Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-07-22

ample supply Twenty-six miles beyond are the
Alamo Mucho Wells which can be eniargea, al
the same cost to any quantity desired. Thirty
miles further on are the Indian wells, Wnlcn VII
also yield an ample supply. Twenty niles luitnei
are the Sac kettS Wells, which are leu ny SUP
terranean stream, and can also be lndde 70 supply
any quantity Of water -
g these two distances from Tucson 10 the ella.
and from Fort Yuma to CaTissa, present the only
diraculties on the route United, the distance is
hut one hundred and ninety miles, and II is trav-
sled at all seasons of the year by heavily loaded
teams.
E.From Cari<a Creek Into san Diego the route
is well watered, and affords excellent grazing
The distance is one hundred and twenty five
miles, but the Supervisors of San Diego county
are now engaged in laying out new road which
will much shorten the distance.
"The statement that no important tlains ever
passed over the Southern route - totally absurd
that the readers of the Times must have been sur
pTised at the evident mistake The whole south
ern emigration in the early DAYS of the California
excitement passed over it, amounting in some
years to six or eight thousand souls, besides large
herds of cattle
1t is notorious that the principal herds of
cattle and sheep from the Upper Rio Grande
tRio Arriba) and many from Missouri are driven
down the Rio 'irande, and across, ria Tucson
and Fort Yuma, to California, in preference to
going across the old Spanish trail, part of
which, from the Vegas dc Santa Clara to the
Mojave river, is perhaps the worst desert road
on the face Of the globe. That whole distance
is blanched with the CHASTITY skulls and scat
tered bones of haplcss beasts that have per-
ished for the want Of water and from excessive
heat Eren human SkuiIs have been seen
along this road.
. Last year four Companies of the LIST Dragons
with more than Three Hundred horses, marched
from III PaSo TO Tucson and three moe couIpa-
mes passed over The entire route to Fort YTga,
California, with about two hundred horses and
large number Of mule teams without loss At
present Fort lumd is esteemed the most mpor-
tant post IN CALIFORNIA; and is oaFrisoned 10y three
companies, TO protect lie .HDgTahf trains on ihiS
SOnfhsTH route from Indian attack Two ferries
have heretofore found active employment in
crossing emigrants and cattle at the Colorado
River, near Fort Yuma They are now by pur-
chase at a large amount merged in one ( have
known the receipts Of the Colorado Company 10
be upwards of - 90 i'm one day. This does not
I Ionss much like an unknown and Impossible
The Postmaster General has shown much
Judgment and a thorough knowledge of the coun-
ty and its availability i'll selecting the southern
route. For years Il mail has been regularly car
ried from San Antonio TO FL Paso without din
Guilty or danger, except from Indians At present
monthly mail Is carried from Ell Pa>o 10 Tue
son. $40 miles west. by Government express for
the benefit of the troops III Arizona This ex-
press has Il military escort. Fort Yuma and san
Diego, California have for five wear, been con-
nected by a semi monthly mail Government ey-
press) which. during nv two wears service at
Fort luna, was as regular in It's arrival as the
steamer from the East at san Francisco
1.-The only part of the ne1lv-seleCted route not
now opened by mail j. that from Fort Yuma TO
Tucson. 26O miles. and this il almost daily trav-
eled by the people Of the Territory, by emlgrants
and will afford all the grain needed for the road
To I'll PaSO. The Pemas villages on the Gila
I,iver, will supply grain for the route to Fort
una, besides any quantity TO transport 20 any
desired point i depot Of supply
At Fort Yuma, last year d large quantity of
corn was allowed TO rot for want of mar ket and
there is grazing for ten thousand animals on the
river banks few military posts which would
be necessary on either of the other routes will
make the Southern route perfectly safe. and the
Immense mineral wealth. in silver and conner
Will at once draw to Arizona a large population
IL IS the only ara,inbls ,oue Mi seasons Of the
gear: The route through the South Pass is As
much closed by snow from four 70 sir months i'm
the year, Us if il was barred bya gate of adam,ut
During the winter Of ISIS was i'm the Salt
Lake Valley, and no mail from the East reached
Us from November TO April. The mail was AT
that time transported on pack mules, and was in
the charge Of experienced men, who had spent
heir lives on the plains.
eff they could not get the mail through either
way, how much less the chance is there for Con.
cord coaches, The central route il no better I
refer TO Col Fremont, or Lieut.. Beale to state
upon their reputation as travellers and mountain
men how much dependence can he placed upon
the regular transmission of a semi weekly mail
through the cochectoPec Pass, in December Ian
nary, February, or March. The route by FL PaSo
and Fort Yuma is open the entire wear On both
the other routes Auesian wells are necessary to
&et water, at convenient distances and this ne
Cessliy upon the Southern route IS therefore no
extraordinary argument against it, 1 NAV l,e al
lowed TO remark that the impression so generally
dlnused in the Eastern States, that Arizona Ter,
ntory IL desert. and a God forsaken country is
entirely erroneous Ii will he recoIlpcted tba,
California now celebrated AZ an agricultural
state, was stigmdtized with the same epthets
ana said TO produce nothing but gold Arizona
promises to convince the world that she is HE
10 produce silver enough to supply all the de-
lnands Of commerce, and to show to the emiyrant
IN search OF quiet and fruitful homestead beau
tiful valleys and clear running streams where he
may cultivate his crops with fullness of fruition
only known TO the virgin soil of our Western pos
sessions
Since We commenced the preparation of this
article, letter of Capt. A A. Humphreys
Typographical Engineers, published in the
C"to~ OF the 18th, confirms all that we have
said with reference to these routes His dis
tanees are few miles longer than ours: but
this is accounted for in this manner: From
Fort Yuma to San Francisco we have taken the
route proposed by the contractors, viz: through
8 GOrgonio, Cajon, Twas and Estero Passes :;
while he appears to have included the distance
by coast from S. Bernardino via Los Angeles.
and thence by Lieut.. Parke's proposed line of
railroad via Santa Barbara and S. Luis Obispo
Our article has drawn out to a great length
yet we cannot resist extracting from this letter.
coming as 1t docs from so good authority. and
confirming as it does, in an eminent degree
everything VIC have said on the subject Yet
with these extracts, we have by no means ex-
hausted the proof Of the pre-emin enee of the
Southern Route over all others. There is no
Disgusting the fact that this route is fast gain
ing friends from among the most strenuous ad-
vocateS OF the more northern routes, Us the ad
vantaSeS Of it are daily becoming patent
@ IL would, therefore. appear from all that has
vet been measured, or demonstrated az certain.
and even allowing all the possible reductions, IN
The lengths Of the other routes. that NAV result
rom future survey that The route of the I'D par
aiItl II, IN the languacc used by Secretary Davis
IA his report to Congress, the most practicable
ana economical route for railroad fIOm the Nils.
Sl>SipPl IiVef Ia the Pac hc Ocean, and !.not only
- this the shortest and least costly route TO the
Eac .fiC bit N Is lh.. sLnris>l and .h...n.>t r.