The Placer herald., 1856-02-23
Railroad Extension,

competed from the CITY OF sacramento to
Folsom, on the American river, and in
few days our stages will be running regularly
from this town to the upper depot. With
scarcely any advantages over any mining
town III Placer county, we find the village
of Folsom, upon our border, springng as it
were in an hour into place of commercial
Importance by virtue of the advantages it
derives from being the temporary terminus
of this railroad. 1t is estimated that the
stock Of the road, incomplete as it is, will
shortly pay two per cent. per month upon
the capital stock invested. Stage routes are
being established, radiatng from the depot
to every section of the mountain country
contiguous to it, and a feverish anxiety on
the part of the business men and travelling
public generally to adopt this road for their
uses, is daily made more and more manifest.
These facts are worthy the serious reflection
of our citizens for they are the mathemati-
cal conclusions Of experience. This railroad
enterprise is no longer matter Of doubt
it is reduced to a practical certainty-a pay
ing investment.
The destination of this road is said to be,
ultimately, the city Of Marysvie In its
passage it will traverse the county of Placer
along the line of the foot hills where they
break into the plains. This will be of meal
cuable advantage to the ranchmen and far
mers along tie line, and perhaps to the
county at large. Something is wanted to
connect us with the great marts of California
trade, and develop the resources Of this
mountain county. We have extensive for
ests OF fine timber, numerous streams for the
use of machinery, limestone and marble
quarrics, and many other resources Of which
mention could be made. Shall we continue
to trundle along in cumbrous, obsolete stage
coaches, through dust and mre, as usual!
drag our stores with painful toll, in heavy,
jolting wagons and OK teams? Or would it
become us rs men, to make some move,
tending if possible to draw to ourselves the
benefits of this railroad. We are not am
bilious of Auburn; it is village now, and
will be nothing more, in all human proba-
bility, during our day and generation. Great
cities are built now, only where necessity re-
quires them, and in this relation commerce
is necessity. San Francisco is by nature the
city of California and the Pacific, unless in
deed these earthquakes shall knock our cal
culations in the head. BE that as it may, we
want branch of this road to pass from its
present terminus through Auburn to Grass
Valley and Nevada. This, from what we
can understand, is physically feasible. Au
burn is about seventeen miles from Folsom;
the rise from there to this point is no more
than fortv-ive feet to the mile. From this
to Grass Valley there is succession Of val
leys, which will probably give about the
same grade. Perhaps Nevada is equally ac-
cessable, but of that we cannot speak from
personal knowledge, Upon some of the
roads in the Atlantic States the grade at
some points, is as much as one hundred and
ten feet to the mile. If then, it is as we rep
resent it, the scheme is entirely practicable.
As to the means to be taken to obtain this
desired result we confess ourselves at loss
to advise. 1t would seem proper for our
citizens to hold meeting and take some ac-
ton. No doubt our friends in Nevada coun-
ty and Sacramento would lend US their sup
port and assist in the work, They are quite
as deeply interested as we Of Placer
We have made these suggestions at this
time, and though crude as they are, believe
we have discharged one among our many
duties in calling public attention especially
to the matter In the future we shall have
more to say about it, and will probably be
better prepared with reasons in support Of
the measure.