The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-12-13


question.
The next route to be considered was the one by
Albuquerque whether the same might start rom
Memphis or St. Louis. Ii this route sufficiently level
and exempt from snow, ice, and extremely cold
weather. to give the promise that the required ser
vice can be performed with regularity and certainty
throughout the entire year? and II 1t can be 30 per-
formed, can it be done with reasonable safety and
comfort to the passengers who are to be transported
ever t2 The mere transmission OF the letter mail
was certainly not the sole object Of the law II looks
expressly to the comfort Of travellers in the stage,
and doubtless to the millions Of emgants and others
who, for ages, might pass to and from our Pacific
States.
BY an inspection of the general profile sheets &C.
campaigning the Pacific Railroad reports, it win be
seen that the mean elevation of the plateau of the
Sierra Madre and Rocky Mountains il about 900 feet
above the level of the sea near the 35th parallel
SAlbuquerque routel and near the 32d parallel tEl
Paso route) it is about 1000 200 feet, Uieut.
Parke,) giving . difference of 800 or 5000 feet.
This difference in elevation, in q Chronological
point of view, is very important, as will be shown
BY comparison of extremes OF climate on these
n utes.
Next with regard to the climate of winter. parti-
eularly along these routes we present the following
facts:-
Albuquerque Route-At Albuquerque, according
10 the meteorological report of the Medical Depart
nent Of the United States Army, the maximum and
minimum temperatures, respectively, were, for the
winter months of lS49 and ls60:-ln~ December, So
degrees. degrees; January, 40 degrees, minus ~
degrees; February, 81 degrees, II degrees. For
1850 and ls5l:-In December, So degrees, minus
degrees; January, 81 degrees, degrees; February,
80 degrees degrees For lsSa ana lsSSr ss g 9e
Tees 10 degrees; February, 66 degrees, ID degrees
For 1853 and ls54:-In December, 66 degrees, 20
degrees; January, 63 degrees, degrees; February
81 degrees, Is degrees; and in December 1854, So
degrees, 10 degrees.
At Fort Defiance, about twenty miles north of
Campbell's Pass in latitude, and from 800 to 500
feet higher, the maximum and minimum tempera-
f,.,a nIu n
December 1851, 81 degrees, degrees; eighteen
inches snow For 1852 and l853:-1n December,
80 deg. 2 deg; January, So deg, deg; February,
sc deg, deg. For 1853 and is54:-in December,
81 deg, deg; January, 40 deg, minus 20 deg;
February, s. deg, deg For 1854 and 1885,
December 65 deg, 10 deg; January, SO deg, minus
n deg; February, 81 deg, 10 deg. For 1865 and
Ie56:-December, So deg, minus 25 deg: January,
At Albuquerque, December 1856, the maximum
was 65 deg, minimum deg; Rio Grandc frozen
over so as to be passable from 9TH to 25th January
1857; maximum IS deg, minimum deg; on the
9Th 10th and 18th the thermometer stood, respec-
lively, minus deg, minus deg, minus deg.
February, 1857, maximum u deg, minimum 10 deg.
At Fort Defiance, December, 1856, the maximum
was SO deg, minimum minus IL deg. On the I'd the
thermometer stood at p. NJ, minus deg; on the
Sd at Z A. M. and r. NJ, minus deg; on the 4th,
minus 6 deg on the 9Th at A. NJ, minus IL deg;
on the 7th, at Z A. NJ, minus deg on the 9Th, at
"A. NJ minus l deg on the 10th, at Z A. NJ, zero;
on the 18TH at A. NJ, minus deg, and at r. NJ,
minus deg.
For January, maximum 81 degrees minimum mi
nus III degrees. On the 9th, 10th and 18th, the
thermometer stood at AM, respectively minus
degrees, minus ii degrees minus ii degrees; on the
10th, at 8 Z. NJ, minus degrees.
For February, maximum was GO degrees, mini
mum minus IL degrees.
