TABLE OF LENGTHS, ETC, 
31 
A. 
Table showing the lengths, sums of ascents and descents, equated lengths, cost, &c., of the several 
routes explored for a railroad from the Mississippi to the Pacific. (For the grades, see the 
profiles accompanying the report.) 
Distance in straight line. 
Distance by proposed railroad route. 
Sum of ascents and descents. 
Length of level route of equal work¬ 
ing expense. 
Comparative cost of different routes. 
| Number of miles of route through 
arable land. 
Sterile 
region. 
1 No. of miles at an elevation above 
0, and less than 1,000 feet. 
l-i 
V 
z ° 
.£ of 
|1 
® a 
5 c 
CS Z 
A 
O 
£ 
" c* 
6 S 
z 
o 
o 
cn' 
rt 
o 
o 
of 
o 
o 
o^ 
03 
O 
o 
o^ 
n 
o 
o 
O' 
in' 
rt 
o 
o^ 
| 5,000 and 6,000. 
| 6,000 and 7,000. 
| 7,000 and 8,000. 
| 8.000 anil 9.000. 
| 9,000 and 10,000. 
Summit of the highest pass on the 
route. 
No. miles of route through 
lands generally unculti- 
vable, arable soil being 
found in small areas. 
No. of square miles of sums 
of areas of largest bodies 
of arable land in unculti- 
vable region. 
Miles. 
Miles. 
Feet. 
Miles. 
Feet. 
1,445 
1,86*4 
18,100 
2,207 
*$130,781,000 
374 
1,490 
II 1,000 
470 
580 
720 
130 
97 
28 
6,044 
parallels, from St. Paul 
vat’n of 5,219 
to Vancouver. 
feet. 
161 
1.000 
180 
*10.000,000 
161 
161 
Route nearthe 41st and 42d 
1,410 
2,032 
29,120 
2,583 
116,095^000 
632 
1,400 
||1,100 
180 
170 
210 
160 
580 
2r5 
270 
107 
20 
8,373 
parallels, via South Pass 
from Council Bluffs to 
Benicia. 
f Route near the 38th and 
1,740 
2,080 
49.986 
3,125 
Cost so great 
620 
1,460 
||1,100 
340 
276 
165 
348 
466 
170 
60 
155 
80 
20 
10,032 
Tunnel at ele- 
39th parallels,from West- 
that tile road 
vat ’n of 9,540 
port to San Francisco by 
is impracti 
feet. 
the Coo-che t.o-pu and 
cable. 
Tah-ee-chav-pah Passes. 
- 
The same, from Westport 
1,740 
2,290 
56,514 
3,360 
670 
1,620 
1,100 
275 
308 
190 
143 
725 
284 
110 
155 
80 
20 
10,032 
Tunnel at ele- 
to San Francisco by the 
vat’n of 9,540 
Coo-che-to-pa and Ma- 
feet. 
delin Passes. 
Route near the 35th paral- 
1,360 
1,892 
48,812 
2,816 
i 169,210,265 
416 
1,476 
2,300 
305 
347 
260 
185 
160 
305 
235 
95 
7,472 
Jel, from Fort Smith to 
San Pedro. 
406 
7,500 
506 
19,935.000 
322 
84 
290 
10 
72 
35 
ctsco, from the Mohave 
river. 
1,400 
1,618 
32,784 
2,239 
68,970,000 
408 
1,210 
2,300 
485 
300 
10C 
170 
503 
60 
5.717 
lel, from Fulton to San 
Pedro. 
Extensionto San Francisco 
440 
10,150 
632 
25,100,000 
376 
70 
290 
50 
65 
35 
* These are the estimates of the office, those of Gov. Stevens having been brought to the same standard of increased cost as the other routes, 
and his equipment reduced to that of the other routes. His estimates were $117,121,000 and $7,030,000. 
t Supposing the route to he a straight line, with uniform descent from the Un-kuk-oo-ap mountains (near Sevier river) to the entrance of the Tah-ee- 
chay-pah Pass, the most favorable supposition. 
i This estimate for the route near the 35th parallel is thought to be largely in excess. 
|| These sums do not include the areas of cultivable soil as far west as the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountains. 
The sum of Ihe minor undulations (not included in the sum of ascents and descents here given) will probably be greater for the route of the 47th 
parallel than for the other routes ; that for the route near the 32d parallel will probably be the least of all. 
With the amount of work estimated for the roads in this report, the equated lengths corresponding to the sum of ascents and descents has hut little 
practical value. With a full equipment and heavy freight business, the sum of ascents and descents becomes important. A comparison of the degree 
of curvature of the routes cannot be made. 
NOTE TO TABLE A. 
The sum of the ascents and descents given for the various routes, does not take into con¬ 
sideration those minor undulations which sometimes largely increase the aggregate. 
I think it probable that when detailed surveys are made, it will be found that this sum for 
the route near the 41th parallel will be more increased than those for the other routes, and 
that the sum for the route near the 32d parallel will be less increased than the others. 
The equated lengths corresjjonding to these sums, may give erroneous impressions. If 
the loads to be habitually carried over the roads are within the power of the engines over 
the greatest grades proposed, then the sums of ascents and descents really have little meaning 
or value. The wear and tear of rail and machinery, and consumption of fuel, would be some¬ 
what greater on the road having the largest sum; but the difference would not be worth taking 
into account, unless there was an equality in all other respects between the routes. 
If there are some grades so steep as to require the division of the loads habitually carried 
over other portions, the cost of the extra locomotives, and of working them over those portions, 
will show the extent of the disadvantage and yearly cost. 
