The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-01
NORTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD.

0i phe ROCKY Mountains -Avntlabtllty oil the
Proposed Route.
Messrs Jay Cooke & Co., of this city, have
received the following letter from the Chief En-
gineer of the party engaged in exploring the
QUITE of the Northern Pacific Railroad:-
HELENA, Montana Territory, Aug. II, 1869.
Messrs. Jay Cooke e. Co.:-My last letter was
dated August Q, on the Jocko river. We passed
over from Jocko river to the valley of Hellgate
river, and along that to the town of Missoula
where we were most kindly received and enter
tanned by the gentlemen of that place. re-
member especially Mr.. Mccormick, Mr.. Worden
Captain Higgins, and Major John Owen Che
after, however, resides Mt Fort Owen, thirty
miles Off in the Bitter Root valey). Major
Graham, of Deer Lodge" City, and Major Owen
accompanied us for several days, and gave US
much useful information. At Deer Lodge
City, or rather on our approach when ten
miles out, we were met by all
the principal citizens, who escorted us to their
nice dourshing little CITY, the financial and sup
plying centre of large mining district both OF
gold and silver. Under the guidance of MIR.
Granville Stuart, Mr.. WordGn, and Major Blake
we made very satisfactory examination OF the
"Decr Lodge" valley and the Deer Lodge pass
of the main chain of the Rocky Mountains
and thence down Divide creek, ten miles to it,
junction with Wisdom" or Big Hole river
This is the most remarkable divide have ever
seen. and considering that it is pass separating
the waters of the Pacific from those of the At
lantic, its characteristics are truly wonderful
In truth, instead of separating, it has afforded
the means of uniting the two oceans by Il con
tinuOus water communication.
The miners of this region of the so-calle
Rocky Mountains have stolen the waters of Diyid
creek (Which rise in the eastern side of tn
mountain), and conveyed it by ditch to the
western side, where they employ it in their gold
washings. | examined this in the ground care
fully. The cut or ditch in the deepest part of
the summit or divide is cut down to the depth of
eighteen feet, the whole length of the excaya-
ton being little over one-fourth of a mile. 1t
is through loan or clay; not a particle of rock
is visible within two miles in any direction.
This may strike you as almost marvellous
and So indeed, it tis-that the great backbone of
q continent, the grand chain of the Rocky
Mountains, should be so toned down at this
particular pass as to permit the flowing of a
stream across from the eastern to the western
slope. And this is not the only striking fea-
ture: the approaches of this divide on both sides
are so gradual that we trotted TO the top with
perfect ease in our two-horse wagon, containing
four persons and our baggage and sleeping blan-
kets. The grade from Deer Lodge" valley pass
ing the summit and thence down Divide creek
to the Wisdom Cor Big Hoe) river need not
exceed fifty feet per mile, without either tunnel
or any deep cutting. Such is one of the passes
of the Rocky Mountains that / have examined
and from concurrent and reliable testimony
strengthened by many personal observations
tending to confirm it, l am satisfied that snow
of two feet depth in either of the valleys, or in
the Divide, is of Uery rare occurrence. The
is OOthinU
plain, covered with nutritious bunch grass,
and usually cattle feed on it all through
the winter, without any housing, and
get fat. Indeed, the entire region that we
have been passing through for weeks is a vast
grazing country, interspersed with excellent
arabic agricultural land, already cultivated Us
farms in number of places. We encamped in
the valley of Divide creek, within one mile of
Wisdom river. l found the river at the point
where | saw it, and made an approximate est-
mate of its size and volume, to be $50 feet wide,
with flow of about $4,000 cubic feet per
minute, which is more than one-third of the low
water flow of the Ohio at Wheeling. This river
rises more than fifty miles, and its sources now
constitute the great mining region-the Big
Hole gold region. Before leaving the Rocky
Mountains, we have yet to examine pass be-
tween the waters of the Gallatin river and those
OF Lne 1cuOW StOuc IlNcii WHICH lS salu 10 DC
very favorable.
We returned through the 'Deer Lodge" di-
vide, by the Deer Lodge" valley, to the 'Deer
Lodge City, and remained over Sunday. We
then passed down the valley to the little Black
Foot, and up that valley to "Mullans" Pass, of
the main chain of the Rocky Mountains, and
thence down a branch short distance, and then
over to another branch of the "Prickly Pear"
tributary of the Upper Missouri and thence to
this city, where we arrived last evening We
have been cordially met by many of the citizens
early construction of the Northern Pacific
Railroad. We have also met Colonel De
Lacy and Mr.. w. w. johnson, who spent
number of years making surveys for mill
tary wagon-roads and railroads through this
region (whose reports / had previously
read) from whom we derived valuable informa-
ton. Major Blake, who has been many years
in this country, accompanied us around from
Deer Lodge to this city OF course, it is natural
that we should fall in with the men now living
here who best understand the country. We are
greatly indebted to Mr.. Worden and Captain
Higgins of Missoula (and also Mr. Mccormick,
who accompanied us not only to Deer Lodge
City, but also to Wisdom river, and we obtained
much valuable information of Granville Stuart
and Major Blake went with us from Deer Lodge
as well as from Major Graham and Judge Dance
of Deer Lodge City. This Mullan Pass is OF a
different shape from the Deer Lodge Pass; 1t Is
not SO gradual on the Pacific slope, and Is
quite abrupt in its descent on the Atlantic
slope; but / will not in this letter attempt any