FROM PIMAS VILLAGES TO COLORADO RIVER. 39 



Adding one hundred per cent, to these several costs, we have for the cost per mile of the 

 respective sections $30,000, $57,600, and $89,800. The total amounts are exhibited as follows: 



230 miles of prairie division, at $30,000 per mile, gives $6,900,000 



05 miles of rolling division, at $57,600 per mile, gives 3,744,000 



*50 miles of mountainous division, at $89,800 per mile, gives 4,490,000 



345 $15,134,000 



Average cost per mile $43,866 



Section 4. DESCRIPTION OF ROUTE. FROM THE PIMAS VILLAGES TO COLORADO RIVER. 



To complete the central section so that it shall embrace the entire district between the 

 Eio Grande and Colorado^ the best, in fact, the only line of location beyond the Pimas villages, 

 will extend down the Eio Gila, on its left bank, following mainly the trace of the present 

 wagon road to the crossing of the Colorado at Fort Yuma. Immediately beyond the Pimas 

 and Maricopa villages the river makes a bend northward, turning the point of one of the 

 isolated ridges found in that region. To avoid this bend, the line of location should leave 

 the river valley at the Maricopa wells, and cross the ridge at a very favorable depression 

 now occupied by the wagon road.f There are two summits which do not differ much in 

 height, and have an elevation above the river bottom at the Maricopa wells of about three 

 hundred and seventy-four feet, and at the Laguna or Tezotal below about eight hundred feet. 

 The approaches to these summits are exceedingly favorable, being smooth plains extending up 

 from the river bottom to the bases of the superposing ridges, which are broken so as to give an 

 open and free transit through from the Maricopa slope on the one side to the Tezotal slope on 

 the other. There will be required some excavation in the vicinity of the ridges, and the cross- 

 ing can be effected on an ascending grade of about twenty-eight feet per mile, and a descending 

 one of about thirty feet per mile ; thence ascending thirty-three feet per mile to the western 

 summit ; thence to the Gila, with a descending grade depending upon the point at which the 

 river is reached, between thirty and seventy feet per mile ; yet, by following the river valley 

 around the point of the ridge, a continuously descending grade of 5.6 feet per mile can be 

 had, but at the sacrifice of about thirty miles in distance. This route may be found preferable 

 on account of its passing near the mouth of the Salinas river, a large tributary from the north 

 and east, draining an extensive district reported to be suitable for extensive agricultural opera- 

 tions. 



From Tezotal to Fort Yuma the river valley can be followed the entire distance one 

 hundred and twenty-two miles. Of this distance there are about one hundred miles which are 

 highly favorable to a rapid and very economical construction of road, the river bottom being 

 broad and smooth, affording fine opportunities for long tangents. At several points, however, 

 the basaltic mesas impinge upon the river, but these can be passed without much labor, the 

 underlying strata being soft and friable sandstones, and in some instances simply diluvial or 

 tertiary beds of gravel and clay, &c., where these blue's occupy both sides ; the narrow herme at 

 their foot can be easily protected by rip-rap work, and rendered available for the support of a 

 road bed. The difference in elevation between Tezotal and the crossing of the Colorado is about 

 five hundred and seventy feet, giving an average descending grade of about 4.6 fest per mile. J 



CMany miles of this distance properly belong to the preceding division in character, though more nigged, and will 

 require a gieater outlay per mile. The actual mountainous section, as it is termed, does not exceed fifteen miles. 

 t This cut-off is called the Jornada de las Estrdlas. 

 JThe descent of the river bed in all its raeanderings is much less. 



