I 



78 Explorations and Surveys for the Pacific Railroad, 



of work at eastern prices having had 25 per cent added to it 

 from the Bois des Sioux to the Kocky mountains, and 40 per 

 cent thence to the Pacific. It has been thought safer to add 100 

 per cent to the cost at eastern prices from the eastern slope of 

 the Kocky mountains to the Pacific. This would swell the esti- 

 mate to $150,871,000. 



Should Governor Stevens have included a full equipment in 

 his estimate, $10,000,000 should be subtracted from this sum to 

 bring the estimate in accordance with those of the other routes, 

 and the cost then becomes $140,871,000. 



The length of the route from St. Paul to Yancouver is 1,864 

 miles. The sum of ascents and descents, as far as reported, is 

 18,100 feet, which will be equivalent, in the cost of working the 

 road, to an increased horizontal distance of 343 miles: this 

 added to the length of the line of location, gives for equated 

 length 2,207 miles. 



From St. Paul to Seattle, by the Columbia route, is 2,025 

 miles, which the sum of ascents and descents increases to an 

 equated distance of 2,387 miles. * * * 



Route near the forty -first and forty -second parallels of north lati- 

 tude. — The route may commence on the Missouri, either at Fort 

 Leavenworth, about 245 miles from the Mississippi at St. Louis, 

 or at Council Bluffs, about 267 miles from the Mississippi at 

 Rock Island, ascend the Platte and enter the eastern chain of 

 the Rocky mountains (the Black Hills) by the North fork and 

 its tributary, the Sweet Water. Another route, by the South 

 fork and a tributary called Lodge Pole creek, has been suggested 

 by Capt. Stansbury as shorter and less expensive ; but the in- 

 formation respecting it is not sufficiently full to make further 

 mention of it necessary. 



From the Missouri river to the entrance of the Black Hills, 30 

 miles above Fort Laramie, 520 miles from Council Bluffs, and 

 755 miles from Fort Leavenworth, the route resembles others 

 from the Mississippi to the Rocky mountains, and needs no spe- 

 cial mention. Its cost per mile will be about the same. 



The route west of this point crosses many lateral streams that 

 have cut deep ravines into the soil, and leaves the Platte just 

 below the Hot Spring Gap, above which it is walled in by can- 

 ons. To avoid these, the route crosses a range of hills 800 feet 

 above the river, and descending to the Sweet Water, a branch 

 of the Platte, follows that stream to its source, where the summit 

 of the plateau of the South Pass (elevation 7,490 feet) is attained. 

 The valley of the Sweet Water is generally rather open, but oc- 

 casionally it cuts through mountain spurs, forming caRons. 



From the first gorge in the Black Hills to the summit of the 

 pass, 291 miles, the work will be difficult and expensive, and in 

 amount approaches that of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. 



