The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-09-26


Estacado, Ssaked Plain-derivng its from ira
dition that the Spaniards had stsked road from
wood or water from the vicinity Of the 30th
TO the 36th parallel, and abouI hun
width thu. was faced on s eastern side bv an aSruDs
prccpce 500 feet high and nersected the south
by range Of hills Of white sand destitute OF vegetation
and seventy feet above the level Of the plain rendering
IL impossible Of ascent for loaded wagons that the
shifting character Of the Drift sand would oblterate tho
trail and require constant labor 70 prevent tho road
being buried; that presents inducements TO cutva
ton under any circumstanccs-t was claimed that the
cost Of boring Artesian wells would require 81 900
that stations could not be maintained by large ex
pcndture Of money; that IL tring with the energies
Of ask him to four horse coach either week
" or iweeky over route which could never be in
habted but by rowing bands OF bandits and Indians that
the bottom Of the Ga according to Major Emory consist
I'd principally Of dust and sana, oycrgrown with cotton
wood that the hills Of the ella valley, with but few
ceptions were destitute Of vegetation that the
were whitened with the bones Of who had vain
eavored to obtain water enough TO support nature and
had miserably pershcd that from the point where the
Rio BRACES is crossed ut Fort Bclknap, to the Rio
Feeds there entire desrth Of water that IL the
Texas adopted, the sand plains OF the
Gadsdcn Purchase and the great California desert
the enterprise would not only fail 70 commend itself TO tho
business interests q the country but was exceedingly
Inobcmntica whether the and horses could survive
the peris Of the route that wonder how the four
horse coaches to BIO those long arid deserts
which the sunbcams fervdly that barrel
Of double barrelled gun could DO hred without dis
charging the second barrel OH the heat that besides
Ave hundred and sixty nnc miles Of absolute desert there
four hundred miles without constant water; that u
would take years of time To make the route practicable ut
ALL that the difference in favor Of the Albuquerque route
four days travel, 1911 miles; that, in brief 1t
barren sandy wateress timberless CRASHES route,
without even the advantage of being Of level
and easy grade; that the circutous ronte was adopt
ed for the purpose OF making 1t much as possible
within slave territory, and To secure the build
ing of Pacific railway the most southern
route that the enterprise was already regarded as q
failure that all persons all acquainted with the coun
try ridculed the idea that the journey could he made In
twenty five days as required by tho contract that vii
ay bupd pf
suppresng Jefferson Davstos baganed for the overland
mail through the sterile deserts OF Arizona whose burn
ing sands and clouds would overwhem and suiiocate
army Of dragoons that the spuatons Of the contract
could not be fulfilled account Of natural distractions
that the contractors intended work tho route;
that they merely went into the thing TO make stock
speculation and that utterly impossible to get the
route in working order nj the time specified That igno
rant journal which doubted your exclusive despatch with
the news the laccation Of the Mormons your
exclusive despatch of tho Of the complete sue.
cess Of the Atlantic telegraph cable also said with
reference to the contract and the contractors we believe
il vii. be total failure. The stipuations Of the
contract cannot be fulfilled because of natural obstruc
tons which render its fulhment impossible. There is
fear that the contractors bid of the contract
without any ca Of its responsibility, bu; with the gene
raj impression that il was the basis of good specula
ton There is satisfactory evidence that the
tractors expect TO carry out their undertaking In good
faith"
Now, l think your readers will admit that when the
contractors met with all these objections, all this
dsrust these hbeious charges they must have had
spunk say the least there is title OF
truth in the many objections their task carrying
the contract Will be hcrculcan But there sides
10 this question, TO that of the Albuquerque route, and
now propose TO give you few OF the facts which
used in its advocacy and defence leaving your readers
judge where the preIcnderancc lays.
OF the Fl Paso route il was urged that the pro-
lection which would be necessarily accorded to the United
States mail route would be but just tho citizens Of the
Territory OF Arizona who nadequately protect
by the force then IN that country that though the
rory Iopulous then either Ksnsss Nebraska
had mail facilities; that equally exempt from
the rors Of the winter Of the Northern tho
terrible heat which had been attributed ~ that Mr.
