Los Angeles daily herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1873-1876, 1874-03-29
Below the Snow Line.

There are two great continental rail-
road routes within the snowbelt
The Northern Pacific is not a COM
pleted road, but it will be subject to
all the contingencies of snowstorms
and biting cold weather. The Central
Pacific has had hard battle for weeks
with the drifting snow. Trains with
mails and passengers have been de-
layed for days at time in the fearful
snoW-drifts of the mountains. No de-
vice has yet been found to keep track
clear of drifting snow. Two or three
Winters ago, when the road was OBJ
structed, it was said that such stop
pages would not occur again, because
all the exposed places would be pro-
tected, and the appliances for keeping
an open road would be ample for all
contingencies. But the snowstorms
locked the trains in the mountains in
spite of all that steam could do to set
them free. 1t may be set down now
as fact that no continental railroad
within the snow line can be placed
beyond the contingency of obstructing
SnOwstOrms.
If ever the Southern Pacific Rail-
road is completed it will have this ad-
vantage: it will be below the snow
belt and the line of besieging frost.
We may not know the worst of these
mountain storms yet. But they are
terrible enough to turn public atten-
ton TO the great Importance Of one
continental route which shall be ex-
empt from these troubles.-lS. f. Bull
letin.
Every Winter makes it more appar-
ent that the Southern Trans-continen-
tai Railroad must be built. Not year
ago the San Francisco papers general
ly believed it to their interest to oppose
the southern line. But Stanford s
movements on the Oakland side and
the freight and fare question force the
support of an opposition road below
the snow-line. The interests of this
part of the State demand the early
construction of the road, and our rep
resentatives are expected to labor for
this object.
COLORADO DESERT.
Senator Jones has received several
hundred letters from scientific men
and others living in various parts of
the country in reference to, expressing
great interest in the Colorado Desert
Survey, made at his expense, and of
which mention was made in the dis
patches last week. He will, in the
course of few days, offer a resolution
instructing the Senate Committee on
Commerce to inquire into the eXpedi-
ency of directing a survey to be made
by Government engineers with view
to determine the practicability of sub
merging the Colorado and Mojave
deserts and Death Valley, and report
ing what would be the probable effect
of such submersion upon the climate
and the agricultural and commercial
interests of the surrounding country
in California, Nevada and Arizona.
Seldom in the history of the world
has it been in the power of man to
make great and permanent changes in
the climate of a large area of country.
The facts stated in the original article
in the Overland, make it q more than
probable case. A thorough survey by
Government engineers accompanied
by a party of scientific men should be
made, and full report had. With all
the facts collected by such commits
sion, and accurate surveys published
the matter would be fully discussed
by scientific men and associations un-
til true theories would be deduced. A
permanent increase in the rain fall
over the Southern part of California
and over Arizona would furnish homes
and food for millions yet to come.
N. Palmer, who recently purchased
/ no Of fha Mott 800,