, 1860-04-19

~'utera in ths Rocky mountains. Ttoy hays
not beeh seriously annoyed by snow. and. ii
though tie rsl'ess are from Eve 10 six thouaand
lees aoors the sea, the climate IL comnararively
MID. milo Ihe Hatfy Mountain A.act Of tho l4th
nit:. published al Denver City, xlss: "N'e hare
grass now begins 10 grow and the flopeB look
Grcen. But railroad companies now overcome
snow distinctions by the aid Of boarl fences to
caeck drills, and IN the use Of the s1ow- blow
to clear the track. Snow is no logger railroad
obstruct!cf1 worthy Of much consideration any
where, a-d;s np worse in the arid segiens Of
the Rocky mountains than III the Eastern States
of the same latitudes.
So much cof the rsuts to Salt Lake, to ina
Mormon sstt!e'nent where We have Population
OF at least forty thousand, and Al army of two
OF three thousand, with which NE must have
cenesant communication. From Salt Lake City
10 the Eerada mountains, a section Of ahont si1
hundred miles, We have tue valleys Of the SAT-
Lac and hnnb9lat rTer, level or easilyy. graded
ooldt mountains, which, however, are not ditl~
cnt 70 pass. Scarcity oftinber is The principal
difficulty encountered. Cedar il found in The
Humboldt nounta:as, but in places lies my
have 70 he transported from sixty to flfty miles,
The description Of this section. eomprising Z the
Mertnon settlcment, is too well known to re-
quirc much consideration. .1ts particular tea-
lures arc stated in tie report Of Lieutenant
Bcckwi.h's volume, pages co 10 70 E1p1ora.
tiong.
Col. Sampson, ofthe United States topo2raph-
ieal engineers, has recently onepe1 shorter
route, considerably south Of tue Humboldt,
which is now travelled bt the emigration, and
Eas followed, in tne stsge coaches. by Horace
Greeley, Esq =, who eensiaets It practicable for
railroad. 9his route is supplied with timber
and WINTER. md. Tor these reasons, may be found
preferable to the Humboldt valley; but no sur.
Fer has established The psacsicRbiHty at this
line for ratsroac. and yotr committee, therc-
fore, retain the projection and distances IS rre-
s:ribsd by Lisu1: Heckwith, on the 1eyel plane
route Of the Humboldt valley, we arrive Ut tho
new silver mines Of Sevada Territory, where
agriculture and mining are builGinR up rew
Territory. This settlement is 1t tbc base Of the
most ptecipitate and difficult mountain range,
the Sierra Nevada Carson river loss down
ta1s Pasteru slope, and sinks in the plane with
the Humboldt river. Beyond the summit Of this
Nevada mountain, Sacramento river fowa down
its Western slope, and passing Sacramento city,
tho capital Of California, enters the Pacific 1T
San Francisco. With sllrer on one side and gold
on the other, the Sierra Nevada mountain is
now. summer and winter, trayersed by thou.
eaads, and the necessity Of a railroad il, there
fore, greatest where the difficulties arc mont
formidable. Msny new routes bare been pro-
posed, but Four committee will FIRST present that
which IVES surveyed aud reported by the Gov
ornamental employees.
In passing tie mountsin you hare to Use
twelve hundred feet and dascoua tweniv-four
hundred feet: The .s.e il easy, aod the descent
IL d'strib:tra over siz.5-seyen tniles. On tue
srianh Of this mountain there il aleycl plane
some thirty OF forty miles in width. Afier what
re hare seen IN passing the Allegheny Noun
tains, tLeru can he no doubt Of the practicable
isy Of passing this n1ountaiu, through the Mad
elm, Hoble's; Or Carson River Pass. Rather
than 60 great distance ont Of the line to avoid
such . mountain, We would adopt the improved
Inclined planes, which aome insist are upw the
cheapest way to overcome elevation; or we may
adopt the zig gag. or boyeau construction, that
has occasionally been successfully used on the
Baltimore md Ohio Railroad.
But there is no need Of such an expediept-
tacability Of passing the Nevada Mountains bE
using grades that hare been successfully tested.
The most formidable obstacle in tie route
Which he seems to prefer is two canons, through
which the Sacramento runs, aud through which
It Is proposed to carry therallroad.
: As this Is the great obstacle. we giyc his dc.
scrlptior, .1,t ask railroad men to consider it
1or' themselves. After describing the cary as.
cent from the east TO The broh6. Cat. t'mbesed
summit Of the Nevada, nod after proceeding
with NO ser1ons difficulties to Tbs declining plRin,
from whence he could overlook the FAST Falley
Of tile Sacramento, which leads 10 .he Pacific
Ocean. be thus speaks Of the "csnoa Of the
Sucrainento:"
"rais canon is Formidable obstacle to ose.-
come. Its entire leugth is thir.eeu and seTeu-
ty.fouf handredths miles, surrounded By an
open valley of similar extent, which Is followed
BY another cauon eight and uinety-lSe huu-
dredths miles Of length, of the sanaa character
as the lirs:. The river, as it entcrs the tirst ca
nbn, Is from thirty to fo.t5 feet wide, flowing
with rapid cuarent over bed Of rocks and
1t is sixty feet Wlde as it enters the SECOND CO.
npn, iast bs!oN tic junction Of Fail Riser, and
faya over similar bed With an equally swift
current
"At their heaas, these canons sre vertical
trschytic rocks eighty feet high with large
masses OF fallen rocks uccumninted at the bases
Of the walls. The 6rst is cut through high
and il sugsnounted ty hiEt sloping ridges ris-
ing five or six hundred feet above it, and tbe
canon becomes much broader, aud its walls
more elcvated for tmo miles, where 1t makes 4
large bend to the north; below this, the walls
gradually decrease, md in two miles the canon
opens to the width Of half mile, which ii pre-
SERVES Tor three mics to the succeeding valley.
