The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-08-20
WASHINGTON. d. G..
THE NORTHERN PRESS.
Prom the New York Evening Post, August S.
THE SECTIONAL MAIL ROUTE TO THE PA
CIFIC.

THE SECTIONAL MAIL ROUTE TO THE PA
CIFIC.
The present Administration has already taken
two steps which will dscredit it with posterity,
10 matter what it may achieve hereafter worthy
OF distinction. The first is the abandonment of
the great principle so wisely and so suspicious
ly initiated by the late Mr.. Marcy, to preserve
the freedom of the seas in time of war; and the
other is the selection of what is called the Bor-
der or Southern Route for the wagon mail route
to the Pacific. r.
We have already said all we have to say at
present In regard to the deplorable recussncy
of the State Department in the first instance
We propose to day to specify some of the facts
IN connection with the mail route, which 60 to
show how little regard has been had to the pub
lie interests in the direction which has been
given to the generous appropriation Of the last
Congress
The act to which we refer, among other
things, empowered the Postmaster General to
contract for the transport of q semi monthly,
weekly, or semi-weekly mail, from any point on
the Mississippi to San Francisco in fourteen
horse wagons and spring coaches, suitable for
the Conveyance of passengers, in trips of
not more than twenty-five days duration For
ans the contractors were to receive not more
ihan 100000 for the semi-monthly, $3.50, 900
- VIC WCCAitt VI SOOU,UVU tOr the ecml-Weeklv
trips, with pre-emptive right to 800 acres of
any land not disposed of OF reserved, eyery ten
miles along the route.
The principal bidders were a man by the
name of Burch, Of California acting, it is said.
IN the interest of Senator Gwin. and Messrs
butterheld Co., of this city, who represented
the leading express companies of the country.
OWNS friends proposed to take the contract by
way of FL Paso, on the 32d parallel of latitude.
The express companies proposed for the mid.
die route, on the 35th parallel, BY way of St.
Louis and Albuquerque. The latter proposals
were the most favorable, and the route to which
they apply is in all probability the only practi
cable route. Evidence of this was before the
Postmaster General in the official survey, con-
hrmed by the concurring opinions of the best
engineers and most experienced travellers. He
decided, however, to adopt the lower or Ell Paso
route, extending il, however,, to ST. Louis, and
giving the contract to the express companies
80 as to disarm, if possible, some portion of the
opposition which such an irdefensible proceed
ing IS sure to awaken.
We will now point out some of the differences
between these routes, that Our readers NAV un.
derstand the nature and extent of the sacrifices
which the country has had to sustain in conse.
quence of having Postmaster General from
Tennessee, and five members of the Cabinet re-
siding on or near one-horse railroads running
TO Memphis.
The distance from st. Lous to San ~,
Francisco, by way Of the middle route, MUGS
is 1894
The distance by the Border route 2585
difference IN favor Of the Middle route 39l
or four days travel.
The distance from New York to Mem
phis, by way of the Southern route, is 1923
The distance from New York to st.
Louis, direct route, is 1903
The distance from New York, by way
of Memphis Border route, is 1907
Distance from New York to San Fran
cisco, by way of St Louis snd the
35th paraiel-the Middle routes 3.287
Difference in favor of the St. Louis
route APO
The border route passes along the Mexican
frontier, through an unsettled country. and
crosses seven deserts or sandy plains-the
Elano Es.acado, l25 miles; from the Rio
Grande to Rio Membres, II miles; from Rio
Membres to Valley de Sauz IL miles; from the
Valley de Ssuz to the San Pedro, 80 miles :;
from the San Pedro TO Tuezon, 53 miles; from
Tuezon to the Gila, 70 miles. This whole route
is subject to intolerable droughts and heat it
has never been used as an emigrant route, it is
not settled, nor is it ever visited except By the
prairie wolf, the Csmanche Indian, and oc.
casionally by Government surveyors.
Nor has this barren, candy, waterlees, tim
berless, CRASHES route the single supposed sd-
vantage of being level and of easy grade. So
far from it, the reports of the engineers who
we're sent out to explore it show that so rough
a route cannot be found in all New England.
The late Secretary Davis calls the region be-
tween the Rio Grsnde aud the Pimas villages,
on the ella, just above which point the latter
leaves the mountain region, "a great plain,
interrupted irregulsrly and confussdly by bare,
rugged, abrupt, isolated mountains or short
ranges" Captain Humphreys, of the topo-
graphical engineers, in a report appended to
the report of the Secretary of War, explains to
US what Mr.. Davis understands by I" great
plain"
"The instrumental profile, however, shows
that wha. to the eye appears to be plain, ia
really an un1ulating surface, constantly rising
and falling, rarely horizontal;" "that the plain
is converted into series of basins, the steepes,
parts of which are found ia passing round the
Lost mountains. or through the passes in
them" He states the mean elevation of the
lowest points of the rims of the basins leigh,
in number) at 4, 200 feet; the highest point al
$3.50 feet. The lowest point he does not state
but says one rim rises 200 feet above the
bottom of its basin. To show the distances
and grades over the natural slopes, Captain
Humphreys submits tables, accompanied BY
remarks. He says the two most difficult places
upon this part Of the route are from Is to &c
miles apart. I'm the Chiricahui Pass, the
steepest natural slope ia 1874 feet to the mile
for q distance of q niles." ain the pass
through the ridge east of the Vslle de Sauz
the sieepest natural slope is 24O feet to th,
mile for a distance of threequarters of mile
This natural slope of 240 feet to the mile fol
the distance of three quarters of a mile may b,
reduced to one of 200 feet to the mile by
short cutting of 80 feet depth" "The natura
slope in the steepest part of the Chiricahu
Pass being nearly 200 feet to the mile, this Gu
would reduce these two passages to the sam
condition" (See p. S2.) In his tables, Up
S3,) Captain Humphreys gives the followiI,
among other distances and surface grades
6.5 miles, with grade Of 81 feet per mile
les do. do. G. do.