The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-03-10
Pacific Railroad observation-disclosures OF tn,
Secretary OF War-BentOn Quasled.

vtnr-nehuOn
The Report Of the Secretary of War on the
several Pacific Railroad Explorations" is be-
fore us. 1t is an interesting and instructive
document; but for the present the pressure of
the immediate news and business affairs of the
day leaves no room in our columns for this re-
port in full. It embraces careful review of
the capabilities and drawbacks of the following
routes, from the actual surveys
FIRsT-The extreme northern route, Major
Stevens, between The 47th and 10th parallels
of latitude, starting from st. Paul, in Mime
sofa territory, and striking the Pacific at Pd-
gets SonDd, or the mouth of the Columbia, in
Oregon. This will require road, allowing for
ascent and descent of 2,207 miles. Estimated
cost, $50, 81 900. The impediments in this
route are the mountains to be tunnelled, the
numerous rivers to be bridged, the scarcity of
timber, the GOODNESS of the climate, and its
proximity to the British possessions.
SECoND-Route Of the forty first parallel,
Mormon route,) commencing on the nayigable
waters of the Missouri, or on the Platte river.
and striking thence over the Plains to the So lth
Pass, thence to the Great Salt Lake, thence
across the Great Basin to the Sierra Nevada
chain, thence over tina. chain, and down to the
Sacramento river and down the same TO Benicia.
just above San Francisco, on the same harbor
Estimated distance from Council Blufs to Be.
nicia, 2,03l miles; estimated cost. 0o5, 900.
Distractions same as in the first route. including
wider deserts and deeper and roughar NOUN
tain gorges
,rf ha 49, a.; 81
more Familiarity known as Benton's great Gen.
trail route, pronounced utterly impracticable
from it's mountain distractions. Estimated
length from Westport to San Francisco, 1850
miles. The Typographical Engineers gave up
all estimates of the cost of road by this route,
in absolute despair. Thus much for old Bull
lion and bis buffalo trails, when reduced to sci
entiic engineering.
FouRTH-Route Of the thirty-fifth parallel
Senator Rusk's route)- beginning at Fort
Smith, in Arkansas, thence westward to Albu-
querque on the Upper Rio Grande, thence
across the Rocky Mountains and the Colorado
of the West and great desert basin and its
mountains, and the lower end Of the Sierra Ne
vada chain to San Pedro at the southern ex-
tremity of California, on the Pacific. This
route is about as bad as Ben.on's, although
the engineers think that 3,l37 equated miles
and l69,2l0,265 might, perhaps, do the work.
FIFTH-Route near the thirsy.second paral-
lei, or the extreme southern route, via Texas,
New Mexico FL Paso and the ella to the Pa
cifc. Estimated distance from Fulton in Ar
kansas, to San Pedro on the Pacific, 1,61s
miles-equated length allowing for ascents
and descents, 2,239 miles. Estimated cost,
sos, 900.
The advantages OF this route are, that it is
practically third shorter than any Of the
others between the Mississippi and the Pacific
that il goes by the flank Of the Rocky Moua-
taips and the Sierra Nevada chain, instead Of
going over or under them--that the route Is
over region ofelevated table lands requiring
little or no grsdiDg-and that the soil is dry
and free from snow from one end to the other
except occasional light falls in New Mexico,
The drawbacks Of this route are, that after leav-
ing Arkansas it Is q continuous desert to the
Pacific, without timber and withou. water, ex-
ceps at an oasis here and there, of long dis
tances apart The Secretary Of War proposes
to supply water by ar:esian wells, and to trans
port the necessary timb er from the two ends of
the road to bridge over the desert
RscAPTULArIos.
From Official Reports OF Engine.rs.1