On December 25 1885, the thermometer at the hospital
1t Fort Defiance gave reading thirty two degrees (32
tegrers) below Ga A. NJ. The hospital IS not by
any ia the coolest portion Of the garrison Two
hundred yards distant the mercury, in January, 1856,
ranged from four eight degrees below that the hos
p and there not the slightest doubt of the freezing
Of the mercury had the instrument been placed IN the
exposed situation on the morning OF December 25
1855. number Of men on detached service had their
hands and feet frozen, and some badly The mercury
below four mornings in December, 1880; SIX
mornings January, 1885, three mornings in February,
and the mornings OF The LIST and "a Of March, was
below zero.
The table above will give fair idea of the climate of
The country. The winter OF 1855 and 1855
veJe than any one known for many years The wintry
weather commenced the LIST OF November, 1885, and
has continued up 10 the present time March 1856 The
Rio Grande at Albuquerque, was frozen over, and with
ice sufficiently strong bear horse and carreta Those
Indians who live habtuay the north OF Fort Defiance
obliged abandon that portion OF the country and
move SOUTH with their nocks and herds, in quest of
grazing account Of the depth Of snow, which, IN the
ountans whose base the fort Is situated, over
two feet In depth in March, 1886.
On the cath OF December, 1853, Captain Whpple
experienced snow storms and weather sufficiently
cold 70 contract the mercury 81 degrees below zero,
near the San Francisco mountains and still further
west i'm the Aztec Pass, To q degrees below zero,
when he experienced another severe snow storm.
So much for the climate Of winter on the Albn-
qucrque route.
ct us compare this account Of the climate, ex-
tracted from undoubted sources, with that along the
mere southern route selected.
At Fort Fillmore on the FL Paso route, the meteo-
roogical report above referred to shows the mini
temperature at this place, up to 1854 TO be but
10 degrees.
nj park
ports the minimum temperature 32 degrees, and on
one occasion. on the San Pedro TO be IL degrees at
sunrise. We have searched in vain every source OF
information, and have yet To learn that snow ever
lies upon the plains the III Paso route, or that
the thermometer ever descended below zero. The
mean temperature Of winter at Fort Fillmore ~
abe ut 46.6 degrees The mean temperature OF win
ter at Fort Webster "copper" mnes) north OF Ojo de
In Yaca and 1850 feet above the level, IL but
4l.3 degrees while nj Fort Defiance, a corresponding
pos ton with reference TO the Albuquerque route, It
In 2-7 degrees and Mt Albuquerque II il 81 degrees.
At Fort Yuma tmouth 81 the Giial on ihe ~ Paso
route the mean temperature ofwntcr ~ SIS degrees
Although this superiority of climate on the III
Paso route must be admitted. still II has been and
NAV be argued that the degree OF cold on the
Albuquerque route Is not greater than on many OF
the stage routes OF the Atlantic Statesnot greater.
perhaps. than between Philadelphia and Pit'sburg,
or between Baltimore and Wheeling without ad-
hitting the fact, at all events 40 far "a the latter
route is concerned IL requires but little effort TO re-
member how uncertain during the winter season
was the transportation of the mails when the roads
were in their natural state, and with what extreme
suffering from the cold staging used to tie performed
between those cities, with all the advantages OF
short and wen appointed stations for recruiting the
energies of the benumbed and exhausted passen-
gers
But would Congress or the public be content
with a route TO California no better in point Of
climate than those by Harrisburg and Cumberland
when more mild and favorable one could be easily
procurcd Imagine four stages 10 start out from St.
Louis on the Albuquerque route with eight passcn-
rer- IN each. thirtytwo in number At the starting
point the snow IL eight ten inches deep which II
often IL for weeks together They are 70 go day and
night the thermometer ten fifteen degrees above,
NOT below, zero. They progress westward, ascend
ing every mile higher and higher the cold increasing
with every mile for an entire week. AT last they
reach Albuquerque, an elevation OF 5000 feet, the
mercury standing four or five degrees below zero.
Benumbcd by the cold for more than week, over
cone by the lose of Sleep they begin another ascent
70 Camnhells Pass. the best ON the route. about