The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-03-13

Wb, Faro h Co, chAfge seNeoy nve CEN
per pouna In gold for stags fnsisAt from So
FrScaco TO Salt Lake, seven hundred and
ten aesys.e 6fsg cents V Asssics thres
sbout one half these rates from Sacramen1ss
In thsyesr l464-a dull one by the wsy-the
Pre&dsnt ofihe Gould and Curry Mining Co.
estimated that had there been . railroad run.
$500 . NaeiaiA CitTs- thu companx You'd
have >sved in that year nearly $2,00e000 IA
gold on freights. The cost OF Ha4portmei
goods to the mines of Nevada might With 1
ruth b calisa- Assahls- ~ least $l0,QQ0,
600 per year is thus run away with; ana IN
view of ths6e T1tAs the w1ndef II thle the
companies, q, even such ID unparalleled
rich lode a. the Comstock, can struggle I'M.
der such burdens, pay $13 per cord for fire.
wood, $3.50 per day in gold to laborers, and
vet pay monthly dividends of from 70 g.
per cent IN gold. Tho. cost OF WORKING the
paving mines Of Nevada will be reduced
fully one>half when the road is built, and
thousands that can not be developed now,
because Of enormous expense, can and will
be when the road is built. All that have
said on this subject about Virginia City APP
plies with double force to Austin and its
mines, which are l66 miles further distant
from Sacramento. Had the mine owners Of
Virginia City and Austin been actuated BY
business foresight, they would have sub
scribeAaii the requisite funds for the build
ing of the railroad but they were not, The
stockheidef Ia them of To. day does not know
that he will be such Tomorrow $50 many
buy only TO gamble in the stocks), and he ID
opposed 10 having his dividend reduced for
even q month, no matter how much the
company might be future gamer by assist
ing such an enterprise as this railroad.
Their narrow shortsightedness in these three
thing 10 forcihly illustrated in the way they
have sighted another prolect-that OF the
aSutro Tunnel which all of them fully
believe would reduce the cost OF mining one
half at least, vet which they have all so far
neglected to unite upon and put through,
causing the enterprise TO be offered in other
markets, when IL should be kept at home
and the profits poeketed by us.
In addition TO the profits that will flow to
the Central Pacific Railroad Company from
the running Of their road, the immense land
ed grants Of Congress will have placed IN
their possession millions OF acres OF as tne
| agricultural and timber lands as can be found
within the limits OF the United States, from
which they will draw vast revenues. Nevada
| is almost destitute OF timber, and, even for
| 6re>wood, SI3 per cord has to be paid by
| the mining companies, and for the more val
liable. used for timbering the mines and other
purposes, from $40 to scope cord is charged
| In Virginia City. The amount required for
| timberIng mine may be guessed when
state that it has been repeatedly asserted, and
| never contradicted, that to timber the Gould
| and Curry mine took more lumber than was
used to build Virginia City, a town Of frame
/ houses that accom- modate 5000 inhabitants.
\ All the timber required by the State of Neva-
/ da can be supplied by the railroad compsny
\ for at less, fifty years, and the income they
/ will derive from this source alone will pay 8
| fair percentage on the cost of toe eutire road
through the Sierrss.
have here briefly touched on this road.
which, TO us of this coast, is of more irnpot;
lance than any other subject that can be dis.
cnssed, and what facts | have given will
doubtless interest many of your readers. for
large part ofthe stock in il Is held by New
Workers, we being, rs usual too poor TO keep
it al at home. have not goae deeply into
the subject Of facts and figures. for they
would be tiresome and uunecesssry-promi-
nent facts only have been touched upon. But
| if those Of your citizens who own Interests in
the Central Pacific Railroad do not receive
larger profits from it than derived from
! the stock Of any other road, not even except
| ing the Panama Railroad then facts and
figures piH lie, despite the proverb TO tht
i contrary, and have lost their use for making
calculations. =
/ 1t was thought at first that the deep snow,
Of winter would greatly impede travel upor
the road in the Sierras, fit did not actually
suspend il But the anticipated trouble from
this source has easily been overcome b.
snow ploughs and cleaning parties, although
very heavy falls indeed have occurred this
winter. ] have been three times over tht
road, once in last January. in deep snow
again in july and third time this week
On my second trip had very good oppor
tunity to see the work thoroughly, and can
testify thar il is built in hrst>ciass style
throughout, and my winter trips have con
vlnced me that snow can put no obstacle it
the way Of the road that cannot always be
easily overcome.
OF the grandeur Of the moun1nlA peaks,
many of which rise TO an atitndoH6f iron
II, 800 to Il. oOOfeet: of the deep aud apps
rently fathomlsss gorges of the gigantic trees
Of the crystal lakes, mountain waterfalls, anc
rivers of the lights and shades. and Of tn,
gorgeous views from the tops OF some of tht
peaks: OF the rarifed and clear atmosphere
of the bracing and delightful mountain air
of these and thousand other kindred sub
jects I will say nothing further than to proph
ecy that, when the road is completed through
out its whole length, American tourists will
here find a chain of lofty and glorious noun
tans that will prove 10 their delighted sense:
that their own land contains all inst can b,
found within the boosted limits Of the Alps
and that 10 enjoy such sights they need nc
longer cross the Atlantic.
Since have spoken at length of the Cen
trail Pacific Railroad and its initial point, Sac
ramento, it will be well for me to state how
| communication is maintained between it ant
the great seaboard city of the coast, Sal
Francisco. For sixtyfve miles ncrth Of thu
latter our magnificent bay extends, when i'll
waters collide with the flowing out Of th,
Sacramento river. From the latter point L
, Sacramento is distance OF sixty miles. On
this bay and river, navigation is more perfec
and uninterrupted. believe, than upon AM
in the world. Upon the river there is nj
, snow, no ice, no iogs, no low water If We ex
cept the month of September, whel
drawbacks three or four DAYS out of the mont
are occasionally met with. The line o
. steamers running upon this bay and rive
stand among the finest in the world, for swift
ness, size, comfort, and freedom from acct
, dents.
Thus Sacramento City has been given, frs
by nature in her river. and second by man
{ art in steamboats,. the head inland position
or the coast as the natural depot for the dis
tribution of goods and passengers to and iron
| the interior.
, An attempt TO build railroad from tn
head tide water of our bay to Sacramento
talked of. but as it viii have TO run som
1 twenty miles through "tule y or swamp land
/ which, even in the dry season mas no practi
cable foundation, aud is every wet season
, threatened with humiliation. and is certdi
4 every three or four to be so, as it is now, owe
; its whole length for depths of from four t
: six feet-I sag, with these obstacles in tn
n way, the project looks certain chmerical,
: not actually impossible of execution.
a The heavy rains of this season have cause
. general inundation of the low lands of th
, Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. Fror
4 the vicinity of Visslia on the south, up TO th
o headwsters Of the Sacramento on the north
r and from the base of the Slerras to the Ea.
;. Range foothills on the east and west, dis
4 lance of nearly 500 miles from north TO south
n and OF fifty to seventy from east to west-a
|. is one vast inland sea at present, and gres
q injury to improvements has resulted.
d How TO con6ne the waters Of the two gres
r rivers of the S.ste in their beds in heavy wiz
. tiers, without rendering the current in tbel
4 so rapid and resistless as to make their navi
3 cation impossible, is one of the most dificu
. problems our State has to solve. Levee,
. even ifthey couldbe built high enough, woul