The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-12-12
AARON v. BROWN, II. 81


JOHN BUITERFIELD, IL. 81 Sept, 16.
w. b. DINSMORE, H. S.
a WIN. G. FARGO, H. s
j. v. p. GARDNER, H. s. g
M. L. KINYON, H. s,
ALEX. HOLLAND, IT, s q
H. SPENCER, H. s. Z"
ID. NJ BARNEY, H. s. ''e
JOHNSTON LIVINGSTON, H. 8. %
DAVID MOULTON, H. s..
ELIJAH p. WILLIAMS, H. g.
Signed sealed and delivered by the Postmaster Gen
eral in the presence Of
And by the other parties hereto in the presence Of
REvERDy JOHNSON.
6t ISAAC v. FOWLER.
hereby certify that am well acquainted with Dan
ford N Barney Johnston Livingston, David Moulton and
Elijah p. Williams, and the condition of their property
and that after full investigation and inquiry am well
satisfied that they good and sufficient srctcs for the
amount in the foregoing contract. A
ISAAC v. FOWLER,
Postmaster at New York, N Y.
IEndorscment.l
Ordered That whenever the contractors and their Sc
cures shall file in the Post Office Department request
in writing that they desire to make the junction OF the
branches Of said road at Preston instead of Little
Rock the department will permit the to be done by
route not further west than Springfield in Missouri
thence by Fayetteville Bureh, and Fort Smith,
In the State of Arku. Js, to the said junction Mt
near the town OF PreslJn in Texas but said
line will be adopted the express condition that
the said contractors shall not claim demand from
the department or from Congress any increased cOpen-
stion for account of such change in the route from
St. Louis of the point of junction OF the two routes
from Little Rock to Preston and the further express
condition that whilst the amount of lands to which the
contractors may DO entitled under the act of Congress
may be estimated either of said branches from Preston
to St Louis Memphis, at their option, yet the said
contractors shall take onehaf Of that each Of
said branches that neither shall have advantage in
the way of stations and settlement the other and
case said contractors in selecting and locating their
lands shall disregard this condition. give undue adj
vantage to of said branches the other the de-
partment reserves the power of dscontinung said
route from ST. Louis to Preston and to hold said
tractors and their securities to the original route and
terms expressed and set forth in the body of this
tract. AARON v. BROWN,
Postmaster General
SEPTrssRER ILL., 1857
Having furnished the above detail Of facts the depart
ment does not consider IL improper to submit few OBJ
servatons in relation to the which induced
preference for the route selected.
The law of Congress not being mandatory, the depart
ment did not feel at liberty in the exercise Of sound
discretion to select any route which it considered
physically impossible to obtain the service within the time
and by the mode of conveyance specified in the act The
trip was to be made within twenty five days. in four
horse coaches suitable for the conveyance Of passengers
well the safety and security Of the mails Applying
these requirements to the northern pro-
posed from St. Louis by Fort Independence, Fort Lara
mie Salt Lake. Sc, the department had the record
ed experience of many years against the pactca-
bility of procuring anything like regular and
tain service on that route. The United States had
had mail carried for years on that route and the
returns in the department. showed the most conclusive
facts against its selection The mails for November De-
cember, and January, 1S50-'51, did not arrive until
March, 1851. The winter months of l85l52 were very
The carrier and postmaster reported that they
started in tme but had to turn back The mails of Feb
ruary, March, and December of 1853 were impeded by
deep snow. Those of January and February 1854, on
account of deep snow, did not arrive until the month Of
April There improvement in the service even
down to the November mil of 1886 which left
pendence on the first of November and, account Of
deep snow, obliged to winter in the mountains The
snow caused almost on entire failure for four months of
the year These actual experiments made from the year
1850 to the present tme without referring to the
ring testimony of explorers and travellers put this route
entirely out of the question
The next route to be considered the by Albu-
querquc-whether the same might start from Memphis
or ST. Louis Is this route sufficiently level and exempt
from snow ice and extremely cold weather to give the
promise that the required service be performed with
regularity and certainty throughout the entire year and
il it can be performed it be done with reasonable
safety and comfort to the passengers who to be
ported over IL The transmission of the letter
mail was certainly not the sole object of the law It
looks expressly to the comfort Of travellers in the stage
and doubtless to the millions Of cmigrants and others
who for ages might pass to and from Pacific States
By an inspection of the general profile sheets accompa
nying the Pacific Railroad Reports IL will be that
the mean elevation of the plateau of the Sierra Madre and
Rocky mountains is about 1000 feet above Of
the near the 35th parallel Albuquerque I'd y and
near the 32d parallel Gel Paso rouc it about 900 or
1900 feet, lieutenant Perke) giving difference OF
$500 or 5000 feet This difference in elevation in
chronological point of view is very important MS will
be shown by comparison of extremes of climate on these
routes. 1 Its..tt s4.,l ftF,t5
Next, with regard TO the climate of winter particular
y along these routes, present the following facts
Albuquerque rome. AT Albuquerque according TO the
meteorological report of the medical department of the
United States army, the maximum and minimum tempe.
turcs respectively were for the winter months of s4g
and 1850 in December, $50, 5o january, 400 minus
12o February, $40, l7o For 1850 and 1851 : in De-
ccmber, $40, minus 50 January, 57o, so February,
$50, 70. For 1852 and 1858 in December, $50 30 !;
january, $50, l9o; February, 66o, l3o. For 1858 and
1854 in December, 66o, 200; January $40 so Feb
ruary, 67o, l5o and in December 1884 $50 100 Te
At Fort Defiance, about twenty miles north of Camp
bells Pass in latitude and from 800 to 500 higher
the maximum and minimum temperatures respectively
were: for the month of December, 1851, ego 40 Is
inches snow. For 1882 and 1858 in December. 500
20 january, $50, TO; February, $50, 60 For 1853
and 1854 y in December, $40, CO. January, 400 minus
200; February, $40, 20. For 1854 and 1855 Dcccm-
ber $50, 100; January, 500, minus no. February,
6lo, l3o For 1858 md 1856 December, see, minus
ESQ; january, $40, minus so; February, $40, minus
80.