The Nevada journal., 1858-10-22
THE JOURNAL.
FRIDAY MORNING, OCT. aad. 1858
WAGON Roads.

tains two articles on Wagon Road
Routes, replete with truth and good
sense. We copy them, for the instruc
ton they convey to the public spirited
citizens of Nevada as well as Sierra
counties, and bope they will not 60 un
needed. Both propositions are impor-
tant to the growth and development of
the wealth of the two counties Three
years ago most of the facts given by our
Sierra cotemporary in relation to the
Yuba Gap, were embodied in articles in
the JOURNAL calling attention TO the
superior advantages this route promised
over the Placerville one. 1t is suscep-
tible of the clearest proof, if the authori-
ty of some of the best citizens of this
county is good for anything, that a
wagon road can be built for trihing
sum. over the summit, near the Truckee
Route, superior in grade, shorter and
affording more grass along it for stock
tHdH INC ldCClhHlo IOuIe. w nave
called attention to these advantages
often. 1t is a pleasure to. find attention
called to these facts in another quarter,
and we gladly spyead the remarks of
others upon the subject before our read
ers. The first article from the Citizen
is on
"THe Nu5a GAP Wagon and RaHpay
R0ute-Isaac +. James, Surveyor of
Sierra county, proposes to make sur
vey from Downieville to Sierra Valley,
taking a course along the South Yuba
to its sources in the summit, where the
stream has formed gap in the noun
tains. The distance is thirty miles, and
there is no fact which will show that
this would not be the best route for
wagon road from California to the Plains
The summit is seven hundred feet lower
than the summit above Placerville, and
the deep snow distance does not extend
beyond two miles. The impediment
would be more easily obviated thar
that Of the longer distances on other
routes. From the point where the road
would enter Sierra Valley, there is an
unobs,ructed route to Carson and the
other Ctah valleys. To intersect
road to the Sacramento Valley, avoid
ing Galloway Hill, road could be
opened. at a cost of not over $4,000,
down the river below Downieville to
Goodvear's Hill, thence up Woodruff
creek to Cold Spring. The whole cost
of an undertaking so manifc>tly impor-
tant to every interest in The State, could
not exceed the sum Of 500 600. Three
times that amount, and perhaps more,
is yearly applied in Sierra county to
small operations that pay a poor per
cent, or nothing. Judge the Whole
State by this estimate, aud we find mil
lions of dollars scattered where chances
are against the certainty Of accruing
profit; and yet the capitalist will over
look the multiplied advantages that at
tend investment in improvements which
would unite districts now full Of sleeping
wealth, because Of their incapacity 10
reach development without facilities for
extensi commercial intercourse.
An Instrumental examination of the
Yuba Gap route will, we believe, show
that a railroad may be constructed along
there on a grade of not over sixty feet
to the mile, which is less than many Of
the long grades in Pennsylvania and
other States. The building of rail
road from Sacramento Valley to Sierra
Valley, would be a small work i'll COM
parison with what has been done by
American railroad companies within the
last seven or eight years; indeed, we
doubt whether its extent and accom-
panying difficulties could surpass some
of the gold mining operations which
have required years of labor and i'm
mense expenditures of money"
The construction Of ROAD on the
route proposed cannot fail to be bene-
fit to this county, and therefore our citi-
zen are interested in the success of the
plan proposed by our Downieville cotem-
porary But a more direct road from
the Summit can be made to this place.
Cross the Summit through the Yuba Gap,
and there are few obstacles III the way,
and those easily surmountable, of con-
structing road down the ridge between
the South and Middle Yubas, or even
by way of Bear Valley, to this city.
Another project, about which there
can be no question, is that of building
road from Moore's Flat to Allegheny
town. But on this subject hear tho
Citizen. Every word we endorse
New Route for a Wagon Road.-The
construction of wagon road across the
Middle Yuba from Moore's Flat to AL
leghanytown, is deserving of considera-
ton. The cost of construction in car
rying such enterprise into operation
would not exceed 100000; the distance
from Nevada % Downieville would be
lessened some fifteen miles, and proper
tionably decreased from Sacramento
causing the entire travel from the latter
place. and from large scope Of country
It.,sI