No. 1. 



REPOET OF EXPLORATIONS FROM SAN FRANCISCO BAY TO LOS 



ANGELES. 



GENERAL EEMARKS. 



Havins secured the services of the assistants authorized, and procured the instruments 

 necessary for the prosecution of the field duties, the party sailed from New York in the mail 

 steamer of the 5th of October, and arrived in San Francisco on the 1st of the following month. 

 To organize and furnish the party with the required stores, camp equipage, and transportation, 

 detained us until the 20th of November, when we started from Benicia, crossing the Straits of 

 Carquinez to Martinez, and proceeding thence by the wagon road to the Pueblo of San Jose at 

 the southern end of the Bay of San Francisco, where we entered upon the field of survey for 

 determining the practicability of locating a line of railroad from the Bay of San Francisco to 

 Los Angeles, lying wholly west of the Coast Range. 



From San Jose, the initial point of the survey, we followed along the Santa Clara valley to 

 a tributary of the Pajaro, and thence down the valley of this stream to near the mission of San 

 Juan Bautista. From this point the examination of the Pajaro was continued down to its 

 opening upon the Bay of Monterey. Lines were also run over the hills, west of the mission, 

 which separate the valley of the Pajaro from the plains of the Salinas. Having made this con- 

 nexion we moved to the Rio Salinas, and ascended it to a point about nineteen miles above the 

 mission of Soledad, where the party was divided, one taking the wagon road over the hills on 

 the left bank of the river, via San Antonio, while a small party with pack mules continued 

 up the valley, and joined the main party at the mission of San Iiliguel. Thence we followed 

 the road to the rancho of Santa Margarita, where a depot camp was established, from which 

 various explorations were extended and surveys made. 



Our first object was to trace the Salinas to its source ; this being done, and an apparently 

 practicable connexion found between its left fork and the Cuyama plain, which is on the direct 

 line towards the San Fernando and Los Angeles plains, a compass and level survey was there 

 made, so that a complete chain of observations for profiles might be established, should- the 

 final link be found practicable. While this was being accomplished, a reconnoissance was 

 made up the Estrella, the right fork of the Salinas, debouching at San Miguel. It was found 

 that this fork had a course nearly parallel to the Salinas, and headed further to the south, and 

 opposite to the Cuyama plain, from which its valley is separated by a single divide, giving but 

 one summit to be crossed instead of three, as are encountered on the first line of survey. This 

 new summit and approaches were surveyed, establishing the connexion between the Salina.s 

 plain and the Cuyama, via the Estrella and Panza ranches. In addition to the main ex- 

 plorations, simultaneous side trips were made in order to develop more fully the topography 

 and geology of the country. These duties occupied the party thirty days, throughout which 

 time meteorological observations were taken at the permanent or depot camp. 

 IT 



