The Placer herald., 1860-08-11


foot of Squaw Valley nt ~ miles; follows up tn
east bank of the river to its outlet from Lake
Biger, about miles;-follows round the Nortl
shore Of the lake about two miles beyond th'
point where the old road leaves it and commen
ces ascending the East summit, and rising with d
5deg. or l7inch grade to the East summit;
es it at about SO miles through a pass about
miles South of and 400 feet lower than that eros
sed by the old wagon road. and descends in
miles with 5deg. grade to Washoe Valley
aboat mile South of Franktown. This point is
miles from Carson, and by n toll road lately
surveyed, IL miles from Virginia City, also l0
miles from Steamboat Springs, making the total
DISTANCE by this route from Auburn to Carson
City l04 and to Virginia City l08 miles.
For or miles on Truckee and the Lake con
siderable sidehll grading will be nee essary. and
there are three or four hills to be overcome vary
ing from 100 to 600 feet in height The ascent to
and descent from the summit are mostly Oh favor
able ground, though small portion of it is rocky
The saw mill. and ranch owners of Frankto~n n
offer to make the road miles or half way to the
summit. and think that to secure the road they
would do more than that.
The other, cheaper. and in an Engineering
point OF view better though longer route, in
stead of crossing Truckee at Squaw Valley, fol-
lows down its West bank. at SONS 7ch's crosses
Branch taking its source in Little Truckee
Lake. by the Donnor cabins; at 81 miles Joins
the old Truckee Emigrant Road and follows its
general direction keeping on the West side OF
Truckee, crossing at 85m's 25ch's and at 92ms
65ch's two other branches Of Truckee flowing
from the Lakes near the Henness Pass, and at
95ms 22ch's joining the toll road now in course
of constru ctiOn from Nevada and Forest City via.
the Henness Pass to Virginia City. Most of the
work is completed between Nevada and the forks
OF the road, and the day before passed through,
the Company's Engineer was on the ground to let
some of the outstanding contracts. At ITO mile
the Road crosses Truckee River at Stouts Bridge;
At IL miles passes Steamboat Springs and reach
cs Virginia City in ll3 miles from Auburn. On
the 23 miles between Squaw Valley and the FORKS,
the road follows an almost uniform descending
grade, sometimes in the river ottom and some
times on fiat ridge abOye it, utalways on good
and hard, and generally on level ground. All
the work that would be required on this section
would be bridges across the three branches OF
Truckee, all of which can be thrown across with
IA single span and built with timber procured at
or near the spot; grading up few low bills
none exceeding 100 feet in height, nnd carrying
the road round instead of through some valleys,
in which the bottom is soft in the wet scason.--
On the Nevada road, between the forks and
Steamboat Valley, about 8 miles is slightly un-
dulating ground, and the rest has the same regu-
lar fall as the river. From the Steamboat Valley
to Virginia City there is a high hill to be sur
and the present road is very bad, but
the Nevada Co.. proposes crossing the bridge at
another point and with better grade. There is
good feed for cattle. AMI good water at Roberts
Flat, American Valley Squuw Valley and all the
way from there to Stouts Bridge OH the longest
route. which runs through succession of fine
valleys watcred by tributaries of Truckee. All
these valleys are taken up for ranching purposes
On the short route there is feed here ard there
fran Squnw Valley to FranktOwp.
On comparing these routes with that OF Placer
Vile, our longest one is very far superior, as 1T
altogether avoids the Eastern rumuilt, whicn,
with the best possible grade is great obstacle
for heavy teams to overcome. Our shortest route
is in its general features at least equally favora
ble with the Placervile route; which, if the de-
tails ure carefully located on the general direc-
ton of this survey it will be much better road
than the Placerville one is now, or than it can be
made without great alteration.
AS you will see by the Tables of ApproXmat
Attitudes aud By the comparative proiles OF the
two routes although the crossings of the East and
West SUBMITS on the route are lower. yet the
sums of ascents and descents are considerably
ccpting or SMALL hills) maintains its elevation
and keeps gradually ascending. all the way from
the North Fork crossing above Auburn. to the
West summit. The grades are all favorable, there
being but w long hills. and those. excepting
Squaw Valley and the East summit, all OF less
than u inches to the rod grade. Our hill to the
West summit has only 10 inches grade, and If the
L
duced to I or inches. On the Placerville route
there are long hills with steep grades, and
in many of them they loose great deal OF the
elevation already gained. A team could haul
from Forest Hill to Virginia or Carson Cities,
full as heavy q load US it now bauls from Sacra-
mento to Forest Hill, $1,000 or 5000 lbs,) II the
road is made as should suggest.
The small load which the teams are able to
haul over the Placerville road, and the difference
in distance ga miles) between Sacramento and
Virginia City in our favor should, think ensure
to our road. were it made, large proportion OF
the travel between those two points. What the
amount of that travel is likely to be, l have no
data to determine; but think tha'. if the amount
of my estimates is judicously spent on this road,
ION the Placervlle route cannot see actual i'm
provements to the amount OF more than half what
has been spent on it,) any teamster after having
once tried it, will continue to use it from prefer
ence The snow will probably lie on this road
some weeks later than on the Placerville one
though this season teams could have passed over
this road within three or four weeks of the time
the first oneswent through on the other road. In
ordinary seasons this route will be passibe in
Nav. II all, or most of the travel could be con-
centrated on one route do not think there would
be any trouble in keeping it open all the year
round, but unless that were done it would pro-
badly not pay to keep the road clear during five
or six months of the yenr. Appended hereto,
you will find tables Of distances and approximate
attitudes of this and the Placerville route also
rough comparative pro6es of them, and nlso
sketch profile of our road from Secret Springs to
the Truckee river.
The attitudes were taken with an Ancroid
which, after having had one of my Barometers
twice broken, l determined to use rather than de-
lay the time necessary to have it again repaired.
As 900 feet is the greatest altitude to which it
can be used l determined the height of the sum-
init by rough Trigonometrical observations.
The Dutch Flat road will probably join ours at
l15 miles froIp Sacramento, short way beyond
the crossing Of Little Truckee No. l. From that
point to Virginia City they cannot shorten the
road without crossing Truckee and the East sum-
nit, which waHid be as bad or worse GRO sing
without corresponding saving Of distance. The
distance from Sacramento to Virginia by Dutch