New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-10-08

numbers 10 their settlements, cut of though they
tired and contemp. than BY the deserts that sur
"round them. Such an emigration, however, can
"only take place by finding certain elements Of
prosperity in the new regions TO which 1t is
'sought TO attract il; and hence il follows that
considerations relating to the nature Of the coun
Try TO be trayersed, climate fertility, and sbun
dance Of wood and water must override, in the
| 'chOice of the route for road destined to unite
1.-The two oceans, considerations of purely tech
'ncal kind. and which relate only to the construc-
ton and working If the road.
II is IN these grounds, and viewing the question
in the light Of these considerations that our re-
viewer who occupies the position of an impartial
critic and disinteresed party, rejects as imprac-
ticable that southern route by the parallel OF -
and the valley of the Gila to which the official
reports On the surveys give so decided preference
The arguments urged in favor of this route are,
the comparative owness of the summit, and ITS
comparative freedom from engineering difficulties;
though as to this latter point the reviewer does not
think the case ia quite so clearly made cut. The
point of view, occur at the western end, and after
the Pacific ha, been reached H. indeed, the road
were to stop at the insignificant harbor OF san
Diego these difficulties would he avoided; but in
order to mi he the road what il is intended TO be-a
means of easy traffic and intercourse between the
commercial centers of the East and West--it must
be continued to San Francisco. The shortest
route for such a continuation would be alorg the
western slope Of the coast chain Of California.
But no practicable route in this direction has yet
been found The spurs of the mountains jutting
into the SEA, and the PERCEPTIONS channels of the
rivers present insuperabc obstacles. The route
actually proposed abandons the coast of the Pa
cifc crosses the coast chain, aud enters into the
great basin, trayerses q part of il. plerces the
chain Of the Sierra Nevada at the point where II
joins the coast chain and descends thence into the
valley Of the San Joaquin, which it follows to the
Bay Of San Francisco. This immense and la
borious detour, crossing and recrossing the coast
chain, quite deprvss this route of the claim it
might have, could it but stop at San Diego, of be-
ing the shortest of those surveyed.
But the objections to this route far from being
confined to this particular portion of it, as short
resume of the surveys will show. The first part of
the route at the eastern end, surveyed by Cap
tain Pope trayerses for three four hundred miles
the plains of Texas, almost everywhere covered
with forests From this, the only inhabitable por-
,ion Of the whole route, the road ascends to the
famous Lidno Estaeodo, OF Staked Plains cccu-
pyng the northwestern part of Texas and the
eastern part of New-MexicO. These elevated
plains occupying 100 miles of the route, per-
fecty level and so hard that no road-bed would be
required; but they also perfect desert, with
out wood grass or water.
From the Staked Plains the proposed line of the
southern road crosses the river PicOs aud pene-
trstes without difficulty the Guadalupe mountains
which separate that tributary stream from the |
ma n Rio Grande. From that river to the waters |
Of the ella the country consists of series Of shall
wv basins over the rims Of shich it is easy to find
very practicable passes, but these great depres-
sions are like the Staked Plains almost entirely |
destitute If water and wood. The line then fol-
lows, for than 2C0 miles the valley of the
ella to its junction with the Colorado This valley
is described by Lieutenant Parke, who surveyed
hat part If the route as long plain, gently de-
seending bounded by mountain ridges All hills Of
small elevation and pres nt-ng great facilities Tor
the construction ola railroad. Beyond the Colorado
in order to reach San Diego it is necessary to tray-
erse a new desert, aud to penetrate the coast
chain Of California by the pass of San Gorgione.
The entire route, after leaving the forests OF
Texas is through sterile and arid country en-
tirely destitute of wood, and large portions of it
without water. Suppose the railroad built, with
cut fuel and without water, how is it to be worked
Ia the constant improvements made in engineering
there may be fair hopes Of overcoming any o.
stacles presented by the mere confguration of the
country, but what can be done without water and
without fuel! 1t has been proposed to find water
BY boring artesian wells, but our reviewer doubts
the feasibility Of that method; for even supposing
that the strata Of the country are disposed to
favor such wells, which nobody knows, where in
that rainless country is the water TO come from to
fill those subteuanean sponges by which such wells
are supplied
But suppose all these difficulties overcome there
is no hope that the deserts Of New-MexicO and
Southern Cslifornia-the true American Sahara
ever become inhabited-a fact confessed by the
very engineers 40 loud in their praises Of this route.
1t is not so much that the soil is sterile that no
rain falls or very insufficient quantity, that
crops are TO be expected except in those tracts Of
Insignificant extent capable of irrigation. These
facts, i'll the estimate Of the reviewer, are absO.
lutely fatal to this route; and if the road is to be
built at all il must find some other, of which the
natural advantages are greater, though the e8g.
neering facilities may be less.