The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-02-20
From a. 1a..ag e,sy .,oaruos.

-'o- ss-s-N1AfS po4AS lOf tlilc s-fss shsSAef-
highway. 1t is situated in the mouth OF
the Kansas Valley, which is the central
valley Of the Union, and at Fort Riley at
the forks of this river f25 miles west is
the geographical center of the continent
Galveston is on 10Th parallel and Penn
bina on the 49th, the boundaries on the
Gulf and the North-Kansas City is on
the 39th parallel, or precisely half way.
Richmond, Va, is near the 18th meridian
of longitude, and San Francisco in d.
rict line West, near the 122d meridian
Kansas City is near the 95th meridian, or
within IS miles of the geographical CEN
ter of the Union as measured from the
mouth of the Chesapeake, Galveston, San
Francisco, and the head of Lake Supe-
nor.
By reference to a correct map it will
be seen that the great central Valley or
series of Vallies, East and West, stretches
out in direct line from the Atlantic
ocean to the Rocky Mountains; commenc-
ing in the Valley of the Potomac, West
TO the Alleghanies, and crossing to the
Valley of the Ohio, we follow that Valley
to St. Louis, thence in the Missouri VAL
ley to the mouth of the Kansas river,
thence up the Valley of the Kansas to the
Rocky mountains; crossing the mountains
through Goodale' Pass, to the waters Of
Grand river, continuing westward either
by that stream or Lake Ashley and Lake
Walker, by way of Sacramento to San
Francisco. This is the true and only Gen.
trail route. The entire distance between
the two oceans by this route is about 3. 3.0O0
miles-near 941 of which is noi1 trayersed
by railroad, and within the next two years
will be completed adistance of l, ,094 miles
to Kansas City. Then the traveller can
leave Washington, Baltimore, or Phila-
delphia by the Baltimore and Ohio Road
to Parkersburgh, thence by the Marietta
road to Cincinnati, thence by the Ohio
and Mississippi to st. Louis, thence by
the Pacific Road to Kansas City. From
Kansas City to Sacramento is about j 800
miles, where steamer can be taken to San
Francisco. This is in brief the Central
Pacific railway route. and in our opinion
the only possible route. But then, sup
posing, as the advocates of the southern
road contend, that the New Mexico route
is the best. From Kansas City to Santa
Fe the distance is 760 miles, 450 of which
is along "the great divide'' between the
Arkansas, Usage, and Neosho, and the
waters of the Kansas, an almost natural
grade, over which the e. S. Mail is now
carried with as much regularity as any
forty mile horse route in the country, and
over which passes annually from 10 to
1000 heavily laden wagons. 1t is the
natural route to New Mexico, and what is
more, the only route that is profitable for
wagons.
| But we come now to consider the grand
bug-bear of this whole Pacific Railway
question. It seems to be sine qua non
with every body, that the railroad must
be built On tcagon route, through some
body's pass. Now we would like these
wagon road advocates TO POINT us to &
single railroad, from the shortest sidecu
to the longest road in the Union, that ha.
been built upon q wagon route. There il
not one-and more than this, ordinarily, {
| railroad cannot be built upon wagor
route. 1t is unnecessary to urge thi!
proposition as a mere statement is suffi
cient. As to the "pass" feature we taxi
the same ground, that as a general rul,
passes are impracticable. What is
pass Nothing more than depression
In mountain range sufficiently wide tt
furnish broad even and unbroken sur
face, sufficient for wagons and stock
This is "pass" both geographically an(
commercially defined. 1t is well known
that there are lower passes in the noun
tains than any that are traversed by wag
) ons, which are impracticable from tn
simple fact that they are cut up by ravines
gulches, gorges, and similar obstructions
which wagons connot surmount, and ar
thus compelled to seek the higher and les
: broken depression, but which the iro
) horse would clear at a bound.
We would like to know through wha
passes the New York and Erie, Pennsyl
vania Central, Baltimore and Ohio, Vir
ginia Central, and Charleston and Mem
phis roads pass the Alleghanies, and it
! only because the Rocky Mountains are
little farther off that they are deemed S
| formidable. But, even on the "pass
Question the central route by the Kansa
Valley has the advantage. We can tax
either the South Pass by going up tn
Republican Fork, or we can stop South {
that, by Bridger's Pass, or we can g
! straight ahead by Goodale's Pass (whie
5 the Government knosos by Bryant
!, Survey to be the best pass in tn
mountains,) or through Cochotope Pas
Tor bearing Southwest on the great Sant
2 Fe route we can go through Campbell
s Pass, which Phillips talks SO much abou
: Either or all these passes are aceessab
by natural routes from Kansas City by tt
J Valley of the Kansas river.
] The central location of the Kans
g Valley is another great and overshadoy
ing argument in its favor. 1t can
. reached from Boston, Philadelphis, Bali
more. Washington, Richmond, Charlestt
:, and Savannah by railroad within tv
IL years, and can now be approached by rs
Il for 125 miles west of the MISSISSIPPI
= Chicago and New York can reach it by
much shorter line by way OF keoku
which road is now organized; Philade
! phia, Baltimore and Washington can rea
lie it on the great central route through {
e. Louis; and Memphis and the cities CO
va nected with her by railroad have she
- ter line than either of the others by "
" of the Kansas City and Memphis 70
IN low chartered and organized; and NJ
IS. Orleans has already secured charter fre
i'll the Louisiana Legislature for road
: way of Shreveport to Kansas City, VIII
: Galveston is already stretching her "a
lar ways North to tap the trade of the N
ed souri, Valley through the Kansas City a
ZEE Galveston road. Let any one take n
- and then run his eye over the compl
roads of the country, and he viii not
the singular and pregnant fact. that CT
lse trolled as they have been by rival intere
BY and competing forces, they have stead
I'm and with the certainty of the magne
ON needle pointed and continue to point
% the direction of the mouth of the Kan
M river. e The laws of God and physl
lrd geography are more powerful than {
Ia s.s,, n, s<faos P land euaclIlat