Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1854-07-25
TUESDAY, JULY 25, 1854.
PACIFIC RAILROAD.


The day is coming when railroad to the Pacific
coast, will attract greater attention than any SUBJ
ject which at present agtates either political par
ty. 1t is matter Of great Importance to this
country, and one in which all sections of the land
are interested. That the Northern route will be-
come more favorably known, We have no doubt
that it will be the route, is by no means AN I'M
possibility. As soon as the resources OF our ter
ritory and our geographical position are more
generally known, men of sagaeity ana OF capital
will at once coneede the feasibility of the North
ern route, and give it their preference. Efforts,
however, will be made to carry it by way Of Du-
buaue, as that is somewhat shorter. Our aim
should be to have it come by Lake Superior, by st.
Paul, and thence across the whole extent of our
Territory and the vast unnhabited lands which
lie beyond us. Should the road ever be built
over this route, with judicious management, We
could secure many branch roads terminating at
st. Paul, which would be the means of giving a
prosperity unequalled in the history Of States.
From diagram recently published by MIR. w.
T. Steiger, Of the General Land Office, we learn
that there are some seven different routes under
contemplation.
The shortest one, from New York to the Pacific,
is that known as the Northern route, which was
last year surveyed throughout by Gov. Stevens, OF
Washington Territory. From Dubuque, Iowa, to
Puget's Sound, the finest harbor in the Northern
Pacific aud the nearest TO Japan, China and India,
the distance is LOO miles, or 1850 miles from
New York to that Pacific port-a point destined
hereafter to be the entrepot of very extensive
commerce. Another route to Puget's Sound starts
from Fond du Lac, at the head of Lake Superior,
having connections with st. Paul AMI Chicago
From the Lake to the Pacific the course of the
line is pretty nearly west.
To San Francisco from New York, the shortest
line seems to be that designated as the Memphis
route. which runs by the way of Philadelphia and
Baltimore, Lvnchburg. Va, Huntsville, Alabama,
Memphis. Tenn. Little Rock, Ark, and thence to
san Francisco. The distance is 3,0Sl miles. The
st. Louis route comes next, leading from New
York to Philadelphia and Baltimore, thence to
Parkcrshurg. Va, thence to Cincinnati, Vncennes,
Ind, st. Louis, and Independence, Mo. 1t inter-
sccts the Memphis road Just before the Rocky
Mountains are reached. 1t should be stated, per-
haps, that the distance to Memphis from San Fran
cisco is 2,0l5 miles to St. Louis, 1920. There
j, not much to choose between these routes.
On some accounts, tn, Lake routh to San Fran
cisco seems the preferable There the iron is
down nearly one third of the whole distance. We
refer to the ordinary lines of travel between New
Yo;k ana Dubuque, Iowa, whence the distance to
san Francisco is 900 miles, according to the map
before W.. From Dubuque, the road runs little
South of West. crossing the Miss at its
junction with the Fox, thence proceeding through
the Sonh Pas. and Mobiles Pass. in California.
There are several other routes proposed from
Il II rent 30 ithcrn cities among tn IN, one from
New orleans. which follows up the Red River,
and unitcs with the Memphis and st. Louis roads
at Santa f.. The distance from New Orleans to
san Franc SEQ is ,, l6j miles. Anoth line pas scs
~ from Mataeorda, Texas: this also uniies with
til other roads at Santa Fe length Of road $50
miles. Indeed. the Santa Fc loltc to be
The one zen rally adopted in the Atlantic States,
.nI it i. peril .ps, TIL which the pioneer
road will he construct d, though this is l.y no
means { rita II. \ CONTINUOUS track will soon be
Completed to indep n ience, Mo-, whenc, some
scycnt .en lun rc nj cs of rail will reach through
Ia the Pacific
For the conycn;cnc of our readers, W. rep at
here. in tabular form. the principal distances given
above:
From New York to Dubuque is about $50 miles.
From Dubuque to Pugct's 81. is about Loo .
From New York TO the Pacific $3.50 8
From Pu.ct's Sound to san Francisco 40 s.
From New York To san Francisco, via.
Dubuque Central Route 3,l6O 8
From \.w Work tp san rauc
Il. Louis 3.2l4 .
From New York to san Francisco, via.
Memphis 3,oSl =
The facts in favor of the Northern route arc
that it i, already built through t. the Mississippi,
and viii soon be carried further that it passes
through fine. wcll-woodcd and wcll-watcred
country. all of VIII ch, Oh both sides of the noun
tain~. is exc"llenty adapted for cultivation; that
il VIII b. sooner settled up to the mountains than
the lands further South. and better able to con-
tribute to the support of the road 10y way-busi-
ness: that the climate is more equal, and the
SHOWS less obstructive than on the Central route ;
and that the passes through the mountains are
much more favorable; besides. it is about twenty
four hours, railway speed, nearer the Pacific, and
after you are there, fifteen hundred miles nearer
to Japan and China. These are facts, We think.
which cannot be julciously overlooked.