Santa Fe gazette. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1859-1864, 1863-12-12

"oNN'' 'Ni"hS ~ ~ VIGIL h"huo' AhVl
should he allowed to pursue that course
which will make the work success, ard
which will make it credit as well as ad-
vantage to the nation at large.
Those who in former times, were oppos.
cd to the construction Of the national
thoroughfare, found objections, also 10 the
S5th para !lcl routc, They contended that
it wonld be impossible to construct aud
operate the road through country desti.
tute OF fuel and water, which they argued
was the case with this route. Had the
argument been based upon facts, as many
well meaning men supposed II to be, it
would have been valid one and equally
as potent Gs those advanced in opposition
TO the more northern roulcS. But, forum.
ateIy for the country the argument was
made under q misapprehension of the re
sources Of the country through Which the
road would pass, and there seems not to
have been in the possession Of the leading
advocates OF the measure the ample infir.
nation in regard to the subiec. which they
should have had, aud which would dhave been
fully snllicicu. to subport the untanabe pre
text upon which the objections TO the S5lh
parallel route we're founded.
We will here advert to some Of the facts
III regard to the existence Of fuel and wa
ter on this route as they are known 10 ex
lNt, and have been known to exist, by the
residents Of New Mexico, for many years.
First as to fuel. On north branch Of
the Canadian fork Of the Arkansas known
as Rabbits Ear creek, tho deposits of coal
arc. very extensive, and the quality the
very best Of the bituminons. These coal
fields were discovered many years since,
and were mentioned by Col. 10. johnson,
now in the confederate service, in report
Of an exploring tour he made from this city
to Red river in 1857. They were discov.
cred previously by Maj. now Brig. Gen.
Carleton, in 1851.
In the Ration mountains the same condi.
tion of things In reference to coal obtains
The supp there is inexhaustible and in
quality unsurpassed In the Galisteo val
ley the coal beds arc immense. West of
the Rio Grande, in the Navajo country, coal
is found in great abundance, and in many
parts of the country, extending to Zuhi.-
Mr.. Aubry mentions that, in his celebrated
trip from California to New Mexico in 1853
by the the 3jth parallel route, he found
evidences Of coal west of Zuhi, and had no
doubt Of its existence. This coal is in ad
dition to the wood which in many places is
found in abundant quantities not only for
fuel but also for purposes of constructing a
railroad. Mr. Aubry speaks OF forests Of
pine in the uaexplored region between
Zuhi and the Tejon pass, in California, as
being made upof majestic trees of "fom 2
10 to 5 feet in diameter, and over 200
feet in heighth, and abundant enough to
make a railroad from the eastern States to
the Pacific"
Non let us see how it is as to water Ii,
this, VIC will take view of the case that
cannot but be understood by all. We take
it for granted that where an OK team can
travel railroad locomotive can pass. Ok
teams can make from fifteen to twenty
miles per day and must have water, at the
very least, once per day. For many years
trains of wagons hauledby oxen have come
from the States to New Mexico, and they
have never perished for want of water A
locomotive would pass twenty or more Of
these water stations in day, and it would
surely be able to supply itself with a sufi-
cheney Of water from them all.
West of the Rio Grande the same con.
ditions exist, Trains have gone from the
Rio Grande to the new gold mines and
have not suffered for want of water. In
Mr.. iubry's Tip through the country in
1853 he made no complaints Of a want Of
water between the Colorado and the loca.
tion of the mines. Besides this the coun-
try between the mines and Los Angeles
in California is now travelled by emigrants
who seek the new gold region from the
Pacific.
From these premises We hold that the
objection to the 85th parsllel route in con.