The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-08-26

victiOn that mischief turks in the proceedings
OF Great Bri tain.
The Pacific Observation-Disclosures Of Mr.. Nor.
ris-sHsvey s-DepartuYc OF Col. Fremont.
We are indebted to Mr.. w. w. Leland, of
this city, for the copy of the estimates we pub
lish to-day Of Mr.. Septimus Norris, Of Phila-
delphia, Of the probable cost Of building and
running the Pacific Railroad including loco
motives, cars, employees, and all the incidental
contingencies Of the road in full operation;
together with his estimates Of the clear profits
over and above all regular and contingent
ex Denses.
Mr.. Norris is q practical railroad builder,
and his experience in the construction alone Of
the great road between st. Petersburg and
Moscow gives no little practical value to his
calculations concerning the infinitely greater
enterprise from the Mississippi to the Pacific
Ocean. His estimates were made out upon the
request and for the information of certain
members of the New York Atlantic and Pacific
Railroad Company, recently chartered by our
Legislature, from which it will appear that the
company are at once proceeding to business
According to these estimates of Mr. Norris.
(fxing the length of the road at two thousand
miles, which is the greatest length Of any cal
culation yet made from the Mississippi river,)
it will cost 1915 Is to run train through, car
rying two hundred passengers, at twenty miles
an hour. equivalent to the cost Of the fifth part
Of cent per mile per passenger. Assuming. on
the other hand, an average Of four hundred pas
sengers per day, at sixty dollars each for the
through ticket, clear profit over the expenses
Of the year, (ncluding the interest upon one
hundred millions for the construction of the
road is made out of upwards of two millions
of dollars The revenues from freights, mails,
gold, army and navy transportation, including
men, horses, provisions, and munitions of war,
would. perhaps. more than double the passenger.
receipts, including the way traffic to and from
the intermediate settlements. which would in
stantly spring up along the whole route. glad
literally to blossom like the rose.
PerhaN the skeptical old fogy may think the
schedule Of tour hundred passengers per day
too high. We think it more likely below the
mark. The arrivals at San Francisco, from
the actual records, amount now to an average
of very nearly one thousand per day; and
these do not include the arrivals pouring
in by land, over the tedious route on
mules and horses, of the South Pass and
Humboldt's river. The San Francisco arri-
walls are mostly by the Panama and Nicaragua
steamship lines, the cost by either line ranging
from two hundred to thousand or fifteen hun
dred dollars, and consuming from twenty -fve to
thirty days, and sometimes more. in running the
gauntlet of the deadly fevers of Central Anne
rica Now cut down the time to San Francisco
or San Diego to six days. the cost to sixty or
eighty dollars, by q route over perhaps the
very healtbest region on the face Of the earth
and what is there to prevent the thousand per
day now landing on the Pacific coast being
twellcd to two or even three thousand from
April to November?
Then look at the emigration to Oregon Mr.
Hugh Dickson, of Chillicothe, outward bound
writes that the emigration is heavier this year
than it ever has been before He left 1--we hun
mate he passed fifty wagons day along
journey Of thousand miles. He reports !,
great many families on the road aud goodly
number Of young ladies. He made some esti-
mate of the cattle en- route to California and
Oregon, and is sure that three hundred thou
sand head would not be too high Do not these
endless caravans, occupying four, Eve, and
sometimes six months, in getting through, sug-
gest an Immense transportation business to a
railroad which shall carry them from IL. Mis-
sissipp to the Pacific in six, eight, or ten days
We quite agree therefore, with Mr.. Norris, that
the Pacific Railroad will pay quite as well az
any Of the New York roads, and great deal
better too.
Yes, gentlemen, the road must be built. Let
government grant the right of way, and a do
nation OF public lands or money or both. and
private enterprise will do the work There ID
no necessity of BICYCLING upon constitutional
abstractious-no need of tearing the admins
iraton to pieces upon n question of strict con-
struction, Let Congress do for the Pacific road
rhat it has done for Illinois, Indiana Mis-
sour Alabama aad other States, in the BALD
ing Of railroads, and private company can be
found to satisfy the public and the constitution.
So much for The road. But the route has yet
70 be chosen. 10 addition to the exploring par
lies detailed Wy the government in reference To
The most 'casible route, and al n reinforcement,
We presume. to Col Bentoa's independant
xDloraiion Of his central r0ntc, It, Colonel
rCmoat I'm THIS city yesterday westward
sorsd, with Wow 10 Ind the most practicable