ENGINEERING REPORTS. 
25 
part traversed by the survey is naturally divided into three sec- 
tions, each of which possesses its own peculiar characteristics. 
The first of these embraces that belt of country which lies 
between the parallel of Mina-titlan and the Jaltepec River. 
The line traversing it is 62| miles in length. 
The second, which extends from the Jaltepec to the base of 
the mountains on the Pacific plains, reaches 68 f miles. 
The third, from the base of the mountains to La Yentosa, com- 
prises 35 miles. Making a total length of line of 166 miles. 
This, it must be recollected, runs by way of Masahua Pass ; but 
there is a great probability of reducing this distance from ten 
to fifteen miles on the final location. The ^V-line between 
Mina-titlan and Yentosa is 130 miles. 
General Description of Route. 
Leaving Mina-titlan, the line bears off in a southwesterly di- 
rection, passing from one to two miles to the left of the towns of 
Cosuliacaque, Jaltipan, Tesistepec, and the Hacienda of Alma- 
gro, curving eastwardly to a point about three-fourths of a mile 
west of the Encantada Mountain (keeping generally out of reach 
of the line of overflow), and passing through one of the most 
beautiful and productive portions of the Isthmus. From the 
Encantada, the line enters a dense forest, in which it continues, 
on the same character of profile for thirty miles to the Jaltepec 
River. For the whole distance from Mina-titlan to that river, 
we encountered no streams requiring more than fifty feet water- 
way. The grades upon this portion of the road will be remark- 
ably light, and the alignment good ; the material to be moved 
mostly sand, gravel, and clay, and in a few places sandstone 
rock. 
Leaving the Jaltepec, the line, still continuing in the forest, 
advances in a southerly direction, but soon ascending on a grade 
of sixty feet to the mile, reaches the summit which divides the 
waters of the Jaltepec from those of the Jumuapa. 
From the summit the line descends on an average grade of 
twenty-five feet to the mile, till it reaches the level of the 
river-bottoms, keeping to the left of the dividing ridge, which 
