Daily Los Angeles herald., 1882-05-07
INTERESTING RAILWAY NOTES.

| wi. OhoihiOio . oCObt . ACCOuilt Vi r1is
Surveys in Sonora-The Charac.
ter of the Country Traversed-
Road Building Towards San Di.
ego.
Yesterday we encountered Col. Chal
mers Scott in Los Angeles. As oui
readers have been advised, this gentle
man has been at the head of an engineer
ing party which was for months engaged
in making three reconnoissances thai
had for their object the discovery of the
most practicable route for a railway
from Tucson, in Arizona, to Tepoca, Oh
the Gulf of California One of the
routes surveyed was direct from Tucson
to Tepoca or Port Lobos-the latter be-
ing the name most commonly used al
| though incorrect-the others were from
Picacho to Arivaipa, and from Gila Bend
to Arivaipa, the latter point being q
common meeting place on all the three
surveys. 1t is located about thirty five
miles below the Sonora line. From Tue.
son to Tepoca the distance is two hun
dred miles, from Picacho to the Gulf il
is 2l5 miles, and from Gila Bend to the
Gulf it is go milas. The surveys pass
through level, open country and there
will be no necessity for grades to exceed
thirty feet to the mile. That portion Of
Sonora is rich in grass and timber, nota.
bly, mesquit and iron wood. The miner.
al resources of the country are simply
illimitable, consisting principally oi
gold, silver and copper. There is very
little running water, though here and
there spring is encountered. The peo.
pie of Sonora are in the habit of erecting
represas-large dams-in the open
plain, in which they catch the water
during the Summer showers. Some Of
these dams often cover as large a space
as ten acres. Owing to the peculiarly
OF the soil this water never becomes
stagnant, but is sweet and wholesome
all through the year. 1t neither breeds
insects nor starts fungus vegetation.
Col. Scott does not know as yet which
of the routes surveyed by him will be
adopted. His reports as to the route
from ella Bend and Picacho to Arivaipa
have barely reached the railway head.
quarters and have of course not vel
been acted upon. Tepoca, the point Oh
the Gulf which is the projected terminus
of this road, is an open roadstead stu
ated about one hundred and thirty miles
north of Guaymas. There is a wharf a,
Tepoca which reached a depth of TWEEN
ty-fve feet at distance of three hun
| dred feet from the shore. Col. Scott in,
forms us that the harbor facilities there
are better than those which exist either
at Santa Monica or Santa Barbara. 1t is
generally understood that this road is
the Southern Pacific Railway Company's
answer to certain rival projects of the
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe road
Col. Scott is of opinion that local bust
ness of q lucrative character would be
developed Immediately upon the com
pletion of the road.
AS to other railway matters, Col
Scott informed us that he expects to be
employed shortly on the extension ol
the Santa Ana branch of the Southern
Pacific southwark towards San Diego
county. Personally he is not in favor o.
making connection with the California
Southern at San Luis Rey. He has
reported to his company in favor ol
what he terms the "interior" route
via San Marcos, Poway and the Cajon
AS to the California Southern, Colonel
Scott was instructed to make careful
inspection of it by his employers, with
the result that he condemns it on ac-
count of excessive grades and curves.
| Referring to an interview, published
in a city paper some weeks ago, with
DR.. Van Buren,, and to other statements
emanating from the Doctor, which were
published in the Arizoaa Quarterly u
lustrated, Colonel Scott says that they
are full of gross inaccuracies. He pro
nounces the assertion by the Doctor
that he had discovered coal Oh the lint
of these reconnoisances untrue. Tht
Doctors descent into the shaft of Q
mine to a depth of two hundred feet,
through the assistance of ladders, was
a pure Munchausenism, as Colonel Scott
was with him at the time, and the mine
was filled with water to within fifty feet
of the surface. We might continue, il
detail, but we have said enough to show
how thoroughly Colonel Scott differs
from the statements which DR.. Van Bu
rem gave to the newspapers with sucl
great volubility and impressemeut.
| --------------> = -S-------------