Daily national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1854, 1854-07-08
From the New York Tribune.
RAILROAD TO THE PACIFIC.

A diagram has been published by Mr. w.
| II. Steger, Of the General Land Office, showing
tho routes proposed for the Pacific Railroad
and its branches, in connection with the vari-
Gus systems Of existing and unfinished rail
roads from the Mississippi Valley to the At
lantic and Gulf coasts Is seems there are
some seven different routes under contempla-
ton. Tho 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, and the near
est to Japan, China, and India, the distance is
I 700 miles, or 1850 miles from New York to
that Pacific port-a point destined hereafter to
DO the entrepot Of worry extensive commerce.
Another route TO Puget's Sound starts from
Fond du Lac at the head Of Lake Superior,
having connections with St. Paul and Chicago
From the Lake to the Pacific the course of the
line is pretty nearly west
To San Francisco from New York the short
est line appears to be that designated as the
Memphis route, which runs by way of Phila-
delpbia and Baltimore, Lyncbburg, Va, Hunts
Vile, Ala, Memphis, Tenn, Little Rock, Ark,
and thence to San Francisco. The distance il
0sI miles The st louis route comes next,
leading from New York to Philadelphia and
Baltimore, thence TO Parkersburg, Va, thence
TO Cincinnati, yincennes, Ind, St Lo,as, and
Independence, Mo. 1t intersects tho Memphis
road just before the Rocky Mountains are
reached II should DO stated, perhaps that
the distance to Memphis from San Francisco
is 2,0i5 miles; to St Louis, 2,020 Thore is
not much 10 choose between these routes
On some accounts, the Lake route TO San
francisco reems tho preferable one. There
Al e Al
distance We refer to the ordinary lines Of
travel between New York and Dubuque, Iowa,
whence the distance 10 San Francisco is 2,0I0
miles according to the map before MS. From
Dubuque, the road runs a little south Of west,
crossing the Mississippi river ct its junction
with the Fox, thence proceeding through tho
South Pass, and Mobiles Pass in California.
There arc several other routce proposed from
different Southern cities; among them, one
from New Orleans, which follows mp the Red
river, and unites with the Memphis and St
Louis roads nj Santa Fe The distance from
Now Orleans to San Francisco il 2,I65 miles.
Another line passes up from Matagorda, Tex
~; this also uDites with the other roads mt
Santa Fe-length Of the road $50 miles. In
deed the Santa Fe route seems 10 be the one
generally adopted in tho Atlantic States; and
ID j., perhaps, the one over which the pioneer
road will be constructed, though this is by no
means certain. A continuous track will soon be
completed to Independence, Missouri, whence
some seventeen hundred miles of rail will reach
through to the Pacific.
For the convenience Of our readers we re-
peat horc, in tabular form, the principal dis
tances given above:
MILES.
From New York 10 Dubuque 10 about 1850
From Dubuque to Pugets Sound is about 1900
From New York TO tho Pacific 1850
From Pugets Sound to San Francisco ITO
From New York TO San Francisco, via
Dubuque, central route 3,16o
From New York to San Francisco, via
St Louis 3,2i4
From New York 10 San Francisco, via
Memphis 3,03I
Tho facts in favor Of the Northern route are,
that il is already built through TO the Missis.
sippi, and will coon be carried further; that il
passes through fine, well wooded and well.
watered country, all Of which on both sides Of
the mountains is excellently adapted for cult
walton that it will be sooner settled mp 10 the
mountains than tho lands furthor south, and
better able 70 contribute TO the supports of the
road by way business; that the climate is more
equal and the SHOWS less obstructive than ON