Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1854-09-23
PACIFIC AND ATLANTIC RAILROAD.
COLUMBUS, (onIo, ), SEPTEMBER IS. IS

! COLUMBUS, (OHIo,) SEPTEMBER 10, 1854 !
TO the Editors Of the National htelligecv:
GENTLEMEN: The advocate of great national ,alroio
tne to extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean
should stand at this point the geographical centre
OF one OF the most fourshing States of the Union md
cast his eye east and west wel-delneated mar
showing the American system of Railways in progress And
completed in order to the rapid strides which are
making to encompass girdle the Union with ba, Of
iron on this favored meridian Of latitude being due vest
from the city of Philadelphia passing through Wheeling
Columbus, &c. toward the Mississippi river at Springfield
and Quincy, in the State of Illinois Already have the
States Of Ohio Indiana and Illinois about 5000 miles OF
railroad nearly completed making complete metz ork
running to every point of the compass forming the
tire of the above system.
The great Atlantic and Pacific railroad should properly
be divided into three grand divisions the first extending
from the dewaters Of the Atlantic ocean to the Msss
ppi river the second from the Mississippi to the crest
the Rocky Mountains; and the third from the Rocky
Mountains to the tdewaters of the Pacific ocean, on the
1000 miles ~
The first grand division of 900 miles may be said to
De Already completed, will be by the first of January
1900 OF which Columbus stands midway being about
oOO miles, days travel from Philadelphia or Balt
more on the east and the banks Of the Mississippi on the
west Other parallel dvergng lines must also be duly
considered passing through Toledo and Detroit on the
north and Cincinnati on the south, but oil uniting west
OF the Missouri in the valley of the Platte on about the
4lst degree Of north latitude thence continuing nearly
west Fort Laramie and the South Pass in the Rocky
Mountains. This pass defines the second grand division
on the west while the third extends onward toward the
Pacific 900 1000 miles further westward
This may be considered the route advocated by Asa
whitney ESQ., and is the line which the wants and enter
prise OF the American people will doubt first finish to
completion, either with or without legislative aid.
Other routes may be pressed and advocated by Sec
tonal interests but the line above alluded to is the one
marked by Nature to ubserve the Of
and civilization Just consider the position of Boston,
New York, Philadelphia aud Baltimore the east and
the mouth of the Columbia river and Pugets Sound on
the west, facing the broad shores Of Asia! \.
Already five lines Of railroad being construct
ed or under survey from the Mississippi to the Missouri
river between st. Louis the south and Dubuque on
the north These roads all unite the Platte or
Nebraska river in order to the Rocky Mountains
the best point yet discovered, if except the
northern route recently explored by Gov. Stevens of
Washington Territory. This latter route future
period may constitute the second great line the Pacific
while the extreme southern route may be placed the
third route to be completed from ocean to ocean.
On the first line spoken of the isotherma line
spends with the temperature OF Paris New York.
and Pugets Sound or about $50 of Fahrenheit. This
fact should be duly considered, well tho natural
productions all along the line, in connexion with
tie topography of the country to be traversed.
Yours, respectfully ~. j. d.