The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-03-15

Railroad 90 the Pacific.
Report OF COMMISSIONER BARTLETT.
Il has been asserted that the present line Of boun
day, st 81 degrees 20 minutes. running west three
degrees Of longitude, depriyes the United states OF
the most practicable 70 te for railroad TO ,ne pn
ciHc. and the one upon which railroad can be con-
st<uoted at the least expense. Such shall snow
not the care. -
The sixth article of the treaty OF Guadalupe HI
II By the sxamnat ions which NAV be made 1t should
Be sscertsined be practicable sod advantageous 20
Construct q roar, canal or fahshy. "nch snouin ,u
whole or in part run upon he river Ga upon its rghi
its left bank sithin he Sp'c' OF one MARINE esgue
from either margin ID. river the governments OF both
rspubiics will cement regarding It's consruc
ton n order hat nAs serve equally Tor the use and
By examining the treaty map, it appears that the
western boundary of New Mexico intersects the most
cast IN branch OF the river Cha its very source,
from which point il was believed that the river would
be the boundary between the two republics its en-
Dire length Had there Teen practicable route,
therefore. along the valley, the bed Of the
river, within marine league Of either bank, no more
would have been required. Bat m examination OF
this river shows that Tor onehaf of its course it is
closely hemncd in by lofty and impossible moun
ains ard that it IS only after proceeding west Of the
mouth of the San Pedro river the mountainous
gion is passed. and broad and uninterrupted plain
opens TO the view,
There il peculiarly in the geographical features
of this region which here deserves to be noticed.
The great range known as the Rocky Mountains,
which passes from north to south through the entire
length Of both The American continents, and which
attaias its greatest elevation north Of Santa Fe, in
New Mexico, diverg westward, and preserves its
unbroken chain west Of the Rio Grande. AT the
copper mines between that stream and the Gila
these mountains attain height Of more than eight
Thousand feet above the level of the sea. They rise
up In elevated peaks, separated by narrow and in
tricate valleys, and suddenly sink into high plain
about six thousaud feet above the level Of the
Here the great CordlleIa chain disappears, about
twenty miles north IF the boundary line Of New
Mexico AID elevated plateau, table, stretching
az far as the eye can reach, i found IN its place.
This plateau eAteuds southwardly through the
greater portion or Mexico. Ia its course east and
west, at Intervening di-tanCes Of from fifteen 10 thirty
miles it is inerseCted by ranges OF mountains having
an elevation OF rom one thousand to two thousand
feet above the plain also hy short isolated ridges
and low detached hills. These mountains are not in
continued chains but in short ridges from five to
fifteen miles in length, overlapping each other, and
appearing ut = distlnce a continuous ridge. What
therefore 10 be al insumountable barrier, may
be passed IN many place deh,es, with 80 little
ascent that Is scarcely perez tbe until the traveller
finds himself DESCENDING gradually On the western side
This is the character Of al the lesser ranges of noun
tains which extend across tie continent, from the
region where the elevated plateau Of Texas begins,
north of San Antonio, 10 the great coast range Of
mountains bordering On the Pacific ocean The
general u these rInges-or SeyrQS, as they
are called in Mexico-.s IRON the northwest TO tho
southeast.
In about the latitude of3l degrees Is minutes north
the great Cordileia lrnge again begins to appear,
called the Sierra Madre and - a it were, the con
centTation Of many less ranges into vast range
elevated. contract AMI impossible extending
through the entire length o. Mexico to the Cordillera
OF the ADdes. IL Sol,h America.
