The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1866-02-10
Idaho-Goy. LYONS Message.

We make the following interesting extracts
from the message of Gov. Lyons of Idaho:
RAILROAD FROM SALT LAKE TO THE COLUMBIA
RIVER.
After a careful series of soundings at low
water, it has been found that the Snake or
Shoshone river can be made navigable at a
nominal expense, from Old's Ferry to Salmon
Falls, distance of $50 miles, thus making an
important link in the chain of railroad COM
munication from the north end of Great Salt
Lake to Walula, via Grande ROnde Valley
and Walla Walla, over the lowest pass in the
Blue mountains With about 100 miles of
navigation on Great Salt Lake. we have less
than 400 miles of railroad to build to render q
branch Pacific railroad success, whose entire
pot will be Portland, and its terminus Great
Salt Lake City. This route is some 500 miles
nearer China and Japan than the trunk route
through Nevada and California, and by your
endorsement of the state OF facts in the proper
way by memorial; it cannot fail to attract ia
vorably the attention of Congress, that we may
have the same chartered rights and Govern
ment bounty to induce its construction that
have been given to other measures Of SINH
lar character Thus the Columbia river, the
natural avenue of commerce, would attract the
trade of the Orient, as well as the Occident,
and form the grand link in this truly national
highway Oregon, as well as the Territories
of Montana and Washington will be largely
the gamers by its progress and completion.
WEALTH OF IDAHO.
bird's-eye view of the accumulating DIS
coveries in our mineral resources reveals that
we have no less than three thousand gold and
siIver-bearing quartz lodges graded i'll their
value as in their richness, and new discoveries
and new locations are being made almost
daily The width of these lodes or leads vary
from three to thirty feet, and they prospect
from twenty to five hundred dollars per ton.
Located usually where water-power and tim
Der are in abundance, they offer the highest
inducements to enterprisng capitalists, whose
investment can rarely fail of being of the
most remunerative character. Among the
other useful ores which have been discovered
within the lasG year, tin, cinnabar, copper,
lead, and iron in many forms, are Of the first
value yet platina, antimony, nickel, bismuth,
iridium, rhodium, simple or compounded with
other minerals, are found in various localities !;
but this is not all beds of the best of coal,
both anthracite and bituminous, with rock
salt, sulphur, and gypsum, DIETER known as
the fertiizing plaster of commerce,) while the
most precious of gems-the diamond-has
been discovered in our gulches, all give you a
feeling foretaste of the iIlimitable extent of
Idahos varied mineral wealth, when the hand
of man shall have unbosomed her hidden
treasures. The wide extent of our auriferous
placers, only moity of which have been we'll
.prospected, checkered as they are by aurifer-
Gus quartz-Iodes and leads, are fiyalied only
by argentilerous mountain lodges, striated.
ANIMATED, and foliated with silver in chlorides
and sui phurets-arsenical, antimenial, and
virgin This presents a fabulous array of mar
vellous deposits which will require the indus
try Of ages to develop and exhaust.