John X Bartlett connected with the Mexican Boundary
wrote sn able paper, setting forth the ad
yanees which from his personal experience he knew the
pcses-hc stated that his party crossed ano
Estacado desert without difficulty that oiten
found in several deesions that wells might be easily
sunk procure water all times that the crossing
at least any but what trng that there fine
watering places between the Guadalupe range and the
Rio Grande, distance Of hundred and ten
miles; that the belt OF country which Is watered
by the Colorado, the upper Brazos, and the Red
river, projects three hundred miles beyond the
generally Acknowledged limits OF population that the
Albuquerque vs. 900 feet: that though slight has
been known n fall at II Paso the mercury would sink 70
that the district OF country bordering III paso
and RIO Grandc IS the widest and richest portion Of the
htom lands alcrg that ii that his surveying pares
found water on the line Of thrtyw degrees tbirtytwo
twenty minutes between bona Ana and Cooke spring.
and IN their various "Reminiscences discovered wator
many places no, marked the maps-hc asserted that
valley OF the santa Cruz the richest, and contained
hand suitable for agricultural purpose than any
tween tho Rio Crande and Pacific within the helt between
the thirty first parallel and the ella, and that tho entire
district the RIO Grande the Colorado with it's
bread. open, gravely plains, well calculated for
esther a great wagon road or a railway. lie repre
scttcd the limo villages the ella In fine agri
cultural district, and the road Fort Yuma rs
excellent On the whole he expressed the opinion that
poor the region infinitely better than any
yet discovered adapted for route to California The
famous letter Of Postmaster General Brown, " which
alluded IN my notice Of the Albuquerque route also pre-
scented strong arguments favor the route adopted
by the government From general view Of the gcogrz
portions Of the country, westward Of the limits Of the pre-
sent population Mr.. Brown 20 the conclusion that
The march q empire must be in southwestern
from the Mississippi river and that the conditions IL eli
mate against the northern He argued
that the lower but miles the longest which,
IT, thought could cvcrbaancc IFS other advantages
that In climate timber and water. the prepondcrapce n
evidence lay In favor IL VI asc. He quoted the test ony
of Captain Pope corrohoracd by Captain Marcy that be
the parallels of 30 degrees and - degrees "a broad
bet of well watcrcd and we'll tmbcrci country projects
thc parched and rcclcss w1sss of the Plains ap
rrnaehss 90 within 200 mills tie RIO Graaie al N as
Tic uncrtvaicd belt ~ the desert, nc r,d. full $50
rnilcs shorter the thirty second rsrsei than the
thiiynfh OF the countries beyond the Rio Grsnde. h.
quted concurrent testimony 10 slow that the vi raso
o,fto Is Wet waered anf timbesed has ire game and
cattle and nbcunds IN grain quoting the explorations IL
Nsor tmory Caitain Marcy taysain Gray Commissioner
Ia tri, Cai tain umuhscyr feuonan, Sauy ard o,her
cxrCrcrs cinchng the whole with the rco-t Secretary
avis that the Frrso ro," :" the thirty -econd parallel
not only the shortest and least costly route ID The Pa
riic hut also the shortest and ccncs; rote tran
co" can hardly better close ,hl- rsre of the argu
mc IN favor 81 the " Faro route thar BY appointing the
following resolution adopted ~ the Southern Commercial
CONVENTION held At knoxville. Tennessee
T. Resolved That IN v-~ of IN. exposed snd d.f~oc~-~s
si@n of fellow c,-r- residents ~ the fs~si~n pur
crs- snd it, peculiar and wonderful resources l. the duty
~ The ssnersi Government ~ extend ths protection
~b American c5s-n entie sad thai this
July endorses hr jsr of the memorial 81 the citizens of
C.aisn Purchase Territorial organization
which " herewith sutr,t-i.
Resolved That this Convention looks with great interest
establishment the
Crifornis Wa VI rsso sp Feet rnms and " ID. construction
Southern Pacific raroac the aeiscsd By
the Postmaster General as the reai shosougsre 10 the Pat
the Gsa~i~n puryhss. throughout " entire
cnsh the nccsey for the proposed Territorial Organization
l imperative for th- protection of the Territory h-
travel and Irt.r,vurHs Which nu-l p-ss th~oushh
Resolved 1h-t IN view q the fact that pert On the Gull
az California The supoy Parihc po4ss=
siors rh few Mexco, California and The 0sJsien Pur
chase aud The Ne1an In the original treaty
negotiate IL Minister 70 xerko. Col James Gaisden
c.neede more .coern boundary ,an The adopted by
Tie OF the Uaites STATES ~ ndcd 10 the
v,rpmeni " asLEgn 10 future nesoution wi Ner
acquire The boundary thus lost 70 snd also port
California the export and import ~
IN ersat agr uiuss and mincrs products 81 newly
gtiir "a passcgshrs