Butte record., 1856-01-12
paciGc Railroad.

I'LL -1COOhu i'ftl 'iiOt, iO'o IL VI ''c4 NtV
we yeiw the route. 1t is urged that
it is the shortest route for the main
trunk of the road, an assertion which
we are not disposed to doubt; but the
main trunk after It's completion, will
not meet the business demands of the
nation, without spending as much more
for the construction Of plugs and side
roads, than would a railroad from Utah
to Kamscatka. The main trunk, as
proposed by this company, comm 9nces
at Fulton, extending through Texas
and along the Gadsden purchase, to
San Pedro, and its estimated cost IS,
sixty-nine millions of dollars. The
estimated cost of its extension to San
swells the aggregate amount to one
hundred millions Of dollars. To this,
must be added side cut, or extension
from Fort Chadboune, in Texas, to
St. Louis, Missouri. The extensions
would be necessary, before the read
could assume the character Of a national
thoroughfare, or accommodate the
business Of the nation. The cost Of
this latter extension, we do not find
estimated in the documents at hand,
and We are led to the conclusion that
it has been gurdedly excluded from the
documents Of the company, as it must
inevitably destroy their argument Of
cheapness, 50 constantly put forth in
favor of the route along the thirty
second parallel. It's length IS nearly
one thousand miles, and its construction
would swell the cost Of the road from
St. Louis to San Francisco, to as high
figure as the estimated cost of u
railroad on the thirty fifth parallel Of
latitude. 1t will thus be seen that the
argument Of cheapness so much used
in favor Of the southern route, for a
road to transact the business Of the
nation, falls to the ground. The cost
Of road along the thirty-ffth parallel
as estimated by government survey, is
one hundred and sixty-nine millions OF
dollars. We have already shown by
documentary evidence, that it will cost
nearly that amount to connect San
Francisco and St. Louis by railroad,
with the main trunk on the thirty
second parallel. And now, we shonld
like to have our readers take a map
and trace the proposed line Of the road
from St. Louis to San Francisco. Its
initial point is in latitude thirty nine,
from thence it Sweeps down to the
thirtv-second, and comes back up to
the thirty-eighth, at San Francisco.
1t describes a beautiful half circle, and
the policy of running cars on such a
curve might be considered dangerous,
still We suppose it could be done. The
: inducements in favor of this route over
. others, are the grant of lands by Texas
to aid in the construction Of a poltion
of it, and the fact that it accommodates
New Orleans with a Plug, the line Of
which, as laid down the map, rivals
the appearance of rams horn.
Its fact which will not be disputed
that the placers of Alta California,
have to furnish the means for the
construction of the road, and her people
. are called upon to expend their capitol
in opening the quicksilver mines of the
Gadsden purchase, and of Mexico-in
depopulating our cities, and building
| up others-leaving the richest section
of Gods earth to be traversed by pack
mules and greasers, and build a road
through a section Of country incapable
Of supporting population. 1t seems
to Us that our own welfare and future
prosperity, as well as the interests Of
the nation, if not of the road Itself,
demand that more central route
should be selected. The road, when
finished to San Diego, will remain
there, and the construction of the
proposed plug from thence along the
coast to San Francisco, will be deemed
useless. According to the accounts
of authorized surveys, is as large and
commodious a harbor as that of San
Francisco. In the documents before
it Is set forth as amply eapacious, for
"all the ocean traffic of the Pacific, ,
and large enough to hold comfortably
more than thousand vessels at time.
The report of the Secretary Of War,
IN favor of the Southern route, does
not cover the whole ground. A road