The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1855-01-21

tons assertion that his straight even level and
feasible And to give him every advantage Of his strong
language, quote this additional statement from bis pen
prior to submitting the results OF the surveys o. the eng-
aeeEsand u win be recoected he takes credit 10 himself
as having caused the making Of the survey;
Straight and smooth-not mountain 20 DO climbed q
river swamp to be crossed bill 20 be tanneed Wood
water and soil for settlement coal known be
aay points OF ahe line the Aoe travorsabe winter;
snd az south OF 80, -, and 81 degs."
Col Benton his road FROM the mouth Of the Kan
riverhat is north Of 80 deg north latitude 50 his
last proposition is untrue if no other is From Kansas
Capt Gunnison passed westerly up the forks Of Kansas
and then bore off southwesery the ssh degree
point seventy miles south OF Kansas thence north
westerly up the Arkansas the ssh parallel thence
west thence souhwesiery the ssth parallel
Ave miles south Of it, then back north Of it,
miles then west then back again the south side Of the
ssth parallel fifteen miles then west; then north
west then southwest point thirty miles south Of the
3sth parallel then off northwesiery the 3sh par
allel Yet again then west then northwest then
then norshwesterly point north Of the 39th parallel
and ninety miles north Of point passed by the south
Of The Arkansas then southwest the seth parallel
then back northwest the 39lh parallel further north
than Kansas then back sonthwesery across the sh par
alleI then westerly then back nor,hwesery the
39th parallel again and sgsag through the
ns 10 the place where Capt Gunnison slaughtered
So much for the sraglnsss Of Col Bentons route
ually shown BY the map made from official surveys. Now
If there not crookedness enough in at route 70 break
TIE lane Of sigM" win If cannot inerposc
thing else disturb and adeect the line of sight" We
viii see IL cannot find "a mountain to be climbed
river be crossed between Missouri aud California
Look again, kind reader, at the map of the engineer
pass out the line to camp 49, which is 5000 feet above the
level Of The sea and then ascend ut the Of 90 feet
the mile, l,4oo feet to camp 40 from thence climb
the mountain 1900 feet higher the OF 244 feet
the mile here you viii find yourself 1888 feet or
than mile and Mreeqaartsrs higher than the level of
the sea then descend the farther side Of the
1856 feet 10 camp as and look back towards Kansas
Be Then ascend to still higher passto Coo
chatope selfmore than 10000 feet high the Hottest pass
in North America yet surveyed pass down its westerly
deevity 1000 feet and again look for Kaasos Then
eend the mount which is 9342 feet high still Kansas
is of sight for Coochatope is 1000 feet higher
Go west to station ST. and you 1900 feet lower then
suddenly ascend 700 feet then descend 600 still
rapidly then 900 feet then descend 900 feet within
mile or two then rise hill after hill till you gain 1900 feet
lneH at 10 be Haut
then ascend T29 feet the Of $50 et 70 The mite and
then descend the other side about 1900 feet the rate Of
52 feet e he mile But for weang Thereafter would
in the way go through the whole route Long before
reaching the Wah Saeh he would tho necessity Of
theory of optics Kansas and the need Of tun
nesn Of length hitherto unknown engineers, in order
to obtain practicable grades.
And yet of road so crooked and mountainous, Of
grades 30 utterly impracticahe those of this
shown by the surveys to be- Col. Benton grayely talks
to the House thus
This may be called straight line and fu!ls pri
mary condition of every kind of road and especially of
railroad where speed of handrsd miles honr may be
easily attained and say the third of that velocity
in road Of crooks and curves
With such 1. man how can reason2 He takes up
and advocates absurdity grayey aud with all the
zeal inspired apostle Nine hundred and forty three
miles Of his lie through country every foot Of
which is half mile high and upwards just imagine
road built from here to Boston stills 264o feet high
Cold and storms would be felt up there But 1906
miles ree-fourhs Of mile high and upwards; a6a
miles are One Mile high Nor is this all 27s miles are
found by the engineers be $500 feet hight and eighty
four miles are actually male and half high The low
est passes found through tor mountains exceeded in
900 eetl OF one Of the difficulties incident these
lofty mountains and ranges of mountains, Captain Gum
nison thus speaks:
The labor Of crossing this ridge has been very considers
BILE, which is partly owing however, to The rared amos-
1here great eepaon. Both and animals
exhausted and obliged constantly to stop and rest,
where lower altitude would have been required
Our all doubled without being then able to do
the ordinary work of single and the strongest sat
down OF breath after few moments exertion."
Can sensible will not say democrai-blame
the administration for not prosecuting still further into
this desole region survey which had already so
many valuable lives and exhibited by lis results country
so forbiadng2 OF the country lying beyond that which
have been describing and which Colonel Benton
plains Of the administration for surveying Mr. FREE
mont speaks thus;
We found the country high table land briaing eA
often in short isolated blocks, and
mulsed into considerable ranges, with open and
low passes.
s'We thus always in valley, and always surrounded
by mountains less closely which apparently altered
in shape and position advanced The raeys dry
and naked, eDhoaf mater rood but The
generally covered with grass and well wooded with pines
Springs very and occasional small
mote distances Not human being encountered be-
tween the Santa Clara road the Mormon settlements
and the Sierra Nevada, distance OF than
hundred nes The solitary character Of his uninhabted
region and naked valleys without courses, among
so,la nd nj