The hydraulic press., 1861-08-17
The Great Central Route Across the
Sierra Nevada.

-
Sierra Nevada.
recent visit to portion of the Henness
Pass Route from Marysville to Nevada Ter
ritory, enables US to present some highly
interesting and gratifying facts relating
thereto. The Truckee Turnpike, which en-
braces SO much of the route as extends
from Grizzly Fort, Sierra county, to Jackscn's
Ranch, near the Pass, is completed and in
splendid condition aud the Henness Pass
Turnpike is completed for two miles beyond
the summit. This makes distance of forty
two miles of good wagon road, connecting
with an equally good one leading this way
by North San Juan 20 Marysville. The high
est grade of the Truckee Turnpike does not
exceed two feet to the rod, and only six rods
are 50 steeply graded as that. The grade of
other ascents is not over eighteen or twenty
inches to the rod, while the general grade in
overcoming ascents is from six to ten inches.
The road is wide enough for loaded teams to
pass each other, we'll banked up on the lower
side, and keeps generally the south side of
the ridge between the Middle and North Yu-
ba- For distance of nine miles beyond the
farthest point named, down the eastern slope,
the road is not completed, though usually in
good travelling condition, the loose rocks
removed, and only weeks labor needed to
fit it for the transit of the heaviest laden
teams. The nine miles of nearly finished
road alluded to lead to the lower crossing of
the Little Truckee river, where bridge has
been erected. Thence a new grade has been
made one mile and half to Moore's at
Tule Lake Valley. From this point to
Sardine Valley, FIVE miles, about two miles
of light grading has yet to be done, and
beyond that the road is already finished to
Virginia and Carson Cities. A force of
eighty-six men, in two gangs, is employed
on the Incomplete sections of the route,
under the supervision of the Truckee and
Henness Pass Turnpike Companies, who
prosecute and own the road jointly beyond
Jackson's Ranch, few miles this side of the
summit, at which point the Marysviie and
Nevada roads intersect. We arc assured by
Mr.. Freeman, the principal contractor, that
this great highway across the mountains
will be finally completed by September 5th
1t may not be known to all Of our readers
that the Henness Pass Route was early
traversed by portion of the overland emf
grafton, and tolerably good wagon road
thus formed which needed Improvement at
only few points where costly excavation
and banking were required to obtain an easy
emigrants used to climb directly over.
These new grades having been made, the
route is fast becoming popular Six and
eight mule teams, hauling from sixty to
eighty hundred pounds each, and even as
high as eleven thousand pounds in one
instance, and OK teams averaging loads of
about seventy hundred, besides supplies of
feed, are passing over the road constantly,
roipo Go nd
way Of North San Juan. The freight from
Marysvile to Virginia or Carson, ranges from
three to four cents per pound Over good
portion of the road, except on the longest
ascents, stage teams can travel at round
trot. The newness of some parts of it
makes it very dusty and rather heavy pulling
for the first teams passing but after the
first rains these sections Will pack hard and
be superior to much of the old grade. Until
lately, heavily laden teams were obliged to
divide their loads in going from Truckee Lake
to Sardine Valley, distance of about fifteen
miles, but in a week from this date they can
60 through the entire one hundred and thirty
miles from Marysville to Virginia without
unloading or meeting with any other i'm
pediment. To give an idea of the amount
of freight and travel already going over the
Henness Pass route, we will state that on
Saturday last thirty teams destined for
Washoe were en- route from Marysville to
San Juan, and eight heavily loaded teams
were counted between Milton and Jackson,
distance of ten miles, besides numerous
smaller vehicles, horsemen and pack trains.
In response to queries addressed to them,
the teamsters we encountered expressed
themselves delighted with the route and the
I Al
previously hauled goods by the Placerville
route, characterize the latter as much inferior
in point oflight grade, hardness, and facilities
for obtaining feed and water. After leaving
the Middle Yuba ridge the road passes
through succession of fine level pasture
valleys, in which large quantities of hay are
cut and sold on the spot and transported to
Washoe, bringing thirty dollars ton. These
valleys, lying at the summlt-the Henness
Pass itself being one of them-and along
the channel of the Little Truckee till it
strikes the vast meadows of the Big Truckee
at the foot of the Eastern Slope, have been
all taken up and occupied by settlers.
There are public houses at intervals of from
four to six miles, where fair accommod odations
for man and beast can be porcured. There
are three toll gates on the whole route from
OTIZZly Tue COlleCtlOUS dC WHICH IdSL
month amounted to 81, 100. This month the
tolls will reach about $500, and next
month at least $4,000. They are put low,
and will probably be reduced hereafter.
Three stages make regular weekly and semi
weekly trips on the route from Nevada,
North San Juan and Downleville, the latter
stage going by Sierra Valley and striking
the new road at Sardine Valley. After the
thorough completion of the road, say by
September 5th, it will command an immense
amount of freight and travel and receive the
first installment of the popularity which it
is certain to obtain, and which will make it
contribute vastly to the prosperity of all the
towns on its course and at its termini
Marysville especially will be gamer by it,
and has thus early, we are told, obtained
some accesions of trade through its in
strumentality. Next year it will be traversed
by daily line of passenger and mail coaches,
and be made a branch of the great central
mail route across the continent To This