Hannibal journal. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1852-1853, 1853-03-24
For the Journal.
RAILROAD ROUTES TO THE PACIFIC.

RAILROAD ROUTES TO THE PACIFIC.
(Concuded.)
Beyond the Colorado this route will be found
less formidable, perhaps, and its access to the
coast attended with no peculiar difficulty.
Where the Humboldt branch Of the Northern
route can best cross the Sierra complete sur
vey car only decide, The obstrrctions must be
absolutely impossible to man, to prevent the ac-
complishment Of so great desideratum. IL it
can be done, the energies Of our people will do
it. / do not doubt its pracLicsbiiity, or that it
will be done. New routes are every day dis
covered, better than the older roads. During
the first season, many wagons entered in the
direction of Shasta, by route described as fur
nishing very easy travel. But as this is point
which can only be finally settled by complete
survey, it is unnecessary TO say more about it.
The snow which will accumulate oh the north
ern route has been urged as an unanswefable
argument against it. During some severe win
ters this will be found an Inconvenience, but
nothing mDre-not greater than on the New
England routes. Fremont, in his winter tfav-
els from the Columbia along the eastern base Of
the mountains, found no great difficulty from
this cause. The snow did not stop his animals
from travel, nor prevent their finding subsst-
ence. The stock OF the Indians and the Nor
mon settlers, and the game find support ~i;,,
less difficulty than they probably would in New
England, were it IN the same wild siate The
South Pass will sompare in facility with Walk
er's in this and other respects. The Sierra
Nevada, by a northern crossing, may be more
difficult on account of snow than the Sierra Ma
DIRE, but Fremont's difficulties on the latter, from
this cause, under Williams, an old and expert
enced guide, must net be forgotten. On either
mountain, especially during severe winters,
there will be great accumulations OF snow in the
ravines, but on neither will this cause present
difficulties insupefable by modern improvement.
Having now made brief comparison of the
two routes, so far as the nature of the territory
and character of the country they will traverse
Is concerned, let us glance at their respective
influence upon commercial intercourse and tran
sit between the East and the West. By Gwin's
chart the mouth Of the Columbia is laid down
about 46 deg. N; San Francisco bay 38 deg. N.
The main track between the Northern Branch
and the Colorado 35 deg. and New York City
(Which may be fairly taken medium for all
the Northern Trade) Al deg. BY this route,
then, all commerce and travel to and from the
Eastern, Middle, and Northwestern States,
| (taking New York city as medium, as said
above, to and from the mouth Of the Coium-
bia, must diverge 6 deg. south, and then run II
deg. north to reach the;r destination, making II
deg instead Of 5 deg. the difference between the
latitude OF New YORK and the mouth Of the Co
lumbia. Between New York and San Francis
co bay by Gwins route, their difference is 8 deg
instead of deg, their true difference of lati
tude. When the enormous cost in money anC
time, Of transportation and travel with whicl
= this additional distance must tax the intercom
= municatiun of the Northern States in gross j
considered, il must be evident at once tina
r neither they nor the people of Oregon an
: Northern California will be satisfied wit
e G wins route alone, il better one can be at an
expense made practicable. On the contrary
$ all the South Eastern States would be nearly a
o well accommodated in their trade with Nortl
] ern California and Oregon by the Northern q
Southern route.
The construction of the southern line of rca
!, alone, provided it had terminus at San Disg
), would have the effect TO make that the most IN
s. portant port on our Western coast: 1t is as az
- cessible to all the trade of the Pacific as Sa
n Francisco, and the freights to it would be !
n greater by sea, and being, by railroad, so rhuC
ID nearer to the whole Atlantic country, 1t wOu
20 become the avenue of all the trade the railrO'
% would create between our country and the TO
&c eign inhabitants Of the Pacific shores. This T
Of suit would satisfy neither Northern CalifOrn
IT, nor Oregon. The cost Of the road on Gwir
y plan from Puget's Sound 10 its angle in
rs south Of California, and the cost Of the Mort
ur ern branches to Missouri and Iowa would bu
ng the Northern road, on either the Oregon
ou the Humboldt route, from the Missouri line
:, 81 the coast
X, Strike these of and let thesouthern route Il
ur inmate at San Diego, and apply the cost Of th