The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-07-01
THE Nl'SoNAL ERA: WASHINGTON D. G, JULY /, 1853.

ally long continued and severe, the thermometer
having been as low Ito below Zero and more
snow having fallen than in all the previous win
tiers together, since the establishment of this
colony.
CAT this season, their farmers had usually been
occupied with their ploughs, preparing the land
, for grain"
In letter recently received from Col.
Fremont, he expresses the belief that
there are passes through the main divi-
ding ridge still better than the CochetoPe,
and especially in reference to the country
beyond. He says:
ain this view better line can be found, and
quite as direct, around the head of the San Luis
valley, passing directly from the Arkansas wa
ters to those of Grand river, or from the San
Luis valley more in the neighborhood OF the
Cochetope, north or south of it."
And he inclined, in his own mind, TO a
line southwark, around the waters of the
Eagle Tail, stream laid down in his map
of 1S48 as Eagle river: this river being
large stream, and cutting down into can
ons, while the higher country is fertile,
wooded, and grassy, with small streams,
unobstructed, and running through open
ground. Among other reasons incliDing
him to this course, he says:
al had heard from Mr.. Walker, and other
mountain, men, who had been with trapping
parties in the region Of the Lower Colorado,
| that the river was navigable for very consid-
cradle distance up from the mouth of the ella.
Walker said that he knew it to be navigable for
| at least one hundred and fifty. miles above the
mouth of the ella. AS the two main forks drain
| q mountain region of great extent and carry
down a large volume of water, have thought it
probable that the main river is navigable to our
present means of navigation, from their junction,
which is little north of the thirty eighth paral-
lel"
He remarks, further, that
ain crossing the country, the central route
passes, in the San Luis valley, a point which
| would become centre of population, from which
a railroad could be thrown down through New
Mexico, and where an interior city would grow
up. In passing the southern Mormon settle
| ments-another station for way travel--there
| would be another such point. If now, the Col
| orado be navigable at the junction. you see at
| once what reason and support it would give
| to the central line. 1t would be like Pittsburgh
at the junction of the Monongahela and Allie
ghany-the Pittsburgh of the Pacific. The head
of navigation to a region of such great extent
crossed by railroad uniting the two oceans
would certainly become a grand commercial
point. If you will 90 to the trouble to look at
the map to which have referred you and bear
in mind that the true junction is above the thr-
ty-eighth parallel, you will that the idea has
force. Beyond the Colorado, judged from my
examination that there is no serious inpedment
to carrying q railway line into the basin. AS to
where the line should cross the basin, whether
by the Humboldt river, or by the line of the Rio
Virgin, or by an intervening line, must of course
depend upon the point at which it shall be de-
cided to cross the Sierra Nevada"
For that. division of the route which
lies between San Francisco, crossing the
Sierra Nevada, and connecting with the
Basin, submit the following letter from
William J. Lewis, a railroad engineer of
great eminence, who was recently the
chief engineer of the proposed railroad
from San Francisco to San Jose; in 1887,
he was one of the first officers in the sur
vey of the proposed railroad from Charles
ton to Cincinnati, under General Mcneil
and Captain w. G. Williams. He had
charge of one Of the mountain DIVISIONS,
and Fremont was in one of the divisions
near him, making his first experience in
engineering; it was here that Fremont
made Lewis's acquaintance, in whose
ability and experience he has the greatest
confidence.
SAN Francisco, September 80, 1857.
DEAR SIR: You may recollect that in CONVEX |!
sation with you ON the John l.. Stebbins, / ex-
pressed an opinion that practicable route could |
be obtained for the Pacific railroad crossing the |
Sierra Nevada at Johnsons Pass, near the head |
of the south fork of the American river In I845,
Mr.. Sherman Day made the location of wagon |
road from the vicinity of Placerville to Carey's
mill, in Carson, really crossing the Sierra at |
Johnson's Pass. No part of his road had an |
ascent over five degrees, and the estimated cost |
of construction was only about one hundred |
thousand dollars. send you copy of the map
made by him of the country in the vicinity of the |
road, and profile of his located line Assum-
ing Sacramento point of beginning for the |
proposed railroad, the road would strike the
western base of the foot hills of the Sierra Ne
vada, south of the junction of Weber creek with
the south fork of the American river and follow
it to Slippery Ford. The distance from Slippery
Ford to Lake Valley does not exceed four miles,
and tunnel at this point is the only serious
difficulty in the construction of the road The
outlet of Lake Bger is at the northern end, and
its waters flow to the desert west of the Sierra
through Truckee river. Whether the railroad
should follow the shores of the lake and the VAL
ley Of the Truckee river, until it reaches the
general level of the Great Basin, or should cross
Il
at some low point and pursue more direct route
towards Salt Lake City, can only be determined
by future surveys. The descent from the lake to
the western plains is so entirely within the limits
of railroad gradients, that | entertain no doubt
that practicable route can be found on one of
the two lines indicated.
Let us now see what will be the grades on the
proposed line. Beginning at the Sacramento,
(sixty feet above tide,) and allowing the road to
rise in the first twenty miles at fifteen feet to the
mile, we arrive at the western base of the Fool
Hills, at an elevation of three hundred and sixty
feet. The distance of this point from Slippery
Ford by the present road is seventy miles but
by the winding line of railroad will be ut least
ninety miles.
On grade of sixty feet to the mile, the road
would rise in these ninety miles FIVE thousand
four hundred feet, and alta n an altitude of five
thousand seven hundred and sixty feet or four
hundred and two feet above the wagon road at
at Slippery Ford The height of the wagon road
(Which is fifty feet above the river) at Lake VAL
ley is FIVE thousand nine hundred and sixty-one,
that to bring us to the same level, there would
be rise of two hundred feet in the length of The
tunnel-say four miles. Having now traced the
route from the Sacramento to the western slope
of the Sierra Nevada and the waters flowing
into the Great Basin let US make an estimate of
the extreme cost from Sacramento to this point
From Sacramento to western foot of Fool Hills,
: twenty miles, at $40, 900 mile. $500, 900
From western base of Fool Hills to
Slippery Ford ninety miles, at
100000 mile. ................... 5000, 900
From Slippery Ford to Lake Valley
tunnel, four miles, or twenty-one
thousand one hundred and twenty
feet, at $500 foot ................... 4,224,OO0