The true Democrat., 1855-02-07
Pacific Railroad-No. |.

Betore Congress-Ihe Fort Smlth Route-Direc-
 tioa cf the Route Surveye1-Dtstaace- -G'ades
 and Cuvves cf Ae Ro,ae-,Snoac File! and Wa-
 ter-Estimotes cf Cost cf Construction, etc., etc.
 Washington, ?. C., Jan. 1lth, 1855.
 DEAR JOHNSON: N:-The Pacific Railroad is now before Congress- In the House the debate on 1t closes on next Tuesdav-and in the Se- nate on last Tuesday, Judge Douglas introduce ed bill authorizing and facilitating the con- struction of Northern, Southern and Gen. tral Pacific Railroad and Magnetic Tele graph through the territories of the United States; read twice and referred to the select committee
 The reports of the several surveying parties sent out in 1852, are before. Congress, and pro- pose giving you the main facts therein concern ing the construction of road over the various routes-beginning with
 The Fort Smith Route.
 This route was explored by Lieut.. A. w. Whipple, of the Typographical Engineers, from whose report the following statements are taken. The route surveyed was from Fort Smith via Albuquerque, to San Pedro on the Pacific.- The distance 1,045 miles. Upon the grades and curves of the route, the report says:
 From Fort Smith to the Pecos there is very little to impede the construction of a railway. But 1 think the opinion that has been pretty generally expressed throughout the country, that railway may be located anywhere, in whatever direction, across the praries, between the western frontiers of our States and the Rocky mountains, other things being equal, as cheap or cheaper than in the United States gen. erally is erroneous particularly y so with refer ence to that portion of the plains passed over by our exploration. Those extended praires being devoid of trees, afording an almost unl- mited range of vision, become softened by the effect of distance, and present the appearance of one uninterrupted surface as wild, and as wide, and as smooth as the ocean but in detail they are exceeding y uneven, being cut up by deep ravinies, with elevated spurs and ridges between them, some of them impracticable except by heavy summit cuttings and enormous embark ments across the valleys. There are, however, many favorable streams which take their rise under the Rocky mountains, and flow eastwards to the Mississippi and its tributaries, and it is in the valleys of these streams that the cheapest and best railway routes are found the passage from one valley to another requiring the same system of ascents and descents as most of the locations in the States.
 Among the most remarkable and most favo. rable of these streams in point of length and directness, and easiness of occupation, is the Canadian. The valley of this stream is pract- cable from its mouth to one of its sources near the Pecos, being, with but few exceptions, broad and free from obstacles A shorter and perhaps cheaper line may be had south of this river. from Fort Smith to the Antelope Hills, near the Tooth meridian of west longitude, thereby cut ting off the great bends and avoiding the earthly bluffs which are worn away by the action of the waters. These bluffs occur at intervals as far west as the Shawne settlements
 "From Fort Smith to Antelope HUs-The principal cutoff would be from Fort Smith to Chouteau's old trading post and from this point to the Antelope Hills. From Fort Smith good route extends up the Poteau river some ten or twelve miles, where it can be crossed more fa- vorably on account of its high banks thence up the valley of small creek, one of its tri- butaries called Basil creek. This valley heads in small range of mountains, or hills rather, which extend nearly parallel with Sans Bois creek. Passing this summit with grade of about fifty feet per mile as maximum, we get upon the waters of the San Bois creek, down which we descend to its great bend near Coo- per's creek, thence up the main branch to the divide between it and Gaines creek. This summit is an nconsiderable one, requiring abont forty-6ve feet per mile as a maximum grade Following down Gaines creek to its junction with Coal creek, the main branch of the South fork of Canadian; thence up the valley of Coal creek to its head crossing the divide between the Boggy, tributary of Red river, and the Canadian, about nine miles south of Shawnee village; continuing along the slopes of this ridge, across the gently rolling praires, with occasional strips of woodland, heading one of the leading streams of the Boggy, crossing Marcy's wagon trail about ten miles west of Shawnee Town to low place in the Canadian "divide;" thence down the slopes to that river, near the mouth of Topofki creek. From the head of Coal creek to this point it is believed there will be required no grade exceeding fifty two feet per mile.
 "From Topofki creek to the mouth of Wal nut (Simpson) or Chouteau's (Marcy) creek the