The Shasta courier., 1859-02-19
Mr.. Broderick's Views on the Pacific
Railroad.

In the Senate, on the 18th of January, Mr..
Broderick made short but very interesting
speech on the Pacific Railroad Question. He
took strong grounds in favor of building the
road cia the South Pass, Salt Lake and Noble
Pass. BE is opposed to the routes terminating
at Cuaymas, in the South, and Vancouver, in
the North. Of the two, he prefers the one ter
minating at Guaymas, for the reason that by it
the distance 10 San Francisco is practically much
less, and the voyage from Guaymas to San Fran
cisco can be made more easily than from Van
couver to San Francisco. If he favored road
to Mexico, he would select the route along the
32d parallel of latitude; but as he was not in
favor of road to Mexico, but in favor of road
to California, he was for the middle route-the
only practicable route to California" He quotes
from Mr.. Lander, gentleman in the employ of
the Government, and in the confidence of the
Administration, in support of his preference.
Mr.. Lander says:
Railroad suited to military and mail tran
sportatlon can reach the waters of Salt Lake
and the Salt Lake City in three years from the
time OF its commencement, if forwarded with
the usual energy of American movements and
under proper programme for overcoming the
difficulties of construction.
From the mouth of the Platte river to the
0aSe OF the Black Hills, a distance of over five
hundred miles. as before described the route of
the South Pass is a fiat plain of gravel sub
btrata, rising at an inclination of about eight
feet per mile, and without break in the surface
towards the mountains. The lower end of the
river valley is fairly wooded with the cotton
wood. Nearer the mountains, the foot hills are
well tlmbered with cedar, yellow pine, and fir
Excellent building stone is abundant along the
line, and large coal fields occur at various ad-
Jacent points, and at the eastern extremity Up
on this Hat plain rails can be laid without grad
ing The superstructure can progress at the
rate of one mile per day, or faster, if circum-
stances justify the additional expense A light
railroad, over which trains pass with facility,
and even at high rates of speed, would thus
reach Fort Laramie in less than three years,
and become the initiative or preliminary step
toward the'building of a railroad of more pom
derous class, either for the transportation OF
Pacific commerce, adapted to the increased
business of the line when developed by settle
lnents.
Mr.. Broderick then continues:
favor the middle route; for my colleague
knows as well as do that north of San Fran
cisco three-fourths, if not fourffths of the peo-
pie OF the State of California reside From Fort
luma7 where the southern route strikes the
boundary OF California, it is think, over seven
ihundredsmTles to San Francisco you could not
construct a railroad there within a shorter dis
tance. If the middle route is selected it will
reach Geloa in Carson Valley, or IT will reach
Noble Pass; thence along the Sacramento
Valley TO Sacramento, and thence to San Fran
cisco. From Genoa, in Carson Valley, to Placer
VILE, in California, it is but seventy-fve miles.
over the old emigrant route. At Placerville
there is fine city, with a population, suppose,
OF from SIX to eight thousand. 1t is one of the
most populous and flourishing cities outside OF
San Francisco, Sacramento and Marysville, in
the State of California