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Show CHAP. I. THE PACIFIC RAILROAD. for a "Pacific Bailroad" between the Mississippi and the Western Ocean, the Northern, Central, and Southern.* The first, or British, was in my case not to be thought of; it involves semi-starvation, possibly a thorough plundering by the Bedouins, and, what was far worse, five or six months of slow travel. The third, or Southern, known as the Butterneld or American Express, offered to start me in an ambulance from St. Louis, and to pass me through Arkansas, El Paso, Fort Yuma on the Gila Biver, in fact through the vilest and most desolate portion of the West. Twenty-four mortal days and nights-twenty-five being schedule time-must be spent in that ambulance; passengers becoming crazy, by whisky, mixed with want of sleep, are often obliged to be strapped to their seats; their meals, dispatched during the ten-minute halts, are simply abominable, the heats are excessive, the climate malarious; lamps may not be used at night for fear of unexisting Indians: briefly, there is no end to * The following table shows the lengths, comparative costs, etc., of the several routes explored for a railroad from the Mississippi to the Pacific, as extracted from the Speech of the Hon. Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi, on the Pacific Railway Bill in the United States Senate, January, 1859, and quoted by the Hon. Sylvester Maury in the "Geography and Resources of Arizona and Sonora." ROUTES. Route near forty-seventh and forty-ninth parallels, from St. Paul to Route near forty-seventh and forty-ninth parallels, from St Paul to Route near forty-first and forty-second parallels, from Rock Island, via South Pass, to Benicia... Route near thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth parallels, from St. Louis, via Coo-che-to-pa and Tah-ee-chay- Route near thirty-eighth and thirty-ninth parallels, from St. Louis, via Coo-chee-to-pa and Madeline Route near thirty-fifth parallel,from Memphis to San Francisco. Route near thirty-second parallel, Route near thirty-second parallel, near Gaines' Landing, t 0 San Route near thirty-second parallel, fromGaines' Landing to San Pedro Route near thirty-second parallel, from Gaines' Landing to San Diego Distance by proposed railroad route. Miles. 1955 1S00 2299 2325 2535 2366 2090 2174 1743 1683 Sam of ascents, and descents. Feet. 18,654 17,645 29,120* 49,985t 56,514t 48,521t 48,862t 38,2005 30,1815 33,4545 Comparative cost of different routes. Dollars. 135,871,000 ' 425,781,000 122,770,000 Impracticahle. Impracticable. 113,000,000 99,000,000 94,000,000 72,000,000 72,000,000 No. of miles of route through arable lands. 535 374 899 865 915 916 690 984 553 524 No. of miles of route through land gen- ' erally ; uncultiva-ble, arable soil being found in small 1490 1490 1400 1460 1620 1450 1400 1190 1190 1159 .ill! > 5 a lis. •F<eet . 6,044 6,044 8,373 10,032 10,032 7,550 7,550 5,717 5,717 5,717 > The ascents and descents between Rock Island and Council Bluffs are not known, and therefore " I The"Sen^and S c e n t s between St. Louis and Westport are not known, and therefore not in- ClUtdThenascenLTnd descents between Memphis and Fort Smith are not known, and therefore not in- C l " a ' s c e n L T n d descents between Gaines' Landing and Fulton are not known, and therefore not included in this sum. |
