86 FROM GRAND RIVER TO THE WAHSATCH PASS. 
and 49 feet per mile for the succeeding 3.47 miles. In this descent much cutting and filling 
will be necessary, the hills on each side of the creek being cut by small ravines deep back 
towards their summits. Pass creek enters a broken cafion at this point, which extends to 
its junction with the Coochetopa, sixteen miles below. Lateral cafiones enter the main one at 
several points, but principally from the left, and broken hills rise somewhat above the general 
level of the descending plain; *but a railroad can be carried over them by rising below for 
some distance." The descent of the stream in the sixteen miles, is 71 feet per mile. 
Seven miles below this point the Coochetopa creek enters Grand river in a bottom, eight or 
nine miles in length by from one-half to one mile and a quarter wide, which is frequently 
overflowed. From this point until we reached the Uncompahgra river, our route followed a 
very rough and broken country, for the description of which reference should be made to the 
accompanying section, daily journal, and map, from September 6th to September 20th, as it is 
by far the most difficult and expensive section upon the route for the construction of a road. 
From the crossing of the Nahunkahrea or Blue to Green river, the greatest difficulty to be over- 
come in the construction of a road will be to secure a firm bed for it to rest upon; the friable, 
ash-heap character of the soil being such that, in wet weather, for many miles at a time over the 
whole surface, it forms miry beds of a brick-clay consistency, in which animals sink half-leg 
deep in crossing. Fortunately an inexhaustible supply of stone is at hand at various points along 
the route, for the construction of a suitable foundation. The heaviest grade upon this section, 
from camp to camp, is an ascent of 71 feet per mile, on the 27th of September, for 5.66 miles ; 
the other grades varying from 2 to 13 feet per mile between these rivers, a distance of 100 miles 
from the junction of Grand and Blue rivers. Numerous bridges and culverts will be necessary on 
this section. 
The rocky district west of Green river is of the same ravine and chasm-like character (but 
upon a much smaller scale) with the section on Grand river ; but the soft sandstone is here easily 
cut, and the water-courses more easily passed, the streams not being so torrent-like. But the 
number of bridges which will be required will be so large that great expense will attend the 
construction of a railroad on this part of the line explored. The grades upon it are heavy and 
very variable, besides the ordinary inequalities of hills and ravines. "They are from day to day 
as follows, on the line traversed, and by the shorter one indicated in the journal, will not differ 
materially : 
From Green river to Akanaquint spring, 16.76 miles, ascent 35 feet per mile; and for the suc- 
ceeding 4.6 miles, 119 feet per mile; and for the next 1.14 mile, 165.7 feet to the mile, to where 
we left the Spanish trail; but this distance can be increased, bringing the grade down to, perhaps, 
100 feet to the mile. Continuing from this point for 6.08 miles upon the summit-level between 
Green and White rivers, we next descended, for 3.96 miles, 111.3 feet per mile, and 16.41 feet 
per mile for 9.82 miles, to camp on White river. 
Ascent to Clever creek, 8.72 miles, 41.85 feet per mile; for the succeeding 11.11 miles, return- 
ing to White river, ascent 23 feet per mile; and 38 feet per mile for 13.96 miles, with a descent 
of 22 feet to the mile for the succeeding 13.17 miles. For the next 11.40 miles we ascended 
25.61 feet per mile, and 17.6 feet per mile for the next 13.46 miles; and for the succeeding 15.65 
miles, the ascent was 53.16 feet to the mile to the foot of the Wahsatch Pass. 
- "This pass is entered by crossing a small ridge between our camp of October 12th and Akana- 
quint ereek, and ascending that stream through a narrow defile, from 100 to 200 yards in width 
for some distance, and then leaving it by a ravine which rises between open grassy hills to the 
summit of the pass; the descent to the west being of the same character. 
For the passage of this mountain by a railroad, it will be necessary to approach it from the 
east by a heavy grade of 125 feet to the mile, afier reaching the Akanaquint creek, to within 
one-third of a mile of the summit, where a tunnel with deep approaches will be required—the 
whole in rock, but not exceediog three-fourths of a mile in length—dimiuisbing the elevation to 
