The Nevada Democrat., 1860-04-11
SACRAMENTO, PLACER, AND NEVADA
RAILROAD.

from fOlsOm 10 AuDuFnJ appears III tns A"oeA"
Herald, of March 3lst. The Report is very
able one, and has evidently been prepared with
much care. It gives minute description or
the route from Folsom to Auburn, which is as
far as the locating survey has been made, with
estimates of the cost and also contains much
valuable information in regard to the extension
of the road to Nevada In consequence Of its
great length, we cannot publish the report en-
tire, but present our readers with synopsis,
extracting such portions as relate more par1icu-
larly to the route from Nevada to Auburn. In
abiding to preliminary surveys made by Messrs.
Judah, Elliott and Stangroom, Mr.. Day says:
Although was not specially charged with locating
route further than Auburn yet from the title Of your
Company well from other sources 1t became appa
rent that TO compile the entire design the road must be
extended i practicable to Gras; VALLEY ana Noyaaa, st
vide between ths Nsrth Fork Of the American and Bear
river As this extension might the location near
and through the town Of Auburn, took Anerod bar
ometer and made observations Of elevations, and
the general features Of the couutry between Auburn and
Nevada.
stage coach would enable to make but sufficient
convince OF the entire praeticaby Of Railroad TO
Nevada with reasonable grades and not exraVagant cost
Bear river the only important stream was not difficult
to compared with other large mountain sream'
Tho table lands presented long gradual slopes and were
covered with growth OF timber. have since
passed route along the Inoistown divides crossing
Pear river at Prebes bridge and passing by the Buena
Vista raueh This route prsaents magnificent growth
Of timber.
Mr. Elliott the County Surveyor Of Placer county has
since made reconnoissance, with level and chain along
line from Nevada passing through Grass Valley thence
to . ridge Greenhorn creek thence crossing
Bear river fsw miles below Prebe's bridge and passing
along the sout heastern side Of the divide between the
North Fork Of the American river and Bear river to the
brow Of the ridge north Of Auburn He has politely fur
nished with table Of elevations and distances winch
is appended to this report II IL his opinion that the dis
tance Of Railroad from Auburn to Nevada, located near
the line Of his would be about 30 miles
His object was not 10 make out grade line but deter
mine elevations and approximate distances OF leading
points .t a.....H Il. ..
All these preliminary surveys combine to establish
leading fact which govern In tho location Of any
Railroad intended to reach the trade Of the mining re-
glons above and around Auburn Grass valley and Ne.
yada That fact 10: that lines drawn rom either Of
nearly to line along the base OF the foot hills present
too short distance to overcome the elevation at prae
cable grade In other words the high table lands upon
which these mining towns situated break of too sud
denly on approaching the Sacramento plain To attain
this elevation by an easy grade 1t becomes necessary to
approach them by long lne-gRdualy ascending the
western slope in direction slightly inclined to the line Of
their base. r.r ...
A description Of the country along the route
Is given, which We quote
Auburn 10 situated In circular BASIN opening towards
the west formed by the small ravines and low spurs at
the OF Auburn ravne mediately around this
basin and at elevation about 130 to l50 eet above
the dividing ridge between the North Fork Of the
American river and the streams which flow directly to
the Sacramento plain. The top Of the ridge Ia fiat table
land, covered with ancient water boulders. Al
though narrow IL has evidently at some ancient pc
rod formed part of vast plain, gently sloping toward.
the great interior bay Of California and reaching upward
by easy grade to the base Of the Sierra Nevada.
Above Auburn this ridge less continu GUS but
below and within about two or three miles Of Auburn
the Hat top Of the ridge branches out into number OF
long spurs like to fingers of man hand trend
ing towards the south and west and breaking OF sudden
y into series OF isolated knobs that rise above the next
owsK bench sf table land Ranges Of these knobs may be
traced for distance along the lower divides between
To ascend from this lower table land to the upper bench
along the slopes around tho ends fthose long spurs
and to tho deep aynes that divide hem presented
the difficult problem In the location of the route.
When this problem Is solved the main obstacle Ia over
come In locating Railroad from Folsom to Grass Valley
Here we have Mr. Day for authority, that the
main obstacle in constructing road from Fol-
som to Grass Valley is below, and within two
or three miles Of Auburn. The survey Of Mr.
Elliott shows that there is no difficulty in End
ing good line from Grass Valley TO Nevada.
Two lines were surveyed, an upper and
lower one, leading out Of Auburn, which unite
their grades about five miles below the town.
The upper line commences at q point 81 feet
above the lower line, and the cost Of grading
and bridging the former is some seventy thou
sand dollars more than the latter. Mr.. Day,
however, recommends the upper line, for sove-
raj reasona; among others, because ait keeps
the road up out Of the ravine SO that it may
naturally and easily attain the table lands
above Aubarn. on Its way to Nevada" s
The line as located is divided into two parts
the FIRST, commencing at Auburn, is 6.10 miles,
aud the second 1898 miles in length, making
the entire length Of the road 1908 miles. The
following is a summary Of the cost: ..i a.f
Grading and bridging hrst division, o.lo miles,
upper line. .....,...,..., 4o1,oso
miles -. Observation-Disclosures. $50 $50
-.sr.r Al .aI .ftfrunUI --------
Total grading and bridging, 1908 miles..... 63s6l9
and tornonts, al $40 si4 per mile a27oo4
buildings and hxtures. NAM. !.... ....... obOoO
Rolling stock ek..,..,..,.......,..... 10000
Add for right Of way, fencing, sites for depots, b.
ana contingencies. .....'.''..''''.'..... soOOV
Total cost Of road bulldogs and equipments 81 OooT13
.."
BY the lower line s929 261
II will be seen that the heaviest item Of ex-
pense, Is the grading aud bridging Of that pOr-
tion Of the road near Auburn, which Is owing
to the dificulty Of crossing the lcng narrow
spurs making down from the table land, spoken