The Guadalupe Pass through which the old
Spanish road from the city D. Mexico 30 Sonora
which Los been tr1,yersed fur more than a century
and through which Colonel Cooke passed with his
brigade TO California making it practicable for
wagons, Is over sp.r o. the Sierra Madre where it
begins to ii>e from the great plateau at the north
From this point T. within some ten or fifteen miles
of the ella is plain from fifty to sixty miles in
n. Between y
ella river therefore and tie Sierra Madre, the
try entirely open; aid this character prevails from
the Rio Grande t. tie mountains Intervening between
the San Pedro and the Mexican frontier post Of
Tucson, which mouL tains are, in many places
passable. From TIC On is desert plain, ninety
miles acaess, TO the Gila, near the Pine villages
South OF the ella Is vast desert, extending to the
Gulf Of California, without grass trees, and inter
sected by similar isolated short mountain ranges
those described II tie region before alluded TO-
With reference therefore. t. q railroad tAere ia a
-racticabe and very direct route from the Rio
rande, between point about ten miles north OF III
.aso and a point about the same distance north Of
h. line Of 50 degrees p minutes, westward, until the
hountain ridge near the San Pedro is passed.
Thence 70 the ella is level and open plain. Along
be valley OF the ella, the plateau near it, the
nuiltry Is open, level and MT obstructed by noun
,ans, for distance OF from 100 10 200 miles, when
the Colorado is reached. Crossing this stream,
which may be easily done by bridge, you come TO
desert about 10 miles in width, which extends for
great distance northward along tie Colorado and
southwark to Lower California. Its full extent is IN
known. The whole district Of country named is re-
markedly level, and would require but little il any,
grading or embapkmeGt, except where the defies
between the Mountains trdversed. This route,
though not as direct as the northern ones is admi-
rabiy adapted for a railroad.
In the opinion here expressed am supported by
Lieutenant WLippe. who had charge OF one of the
surveying parties Ia his report that officer says -
1t would hardly be Practicable 70 c, Instruct road
canal or railway to ran wholly upon the river CHA
The canon OF the Pima Leno mountains is complete
barrier. The below the jGnouon Of the bio San
Pedro is equally mprscticable between the Pine set
tkneDt ard tie Junction the ella with the Colorado
nature prrpo.e .erods obstacle to the
ton Q: wa OF communication such the travelling
public may demand But rrota the Plmo villa re to Rio
del horteI fnow of pracuc,ble even Tor
road except by entering the state OF sonora TO avoid
the Plnsl Lleuo mountains
BY no possible means, therefore, could line OF
boundary have been obtained that would give us
route to the Pacific, even for wagon road, without
entering the State of Sonora. The treaty map gave
district only TO the first branch OF the ella bat
by prolonging lie lie OF the southern boundary of
New Mexico two degrees along that river the United
States gained tract OF territory wholly unantici-
pated by The trainers Of the treaty Of peace.
II has been stated that il tie Initial point had been
fixed below the tbty-second parallel it would give
Us a more praetcable route. Such is not The case.
If fixed below tie thrtysecond parallel, and the line
were extended three degrees west, it would fall
seventeen eighteen miles further east than it now
does, AZ the Rio GranGe has here a southessserly
course. Bat il canDpt be supposed that II Mexico
yielded point teiow tie thirty 4econd parallel she
would also yield to Us the prolonged line three
degrees west. Would our insisting upon this be
sing " coaciiiatory spirit towards Mexico
youd this be taking no advantage Of her, which
Ir. Secretary Buchanan strongly and so honora-
iy Cwels upon in bis instructions 10 the first
iseoneg, Colonel Weller That gentleman, ] am
ere, has too high sense OF bonor and justice, to
Ave claimed tie entire advantage Of the two gross
nd acknowledged errors. had he been in my place.
fixing the initial point therefore, below the thirty
second parallel extending the line west to the Ion
gitnde Of the southwestern angle Of New Mexico, &C
cording ~ the treaty map thence north according to
the treaty, I'll western line would have passed within
nix or Gig BIT miles the Rio CIande ard the United
States would have lost the whole region around the
copper Mines the only valuable territory between
the Rio Grande and the Pacific along our line. The
result Of the lire, agreed upon by the joint COM
mission, instead of that claimed and so strongly
urged by the Mexican Commissioner Is q district