CHAPTER II. 
RAILROAD REPORT. 
General summary.—Proposed railroad route from benicia to fort reading.—Proposed railroad route from fort reading 
TO VANCOUVER, EAST OF THE CASCADE RANGE.—ROUTE FROM CAMP 36, NEAR TIIE HEAD OF DES CHUTES VALLEY, TO FORT 
dalles.—Route from the des chute3 to the willamette valley, by the new pass near mount hood.—Proposed 
RAILROAD ROUTE FROM VANCOUVER TO FORT READING, WEST OF THE CASCADE RANGE. 
GENERAL SUMMARY. 
The detailed descriptions of the routes examined for a railroad will he prefaced hy a few 
remarks upon the relation of the different lines to each other, and upon their general character. 
The survey began at Benicia. From that place to Fort Reading, a distance of about 200 
miles, hut one route was examined. It lay through the fertile and settled valley of the Sacra¬ 
mento river, where bridges would form the only expensive item in the construction of a railroad. 
The supply of water and building material would he ample, and the average grade would not 
exceed 5 feet per mile. 
Two routes, well supplied with water and building material, were examined, from Fort 
Reading to the Columbia river—one east and the other west of the Cascade Range. A brief 
description of each will he given. 
1. Route east of the Cascade Range.— No insuperable obstacles were encountered on this route 
until the head of the Des Chutes valley was reached ; hut beyond that point it was utterly 
impracticable. A pass was examined, however, through the Cascade Range, near Diamond 
Peak, hy which this valley could he avoided, and the Willamette river reached. The valley of 
this stream afforded a route to the Columbia river, very favorable to the construction of a railroad. 
This route from Fort Reading to the Columbia may he considered feasible. Its length is about 
600 miles, of which 150 miles lie in a fertile and settled country, where the construction would 
he easy. The rest of the line traverses a wilderness, generally barren, and, for the most part, 
elevated from 4,000 to 5,000 feet above the sea. For about 200 miles of the latter section no very 
heavy work would be required, hut for the remaining 250 miles the expense of construction would 
he very great. The chief obstacles would he encountered in crossing the western chain of the 
Sierra Nevada ; in passing the two canons of Pit river ; in constructing the road along the 
shore of Upper Klamath lake ; in following the canon of Klamath river, between Upper and 
Lower Klamath lakes ; and in crossing the Cascade Range to the Willamette valley. 
It is thought that there would he danger of occasional obstruction from snow during a few 
months in the year, upon the portion of this route east of the mountains. 
2. Route ivest of the Cascade Range .—The loss of the escort rendered it impossible to make 
any side examinations upon this line. Although the travelled route proved much better than 
had been anticipated, some portions of it were impracticable for a railroad. There are, however, 
good reasons for believing that by further examination these places could be avoided. 
