Washington telegraph., 1856-03-12
From the Railroad Reoord.I
The Texas Pacific Railroad and
its ADVANTAGES.

ITTcW Lfc llduFoQd Rec0Td-t
The Texas Pacific Railroad and
| its Advantages.
F.! Since the thorough examination of the
/ Texas route TO the Pacific, both by the Gov
ernment Surveyors and by Col Gray, new
facts have come to light, and that line ha:
unques;iOnably the vantage ground The
reasons upon which it is now preferred, and
which rest on incontrovertible facts, are
/ these:
L. Taking the centre of the population
Of the United States, which is In the Uppe,
Ohio Valley, as point Of departure, and
the Texas route is the nearest to a port OF
the Pacific ocean: and. therefore, the Jesl
and most cOncenient 10 the greatest NUM-
Der of the population Of the United States.
This fact is incontrovertble, if the Govern
meBt surveys are correct Thus, taking
Cincinnati, the centre OF the Ohio valley, as
point of departure, and We have this re-
suit:
Cincinnati to Chicago, $50 mise.
Chicago to Council Bluffs, 449
Council Bluffs to Benicia, via
South West Pass, vide the
Government Explorations 2,032 /"
Aggregate distance on lat 400 2,741 :"
Cincinnati to Cairo, $50 "
Cairo TO Fulton. $40 "
Fulton to San Diego via Ell Paso
Government Explorations II, $50 /"
Aggregate on the 32' 2,279
nif.ranca caro. of III
IA miles. The route of the South West
Pass is the most favorable one, north of 32o
latitude; so that We need compare with no
other. This great difference in favor Of
the Texas route holds true of Cairo and
Springfield. Illinois: of Evansville. Madi
son and Indianapolis Indiana of Colum-
bus and Cleveland, Ohio and of all the
States south Of the Ohio river; SO that, to
the northwest, as well as the southwest the
Texas route is the shortest and the most tru-
" national. 1t is equally true, that this is
the best, as will appear from subsequen;
facts.
2. It is no; only the shortest line from
the Central West; bat presents the slo,test
possible route from the nauigaJke waters of
the Mississippi. to the navigable waters of
the Pacif; ocean We have the testimony
OF Maj S. p. Heiutzelman, who was three
years resident at Fort Yumah on the Col
urado--t.iat steamboats, of four feet drausbt
nayigated the Colorado in the years 1852
AID 1888 al the io,cea stage Of scater-
When the Texas road, then. shall reach the
Colorado, i; is on the zsarigabte ,eatcrs Of
fhe PesciEc. But. this point is 260 miles
eas, of San Diego Deducting this from
the whole distance. and We have only thtr-
teen hundred nttLeS of raiIroad to connect
the navigab.e waters Of the Mississippi with
those of the Pacific But, from Council
Bluffs to Bepicia, the nearest distance On
the 40, is 2.G32 miles. In ether words,
between the Mississippi aud the Pacific
there is an actual gain on tile TEXAS route
IF scren hunared naiics!! This is one
third Of the whole I'll apce This alone
should determine the whole question. 1t is
decisive
3 The Harbor of San Diego is good
harbar, and ample for all purp ,ses. so that
there is not only no need of g1iug TO Sin
Francisco TO find harhor, bII for large
part of the coin .ncrce of the Pacific. San
Die 70 VIII be b.ttcr point. Tue descrip-
tiOn of that harbor, given by those acquaint-
ed With 1t. Is tha9 the entrance is about one
fourth of mile broad. and the length of
the harb,r about four miles: The United
States men-of war and the mail ships of the
Pacific Company, have both moores, easily
and safely. a: the wharves OF San Diego
The harbor is completely locked in. and am
PIE enough for any purpose. There Is.
therefore, no need of making a railroad d.
recily to San Francisco, any more than TO
the mouth OF the Columbia, Puget's Sound
or any other point. The idea that San
Francisco has the erctuStre right to Pa
ciiic railroad, is one WHICH should be repu-
dated at once. 1t may be commercially con
venient and proper TO have branch road
there aud ii it is, California should furnish
large part Of the means.
t. There is another consideration Of in
mense Importance in building road 10 the
Pacific. 1t Is the cost Of rusaitg it and
here We niust consider climatic Influences.
1t is not yet certain that a railroad can be
run through the Rocky mountains in the
winter season. Let Us examine for a mo-
ment tie circumstances under which it must
bc run The influence of climate on rail-
roads has not yet been fully aseertained, for
10 very systematic observations have been
made ON the effect Of cold and snow on the
running of railroads; but. in the experience
OF the Nes0 York s- Ere, and the Penn
syLra5ata, we have clements of an estimate
In the first place. let US see what kind Of
obstruction Of this kind may be met with
on the slope of the Rocky mountains ?
Those who read the Reports Of the Gov,
ernment officers, and the arguments Of
those who favor Pacific Railroad through
the Northern Pass will observe that great
efforts are made to show that in the a0ester,
slopes of the Rocky mountains. in Oregon
and Washington territories, the depth of the
snow is small, and no great obstruction need
be apprehended from that source. But. in