Show EXTRACTS from the annual report of the secre secretary tarl of the ow war department washington dec 1 1853 SIR sin at the last session of congress an appropriation pria tion of was made to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the mississippi river to the pacific ocean and the act required that the several reports relative to the explorations should be laid before congress on or before the first monday of febuary 1854 the time allowed and the money appropriated it is in feared will prove insufficient for the complete solution of this important problem A vast extent of country was to be accurately surveyed and numerous lines thousands of miles in extent to be examined and it is hardly therefore to be hoped that such data can be colle collected eted as am will satisfactorily satisfactorily U answer the question proposed ba but it it I 1 is a bonfi confidently eul aly believed that much information will be added to the stock previously possessed perhaps enough to determine the practicability tic of the proposed efterp enterprise h the following general sketch of the country to be explored will give some idea of the magnitude of the examination required the western portion of the continent of north america irrespective of the mountains is traversed from north to south by a broad elevated swell or plateau of land which occupies the greater portion between the mississippi river and the pacific ocean the crest of this plateau or the watershed of the country is nearly midway between the pacific coast and the mississippi it may be represented on the map by an undulating line traced between the head waters of the streams which flow eastward and those which flow westward it divides the whole area between the mississippi mi and the pacific into two nearly equal along that on the eat east being somewhat the ra Irger 1 this crest of the wars lied has its greatest ele I 1 ration in mexico and the thence i nce declines to its lowest i I 1 point about the latitude lati tade of 32 where it has a height of about feet between the waters of the I 1 rio grande and those of the san pedro a tributary I 1 of the gila from this parallel it increases in ar altitude northward and reaches its maximum near to the thirty eighth el P th parallel where it is about feet high T thence nee it declines as we pass northward W ard and in latitude has an elevation of say feet and in the latitude bf about 47 deg it is reported to be at least 1000 feet lower the heights here hem given are arc those of the lowest passes over the crest or watershed of the great plateau of the country and not those of the mountain peaks and ridges which have their base upon it and rise in some cases to the height of feet into the region of perpetual snow the slope of the plateau on the east and south tows towards rde the mississippi and the gulf of mexico is comparatively gentle and in texas is by several steps of which the highest is that known by the name of llano Es or staked plain it is traversed by the missouri the platte the arkansas and other largo large rivers which rise among the mountains near the crest and flow eastward and southward in channels sunk beneath the generl general surface level of the plains in latitude 42 deg near the source of ef the platte it has an all elevation of about feet above tide and in the same latitude on the mississippi about 1000 feet towards the sources of the arkansas in latitude 36 deg it has a height of feet and in the same latitude on the mississippi sip 11 1 feet these elevations give an average alina dealina tion eastward to the whole plain of about 4 12 1 2 feet per mile and southward of about 2 21 12 1 2 feet the coast of the plateau and nearly the whole of its western portion to the pacific is occupied by a IL great agrest mountain system the die continuation of the andes of south america it has a variable breadth narrowest within our possessions possession near the gila in latitude 32 degrees where it lias has a width of about miles and attains its greatest expansion in the parallel of 43 degrees where it occupies a space of about miles on this mountain base as aps bps been said before are situated a series of elevated peaks ridges and ranges those on the eastern side are nearly continuous for about aboia miles and known by the name of the alie rocky mountains those on the western side are perhaps less continuous altho equa equally lele elevated above the base and designated as 8 the sierra erra nevada coast range cascade mountains ac the whole space between these extreme ranges is ia occupied by high peaks and in various directions ions ious by a series of ridges including elevated valleys and forming great basins having no outlet to the sea the most important of these is suit salt luke lake basins basin having an elevation of feet this mountain region is not as is frequently supposed u a single chain but a system extending from a little east of the crest of the watershed water shed shad to near the shores of the pacific and oce occupying ying about one half of all the space between the mississippi and the pacific ocean the position of this belt of mountain region stretching from north to south gives rise to a peculiarity of clim climate a to and soil fertility depends principally upon the degree of temperature and the amount of moisture both of which are much affected by increase of elevation and the latter also depends on the direction of the wind the upper or return current of the trade wind vind flowing backwards towards the northeast gives a prevalence of westerly winds in the north temperate zone which tends to spread the moisture from the pacific over the western portion of our continent these winds however ascending the western slope lope of the mountain ridges are deprived of their moisture by the diminished temperature of the increased elevation and hence it is that the plains and valleys on the eastern sides oi of the ridges are generally parched and barren and that the in mountain oun system the highest chain of which is known as the rocky mon mountains by presenting as it were a against the moisture with which the winds of the west come laden has bab for its eastern T margin a sterile belt which probably extends along the whole range with an average width of about miles these views derived as they have been from imperfect data may yet serve to give some idea of the immense magnitude of the work necessary to construct a railway from the atlantic to the pacific no work for artificial communication has ever exceeded it in extent and physical difficulty its execution however is within the means and power of the american people the degree of practicability tic and the comparative economy and eligibility of routes cannot be determined without accurate instrumental surveys an error in the selection of the route may involve the undue expenditure pend iture of many millions illions and the ultimate value valno of the work for this choice should not depend alone upon apparent ease of construction but also upon the prod productive active character and general resources of the country which it passes from the foregoing sketch it will be perceived that the lines of exploration must traverse three df different ferent divisions or regions region of country lying I 1 Parl parallel lel to each other and extending north and south the whole of the western possessions of the united states the first is that of the country between the mississippi and the eastern edge of the sterile belt having a varying width of from five to six hundred miles the second is the sterile region varying in width from two hundred and fifty to three hundred miles and the third the mountain region having breadth of from five to nine hundred miler explorations show that the surface of the first division with few exceptions falls in gentle slopes from its western boundary to the Mis mississippi sisel I 1 I 1 I 1 a at t the rate of about six feet to the mile and t that