their rise Will be found
The highest part OF the aims Ii must be for
wafer from high ground 10 low; and as the water
runs each uay from that spot, that place must be the
Ia that spot is Coocha,ope the pass about which
Colonel Benton has written and spoken much An
examination Of The maps will show that The passes 10 that
peghborhood are the highest in the whole Rocky noun
range, from Mexico to The British possessions The
North Pass Colonel Benton. we have seeo, estimates
Al 1000 feet III Paso is 5000 feet, and Coocha
tope. lysg between them, is the highest IN the whole
range
Blu, let me submit proof and then shall whether
Colonel Bentons abandonment oil the South Pass and The
North Pass Tor a and unknown route was discreet
The South Pass is 400 feet highs the pass n side Of
the Rio Grande through the Sierra Blanca, so elaboraey
praised not having " distinguished rise" IN IL from
river river best described in the following senten-
tious language OF one OF those engineers now sleeping
in his own blood"--eng6eers cruelty murdered and
ulaed by those accursed Indians undeservedy euo-
gized by Colonel Benton:
| August III Within a mile OF the summit of the Sangre
de ChrIsto eleyst stion S,t0O leet.
Adjust 13We have at last reached the highest point
on TIT. part Of the BY rough calculation | make
the elevation 8 800 feet above the level OF the sea"
To get into the valley Of the RIO Grande del Nore OF
New Mexico, We thus see that Col Benton has to 90
over mountain $40 feet higher than the South Pass
which he has sbnadoasdt The additional elevation is,
probably, high the aggregate elevation OF the New
York Erie railroad
But let us 20 step further into these and immense
mountains, and look al the Coochaope Pass. OF which
Col Benton has said much and which he has labored
zeaousy 10 have prer all oihers, north and
south OF il, before hnsw anything about IT, The same
engineer says; =
upou ridge dividing the Of the Atlantic and
Pacific storm of rain and ha poured upon
barome,rcsl observations had to be taken, built
a From these observations make height eleven
thousand and eish,y-two above the sea-
| Eleven thousand and eighy.two feet high Ascend
into the air miles high, then build from that height
the Washington monument five hondred feet, and sill
The summit OF Coochatope would be twenty-two feet
higher than the Top Of The monument Throw the Al
les haay mou ntaius The top Of the South Pass, and
then railroad IL, the height OF the road would
be 333 iee'. which is 749 feet opu than Coochaope
Coochaiope is higher than any pass IN North America
through which mules have been driven. Fe mont
urcd the Middle Park and found il i0t3o ee bigl he
isefursd the South Park III 200 feet lis feet
higher than Coocba,ope But reject all idle gussses in
such matters Col Benton gues,sd Coochatope was 1000
years ogo tae Sangre de Chrsio Psss had scarcely
an r,se In H. vet this When