, 1868-05-08
North PacIac RalIroad-A New Route.

North Pacific Railroad-A New Route.
EDITOR SrATEsMAN:-At the time thai
the citizens of this Valley are taking such
an interest in agitating the construction Of
railroad from the Columbia river to this
place, the Northern Pacific Railroad Com
psny are looking forward to the examination
of the country along Salmon river, with q
view of running line down the Salmon TO
its mouth, and thence by the most direct,
practicable route to the Columbia river, Pu.
get Sound, and Portland. l believe that
most of the public spirited citizens Of our
country are convinced that q road can be
built Ind, sustained successfully from Wallula
to this place at the present time. am fully
satisfied that if the line was built, or even
commenced in good earnest, that it would
have great influence in attracting the d.
rection of the Northern Pacific Railroad
Company to this place; aud that the Nor
thern Pacific Railroad will be built, and that
it will be the great paying route across the
continent, am fully satisfied.
My object in writing at this time is to call
out all the Information possible on the char
acter of the county, Immediately along Sal
mon river, from its mouth up to Lemhi, as
that is the only part of the route which is
not known to be entirely practicable. The
Company clSim that the advantages of this
route in securing large bodies of valuable
lands on the Yellowstone and Bighorn, and
the excellent pass through the Rocky Noun
tains, on the head waters of the Salmon river,
the mildness of the winters, and the small
amount of snow that falls on the Yellowstone,
Bighorn. and in the Salmon river Canyon,
are sufficient to justify any reasonable amount
of expenditure in opening line down Sail
mon river But their great object in exam
lining this route, is to lay line in the direc>
tion of San Francisco, along on or near the
base of the Blue Mountains, by klamath
Lakes, and the head waters of the Sacramento
river into California, furnishing San Franz
cisco with a road east, without crossing the
SerraNevada noun tains and running through
a country susceptible of settlement all the
way, instead of crossing the Sierra Nevada
at an elevation, which has been proved du-
ring the last winter to be impracticable dua
ring great portion of the winter months,
and also to avoid passing over the Great
American Desert, between Virginia City and
Salt Lake.
If this route proves practicable, (aud since
1 have reached home have conversed with
a number of reliable men who think there
are no serious obstructions,) there will be a
junction of the two lines not far from this
Valley, and our small line of thirty miles
will become an important link in the great
North Pacific Road. That there is real
merit in this route, can be shown by the
following figures On the Central route,
the distance from San Francisco, via Salt
Lake, to Omaha, is 2l25 miles, and to Chi
csgo, 400 more, making 2615 miles, from
Chicago to San Francisco; while on the route
via WalIa Walla, the distances are as near
as can be computed, from Chicago to St.
Cloud, 420 miles from St. Cloud to Lemhi,
975, tbezce to Walla Walla, 325, and to
San Francisco, via klamath Lakes, $50 miles,
making $3.50 miles from San Francisco to
Chicago, via Salmon river. Besides, run
Mug on this route will avoid all the heavy
SHOWS and serious obstruclions found on the
Central route, between alt Lake and Chey-
enne Getty. think, with suitable exami,
nation, pass may be found through the
Blue mountains on the head waters of the
TOuchet, Dry Creek, Mill Greek, or the
Wa!la Walla river, all of which streams rise
Immediately together. In this event, the
line would come directly through this Valley.
The matter is certainly worthy of considera-
tion and further investigation.
Since the discovery of nitro 81 glycerine, and
the fact that it can be manufactured so cheap
ly on the ground, from nitre and glycerine
oil, and that it has thirty-two times the
power of gunpowder, and requires so much
less drilling TO use it, the expense of making
a road bed around projecting cliffs OF rock,
is immensely less than formerly, and these
projecting cliffs appear to be the only objec.
tion to the Salmon river route.
PHILIP RITZ.
GROUPING THEM.-The New York Her
aid draws a parallel betxeen the leaders Of
the French revolution and the leading radi,