act it offers no material obstacle to the construction of a M railway U wa it is therefore west of this that the d difficulties effic mies are to be overcome the cone concurring lecont testimony ony of reliable observers proves the second division or that called the sterile region to be so inferior in vegetation and character of soil that it has received and probably deserves the name of the desert the construction of a railway this reqina region will be attended with obstacles which th tho 0 not insurmountable will be scarcely less difficult to overcome than the elevations in the mountain passes in the next division report rt also gives the character of extreme sterility to much of the country embraced in the mountain region yet in the conflict of opinion on this subject and amid the variety of accounts which have been given of it doubts have arisen in tho the minds mind of many as to the possibility of the existence of such extensive rv region within our possessions unsuited to the purposes of man to settle this question with which the construction of a railway is intimately connected the ahe parties have been instructed to collect all the f facts a to which may have a bearing on the capacity of these regions to support human life it was necessary before determining what routes should be explored to examine the information which had already been obtained only three parties had extended their explorations with proper instruments from the M mississippi ippi to the pacific the first and most northern was by the way of what is called the south pass and the sierra nevada the second from santa fes fe the copper mines and along the gila and the third by the way of zuni river and the colorado other surveys have been made with barometer levels over ched portions of the region to be explored the information thus obtained tho limited is specific as far as it goes and gives just ideas of the elevations and other obstacles to be surmounted much valuable and reliable information has also been furnished by the mexican boundary survey the ile explorations of lewis clarke who crowed crossed to the pacific and those of col long while th they throw much light on the general geography ara and topography of the country and have served to indicate the routes to be explored do not give profiles of the regions passed over reports from travelers who have gone over ever the continent entirely without instruments are as various and conalie conflicting ting as the routes themselves and even of the same route totally different accounts are given any information other than that based on accurate instrumental measurement tho it may be of some importance in Indi indicating eating routes to be surveyed is of little value in determining the question of a railway it is necessary for this purpose to have hare well determined facts and not vague impressions the expedition of lewis and clarke showed the probability of considerable indentation in the crest of the water shed abed of the coutin continent ent near the forty seventh parallel of north latitude and indicated the probability of a railway route in this region from the head bead waters of the tributaries tributa ries of the missouri across to those of Cl arkes river the party first organized und under erthe the act of congress was the one to explore this line which claimed the earliest attention from the known severity i and length of the winter and the necessity of commencing operations early in the year it was placed in charge of governor stevens of washington territory who was directed to operate from st pauls or some eligible point on the upper mississippi towards the great bend of the missouri river and thence on the table land between the tributaries tributa ries of the missouri and those of the look lask atcha to some eligible pass in the rocky mountains A second party commanded by captain mcclellan Clel lans under the direction of governor stevens Stev eus was directed to proceed at once to puget sound and explore the passes of the cascade range meeting the eastern party between that range and the rocky mountains taken in geographical order the next survey ordered to be made was that entrusted to capt gunnison corps of topographical top tap I 1 cical engineers E 13 ginders he was vas instructed to eap exp explore ore the route near the parallel of latitude by the huerfano Huer fano river and chosho topa to pa or some other eligible pass into the mountainous region of the grand and green rivers and w ardly to the vegas of santa claus and nicolleta Nicol lets river of the great basin and thence not hward to the vicinity of lake utah reliable information furnished by persons who had been extensively connected with the western explorations of the government gave such each assurance that no railway pass could be found north of kern river into either the th sacramento or san joaquin valley that it was not deemed proper to expend any part of the limited means appropriated in such a search and having learned that the mor mons mono of the great salt la lake e were making 1 I a survey earvey for a rai railroad road from their settlement to W walkers alk pass capt gunnison whose former intercourse with their engineer would enable him to obtain whatever information he possessed was directed to procure a report of that survey thus connecting eon n acting his i line i with the survey to I 1 be ordered near dea r the 3 ath parallel postponing for future operations if further furt lier surveys shall be ordered the exploration of a route from the salt lake across the sierra nevada to the valley of the sacramento captain gunnison was directed to return from the great basin the Timp anajo kanyon or other passes and across the he weber and bew beai rivers by the coal basin to such lucli point of disbandment as his discretion might direct the next line is that near the thirty fifth parallel which is in cha charge of whipple of the corps of topographical topographic af engineers he was directed to ascend the valley of f the canadian river to pass page around the mountains of east rio del norte and enter the valley of that river at some point near alburquerque thence to extend his bis explorations west sierra madre and the mountains west of zuni and moqui countries to the colorado of the west and proceeding edin in n the direction of walkers pass to continue ha his i survey by the most direct and practicable line hue to the pacific ocean much testimony in favor of the practicability of this line indicated it as a proper route for exploration another line further farther north is that suggested by the surveys of major emory in 1846 and those of the boundary line of the parallel it passes around the extremity of the guadalupe mountains of texas in about latitude 31 deg and crosses the rio grande near the dona anya or frontera in about latitude 32 deg and thence follows the table lands west of oatlie the san eran pedro river and thence abony along the gila river to its mouth A portion of this th is tine ine i passes P asses the territory of mexico and another portion is north of the line of operations of the boundary commission and consequently these were not included in the boundary survey the gaps thus ex existing istl in i thi this line are to be filled up by the survey of aplin captain sope pope and that under the direction of lieutenant parke both of the corps of topographical engineers the instructions to the latter latier were not given until recently because the survey with which he is charged requires a part of the line to be run within the limits of mexico the mexican government have however removed the difficulty by granting antho authority tho rity to the united states to make all explorations necessary to determine the practicability of a railway route in this region several partial routes on the pacific side to connect as before described with those from the east were directed to be surveyed by williamson of the corps of |