Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-06-11
&c.

u There
of typographical engineers older than the schools and
more uperring than the mathematics They the wild
animals-bufao, elk deer, antelope, bears which
verse the forest not by compass but by instinct which
leads them always the right wayto the lowest in
the mountains, the shaowest fords in the rivers the
richest pastures in the forest the best salt springs and
the shortest practicable lines between remote points
They travel thousands of miles have their annual mipra
tons backwards and forwards and miss the best
and shortest route They the first engineers to lay
out road in new country the Indians follow them
and hence buffalo road becomes path. The first
white hunters follow the trails in pursuing their
game and after that the buffalo road becomes the wagon
road Of the white man, and finally the macadamzed or
railroad Of the scientific 1t all resolves itself into
the same thing into the buffalo road and thence
the buffalo becomes the first and safest engineer Thus
il has been here in the countries which we nhab and
the history Of which Is so familiar
have demonstrated the nationality OF this work. its
practcabity and the in hands for making it,
do not expatate upon its Importance. When finished
Il will be the American road to Asia and will turn the
Asiatc Of Europe through the heart Of our
America 1t will make us the mistress of that trade
rich at home and powerful abroadand revving line Of
oriental and almost fabulous cities stretch
continent-Tyres Sidons Pamyras Balbecs DO we need
any stimulus for the undertaking. Any other nation,
upon half preext, would go to for the right of
making and unborn generations for its completion
We have it without without tax without treaty with
any Power and when make il all nations travel
it-with our permssion-and behave themselves to
ceve permission Besides riches and power il will give
hold upon the good behavior of nations by the pos
session which it will give of short, safe and cheap
road TO India.
The work is great but nothing compared our means
and TO the magnitude Of the object to what done
by the ncas OF Peru before the New World was discover
ed Their roads from Quito to Cuzco TO say nothing
Of many shorter ones were each nearly as long, both
difficult ground equal in amount Of labor
CURED and commodous than the proposed system
Of roads from the Mississippi to the Pacific One
Of classic historians Prescott thus describes them
"There many Of the roads aversing different parts
the kingdom but the considerable the which
extended Quito to Cuse and again dvergug from the
capital connuedA southern direction towards Chilli One
Of these roads passed the grand plateau and the other
along the owands the borders Of the The former
much the most difficult achievement from the character
Of country II conducted painless serras buried
galleries cut for leagues through the living
rock crossed by Of bridges that swung
suspended in the air precpices scaled by starways
Of the native beds raynes Of hideous depth
filed up with solid masonry in short all the difficulties that
beset wild and mountainous region and which might appa
the courageous engineers Of modern mes
tered successfully The length Of the road Of
which scattered fragments only remain Is varousy estimated
from fifteen hundred two thousand miles and pillars
in the Of European mestones erected at stated
intervals Of somewhat than aeague all aloag the route
Its breadth scarcely exceeded twenty feet IL built of
heavy flags Of eestone and in parts least covered
with bitmnous cement which time has made harder than
the stone itself places where the avnes had been
filed up with masonry the mountain torrents wearing for
ages gradually eaten way through the base and lett
the superintendent masuch Is cohesion Of the material
still pannnr the valley like arch. Over OF the bold
streams was necessary construct suspension bridges
they are termed the tough 6brcs of the maguey
the Of country which has an extraordinary de-
gree Of tenscy and strength These ose were woven into
cables the thickness Of body The huge ropes then
stretched water conducted through rings
holes cot in Of stone raised on the opposite
banks Of the river and there secured 70 heavy pieces Of tim