50 
EAILEOAD EEPOET-EOUTE WEST OE CASCADE EANGE. 
branch, of the Coast Fork of the Willamette to a little meadow, elevated 863 feet above the sea. 
This meadow is also the source of a small tributary of the Umpqua river, called Pass creek. 
The railroad would follow the course of this stream through the Calapooya mountains. Several 
short bridges would he required, with a little cutting through earth, and, for a few feet, through 
a hard kind of sandstone. No sharp curves would he necessary. The maximum grade would 
he sixty-seven feet per mile, for 4.9 miles. 
To cross the divide between Pass and Elk creeks, an earth cut of forty feet at the summit, 
with an ascending grade rendered by side location eighty-seven feet per mile for 3.8 miles, 
and a descending grade of 211 feet per mile for 0.9 of a mile, would be requisite. By winding, 
the last grade would he reduced to 173 feet per mile, for 1.1 miles. 
Elk creek would he crossed by a bridge about forty feet in length. The line would then 
follow the eastern hank of a small tributary for 3.7 miles. From this point an ascending grade, 
rendered, by location upon the eastern side of the valley, about 186 feet per mile for four miles, 
would conduct to the summit of Long’s hills, where an earth cut of forty feet would he advisable. 
The descent might he made by winding towards the east for about three miles, with a grade of 
about 214 feet per mile, hut I have no doubt that a little examination would show a much 
better pass through this line of hills. Having reached the valley at the southern base of the 
ridge, the railroad would turn towards the west, and after striking the trail of my party, would 
follow it to the North Umpqua river near Winchester. A bridge about twenty feet in length 
over a small creek would he necessary on the way. The total increase of distance over that of 
the travelled road, produced by the above location, would he about 3.3 miles. 
The North Umpqua river is about eighty feet in width, and a bridge at least one hundred 
feet in length would be required. The current is rapid, and the bottom rocky. The stream 
is unfordable and bordered by low bluffs. 
From Winchester the railroad could be located upon the surveyed route to Canonville, except 
that it would avoid the high ridge near Roseburg, by following the South Umpqua river. I was 
informed that this could be done without difficulty, with an increase of distance of about nine 
miles. 
Although no very serious obstacle exists on this route through the Umpqua valley, still some 
expensive work and heavy grades would be required ; and, before a railroad should be actually 
located, the route by Pass creek to Elk creek, and down that to Umpqua river, and then up the 
river to the vicinity of Canonville, should be examined. It is probable that very easy grades 
might be thus obtained, although the distance would be increased, approximately, forty miles. 
Canonville is situated at the northern base of the Umpqua mountains. This range is a 
formidable obstacle to the road. The route surveyed through it follows the Umpqua canon. 
Near the summit of the divide, elevated 1,963 feet above the sea level, two streams head, one of 
which flows into Cow creek, and the other into the South Umpqua. The canon is very narrow, 
its sides are precipitous and from one to two thousand feet in height, and heavy cutting, or 
short tunneling, through earth and talcose slate, would be required to obtain practicable curves. 
In ascending, the grade would be 207 feet pier mile for seven miles, and in descending 192 feet 
per mile for two miles. The latter, however, could be considerably reduced by side location. 
Numerous short bridges across the stream would be necessary in reaching the summit from the 
north. 
It is probable that a better railroad route through these mountains would be found by fol¬ 
lowing Cow creek canon. This stream rises south of the range, and, after making a great 
