92 Explorations and Surveys for the Pacific Railroad. 



cnliar features of the arid region over which the route lies from 

 the eastern ledge of the Llano Bstacado to the summit of the 

 San Gorgonio Pass, prove, when closely examined, to be most 

 favorable to the construction of a railroad, since they obviate to 

 a great degree the necessity of the most costly item of railroad 

 construction, the preparation of the road-bed for the superstruc- 

 ture ; this preparation, with few and limited exceptions, through- 

 out a distance of about 1,000 miles, having been already made 

 by nature. This item amounts to from one-half to three-fourths 

 of the whole cost of a railroad. Draining and ballasting are 

 also dispensed with at the same time. Over the remaining por- 

 tions of the route, the ground is generally favorable to the con- 

 struction of the road-bed. The mountain passes are, of their 

 kind, highly favorable, those west of the Kio Grande requiring 

 no difficult engineering for location through them, and but little 

 rock excavation or expensive embankment and side-cutting. 

 The Guadalupe and Hueco Passes are more difficult. * * * 



The length of this route from Fulton to San Pedro is 1,618 miles. 



The sum of the ascents and descents, 32,^84 feet. 



To overcome which is equivalent, in the cost of work- 

 ing the road, to traversing a horizontal distance of 

 621 miles; the equated length of the road is 2,239 miles. 



The estimated cost is $6 8,9 1 0,000 



COMPARISON OF THE ROUTES. 



[This comparison is from the Eeport of Capt. Humphreys 

 which occupies pages 88 to 108 of the volume.] 



The following table will enable a comparison to be made of 

 the sum of ascents and descents, and the equivalent horizontal 

 distances of the railroads connecting the Atlantic with the Missis- 

 sippi, with those of the routes examined from the Pacific to the 

 Mississippi. It will be observed, that in proportion to the lengths 

 of the routes, the sums of the ascents and descents are less on the 

 Pacific than on the Atlantic routes : 



Roads. 



Length in miles. 



- 



1 



i Elevation of the 

 summit above the 

 sea. 



Total rise and fall. 



Number of miles 

 of horizontal road 

 equivalent in the 

 cost of working 

 the road to the as- 

 cents and descents. 





500 



1,440 



4,700 



89 



New York route, (Central) . . 



440 



650 



2,100 



40 





460 



1,720 



6,500 



123 





340 



2,400 



5,600 



106 







( 2,600 









390 



< or 



| 7,000 



132 







( 2,100 









490 



1,400 



5,000 



95 





440 



1,400 



5,000 



95 



