Year: 1869

hallrOal.

 Gsaflegaeh-- Assuming, from the well known ability of your re-organizcd Board of Direc- tors, that you mean business, and believing that you now intend to push the long dormant enterprise of connecting san Francisco and New York by rail and without ferriage, allow me to congratulate you upon your sagacity in embarking in this promising enterprise and the public upon the prospect of tue speedy completion of the nearest and best route

 It is generally conceded by those familiar with both routes, that the railroad ria the 35th parallel, can be built for two-thirds the cost of the Central and Union Pacific Roads, and that when completed, it will command most of the through freights and seven eighths of the through travel, particularly in the win ter months. It is certain that the grading on this route will not cost two thirds as much as the other route has cost.

 Such being the facts, the public will expect you to push the road to completion. even if you fail to obtain Bond subsidy from the Government To expedite the completion of this road, and as a matter of economy in trans portation of military supplies and by the rapid settlement of the country settling the Indian troubles, Congress would act wisely, n grant. ing the line bond subsidy and a big bonus to the company Union Pacific, F.. D., or $. T meridian of ll2 longitude.

 The public of California are not generally aware of the progress which has been made on the Eastern end of this route by the Union Pacific Eastern Division, or of the fact that the road IS already completed and running to Fort Wallace, on the western boundary of Kansas, TOO miles west of St. Louis. IL Is On that portion of this line west of Kansas City that General Sherman, in his report to Con gross, recommending Bond subsidy, estimates that the saving to Government in transpofta- tion of supplies. was more than double the amount of the interest on the Bond subsidy asked of Congress. No further Bond subsl- dies may be granted by Congress, but if any are granted, you can count on getting one, for 1t is of record that the President elect re- commended such subsidy at the last session of Congress.

 You are all doubtless aware of the great amount of local traffic which your road will secure by tapping the great Tularc Valley 1; but few of y0a-ailess you have seen as bave-the interior of Central Arizona, can form an idea of the eventual fsturc of your enterprise. Those who have crossed the con- tinent ria Salt Lake or by the Southern Overland MaIi route can hardly realize that between these two routes and on the line of your road there is belt of 4j0 miles-ex- tending from few mile beyond the Colorado river, at the proposed crossing at the Needles, to within a few miles of the Rio Grande. at Albuquerqne-a country rich in minerals and unsurpassed for agriculture we'll watered snd covered with dense forests of timber. Along the Colorado river is belt of copper mines unsurpassed in richness and quantity of orc by any section ever discovered. From one or two mines near Williams Fork. near the river, there has already been shipped over 5000 tons of ore ranging from % to T5 per cent; and beyond and on the line of this road are mines that win some day yield millions of tons. Further beyond, and on the parallel of Prescott, is gold belt in which there are veins that, when facilities are afforded for working, will yield more bullion per annum than Is HOW extracted from all California Still further east is a silver belt from which ores have been taken that yield double what any of the mines on the Comstock lode ever paid. All this is known now, with hardly any explorations what, then, may you nope for when by building the road you settle up the country and drive out the Indians, so that men may safely explore

 1 have the authority of Gen. Gregg, flor nerly in command of the Prescott District. and at one time ap iron miner in PennsyIya- nia,) for saying that north of Prescott, and near the line of your proposed route, there is more iron ore visible than has ever been ex- tracted from all the mines in Pennsylyania.

 To convince you of the agricultural re- sources of this section, let me inform you that in the vicinity of Prescott. where men have to corral their stock and plough with rifles strapped to their backs, there were raised the last season over seyeR million pounds of grain The Qnarter1asstes'= De partsIsent alone purchased orc ard a-isali million pounds, at < cents per pound, gold coin, which, high as 1t seems, is only about two thirds of what 1t would cost the Govern ment to ship 1t from California No better grazing country exists and tine time is not far distant when there will be q dense popu. lation in that section.

 As near as 1 can measure the distance on the map you have only about 5O0 miles of road to build to reach the Colorado river ai the Needles, where the river can be spanned with bridge not over 300 feet in length, ,- high, hard land on each side. From the pres. ent terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad Eastern Division, Fort Wallace to the same point on the Colorado, the distance is about 900 miles, making a total yet to build, ,c connect San Francisco and New York, oi 1,400 miles.

 Now, gentlemen, get bond subsidy if you can make the bonds issued to the Govern ment first mortgage bonds and not second but whether you succeed or not, take my al vice and push your road to completion with all the energy you possess.

 The thinking and well posted portion O the public arc of the opinion that this roac will pay better, without bond subsidy, thar the Central Pacific with--And there are plen ty of capitalists here whO-haying seen tho results of the other road, and having missed