, 1855-03-10

ticability or advantages of the routes pro
posed, as railroad routes about which see
tional controversies exist. The object il
chief should be to get practicable Stage
!. Route, and that through a country that
Glls tue conditions Of subsisting a civilized
population. The route should have abun
dance of wood, water, grass, agricultural
land and minerals. This is enough
1t is calculated that the first year, the
stock may be sustained on the grass of the
plains and mountains, to be cured aud put
up by the stationed men. The second yeal
will find corn and grain growing at every
station.
The protection of the line would consist
in the frequency Of the stations-ihe mer
placed to protect them but chiefly in the
passengers, going by scores, and all armed
to and fro on the line
The income of the line would consist in
the fareNOf way and through passengers
Suppose the line to run daily, and each
stage to carry ten through passengers, at
500 piece. there would be received, ia
the year, $3.50, 900 for through passengers
alone. The way business would probably
equal or surpass this amount, and run up
the passenger fares to 81 500, 900 year.
But if this Overland Line shall beat the
Ocean Line in time, as it certainly would
in picturesqueness and health, there is no
reason why it should not carry thirty thou
sand passengers each way yearly-creating
movement of sixty thousand persons an
nually through St. Louis and Missouri, 10
be passed over Missouri Railroads, and to
contribute TO our City and States growth
aud wealth. And such q movement of pas
sengers would pay to the Overland Stage
Line 81, ,OO0, 900 year, say nothing Of the
vast benefit to our State in incidental ways.
The next important source of rcrcnue to
the Company would be the transportation Of
gold dust from California to st. Louis-ior
it could be brought to st. Louis more
cheaply than taken to New York by ocean
steamers. This would he the first step to-
wards obtaining mint at St. Louis to do
the coming Of the millions Of gold brought
monthly to the States.
A third source of revenue would be the
profits Of Il mail contract, for il, as the Cal
ifornians contend, they can by IN Overland
Stage Line, come from Sacramento City to
Independence, Mo-, in twelve days and a
half, the mails will be compelled to be con
veyed on TO this line.
These are the views-this the project
which we have been for weeks agitating
and urging in the InteiHgenoer, aud we re
peated the, same to the meeting on Satur-
day evening.
After this opening, Gen. Ranney made a
few remarks, and f. p. Blair, Esq, fol-
lowed in clear and convincing review Of
the great merits Of the enterprise. Col. d.
d. Mitchell was next called on, and made
on iEPrOmptu but most forcible and perfect
ly conclusive argument, both on the prac-
ticability of the project and its national i'm
portance. Col. Mitchell is one of our most
Experienced and successful mountain men,
and knows whereof he afirms. Col. NJ.
impressed on the meeting the very immi-
nent danger this country was in, Of con-
flict with some European government, in
the present excited and warlke condition
of things abroad. If such thing occurs,
men-ofwar, pirates and privatcers will
sweep all our California gold from the ocean,
and it must reach the States overland, or
every bank in the Union will be broken,
and almost every business man crushed
This line would secure safe, speedy and
unobstructed transit for all the gold pro-
duced in California, and in case Of foreign
war would save the country from ruin and
make fortune for itself. Col. Mitchell
having spent seven years in the Rocky
Mountains, unhesitatingly pronounced the
opinion that the Stage would never be more
materially obstructed by snow in winter
than the stage lines in New York or Mas
sachusetts. Col. Robert Campbell, On old
trader happily corroborated Col. Mitchell's
opinion on this point Col. Campbell win.
tered as early as 1926 in the Great Salt
Valley. He has grown gray, as well as
amassed fortune, in the mountain trade.
He stated that out of three winters in four,
that he had passed near the mouth Of the
Yellowstone, there had been no snow to
hinder any kind Of travel The atmosphere
is so very dry, said Col c., in the noun.
tain region, that it SHOWS or rains but very
] little.
! COL Campbell gaze very interesting
" bhO mOuubAu
When it dies out in autumn, it dies natur.
ally into hay and does not rot during the
winter, on account of the dryness Of the all
and absence of moisture and in the spring
when it starts to grow afresh, the old stem
with the dry top commences growing agair
and pushes up the dry, or hay part, while
the stem is new and green below. Thus
the young grass Of spring, instead degiving
stock the ''scours" and weakening them
strengthens and fats them during oil kinds
OF service, although there may be an entire
lack of grain.
!, K.McKenzie corroborated all these state
ments, he having been for many years en-
, gagged jRt 1ame mountain life.
i Mr. HolA y, Of California, gave some
interesting views TO the meeting. He ha,
been much engaged in stock driving across
, the Plains, and believes in the Overland