FKOM SAN BUENAVENTURA TO LOS ANGELES VIA SEMI PASS. 17 



passage in safety. From the Gaviote to Santa Barbara the average height of the terrace, along 

 the present wagon road, is about 110 feet, and is intersected by innumerable ravines and creeks, 

 which, heading in the mountains and descending with rapid slope, have during rainy seasons 

 cut out for themselves deep beds with precipitous banks ; Arroyo Hondo and Caiiada del Corral 

 are the most notable of these ravines, as having cut deeper beds, having wider valleys, and 

 requiring heavy structures to pass them. This is, indeed, the character of the entire coast, from 

 the mouth of the Rio Santa Inez to El Rincon, as before stated ; and from the numerous ravines 

 to be crossed, and the earthwork necessary to maintain light undulating grades, will render 

 this portion of the route more expensive of construction than would at first appear. The heaviest 

 portions of this work, however, are between Gaviote creek and Hill's creek (rancho.) From this 

 point to El Rincon there is a low line of hills situated near the beach, and the route lies within 

 these, through a system of saddle-hacks, which will admit of comparatively easy occupation. 

 There is no obstacle, however, to the line being located nearer to the beach on the low terrace, 

 between Santa Barbara and Carpinteria, as the sea appears to make no encroachment upon the 

 land. From the short distance between the numerous ravines, and the rolling character of the 

 slopes in many places, it is difficult to determine the maximum gradient here necessary, without 

 a detailed survey with chain and level. From a careful inspection of the entire distance, and a 

 study of the barometric heights attained, it is believed that no grade exceeding sixty feet per mile 

 will be required over this undulating terrace. From El Rincon to San Buenaventura the loca- 

 tion is of a novel character, requiring for thirteen miles a sea-wall, or something of the nature of 

 a rip-rajJ, to protect the road bed from being undermined and swept away by the sea. There does 

 not appear to be any evidence of a rapid encroachment of the tide upon these slopes, which are 

 principally clay and sandstones, for the waters sweep to and fro over the upturned edges of the 

 strata, which incline nearly vertically, first to the seaward and then to the landward, and are 

 hard, compact sandstones. A road bed around this point can be easily constructed at an elevation 

 of about thirty feet above high water, by depositing large masses of stone, which are accessible, 

 along the foot of the bluifs at, or near, high water mark, and then excavate a road bed by side- 

 cutting above, and dumping the material over to form a bank protected from the action of the 

 waves by the rocky rip-rap. 



The length of this division is 58.50 miles. 



Maximum grade required, 60 feet per mile. 



Probable cost of graduation and superstructure, |3, 510, 000. 



Cost per mile, $60,000. 



Ninth Division. — From San Buenaventura to Los Angeles via Semi Pass. — From San Buenaven- 

 tura to Santa Clara river the plain is nearly level, and requires no work save the preparation of 

 the road bed by excavations thrown out from side ditches. From the Santa Clara to Semi creek 

 about ten miles, the excavations will be very light, the surface of the ground being nearly level • 

 from the latter point to the base of the Pass the line is located upon the rolling slope on the ri"-ht 

 bank of the stream, where the excavations and embankment will nearly equalize each other, and 

 probably not exceed twenty feet in depth, with an ascending grade of thirty-two feet per mile to 

 the level of the San Fernando plain, thence through the sharp summit by a tunnel 600 feet below 

 the crest. The length of this tunnel is about 3,960 feet, through soft sandstones, scarcely 

 requiring blasting. From the eastern entrance to this tunnel to Los Angeles a smooth plain 

 presents itself with no obstacles, similar in character to the San Jose, the Salinas, Guadalupe 

 and Santa Clara plains, requiring, like these, but little earthwork to prepare a road bed • a small 

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