Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1865-03-13
correspondence Of The state Sentinel.
OVERLAND TRIP To CALIFORNIA.
The Gold Begton-The Best Route
for the Atlantic aud Pacific rail.
road Tho Colorado Country->an
Francisco and us FIXTURE, &c., &c
San JosE, CALIFnRsiA.
November 25. 1864

DIR. EDITOR tlaceffitte Is tituAtt0 ia a raw
inc, with crooked streets. exhibiting the haste
with which the town was built. There is az air
of business about il. aud som. of the bushes
houses indicate wealth aud taste. Placer mining
still continues on a small scale in the nei.hbor-
hood, but with varying returns aud not a. all
proDortioned 10 the yields of former years Chi
nsmen are now washing Over the ground former
ly turned up by miner, ana are content with tie
pittance they take out. The day OF placer dig
ging for gold is over in California Henceforth
they must ci-engage the precious metal from
quartz rock; and 90 do this will require Eschin-
cry and capital.
The country about Placeryille is exceedingly
beautiful, rolling and dotted with oak trees OF
/ low growth but wide-s spreading branches The
soil is vet, but produces well OF a favorable sea
son. But fruit is the crop of this section. and
numerous orchards and vinegar attest the fact
in abundant yields of fuest apples, peaches, pears,
| pums, ounces and grapes.
From here To Sacramento City the country Is
thickly settled, with good fern houses and barns
and large wayside inns. The country already
looks old, and what is marvellous to a verdant
emigraut stuffed foil OF health iieas touching
California where his fancy has pictured never
ending youth. From Placerville 10 within ten
miles OF Sacramento City great numbers of per
sons had the ague, with no local cause interven
ing to produce miasm. Que man told ne that
the disease was more vrulent here than in The
states.
The drouth has been so excessive in Cafor-
MIA for two years past that the fields and plains
look as bare as a public highway; and stock OF
all kinds are distressingly low in flesh and price.
Thousands OF horses and cattle have persisted.
and OF those that remain but a mciety will pass
through the ordeal Of the rainy season.
Thousands oil cattle have been bought up in the
central and southern parts OF the state for nomi-
nal prices--from twenty Eve cents to one dollar
per head-and ted to hogs OF course the pork
faItened on starved and diseased cattle possesses
exquisite favor. I ne truth is, California pork
in no sense compares with that of the states
Here il is either tough and striDgy or soft and
spongy, lacking that compactness and delicscy OF
fibre which it has in eminent a degree
there
The shrii whistle of the locomotive rings out
over the plains OF California above FOlsern and
some twenty five miles from Sacramento City
one of the first strides towards the Atlantic by
rail. The great work Of connecting the two
oceans by rail across the continent is seriously
| mpeded from the occident side BE- the qusrrels
of rival interests The Pacerville and the Dutch
| Flat routes seem to be the themes of the most
vrulent controversy. Ore contends that the
Sierra can be perforated with shorter tunnel on
| the one route than the oteer, ami that other iu-
| sists its location reaches the Carson River Val
! ley BY the easiest grades The truth u.s. neither
| one is the most eligible. cheapest best: ard
| but for the fact that wealthy cities and towns
among the foot hills in California, and on and
in the vicinity of Carson river. in Nevada, are to
be Rppeased, aud the additional Tact that San
| Francisco must be consulted and satisfied the
| road would be located on the southern route into
San BerEsDdiDa county, and thence through
Dixie" IN Utah, To Salt Lake City. Nowhere
| can the Sierra be crossed without at least fit Y
| miles within tue snow line, where, five months OF
| the year. from FIVE to ten feet of snow may be
confidently expected. Add to this the enormous
cost of tunnel through the granite of the Sierra
for miles, with long and dangerous inclines IL
reach the valley OF Carson River, aud il will be
| readily seen that whatever the respective merits
| of the Dutch Flat and Placervie routes may be
compared with each other they are both ObnoI
ious to formidable objections.
| The southern route ss indicated above has no
snow line to crO,s, no extraordinary tunnels
or heavy grades and perilous incliDes to con,
struct. lttrayerses the f0est grazing aud farming
country inCahfornis, now lly provided with
avenues to market. aud il reaches the Great Ba-
sin with not overa hundred miles of desert be
tween San BernsDdina to the western bun
| daryof Dixie, from whence TO Greet lt Like
| City II irayerses county ab0unGlng IN
cultivated fields, towns aud cities But Sau
| Frsnscisco objects; new pos. might be opened
near Los Angeles, more convenient because
| higher dangerous rival To my mind these
| fears are far from being well grounded On the
contrary, San Franscisro would be greatly bene-
6ttei. Just now the mormons are building
town en- the Colorado river, about FIVE hundred
miles atoye is mouth. and "a the head OF steam.
| 10 haul their supplies TO Salt Like about $50
| boat navigation From this point they propose
City miles, through continuous settlement ex
cept over the hrst fifty miles, 10 their capital.
Ii is not reasonable 70 suppose that they will buy
| at San Francisco when they can save 30 much
/ by importing for themselves. In this lColor ado
country are the richest silver mines, the ore Ia
ken from which now seeks The outlet of the
| river, several steamers already plying its waters
As soon as mills are erected at the mines bullion
only will be shipped Why shin 10 San Fran-
sciscol Why not directly to the East? Why buy
machinery 1t San Fcansei.co when il can be
| shipped for less from the Atlantic Staiesl Now,
If the IA! road was construed on the San Der
nandina route it would pass within a convenient
distance from the Colorado TO which il would
be easy 10 construct branch
By III s route Nevad. could be reached by 4
branch northwaId from he many accessible
points in The Gieat Basin.
But there il no occasion for speculation upon
this subject. il is decreed that the Sierra must
be pierced. when. il is not safe TO guess Those
/ who are now in mature life, who have been wait
i u Ilue dCfOec tue continent DN rail-, NAV "a
well dismiss the subject from heir minds The
/ work belongs 10 another generation. In the
meanwhile. il is clearly the interest % the Mis-
sour river trades people TO push forward the
work TO the Salt Lake valley. TO reach which no
formidable obstacles interven to prevent.
A railroad i now 10 operation from San Fran
1 cisco 10 San Jose. and work a. being done thence
10 Stockton, from whence IL proceeds 70 SAcra
mento. This is link 10 the great chain east
ward
That San Francisco Is one OF the greatest cit
les Of the world admits Of no doubt Ne city
has so great future With as fine hal Dor IS
the worlds boasts. il must be 10 the Pacific, whst
+ New York Is 70 The Atlantic II already has en-
ormous capital, not il credits not in promises TO
psy, but in coin. IL drains az agricultural and
I mining country rich beyond calculation With ey-
err grade OF climate and production from eternal
Z sDows 10 neyes ending sp,iGg, from The apple 70
f the orange, from cotton TO wheat from The pa n
10 the pine A'ready il j. feeling crsmped for
room. aud "c0untry villa" stretch iar along the
margin OF the bay
San Frarsisco oF gas light presents phases of
+ lie peculiar 10 this occidental region aud the
result OF sort OF fusion of manners and custome
/ OF every kidd of adventures. They due by gas
/ light. and after that every body goes upon the
streets More shopping i done after night than
! 10 the day time. ladies throng the streets; sni
Peter Fcnk auctioneers shrek above the gener i
din; recruiting squads With the everlasting rsO-