The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1854-05-20

spirit level and the transit in the regions Of the
mountain passes 1t will be impossible to get cor
rect estimates without this careful survey. We
want to establish q communication between San
Francisco, through the Valley of the Sacramento
and Willamette. We want to determine the re-
lations of California with the Great Salt Lake and
thence to the western frontier of Iowa and Mssou-
ri-it is foolish talk about route being practi-
cable which has not been explored.
| / recolect that Walkers Pass is now known to
be utterly impractcable, and yet before the insru-
ments were used every one supposed that it was
eminently practicable. In consequence Of the
survey Of Mr.. Williamson, the passes at the head
waters OF the San joaquin have been well devel-
Oped. The coast range, from San EiegO to Los
Angeles, ought to be developed, and local inter-
ests will probably soon require 1t. There is a
country lying between the Sierra and the Colora-
do which has still to be developed We don't
know what passes through the Rocky Mountains,
in the general region of the South Pass, will give
the best to the Salt Lake Settlement. There
are difficulties in all these explorations, but the
difficulties will be surmountcd Gentlemen, the
great work the country has to do this year and the
next is To continue these exploration till we tind
cut the facts rs to the routes.
The country is working out the great Pacific
Railroad. Let us fold our arms in regard to the
Pacific INSTRUMENTATION, and local Interests
will bring together the two great oceans. RAIL
roads Increase 5000 miles per year, and who can tell
where they are to- end Three months since, i'll
addition to $4,000 miles actually in operation,
$4,000 niles were under construction, and great
many more miles of read projected. The $780,
100000 invested in railroads not laying by idle
but returning profit, many of them, OF ten per
cent. per year. What will he the result of the
abroad movement i'll three or four years Your
will run roads up the San Joaquin and the Sacra-
mcntO Valleys; we of Washington, will connect
Pugcts Sound with the Columbia river, and the
mo- cofO " rIiu IL.
annette, to seek connection with your roads from
the Sacramento l thIuk, therefore, with this
great impulse from capital-with this great ten
dency to branch west and cast-that it is the duty
of the Government at once TO employ large force
for the exploration of the whole country.
In other respects much can be done. Matters
can be arranged with regard to the hostile Idan
tribes; we can extend the survey of the public
Lands, ::andmakc geographical exploration of the
Whole Country, aud make known every mile that
is allaptc, to settlement we can make known the
On the great interior. Tha' Is what we
want to de- ,.\pplausc) We can pass general
railroad Law, Civ ing aid, IN land to all the through
roads The count, v can Go this now.
Fellow citizcns--L cfore leave this subject, l
wish to present a few facts, showing that the
building Of these railro is not 50 great an UNI
dertaking as the people at the country seem to
think. We can take striking example OF rail-
road enterprise from the Nort, and a still more
striking sample from the South. When was
..tioncd in The State Of Maine, an humble SUBJ
a,ran in the Army, the city of Portland, with only
$1,000 people, with aid :rnn the 5 ate, III COLI
junction with Ike city Of Montreal. butt tue At
lailtic and st. Lawrence rGld The undt rtaklnS
was pronounced visionary, but they went to work,
built the road, and the cars are now running, and
a line Of steamers plies between Portland and Lh
erpool. (Applausc.l Mere difficulties were ap- !,
prehl nled from III the p1,untain passes and !
at Ia We hay tfuI
on the Northern route. The example from the
South is furnished by the Wilmington and Weldon
road happened Ia be IN Wilinlngt"n a year and
a half ago. and was astonished at the example of
and energy which WILMINGTON gave t"
the whole country 1t was then small place,
with only 1000 people, and its whole taxable pro-
perry was not one million of dollars, and yet she
built road af l60 miles along WHICH the cars now |
pass at the rate of forty miles an hour. Thus we
see impulse given after impulse.-We are pre-
pared I" build three roads
Bear with me one moment whilst l dcyc!opc !
slightly another branch of tic tcct- l refer to
the Great ST. Iswreuce Basin, where we find
hearts and Canadian hearts are engaged IN the |
of great reads and within the past
year the Irogress of the Canadian roads almost
rival those South Of the Basin. The Canadians
have pro cctcd roads that will almost rival those
Of England herself 1t is SO with Tcxas-Texas
land can construct roads that will be rcinurcIa-
tive the moment they are put in operation Texas
is favoritc place Er emigration.
Gcutlcnicn say tat We are prepared to build |
three reads now, and these roads at once will be
c me reu,uncmtive, We have right to apply To
this problem own experience for the last three
wears and especially of the last year. We do |
know that our Western reads yield an income OF
ten per cent. Most Of these roads were run thrO
an unsettled countrv, and we know that the lands
along the line of these reads which had been III
the market for forty years, and were worthless,
sold for $3.50 per acre. | know, fellow citizens
of the Golden City, that if you were to establish
roads along the valleys of your rivcrs-thc Sacra-
mcnto and the San Jcaqulr--tlat they would at
once become largely remuneratirc. The whole
thing reduces itself down TO this, that the two eX.
tremes would pay for thensclvts-brlnging down
the actual length of the main roads to Zoo miles,
along which there will he way travel to bring
that length downto 500. Passengers alone would
support two such roads in connection with San
Francisco-nnd do it now. (Applause) What is
the cost per mile over the best rals ! From one
quarter of a cent to three quarters of a cent per
mile. We could with propriety charge $50 FIR
the thregh trip, and have $i3,75 clear profit, to
pay the interest on the money invested.
We have now, in some months, 5000 passengers
going to California over the Isthmls, and it is well
known that if the road be put in operation, more
money will be spent by the passengers than is
now spent on the steamers. 1t would be a very
low estimate that 100000 people will make the
through distance each year in the two directions,
and estimating the two roads at some $4,000 per
mile it would give an interest of over SIX per cent
tie capital invested: The eastern portions
would yield some ten per cent, and the valleys
some twenty or twenty-five per cert. (Applausco
This great through travel alone is without refer
cnec to merchandise-wtlout reference to the
trade of Asia. But VIC have right to Introduce
these clements.
At Pugc,'s Sound VIC are n few hundred miles
nearer the shores of Asia, and two three hun.
drcd nearer the great water communication to the
east than San Francisco, and we have a right to
expect that from Puget's Sound We shall supply
the silks and light-warcs of Asia to the people of
the st. Lawrence Basin, especially to the people
Of Minnesota and Wisconsin, and the northern por-
tons of Ohio Indiana, Illinois and Iowa. Gap
plause.) We expect, however, that San Francisco