16 ROUTE NEAR THE FORTY-FIRST AND FORTY-SECOND PARALLELS. 
or on the terrace divide, where crossed by Lieut. Beckwith; but the fall of snow in the Wah- 
satch and other mountains is very much greater, and accumulates in their gorges, ravines, 
and cafons, to great depths. Apparently, Lieut. Beckwith does not apprehend unusual 
difficulties from this cause along the proposed railroad route in this region, or in that of the 
Madelin Pass. 
The supply of water upon the Rocky mountain plateau must be very limited at certain 
seasons of the year: the distances apart of these supplies are not given. 
Abundant supplies of water were found by Lieut. Beckwith on the mountains of the Great 
Basin. The season of the year when he crossed it—the spring—was the most favorable in 
this respect. 
On this route, as on others, from the 98th or 99th meridian to the western slopes of the 
Sierra Nevada, a distance of 1,400 miles, the soil is uncultivable, excepting the compara- 
tively limited area of the Mormon settlement, and an occasional river-bottom and mountain 
valley of small extent. 
West of the Black Hills the plains are covered with artemisia, rarely furnishing any grazing 
except along the water-courses—the mountains being generally clothed, to a greater or less 
extent, with grass. The barren aspect of the Great Basin has been already described. In 
that desolate region there are but few and very limited areas where the conditions of soil, 
water, and temperature requisite for cultivation, are found. 
The features of this route, favorable to the economical construction of a railroad, are 
apparent from the description of it which has just been given. Its unfavorable features 
may be briefly described: as the costly construction, for nearly three hundred miles along 
the Platte and Sweet Water, in ascending to the summit of the South Pass; in the cajion otf 
the Timpanogos; in the two canons of the Sacramento, fourteen and nine miles in length; 
and in the very sinuous course of the river, for the space of ninety-six miles, through heavily- 
timbered mountains rising precipitously from the stream—the cost of constructing a railroad 
along which cannot be properly estimated until minute surveys are made. 
Although the route passes over elevated regions, the sum of ascents and descents is the next 
least after that of the 47th parallel, which is to be attributed to the table-land character of 
the mountain districts. 
It partakes of the character of the route near the 47th parallel, in the long and severe winters 
on the plains east of the Rocky mountains and westward to the Great Basin. 
The cost, as estimated in the office, from Council Bluffs to Benicia, a distance of 2,031 miles, 
is $116,095,000. 
The statistics of the route will be found in the table appended. 
The survey of the western portion of this route by Lieutenant Beckwith, has resulted in the 
discovery of a more direct and practicable route than was believed to exist from the Great Salt 
lake to the valley of the Sacramento. Since his report was made, a brief communication from 
Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Steptoe, commanding the troops in Utah, has announced the discovery 
of a still more direct route from Great Salt lake to San Francisco. The new portion of this 
route passes to the south of Humboldt or Mary’s river, and, entirely avoiding the difficulties. 
experienced by travellers along that stream, proceeds to the valley of Carson river, being 
well supplied with water and grass. From Carson river it crosses the Sierra Nevada by the 
passes at the head of that river, and descends to the valley of the Sacramento, being practicable 
throughout for wagons. 
In the absence of instrumental surveys affording data for the construction of profiles, no 
opinion can be formed as to the practicability of this route for a railroad. Should it be found 
practicable, however, it will lessen the length of the route of the 41st parallel, and still further 
diminish its difficulties, already known to be less than on any other route except that of the 
32d parallel. 
