The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1853-02-08

Letter Of Hon. T. BurLER Klna to Hon. VIVA c.
DAwsoN.

The PaciAc Railroad.
Letter Of Hon. T. BurLER Klna to Hon. VIVA c.
DAWSON.
WAsH1NaroN, Feb. S, 1863.
Mf D1As SIR: have received your note of the
nrst instant requesting information reapectins the
practicability OF constructing a railway from the
valley Of the Mississippi to the Pacific ocean and
the best route for it's location. Pressing ENGAGE.
ments have delayed my reply and now compel
me to treat this most important subject very
briefly. will, however, present to you some
views and facts connected with it. In the Iegisa.
ton authorizing and aiding the construction of
work of such vast magnitude to which, in all pro-
liability, large amount of public credit, if not
money and land, will be applied, and in which
all parts of the Union must not only feel, but
ought actually to possess, great practical inter
est, the present state and tendency of railway
communications in the Atlantic States must be
taken into view, as well as the most practicable
route or routes from the west bank of the Missis-
sippi to the Pacific. We must also consider the
advantages which each route would confer upon
the new States and Territories through which the
work may be located
The lines of railway extending westwardIy from
Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and Virginia,
are all tending towards St, Louis, and may easily
be so connected as to converge TO that point All
the railways in the States south of Virginia are in
such course of construction and extension as to
show that they will at early day reach Vicks-
burg, in the State of Mississippi 1t will, there.
fore, be perceived the railway communications
through the Atlantic States indicate two points
from which we must take our depar ure to pro-
coed West, if we intend desire to embrace, in
this great national work, the interests of the whole
Union; and unless we commence with this liberal
and just view of the subject, it will be, in my
opinion, impossibl, to reconcile the public mind to
the appropriation of the necessary means to insure
the completion of the work
In the absence of instrumental examinations
and accurate reliable information respecting theva-
r'ous routes which have been suggested and advo-
Gated, it is not pretended, suppose, that any man
can say precisely where the work ought to be To-
Gated; yet there some facts and considerations
which will aid US in forming an opinion on the
subject.
The routes which have been mentioned are-lst.
From Green Bay to Puget's Sound Cd. from St.
Louis, via independence, Fort Laramie, the South
Pass, in latitude 42o 30 north, Salt Lake City, and
thence by the emigrant trail through a pass in
the Sierra Nevada, in about latitude 42o north 3D..
From st. Louis to albuquerque, latitude $50 north
on the Rio Grande; thence to Walkers Pass, near
the same parallel, in the Sierra Nevada; thence
through the valley of the San Joaquin to San
Francisco. 4th. From st. Louis to Ell Paso on
the Rio Grande, and thence by the ella with its
junction with the Rio Colorado, and thence via
the Tohone Pass about latitude $50 north, through
the valley of the San Joaquin to San Francisco
The first line practicable, is too far north to ac-
commodate any portion of the Union. 1t would
be quite as absurd to attempt to force the com.
merce of the Pacific States to Puget's Sound as it
would to concentrate that of the Atlantic States
at Halifax.
The second line, from st. Louis via Independence,
merits more serious examination. The distance
from the former to the latter place is about 200
miles; thence via Fort Laramie, the South Pass,
Salt Lake city, the emigrant trail through the
recently discovered pass in the Sierra Nevada
into Shasta valley in lat 42o north thence to Sacra
mento city, 1850 miles; thence via Stock ton and
Pechacos Pass, in the coast range of mountains to
San Francisco, $40 miles. Total distance, 272O
miles.
do not state these distances IS positively accu-
rate, but it is probable they will fall short of rather
than exceed the actual measurement The dis
lance, as measured, from independence to Sacra-
mento city via the South Pass, Salt Lake city,
thence on the emigrant trail along Mary's river
and across the Sierra Nevada in the passes of the
American river to Sacramento city, is also miles;
but those passes are not practicable for railway
From the best information l could obtain am
led to the opinion that the pass through the Sierra
Nevada. from Shasta Valley to the Valley of Salt
Lake, in about lat. 42o NJ, is the only one in tina
elevated range, north of Walkers Pass, in lat $50
NJ. through which there is the slightest probability
that railway can be constructed.
During my stay in California l saw and con.
versed with many hunters, who had spent from
twenty to thirty years in the Rocky Mountains,
and they all concur in the opinion that the great
depth Of snow which falls on the eastern slope of
those elevated regions would render railway on
this line quite impossible least six months of the
year. Many persons suppose that the mild eli
mate of the valley of the Salt Lake and the great
valley of the Sacramento gives assurance that
passes may be found in the mountains where
railway would be passable at all seasons of the
year. They do not consider that these valleys are
on the ,oest side of the great ranges of tains,
and that the snow falls mostly on their summit
and eastern slopes.
We have accounts of snow, from thirty to fifty
feet Deep in the very passes where this line would
run; and the latest intelligence from California
states that even the western border of the foot
hills of the Sierra Nevada, near the valley of the
Sacramento, the snow was ten feet deep. This
indicates very clearly what must have been the
depth on the summit and eastern slope of the
mountains-probaby five times as great The
soil on this line would be of little value for almost
one-half of the distance. There is sterile plain.
some hundreds of miles in width, east of the Rocky
mountains; and with the exception of narrow
tract in the valley of the Salt Lake, the soil is of
little value until the line reaches the valley of the
Sacramento, distance OF about l 200 miles. This
route is said to be destitute of coal and almost of
timber.
now come to consider the third line, from st
Louis via albuquerque and Walkers Pass. This
is the most northern route that affords the South
ern States the slightest possibility of an equal par
ticipation in the benefits to be derived from the
Of this great work. l have already
shown that our present railway communications
point to st. Louis and Vicksburg as the two start
ing points to proceed West. The former is situ
ated in latitude $50 81 NORTH the other in latitude
ss0 80 north. albuquerque, on the Rio Grande, in
latitude 35o north, three degrees and thirty seven
minutes south of st. Louis, and one degree and
twenty minutes north of Vicksburg. San Francisco
10 in latitude $40 43' north. The distance on a
right line between st. Louis and San Francisco is