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

mountain 1910 feet higher than the South Pass which
he has abandoned The additional elevation is probably,
high the aggregate elevation Of the New York and
Erie Railroad!
But let 90 step further into these and immense
mountains and look Mt the Coochatope Pass Of which
COL Benton has said much and which he has labored
zeaousy to have prefer over all others, north and
south of it, before knew any thing about it. The
engineer says;
"About one o'clock the LIST of September 1853, we
stood upon the ridge dividing the of the Atlantic
and Pacific oceans A storm Of rain and hail poured
upon and baromerca observations had to be taken
built FIRE. From these observations / make
height eleven thousand and feet above the sea-
Eleven thousand and eighty-two feet high Ascend
into the air two miles high then build from that height
the Washington monument five hundred feet and still the
summit of Coochatope would be twenty-five feet higher
than the top of the monument Throw the Allegheny
mountains the top of the South Pass and then
railroad it the height of the road would be 1883
feet, which is 749 feet lorer than Coochatope.
Coochatope is higher than any pass in North Anne
RIGA through which mules have been driven. Fremont
measured the Middle Park and found it 430 feet high
he coscred the South Park IL 200 feet 1ls feet
higher than Coochatope. But reject all idle guesscs
in such matters. Col. Benton guessed Coochatope
1000 feet Fremont said from merely riding through it
some years ago. that the Sangre de Christie Pass had
scarcely dstinguishable rise in it, yet this last
when travellers passed through it they had to let
their down by of ropes and the engineers
found the ascent to be by the hundreds Of feet to the mile
If man Of the experience Of FREMONT cannot guess
better than that conecures had better give place to
cerained facts. Roubdoux's Pass from which much
expected proves have grade of three hundred
feet to the mile The truth is little yet known Of
that huge of mountains and ranges Of mountains,
placed by Almighty hand upon the elevated plains
lying between the Mississippi river and the Pacific
And shall be tolerated by who attempts to in
fuence my judgment with surmises how honest
they may be. Nor can look with Partially upon routes
whose advocates dread the approach Of the compass and
chain and substitute the buffalo for the barometer and
the traveller and the rapper for the engineer and his
harmless Instruments
am for the best route ascerained in the best
ncr Let guides and travellers and all having local
knowledge indicate known and supposed routes but let
science ascertain their length direction grades to the
mile, attitudes above the sea, climate waters Soils pro-
ductions &C. in SO exact, precise, and ample manner
to command implicit confidence My constituents
want road with good grades and curves, that can be
travelled without hndrance every day throughout the
year they want road from San Francisco to New York.
and they desire it located enable them easily and
cheapy visit New Orleans the hand and Chicago
the other.
In these views fully sympathize with them, and in
the performance of my duty to those represent intro
duced the bill and accompanied with the remarks and
papers which have occasioned the assault of COL BENTON
upon The bill asks for grant Of land larger than
has ever been made to State for railroad purposes by
the General Government. My motion to refer it to
the Committee the Public Lands upon whose decision
it's in he need
Mr.. sToNEMANs letter, published months ago in San
Francisco newspaper, inform the committee and the
Senate of the extent of unproducye country in the
great San Joaquin and Tulare Valleys, and the Difficult
ties which would attend the constructo Of railroad in
that region produced Mr. AuBREYs notes, published in
New Mexico paper to bring to the notice Of the COM
mitee and tie Senate the difficulties to be encountered
in the construction of railroad through the arid plains
of the Great Colorado Valley extending from the Sierra
Nevada the Colorado river and, subject of gene
raj interest to the country published the whole of Mr..
AuBnEYs of his journey from the TETON Pass the
Rio del Norte. l produced Mr. WnLIAMsoN's letter to
show the difficulties had to encounter in the Sierra
Nevada range Of mountains
My object to deal fairly with the Senate and the
country to show that great difficulties had to be
in the construction of the great Pacific Railroad in
the State of California and that must receive ample
donation from the public domain within that State
able to build portion Of the road tits well known
that Walkers Pass my favore route for the railroad
and that announced to the Senate various
sons last winter; but when it was ascerained, from
scientific examination, that 1t impractcable for
railroad and that there another pass not far distant
fourteen hundred feet lower than Walkers and pract
cable for railroad abandoned the former and pre-
pared to adopt the latter.
My object in introducing the bill is not to provide aid
for such roads California much needs far from it,
but couple Of trunk roads, be located by California
as to enable the Atlantic States to build road to reach
San Francisco either by the way Of Texas New Mexico
the South or North Pass of the Rocky Mountains they
may decide.
With great respect, your obedient servant,
VIM. NJ. GWIN