The Vermont transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1864-1870, 1868-03-27

DEAR SIR:
Having been a resident of Washing
ton Territory and of Oregon for seven
teen years, and having passed over the
different routes between the Atlantic
and Pacific several times, ! have from
personal observation obtained much in
formation respecting the resources.
wealth, and climate of the country in
tervening, and many items which have
/ never been embodied in any report and
( which may be of service 70 those in the
East who know comparatively little of
that rich country now so rapidly settling.
propose to lay before you, briefly, the
result of my examinations trusting they
may give some new light upon the sub
ject of the Northern Pacific railroad
which is all important to the develop
ment Of the territory lying north Of the
10Th parallel.
Since the discovery of the rich gold
and silver mines in Montana and the
commemorate fthe MON Pacific road
the entire aspect of the interior Of our
country has most rapidly changed The
progress Of that interior within the last
twoyeurs has been greater than its whole
previous progress; and now, as there
have within the Ia 4 few months been
great lines of mail steamships establish
ed between this country and China he
trade will increase beyond all calcutta
ton on the Pacific coast.
So rapidly are the resource. OF our in
terror being developed and our COM
merce increasing ON the Pacific. that
within very short time. almost before
the road on the Central route can be
completed, it viii be found that one
q. a. . ..
Of business that viii offer The idea
that prevailed few years since, before
the question Of the Pacific railroad was
~ well understood is it now j., that not
more than one road across the continent
could be sustained Is fast being explod-
ed.
The country really needs three grand
trunk lines, and viii eventually build
and sustain them; the Southern, the
Central, and the Northern. And that
there viii bc no antagonism between
the roads, in reference 10 wav-traVel. is
evident, a. each road Will drain wide
extent of country bordering on IT, as i'm
the case of the Northern and Central,
the distance apart from san Francisco
10 Puget Sound being about 500 miles.
and running nearly parallel, probably
the nearest point of approach being Ca
dotte's Pass and Bear river, distant about
800 miles; 50 that if the intermediate
population Is simply pastoral one, to
say nothing of the rich gold, silver cop
per, lead, nickel, iron, and coal mines,
known To exist along and between each
line, the country would, when thus set
tied up afford a population to the run
ming mile of road greater than the way
population of any road in the United
So, : -.
trail road that Is now completed, il pay
ing very largely, and is rapidly mcrea--
ing.
With the completion of these great
lines across the continent. there would
bo access furnished to millions ofacre-
Of the public domain, on which would
be erected hundreds of thousands Of hap
Ply homes III the interior Of the country,
all the way from the Gulf of Mexico 10
the forty-ninth parallel and would
draw large numbers of the population
away from the crowded cities of the At.
lantIc. where in many instances. they I
do not find a support without the assist
ance of charity, 70 where they could find
cheap homes and plenty to do in fur
nishing food for the millions who would
then settle In our mountains, ana work
Out the mines with machinery. which
if these roads were not built, must re-
main untouched for ages
! believe that, if the three roads were
now built, that within ten years there /
would be gold and silver enough taken /
out of the mountains to pay OFT the ma /
tional debt. IL is also the opinion of /
many of our wisest and most compre- /
hensiVe statesmen with whom ! have I
conversed, that it would be wise policy /
for the Government AT the present time I
to assist directly-at once To build these /
roads, in order To render available the I
the great extent Of our public domain, /
now inaccessible in the interior of our /
country.
1t is manifest that one road is not /
equal to the public need, and would bc T
unjust 10 the people of the country. If /
three roads are built il would be more /
To the interest OF the Government to /
use the three roads that it would be if /
but n single road was built Ii but one /
road is built, to wit. over the central I
line. the Government would still be 4
obliged to provide for the transportation /
of its mails and munitions of war over /
the northern and southern routes which /
are already a very important item, A.
in the mails, from Chicago 10 the noun
tains.
With these general remarks | viii /
now offer Il brief account of my obser-
vatiOns OH the northern route, particu-
larly the Rocky Mountain portion, hav-
ing travelled thoroughly over ii at four
times within the last twoyears.
twice in mid-winter. In the first place,
at Puget Sound, we find
there an immense inland sea, perfectly
and safe from storms, and
always free from fOgs and ice, with Il
shore line of over two thousand miles in
length, with water so deep and free
from rocks that the largest vessels can
tie up in safety to the trees which line
the shore. At the same time this inn
mense harbor is surrounded by rich,
fertile soil, capable of supporting pop
ulation as great as that of the New Eng
land and Middle States, together with
unlimited forests of the finest timber
for ship-building and for lumber, with
extensive coal and iron mines and fish
cries, and immense quarries OF granite
and limestone, and an unlimited water
power, and everything which goes to
build up and sustain n great commercial
centre.
Previous to the purchase of Alaska,
San Francisco was considered about the |
centre of our possessions on the Pacific.
But, with the acquisitions Of Walrussia,
the Straits of Juan de Fuca are no long
er on our extreme northwest but we
have an extensive sea coast, reaching |
200 miles to the north, and San Fran
cisco ceases to be the only centre of COM
merce for the Pacific coast, whilst Puget
Sound becomes the geographical centre.
1t is urged by many that San Francis
60, having such great wealth centred in
and around her, and being the great
intrepot of the Pacific, and
having the start of Puget Sound, that.
no point can ever rise on its waters to
importance. What does history teach
us on this subject? How many cities
have arisen and fallen on the shores of
the Mediterranean, and given place to
other cities, century after century. And
on our own Atlantic seaboard New
York was not always the great metrop-
oils of the Atlantic.
The time was when Newport, in
Rhode Island, was the commercial mis-
tress of our thirteen colonies, and New
York did not become first until after
gilmore than one hundred years.
Show me spot that Nature has point
ed out as fitted for the seat of commerce |
and will show you point where the
of the American people VIII |
found great city and establish great
commerce. 1t is simply question OF
time.
The lumber trade alone of Puget Sound
. and n