The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1874-02-20
The Route of the Texas Pacific Hail.
way,
Llrom thN Sam Dlngo Union. /

ana mountain, nNNc lne impression
that all routes acl oss the continent are
/ alike sterile and desolnte. 1Ef nFwG
No Idea can be- more erroneous, II we
are To trust the report of the Wheeler
expedition or Of the engineers who sur
veyed the route of the Texas Pacific
railroad. The fertile valleys, the rivers
Astounding In fish, the forests OF pine,
oak and ash, and fine grazing lands
covered with rich gramlna grasses, OF
the regions along the thirty-sec0nd
parallel of latitude, must present n strik-
ing contrast to the scenes of desolntion
which meet the eye Of the traveller be-
tween the valleys of the Platte and the
Sacramento. .oUV
But we did not set out to institute
comparison between different railroad
routes. We wish only to disabuse the
minds Of those who, admitting that
the southern is the shortest and pleas
ATTEST, and, being free from furious
storms and ,snowdrifts, far the best
yet have the impression that the coun-
try along it has few resources aud,
consequently, offers few inducements
| for settlement and will afford little To-
cal business for railroad.
The country between San Diego and
the San Gorgonio Pass can, with irri-
cation, be made one of the most pro-
ductive regions in California. The soil
is mostly fertile, and when there is the
avc.age rainfall considerable portions
of 1t produce without irrigation, fine
crops of wheat, barley, corn and all
kinds of vegetables. Almost every
acre of ii is suitable for the cultivation
of fruit. Oranges, lemons, figs, april
cots, peaches, pears and olives thrive
well in the valleys and ON the lower
foothills, while the grapes will flourish
anyWhere--from Anaheim and San
Diego near the sea, to the San Gorge
Mo Pass, where Dr. Edgar makes the
finest wine of California. Indeed, it
may probably be fairly claimed, If, AS
has been said by celebrated nat
uralist, cvcryp plant has some particu-
lar spot on the globe where 1t attains
its highest development, that Southern
California is that portion of the earth
where the grape reaches perfection.
Here, the dryness of the climate and
the peculiarities of the soil make it
sweeter and better than it is found
elsewhere; and here, some day, will be
the greatest wine and raisin producing
region of the world. When that day
comes-when vineyards and orchards
shall cover all our hills and valleys;
when wine shall be made Oh hundred
squares miles as it now is on the little
garden spot of Anaheim; when ships
shall be loaded with the raisins dried
Ia, Of oyltu an In n
lions of the narrow belt of country be-
tween the Pacific ocean and the
mountains, and extending from the
Mexican border to San Bernadino, will
be more valuable than all the corn and
wheat and other grain of the great
State of Illinois.
Across the desert from the San Cor
gonio Pass to Fort Yuma is doubtless
the worst region of country through
which the Texas and Pacific railroad
will pass. Yet even this desert pro-
duces large quantities of mesquite
wood, which will supply southern Cal
ifornia many years with fuel; and in
the vicinity of New river, west of Fort
Yuma, is large tract of rich land
which, if irrigated from the Colorado,
us 1t may he, viii produce fine crops of
corn, cotton and sugar cane. In re-
port of the Wheeler expedition, pub
iished in the New York Tribune, the
writer says: "Near its exit (the Colo
RADIO river from the territory of the
United States, the bottom widens and
the river annually overflows its banks
for miles. In ordinary years q vast
amount Of land could be planted after
the rectding of the waters to their nat
ural bed, and would produce enormous
crops. Some of the bottom lands are
already thus cultivated"
We now come to the valley of the
ella, of which the writer above quoted
says: Trhe ella is the most impor-
tant river in Arizona from utilitarian
point of view. 1t rises in Sierra de
Nueva, of New Mexico, at an altitude
of about 5000 feet above sea level,
thence flows west to the Colorado,
distance of not quite 500 miles, having
an average fall in its last 300 miles of
of five feet per mile, an average
width of sixty feet u depth of three
feet, and velocity Of two miles per
hour. Its banks are low, making it
an easy matter to cut from it irrigating
bitches; and it already supports u large
population of whites and peaceahle In
dams, and is capable of reclaiming
hundreds of thousands of acres of
waste land. The valley, as well as the
hill country on both sides of it, is rich
in grass, and wonld be especially
adapted to sheep We're shade trees more
plentiful, This river drains a vast
extent of country, and the numerous
tributaries adjoining 1t at an altitude
of from 1000 to $4,000 feet above the
sea, are full of fish, and the mountains
Gus country enclosing them, abounds
in fine grass and timber and grain
The higher barren mountains running
parallel with the ella are rich in the
precious ore and coal; and may attract
a large mining population, and thus
furnish the farmer market near ut
hand.n r ,ii ,'faF = ngi, 20
Of the route through New Mexico, a
distance of three or four hundred
miles, we do not have such definite in
formations; hut from the same report
and from other sources, we gather that
it has good farming lands, and that its
elevated valleys and nesas "arencov-
cred luxuriantly with pine, oak, ash,
and the finest graninia egrssses'' and
that, from the salubrity of the climate,
il is one of the finest grazing countries
in the world. 1t is extremely rich in
the precious ores, and when railroads
shallgi cheap transportation of sup
plies, the miues will furnish employ
ment for large population and great
.ly add to the wealth of our country.
\ 1t Is almost needless to speak of Tex
as. For the raising of horses, sheep
and cattle, for the production of corn
and wheat and cotton, the section of
the State to be traversed by the Texas
Pacific railroad is known to be unex-
celled. Ii is rapidly settling with an