ey 
1 
16 COST OF CONSTRUCTION, 
RECAPITULATION OF ESTIMATE. 
Sections. Distance.| Preparation of; Superstruc- | Equipment. "Engineering El Amount. 
road-bed. ture. |contingencies. 
Fort Smith to head of xn. creek.... 706 $5, 294, 472 ($11,192, 690 | $2, SCH 500 | $1,923,466 | $21, 158, 128 
Head of Pajarito Oe de Isle 144 5,995,800 | 2,769,764 6, 000 947,156 | 10,418,720 
Isleta to Campbell’s 116.7} 1,564,500 A 558, 540 9o 500 469, 354 5,162,894 
Campbell's Pass to Mx of Rio Puerco 121 1,840,070 2, 803, 814 670, 500 531, 438 5,845,822 
of 
Valley of Flax river 30 371,000 774,856 142, 400 128,826 1, 417,082 
Flax river to Leroux's Spring 81 4,401, 400 1, 713, 662 434, 300 654, 936 4; 204, 298 
oux's Spring to Aztec Pass 87 5,281,174 | 1,787,544 418,900 154,162 8,302,380 
Aztec Pass to Cross mountain... ........| 28.3 351,580 ,424 113, 300 94, 130 1, 035, 434 
ountain to Big Sandy.....-.----| 21.5| 1,201,000 563,556 169, 100 193,966 | 2,133,622 
Big dy to Rio wwe 53:7 599,100.| 1,099, 132 431, 800 426, 006 2,556,038 
Rio Colorade to Soda 96,8 1,380,800.| 2,006,062 131, 700 823, 712 ; , 274 
i ke to point rs Sealine Mojave 70.5 22,400 1, 448, 345 380, 900 265, 165 2, 916,810 
river. ! 
Point of veg Mojave river to Tah-ee- |>- 63^ :| ^^^: 856,200 | 1,263,621 | : 513,000 263, 282 2, 896, 103 
chay-pa 
Through Tah-ee- ce chay-pah P = 38.5 3, 465, 000 
Tah-ee-chay-pah Pas "nia CC --| 7288 j epos 14, 400, 000 
From Fort Smith to San Francisco 1,952 > : . 93, 853, 605 
Average 48, 081 
= At $90, 000 per mile, according to Capt. Humphrey's estimate. 
T At $50, 000 per mile, (see Capt. Humphrey's estimate.) 
RECAPITULATION. 
From a glance at the preceding estimates and remarks, founded upon examinations of the 
data obtained by the survey, it seems evident that the route near the parallel of 35? north 
latitude possesses some important advantages. Among them may be mentioned the general 
directness of its course from the principal commercial cities of the east to the harbor of San 
Francisco; its temperate and salubrious climate; its freedom from heavy snows; the large 
amount of timber and fuel upon its extremities and interior portions; the convenient distribu- 
tion of stone for construction ; the generally plentiful supply of water; the comparatively great 
extent of arable valleys Se the route, and frequency of spots adapted to settlements. The 
objections that may be made to it, both with regard to grade and the barren character of the 
soil upon the western portion of the line, have already been noticed. The latter, to a greater 
or less degree, seems to be common to all the routes, There are portions of this desert region, 
however, that, by the labor of man, may undoubtedly be renovated, and made productive. 
This, and other changes, which the construction of a railroad from the Mississippi river to the 
Pacific would produce upon the country traversed, can scarcely be appreciated by one accus- 
tomed to view its present desolation. Many who visited California in 1849 and 1850 pro- 
nounced the country to be almost destitute of agricultural resources. The same mistake, in a 
less degree, has doubtless been made regarding a considerable portion of the scolar region 
under consideration. 
In reference to the first objection above noticed, it may be remarked that, in the progress of 
the science of railroad engineering, considerable changes have taken place within the last few 
years in the practice of the art. Grades that were formerly deemed impracticable without sta- 
tionary engines, are now readily overcome by the ordinary locomotives of the train; ridges that 
