Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-07-02
Our Railroad.

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Los Angeles and Independence Rail-
road Company 10y JOSEPH U. CRAw-
FORD, Chief Engineer" The report
contains nineteen pages of matter, in
which is condensed great deal of val
liable information, relative to the esti-
mated cost of the road, the resources
of the country through which it will
run, its probable trade and the cost oi
operating the road after it is COM
pleted. The report contains descrip-
ton of two routes by which road
may be constructed between this city
and Independence. The report reads:
"The first route begins at Spadra, the
present terminus of the Southern Pa
cific Railroad, the line can be laid
closely upon the surface with easy
gradients not exceeding thirty feet
per mile until Cucamong ais reached
three hundred and fifty feet above and
twelve miles distant from the initial
point, thence the line should be laid
along the foothills adhering to the
line of the present ore road, crossing
Lytle Creek upon a low trestle bridge
and passing the projecting spur of hills
west of Martins house. This will
bring the line to point some eleven
miles northwest of San Bernardino,
and twenty-six from Spadra, over
coming rise of nine hundred and
fifty feet in fourteen miles with a
maximum gradient of sixty-five feet
Nr mile. Thence ascending the west
ia, ., "aion Caf1on, until the point of
a;rorconoo of uro +rll road from
the main cafion is reached az pclnt
tlirty-five miles from Spadra and ali
elevation of 100 feet above Martins,
requiring gradient of one hundred
and twenty-five feet per mile, thence
the line can be laid up the main wash
with good direction and light work
until the summit of the Cajon Pass is
reached, an elevation of 1850 feet be-
ing overcome in nine miles with
maximum gradient of one hundred
and fifty feet per mile. Thence de-
scending the northern slope of the
Sierras towards the valley of the Mo-
jove over a broad, unbroken slope, COW
cred with juniper, sage and other
kinds of brush. The descent will re-
quire the following gradients: For the
first six miles one hundred feet per
mile, for the succeeding nine miles
eighty feet per mile, ending with a
light thirty feet gradient which lands
the line to point near the bend of the
Mojave opposite Point of Rocks, and
seventy miles from Spadra. Thence
the line should be laid north with
moderate and slightly undulating
gradients traversng Blacks Lake and
Dry Lake Summit; thence nearly
level and bending easterly towards
Panamint Mountain, skirting Carlton
Lake and passing west of Large Borax
Lake, to low gap in an extension of
the Coso Mountains; thence direct to
Little Lake Canon, through which the
present ore and stage road passes, and
at which point the route from Soledad
pass will naturally connect; thence
following closely upon the line of said
ore road, with easy grades and light
work, until reaching OWENS Lake, one
hundred and eighty-seven miles from
Spadra; thence skirting the west side
of the lake through the town of Lone
Pine and on up the broad valley of
Ovens River until our objective point
is reached at the town of Indepen-
dence, two hundred and twenty-five
miles from the terminus of the South
ern Pacific Railroad, at Spadra, and at
an elevation of 4, $50 feet above tide
water.
The physical difficulties to be over
come upon this route are readily sur
mountable, the only heavy work upon
the entire line being comprised in the
immediate vicinity of the Cajon Sum-
nit; this, the report says, can be
materially reduced by judicous
choice of ground when the line comes
to be finally located. From Spadra
to Martins the line is laid upon the
surface, the only items of cost being
the Cucamonga and Lytle Creek
bridges, thence up the Cajon Canon
with alternate cuttings and Filings.
After passing the summit with
heavy through cut, or may be short
tunnel, whichever may prove the
cheapest, the line is laid over coarse
sandy mesa, entirely free from shift
ing sands, over which the road can be
constructed economically and rapidly,
the only work requiring to be done for
miles being to clear and grub the line.
This feature will he characteristic of
the whole route after passing the
Summit, with the exception of short
sections at Coso Canon, Little Lake,
and Owens Lake, at each of which
places small additional expenditure
will be needed to construct the road
bed
"South of Cajon Pass there is an
abundance of water, while north of
the summit it can be had at the Bend
of the Mohave, Blacks Lake, Carle-
toms Lake, Borax Lake, Little Lake,
and thence forward to Independence,
wherever needed"
Timber, for building material, is