, 1854-08-05
The Central Railroad Route.


from this place, accompanied by a small
party, to undertake the hazardous duty Of
making a survey of Railroad route, in
tending to pass through the Great Salt
Lake Valley, connecting the waters of.the
Columbia river and Puget Sound with a
branch TO the main trunk of Railroad
running to California.
Letters have been received from him,
dated at McArthur's Station, Port Neuf
river, June 8rd., to which place he had
returned from an exploration through the
mountains, in which he had been accompan-
led by Mr.. Macarthur and one halfbreed
Indian. We infer from the information be-
fore US, that he found no less than three
practicable passes through the mountains
to Utah, one of which it appears he ascer-
tained to be at gradient in no place ex-
ceeding 40 feet to the mile, with gravel cut
tings and no tunnelling necessary. He
went far enough to ascertain that there was
no obstacle to the prosecution of the route
to Weber river in the Utah valley, at which
place the main line to California would be
reached. l..-.
Mr.. Lander is thoroughly accomplish
ed engineereN in which capacity he acted
as chief Of the corps in the Northern Rail-
road Expedition under Gov. Stevens.
The Survey in which he is now engaged
is Onhis own responsibility and personal
expense, and he appears sanguine in the
belief that the problem has been solved
with regard to the practicability of an ex-
ceIlent centralroute so far as his survey
has been extended.
A unanimous vote Of thanks of our Leg
islatiye Assembly, it will be remembered,
was rendered him for his voluntary engage
ment in the field of exploration, in which
so much talent has been employed, and we
hope he will meet with suitable pecuniary
reward from Congress, and the gratitude of
the whole people for his selfsacrifcing and
perilous enterprise, as the Indian tribes
through which his track is directed, (the
Utahs and others, have ever been equally
as hostile as the Blackfeet of the North !;
and being almost solitary and alone, it must
be regarded as daring explicit.
His report viii be looked for with inter
est, and we trust it may be regarded as fa-
vOrably by Congress as the data furnished
will sdmitAof.
The following is an extract Of let
ter written to the editor of the Portland
Oreg0nian, and published in that paper Of
July 22, by Mr.. Lander, and without an
attempt at forestalling public opinion, Ia
matter, by the way, which we should never
attempt), we leave the consideration of the
subject to the Judgment of those who can
correctly discriminate between the advan-
tages of northern, central and extreme
southern route, for the construction of a
Pacific railroad, and which one would be
the most advantageous to the people of
Washington Territory and the Pacific coast
generally:
PoRr NEUF, June I'd, 1854.
Ny DEAk SIR IL left the business you
entrusted to my care, in the hands of Neil
Macarthur Esq, of Fort Hall, who will re-
ceive the pictures from Mr.. Kinkaid, who
sends out so miles, to where Miller lives,
and has the children brought in and the
daguerrotypes taken. ! have been pre-
vented by sickness, and the loss of my
horses from going TO the city /; but am
glad TO say that have found three practi-
cable lines over the summit connecting
Snake river and the Salt Lake valley.
have been very unfortunate on the trip re-
gardiAg sickness, and losses of property,
but perfectly successful in the grand object
to be obtained. can guarantee perfect
line from Puget Sound, by the valley Of
Salt Lake and Columbia river to the great
central California route. The line is cheap
CT, easier and more faciIe by one half than
the Northern route for the same distance,
the difference being between gravel and
lodges, or regarding cost of construction,
i. e. grading, one in ten regarding time of
grading, one in five. This route would be
an extraordinarily favorable one for the
main Pacific Railroad without tunneling,
and 50 easy Of construction by "open com
munication," or the early use of the rail.
Were it leading to the great Western En-
porium, San Francisco, which it is not, but
existing only as branch, it. is yet SO ex-
tremely favorable, that cannot believe any
American Congress will be so forgetful Of
any portion Of the citizens of the Union,
as TO leave the grand route, at such dis
tance south, as to preclude this connection.
really believe no line across the continent