Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-12-24

quite DOWN 10 lAutuoe 90 III, accounts Ins
wonderful distance and also for the this route is
known by in Missouri.
In 1916 COL BENTON desired Congress to favor differ
emit route. He said in his speech in the Senate that
year that:
"Lewis and Clark were sent out to discover a COM
mercia route to the Pacific ocean, and juously
their enterprise conducted that their return must
become, and forever remain, the route Of commerce. the
further south, through the South Pass la
tude A. will be the travelling road but commerce win
take the water line of their return, crossing the Rocky
Mountains in latitude AZ, through the North Pass"
He further adds: The North Pass is easy as the
Souh-praccable by any vehicle in state Of nature,
and obstacle to the full days march of the traveller
Lewis and Clark made hirytwo miles the day they came
through it, and without being sensible of any essential
rise at the point Of separation between the Atlantic and
Pacific waters To the right and left the mountains rose
high but the pass itself is depression in the mountain
sinking TO the level of the country their base From
this pass to the Great Falls Of the Missouri and nearly
east from it, is sixty Ailesin ALL hundred and fifty
miles from the forks of Carks river to the Great Falls Of
The Missouri which, added to sixty miles from Clarks
river to the Upper Falls Of the Columbia gives hun
dred and ten miles of land carriage between the large
navigable waters of the Columbia and Missouri.
g This is the Of my best information the sub
ect the result Of thirty years inquiries and believed to
be correct but accurate Typographical survey OF the
country between the two rivers, and profile, well as
superhces map, with barometrica geological botanical
astronomical and meteorological tables and observations
would solve every question: and be large contribution
to the science of the age and to the future transaction Of
business. If snow during months should be found
impede the steam Car in this elevated region Guessed
to be thousand feet above the level of the sea- that
becomes the basis for the next best land
veyance after the steam carthe sleigh So that this
little Intervention of dry ground between Canton and New
York viii prove to be obstacle either in summer or
winter
Arrived at the Great Falls Of the Missouri the East
India merchant may look back and say, my voyage Is
finished !"
"Ths," says COL BENTON, is the North American
| road to India, all ready now for use, except" &C.
But in 1S49 he began doubt the feasibility not only
of the North Pass through which the result of thirty
years inquiries had convinced him the route Of
merce would lead and for remain, but the South
Pass, and the Pass one degree south of that, also!
In his speech in the Senate his Pacific Railroad bill
February Z, l849he deliberately examines the works Of
FREMONT, and makes and copous extracts to
show the nature value position and height Of the Rocky
Mountain Passes and among other absurd things, says
'sMr Fremont lin this third expedition) ,cent
straight line from the frontier Of Missouri, Iidepea
dence 10 the Bay Of San Francisco and found practicable
way and an inhabitable country"
do not believe that either of the three principal pro-
positions in the foregoing short sentence be main
tanned by either COL BENTON by Mr. Fremont, not
wthstanding the posipness of the assertion. And COL
BENTON evidently shares my unbsief; for in subse-
quent part Of his speech he thus admits the impractical
bility Of building railroad on his route
81 begin with railway, far practicable andadcan-
ageous leaving it to practical to say achere is not
The difficulty which presents itself to my mind is the deep
snop which continues for many months in the year and lies
deep among the Rocky Mountains 1t is for practical men
to say heer The raLroad go there whcher ii acH be
necessary 10 ad Other conUeydn9the sleigh, for
ample-for that region, in the time of the SHOWS"
This the It'll of February On the ID of the pre-
ceding month Mr. FREMoST's Geographical Memoir"
had been ordered be printed by the Senate On the
10Th page of that work he says
"Al the large tributaries the Aux me- To-wa-um-
ne Stanslaus and Mokel ne required be boated
and pouring down deep volume of water from the
mountains one to two hundred yards wide. The high
waters came from the melting SHOWS, Uhich during The
past etnter, had accumulated TO great depth in the
taas and at the end Of June lay the approaches 10 the
Bear Rrer Pass breadth Of fifteen miles, and this
bop The leUeL Of 200 feet In rainy seasons, when the
rains begin with November, and the SHOWS lie the
mountains till July, this river is navigable for eight
months In the yearhe length of time depending the
season.
With this ascertaned fact before him. COL BENTON did
well to qualify his assertions by talking about the diff
Guilty presented his mind and by proposing to leave
it to practical to say whether the railroad go
there, whether it will be found necessary find
other Conference.-The Sleigh for example-for that
gon, in the time of the SHOWS"
Where did he want it to 60, and to what region do
ing viz the strait line" from independence the Bay
of San Francisco. This line would take him the
Rocky Mountains at point about 10000 feet HIGH and
of where according FREMONT railroad could
be used in the winter
Let us look at Col. BESroS's route, and indulge the
supposton that the will melt as early in the
in the gorges of the Rocky Mountains they will
similar height in the Sierra Nevada.
The South Pass according to FREMONT, is 400 feet
high according the Bear river Pass ascertanment Of
FREMONT lnger 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 Mountains
Whether they will be disappointed or not cannot say
but my faith in their is SO strong that shall
zealOusy labor to obtain appropriation for thorough
survey in that direction and every Northern and Western
man ought to desse such exploration Col. BESroSs
route is not merely mpracticabe, but ridiculous! Its
absurdty is noticeable that school boy old enough to
read maps and that has learned the head of spring
branch is higher than its distant mouth can grasp and
appreciate it. will state it: At one place upon the
Mountains the waters flow pea into the Colorado; at
point not far distant the waters flow into the Arkan
another side, and close by, the water Of the
springs runs south into tho Rio Del Norte and short
distance from thence the creeks north into the Great
Platte Here, then, within small area four great RI
vers take their rise and flow of in opposite directions
From the very springs these waters flow with rapid.
current and passing precpces and through caons
find their way to the Atlantic and Pacific oceans mere
look at the map must show any scholar that at the spot
whore these great rivers take their will be found the
highest part Of the mountains 1t be so for
4