RAILROAD REPORT—ROUTE WEST OF CASCADE RANGE. 
47 
to the north, but, even if this should not prove to he so, both the ascending and descending grades 
could he reduced, by side location and an increase of distance, to less than 200 feet per ruile. 
This could he easily done, as the ridge is not furrowed by many ravines. The removal of a large 
quantity of timber would he the principal difficulty. 
From the summit of the pass to the Willamette valley, the railroad would follow a route which 
we could not travel over, on account of an immense number of logs that completely blocked up 
the way. We passed along ridges, however, from which we could overlook it, and see that the 
fallen timber was probably the only serious obstacle. The great ravine extending north and 
south could be crossed, and Clackamas ravine entered by a lateral canon and followed, appaiently 
without any obstruction from bends or side spurs, to the valley. 4 he approximate distance 
would he thirty-eight miles, and the approximate grade, for most of the way, 125 feet per mile. 
It would he less than this, near the summit. 
Throughout the whole distance, the supply of timber, water and stone is abundant. Occa¬ 
sionally a little heavy rock and earth cutting would he required, hut the chief difficulty, in 
preparing the road bed, would he to clear away the mass of timber, logs, and undeibiush, which 
now renders portions of the route utterly impassable. During the winter, it is probable that the 
pass is blocked up with snow, to a depth of 20 or 25 feet, hut concerning this, nothing is known 
with certainty. 
PROPOSED RAILROAD ROUTE FROM VANCOUVER TO FORT READING, WEST OF THE CASCADE 
RANGE. SURVEYED BY LIEUT. ABBOT. 
The party which examined this route, was deprived of its escort, by the officer commanding 
the Columbia River and Puget Sound District. As this loss caused the survey to he made under 
great disadvantages, and prevented certain important side explorations, it has been deemed 
proper to state, in full, the circumstances of the case, and to give a detailed account of the Indian 
disturbances, which greatly embarrassed the party in the performance of the duties assigned to 
it by the War Department. This has been done in Chapter Y, under the date October 19, and 
between the dates October 30 and November 5, inclusive. 
The result of the survey showed the route to be much more favorable to the construction of 
a railroad, than had been anticipated, and, although certain portions of the line actually exam¬ 
ined were found to he very unfavorable, it is thought that a way to avoid these places would 
have been discovered by further exploration, had not this been prevented by the loss of the 
escort. 
The climate of the regions through which this route passes, is mild. The mean winter 
temperature, for the two years 1853 and 1854, was 33°.78 Fah., at Fort Jones, which is situated 
upon the coldest portion of the line. At Fort Reading, for the same years, it was 46°.12 Fah., 
and at Fort Vancouver, for the four years, 1850, ’51, ’52, ’53, it was 39°.54 Fah. This informa¬ 
tion is derived from the Army Meteorological Register, published in 1855. Unpublished records 
of the medical department show that the mean temperature at Fort Lane, for the winter of 1856, 
was 38°.89 Fah. It appears from these data, that, should a railroad he constructed upon this 
route, there will he little danger of serious obstruction from snow. 
An unlimited supply of wood, water and stone, for railroad purposes, is found in the 
immediate vicinity of this line, throughout its whole extent. It only remains, therefore, to 
consider the route with reference to the actual difficulties of construction. 
It may he well to state, that, as the grades upon the route travelled are given on profile No. 1, 
