San Andreas independent., 1856-12-20
Atlantic and Pacific Rail Road
The Route by the Big Tree.

Want of room compels us to defer an
answer, we have in view, to the recent
arguments of the Sacramento Union, on
this subject. When the Union can con-
vince us that Sacramento is South of
Stockton, then we will believe the asser-
ton that Sacramento Uid. Mokelumne Hill
is the nearest point to Carson Valley
We publish the following able letter Of
Mr.. L. w. Noyes, ON the subject; it en-
braces facts not heretofore published, and
We cheerfully give it the leading position
in our columns, as the arguments he uses
are incontrovertible.
MURpHY's, Dec. 10th, 1856.
Mr. Editor In your last issue l noticed ar
article headed atlantic and Pacific Railroad
The Route by the Big Tree in which you urge
the practicability of railroad by that route
and the necessity of a wagon road as prelim-
mary step in the accomplishment of that great
work
port of Surveyor General Marlette, for 1885, (in
which the attitudes of all the Passes in the
Sierra Nevada Mountains, except the CalaveraS
Pass, are given,) will notice the important fact
that every route, excepting the Big Tree route,
passes over two distinct SUBMITS, with q great
depression between them. On the old Carson
road, the Carson Pass is 1872 feet. and the
Western Summit 9,036 feet, and the two Sum-
mits are eight miles apart, while the lowest
point given between is ,96l feet lower than
the summit, giving grade of $50 feet per mile
Can railroad be built there?
Again: Luther's Pass, the highest point on
the Johnson route, has an elevation of 7,l85
feet, while the lowest point between that and
Johnson's Pass, is ,224 feet lower, and only
four miles distant which will require grade
of 300 feet per mile Can railroad be built
there?
Now, on the Big Tree route there is but one
Pass, which has an elevation of 600 feet, or
ffty-t,co feet lo,rer than the lo,cest point on any
other route across the Sierras; and this is so
easy of ascent and descent that immigrants
have crossed the mountain without suspecting
it, and even after arriving at the Big Tree have
supposed that they had not yet reached the
summit
But, for the purposes of a railroad, the line of
the Immigrant Road as recently laid out, is not
the best one. The better route would be from
Carey's Mill, along the base of the Carson range,
in southernly direction, gradually rising and
turning westward for about fifteen miles, when
you will reach Indian Pass, (about four miles
south of Calaveras Pass, at an altitude of 1900
feet, or l,267 feet above Carey's Mill, giving a
grade of 81 feet per mile From this point, by
winding around few hills, an easy grade can
be obtained all the way to the Big Tree and
a much better route than can be found north
But the route which should, and venture to
predict, will eventually be adopted, will start
from some point lower down in Carson Valley
in the neighborhood of Lucky Bills, and ascend
the middle Fork of Carson river, by route al
most entirely level, distance of about twenty
five miles to Little Valley, at an elevation of
$500 feet, or thirty-two feet to the mile. Little
Valley is only half mile distant from Indian
Pass, and 900 feet below it. Here, then, one
might say, is an insurmountable obstacle =
For the sake of argument | admit it to be
an insurmounta6le obstacle but not an impene-
sra6le one; for tunnel could be cut directly
underneath Indian Pass and Indian Valley,
through to Mokelumne Valley, distance of
three mies-giving just sufficient grade for
drainage. Tunnelling this place would save
the ascending and descending of 1000 feet;
would avoid all the heaviest SHOWS, and also
avoid many circuitous windings, and thus save
many miles of road.
In Mokelumne Valley the route would cross
the Immigrant Road and proceed down the Mo-
kelumne river on the south side, at an easy and
regular grade to the Big Meadows, where the
divide between the Mokelumne and Stanislaus
rivers breaks off. Proceeding around the end
of this divide across the Valley and the Immi-
grant Road in southerly direction, you take
thence the south side of the ridge on which
the wagon road now goes, until you again
strike the Immigrant Road about two miles be-
low Black Springs; then follow, pretty much,
the line of the road to the Big Tree, thence by
either divide to Murphy's, or Mokelumne Hill,
or San Andreas to Stockton and San Francisco.
Yours, respectfully, L. W. MOVES.
RoBBERY.-On last Sunday evening,