Tue highest portions OF the walls rise two hun
dred fret aeose tho stream, with IN accunula-
ticn Of fallca rocks extending half way to the
tnp. For eight miles the course Of the canon is
direct; it then makes \ long bend to the north,
4nd Is followed by two or three short cosvcs,
but With generally direct course. Its open
part is tin1hcred, and its walls less abrupt md
or the right bank If the stream, The mountains,
followed by the river, extended considerably in
the plain OF Free river. The most favore5le line
for the passage Of = railway leads along the
pain Oh the north 81 Of the river, and desceuds
the sides Of tho rocky hills which surmount it.
ard continues on the side Of tue mountain until
il cc.eEs the plain Of Fall rirer. Tie second
canou is less formidable than tho first, because
it Is Of less eztcnt- L ,rill be perceived the
river is smeil-frotn twenty to sixty feet wide.
The canon is straight, or bus long curves. Loose
piies at rocks lay alongside the 4trcan, aud ne
do not perceive Hhy these looss pieces Of rocks
may not be doatFibutcd partly In the stresm and
partly Gu. Of it, aud ',ith the aid Of sida cuts,
follow near tho bed of the stream instead ol the
side Of tie 1uountsin." 3: this as It MAY,
Lieutenant Decxs ith has not only carefully de.
scribed these two gorgea, which, tAken toEetu-
ct, oatS extend over 222.i3 miles; but be SHOWS
hos they may be overcome or avoided. After
leading his report, 1cT practical railroad con.
structtr will be c Ariaccd Of tie prsct;csbi!ity,
aud, IN sone respects, interesting portions Of
the railroad route.
Thesurrey Of Lieutenant Beckwith Terminates
river is navigabie for small craft, aud the vnI-
ley rloyds au easy descent for Eailroad to the
bay Of ) n Francisco. Hsving flushed his re-
view OF the labo1s On this Central route, ha con-
c.udea his report IS follows:
"Fnrtlior surveys On THIS route would dou b.
less develope iuportent improrcments q! rs-
sinrs points and at two at 1east-ore from the
slo.c Of the ia1e near Stanbury.s Island, By ri.
lot Peak, to the pacs in the Humboldt River to
Mud Lake-woull probably diminish the length
Of the 4inc hy ono hundred aud ak miles. The
grades, also, IRE doubtless susceptible OF mate
rist improvement by minute surTeys With spir-
it level: THere IN an abundance OF good a:one
te7rsls, upon Ill paris Of tbs line. Water is
also found in abundance for railroad purposes,
! throughout these portions Of tho TERRA Nesa-
da, NGsatch and Rocky mountains explored,
md also 1T few miles Intervals, in tbs kasiu,
| where it ususlls orcurs in spring ut the bases
Of the mauntaias. and in small streams descend
ing from :he higher peaks and ridges to the ad-
| jacent plsins.
And simple reference 10 the map Of the
| route will exhibit an imperfect feature in the
fact that in its remarkable direct course, for its
| great lenE.h from tle Missouri west to :he PIT
! ci6c. it follows the ascsnLing aud descending
| valleys Of permanent 1irers aud thcir tribpt4-
j rics, for more than tvo-thi1ds Of its entire
| length, AID that water Is abundant On Al! the
Intermediate span., afordln1 the means Of irri-
Catioa to y largo extent, wherever the lands ere
suitable for it; and thAt teey will doubtless be
found 80, wherever tie sage plsius arc lu1u-
.iaa., may be inferred from the rich nroEatic
euor snd rrslneuS properties o. lQat plautt arc
from TIC exceedingly nutritious character Of the
grass scattered through It. Ard it is we'll
| Epo IN fact that the Mormons produce some of
their finest crops from reclaimed plans.
ny reference to The map and accompanying
liable ol l.:i:udcs it will be seen that the rsu.e
explored conforms throughout to q remarkably
straight line, deva.iug west from Fo1t l,ridger
only al the Tinpano1as canon, If 1has line b
preferred 10 tie Weber, aud Oh The northern
portion Of the Sacramento River.
The Secretsry oi Na-, lion. Jefferson Davis,
| in his summary report of Of 1856, although he
Eavo1s The Southern route. thus speaks Of this
| Central aoute. after lie hsi reviewed the sur
ve5s concluded BY Lieut.. BceSwith:
"Altbough the route passes over elevated re-
Vious the sum Of ascents and descents IS the
1e1t least attc. that Of the seventeenth parallel,