Nevada national., 1860-04-14

| was enabled to enter Auburn at greater
/ elevation. and also TO descend into Big
/ Gulch, AID JOIN the Central Railroad at the
north end OF the bridge thereby saving an
exPensr structure. II ving concluded TO
adopt this maximum IL wus iound that il en-
abed IA 10 avoid deep cuts through the ilai
submits On ihe ccutral portion OF the line.
which could rot hayt. brsn avoided il the 10
/ ieet grade had been adhered to.
! The toisi eievai On from the junction with
The Central Railroad 70 the head OF the up
pr line at Auburn is 1888 r-es, or TO the
bead OF the lower lire Is 979 feet.
No railroad has yet he.n constructed
IN the mountainous regions Of California
On the roates that have been surveyed over
I the valley lands ihe maximum grades are
usually much less than 80 feet to the mile.
But Il will scarcely be possible TO penetrate
I far into the mining region. nor 10 surmount
I the Sierra Nevada. without resorting to
maximum grades not tolerated elses acre
thsn 10 the mountainous rrg.ons. Grades
Of 50. 60. 20 and so feet tn tie mile and n
some cas- perhaps - high ~ 90 or 100 il
viii be found economical aud probably alb
solniclT necessary to admit. Sharp curves
high bridging. deep rock cltt'ng.nud tunnels
will also br characteristics ~ our mountain
railroads. All thess features are common
10 the roads across the Aeghaniss in Penn
sylgania and Virgiaia and soma Of the
mountainous districts OF New York and
New England.
On the baltimore and Ohio Railroad
grade cl ll6 feet TO The mile for IL miles
has been in Use for many years. On The
Penasy sania aud Central road there are
grades o IS feet for q miles Where curves
occur on this grade. the grade i reduced at
H. .far. q a Nn
curvature Passenger trains ascend this
grade with a vel7ci,y OF "a miles per honr
aud descend at 20 miles per hour. The
accent when there are more Than three cars
is effected by the aid Of an additional en-
giut. The working lno1 Of the heavy iregh,
engines (weighins 65 900 pounds and On
eight drivers or tA~ 30 f--t grade is 10
tors net, or Hbyzi 2es tons Including tender
and cars.
On the Massachusetts, Western road there
II grade Of SO feet to the mile for one mile
and a half Engines of 20 ton. draw 100
tons over this grade. Passengers trains ruu
up al a6ont Is miles per hour, without aux
Hilary power.
These facts. deduc-d from the actual work
ing Of roads in daily use. on :he most i'm
portant lines in the United States. will show
what con be done with the grades adopted
for your road.
/ Grades much steeper than those cited
have been successfully overcome By loco.
motives on several Eastern roads, hut such
grades have only been resortei to for tenn
porlry purposes. and ought noi 10 be adoD-
ted as part of permanent system. We
ought 10 recollect that the Auburn road
may pOssiahy become portion of the great
transit route across the Sieera. nd iis lead
ing features ought net to be such as to unfit
it for that purpose.
The question as 70 whether the road will
pay is discussed at considerable length, aud
hasig his calculations upon reliable statistics
Mr. Day shows that the road from Folsom to
Auburn would pay over seventeen per cent
per annum on the cos. Of construction. The
estimate is certainly very moderate. as any
one must admit who has taken pains to in
form himself in regard TO the business Stats
tics OF Nevada and Placer counties.
We make another extract from the con-
cluding portion OF the report
When extended to its full feneth to Neva-
da. so to 55 miles, the road will penetrate
enc OF the most populous and prosperous
mining regions 10 the state, and one OF the
finest bodies or timber land in the world
The character o the mining is of perma-
nent kind consisting largely OF hydraulic
and tunnel clairas and quartz lodges The
whole country traversed by the road is ca
pable Of high state of agricultural i'm
provement in its valleys. and OF profitable
use for grazing on its hills. IL is as capa-
ble Of supporting dense population rs the
same extent in New England. or the billy
portions Of New York aud Pennsylvania. It
has a climate ne well adapted 10 the peach
aud the zine a. that of Northern Italy. at
the foot Of the Alps. The make pile and
go home class Of people is fast yielding TO
permanent population, who have already
commenced fitting up homes for life. The
process Of planting vineyards has already
begun along the slopes irrigabic hv bitches
As fair chance is presented to
this road TO compete for the Nashoe trade.
aud for a connection with the great road
across the Continent. Hs TO any other road
In the state. For the purpose o. a railroad
crossing the Sleara Is vet m nustgdiea les
son All the surveys by the United States
Government have beea 20 ihr north or south
ol the central part OF the Sierra tLst lies
opposite TO t1e great centre OF cur popnla-
tiOn.
The Truckce and the HenHess Passes
point TO . ards yoar road. and there IL eve
ry probability that they will he thoroughly
examined duTing the coming summer.