16 ROUTE NEAR THE FORTY-FIRST AND FORTY-SECOND PARALLELS. 



or on the terrace divide, where crossed by Lieut. Bcckwitli; but the fall of snow in the Wah- 

 satch and other mountains is very much greater, and accumulates in their gorgeB, ravines, 

 and canons, 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 

 Madeliu 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 canon of 

 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. 



