Butte record. (Bidwell, Butte County, Cal.) 1853-1858, 1855-03-17
The WAGON RoAp. We find in the

THE WAGON ROAD. We find in the
State Journal, a somewhat lengthy no.
tice of the bill introduced by Mr.. Far>
well, to establish wagon road to the
eastern boundary of the State, and the
accompanying report of the committee on
internal improvement, to whom it had
been referred. The bill provides that
the Surveyor General shall cause TO be
surveyed wagon road from the Sierra
mento valley terthe eastern boundary OF
the State The Governor, Secretary of
State. and Surveyor General are made a
board of Commi, sioners TO contract for
the making the road either as whole or
in sections. Seven per cent. bonds.
payable in ten years, to an amount not
exceeding one hundred thousand dollars
are to be issued TO pay for the road,
which is to be ''free public wagon road
made in such a manner us 10 allow the
free and convenient passage Of wagons
and other vehicles" The contractors
are to be pail monthly an amount equal
to seventy five per Mt. of the work
actually done, and the remining % pei
cent upon the completion of the work.
The journal also states that the Cons
missioners are to locate the road, at an
carly day IN what they shall deem the
most central and convenient route. We
infer from this. that the bill does not
provide for an examination of the differs
ent routes, with a view to the selection
of the most practicable one, but simply
requires the commissioners to select tie
central one and expend the app opriation
upon it, even though portion Of it sho'd
be buried in SNOW for eight months of
the year.
From the Journals notice Of the re-
port accompanying the bill, we see that
the committee en- internal improvents
objected to the route through Mobiles
Pass, as being ''too far north to accom>
modate the immigration, and because it
will be impossible a great portion of the
year in consequence of snow" No
snow objection however, is raised to the
central rou te, although ii is stated that
the ''central and convenient" route
crosses the Sierra Nevada at an elevation
of $500 feet, while the route through
Mobiles Pass is mentioned as being only
between 5000 and 5000 feet above the
level of the sea. According to this phi>
losophy, snow at an elevation of 5000
feet, would be of sufficient depth to
interrupt travel, while an elevation OF
or 5000 feet would offer no such impcd>
iment, at least no such objection is urged
against the higher elevation. The
committee seem to have forgotten the
fact that last year, quite as large an
immigration entered the State through
Nob!es's Pass as through the central,
and through Beckwiih's and Mob es'
nearly twice the amount that entered b.
the Central route, Notwithstanding it is
objected 10 by the committee, as being
"too far north to accommodate the
immigration" 1t looks as if the central
was afraid Of losing the Immigration
unless something is done for the inn
provement of the route. This is all that
conld be expected, after a road had
been built on the central route, for no
one. acqua nted with the mountains of
California, will assert that road at an
elevation of 5000 or 5000 feet, would
be passable more than four or five months
of the year
We have not seer the report of the
committee. these remaks being founded
upon the Journals notice OF The report
We had supposed the bill was referred
to to the committee for the purpose of
being remodelied so as to require sur
vey of the differ mt routes. hut the Jour>
nal does not men ion such a provision
Will some member forward US a copy of
the bill and report
On the Beckwourth route, the dis
lance from Bidwell to Beckwourth's
valley is stated at about l45 miles. This
is mistake Of at least 90 miles But
We will refer to the subject again after
having seen the BILL
VEGEraBLEs-We have neglected to