The weekly Butte record., 1866-05-05
Failure If the C. P. r. Z. Route.

alk0Ie u tn6 u z. -. =. 40uto.
We noiiced in = Plaeerville paper, which
has been mislaid, an important statement in
connection with the Central Pacific r. R.
Route 1t is probable, however, that the
siatemen. shoald be taken with many grains
Of allowance for Placerville is Oh the oppo.i-
tion sky scraping route to Dutch Flat. and
while neither the Dutch Flat, nor the Placer
vile rou,es are practicable for railroad, the
statements OF the advocates of the one against
the other should not be set down as entirely
true However, the old axiom that Nv hen
rogues faA out, houest men get their dues"
may prove true with regard TO railroad routes
through the Nevada mountains. Neither
route is practicable for winter use. and the ad
vocates Of both know it, but will only tell it
of the route they are opposing
The statement was to the effect that the
Central Pacific Company had commenced tun
neing at some point above Dutch Flat, AID
citrate it. That is pretty tough but if nothing
else will prevent the Central Pacific Company
from building a railroad for great national
highway on a route that is impracticable for
six months of the year, we hope they will find
miles of it, and be forced to adopt practica
bic one. We report as fact, and time will
prove il, that the money already spent on the
Dutch Flat road, would have sent the iron
horse into Virginia City, Nevada, over any OF
the routes north OF the waters Of the Ynba,
and at an elevation so low as not to be troub
led with snow to greater extent than the
railroads in the State OF New York are.
But the statement continues that, having
struck this hard rock, the tunnel was aban
doned, new survey ordered, which was made
some twenty miles around, and new tunnel
was now going on, with hope of being able
to dodge the contumacious granite, or, at least,
to find soft spot in the great back bone Of
the Pacific coast, which can be penetrated by
a cold cbisel and nitro glycerine. When it is
remembered that hardened steel can be drilled,
and quartz and diamonds cut into any desired
shape, the character of the rock that has turned
aside the Central Pacific Railroad will be &C.
knowledged thing of some substance, if the
statement be entirely true.
The policy governing the adoption of the
route for this great national walk has been q
selfishuess utterly unworthy of the magnitude
of the undertaking. There was no adequate
effort made to find route that could be trav-
ersed the year round, or over which road
could be speedily constructed. A bonus was
log rolled through the national government in
the shape of bonds and lands and the State of
California and the city of San Francisco were
badgered out of hundreds of thousands by in-
terested State aud city officials, to be thrown
away on a route to satisfy the local jealousy
of Sacramento, and permit that to be the first
ranch at which this great national highway
should arrive in California The amount given
this selfish concern by the national government,
and by the State of California, and by the
city of San Francisco, combined, We repeat,
is sufficient to build railroad from Sacramen-
to by the way of Orovle and Beckw,h Pass
to Virginia City, and had it been expended
in that direction, Virginia City might to-day
be in railroad communication with Sacramen.
TO.
We do not doubt but that the Central Pa.
cafe Company will fight it out on the line
they have chosen, in obedience to the boyish
jealousy that has controlled them thus far.
But when they have done so, they will find
their road useless for a considerable portion of
the year. Business will require another road
on route that will be servicable, and capital
will be found 10 build it, while the great Cen
tral Pacific with all It's bonuses and bonds and
lands will be rendered useless by avalanches
OF snow. That is our opinion.