ADVANTAGES OF THIRTY-SECOND PARALLEL ROUTE. 
41 
Summing up these several sections, we find the lengths and cost of proposed roads to San 
Diego and San Francisco to he as follows : 
Length, miles. Cost. 
Fulton to Frontera. 793 $31,812,000 
Frontera to Fort Yuma. 545 19,622,000 
Fort Yuma to San Diego. 189 *7,571,500 
From Fulton to San Diego. 
Average cost per mile. 
. 1,527 
59,005,500 
$38,641 
Fulton to Frontera. 
Frontera to Fort Yuma. 
Fort Yuma to San Francisco bay.... 
Length, miles. 
..... . 793 
. 545 
. 634 
Cost. 
$31,812,000 
19,622,000 
31,378,750 
From Fulton to San Francisco. 
Average cost per mile. 
. 1,972 
82,812,750 
$41,994 
In contemplating the question of the construction of a railroad from the valley of the Mis¬ 
sissippi to the Pacific ocean, the three features, length of road, elevation to he overcome, and 
climate of the district to he traversed, are important considerations, and in the greatest degree 
determine the practicability of the route proposed. The route by the 32d parallel possesses 
decided advantages, as regards these three features, viz : 1st, by making San Diego the termi¬ 
nus, it is by far the shortest line between the Mississippi river and the Pacific ocean. 
2d. The elevations to he overcome are the least, and it is believed that the maximum elevation 
on the line, which is east of the Eio Grande, will he materially diminished by future explora¬ 
tions. 
3d. The climate is particularly favorable, in regard both to the construction and the running 
of the road, there being no obstacles to parties working throughout the year, and no snows to 
embarrass the track. 
There is also another advantage possessed by this route alone. The material and supplies for 
construction can he delivered at the crossing of the Colorado, a point to which steamboats are 
now plying from the head of the Gulf of California, and by this means the track-lying can he 
pushed both eastward and westward, in addition to that progressing from the two termini. 
The grades are generally very light, and the character of country is such as will admit of 
rapid construction. The disadvantage of this route is the scarcity of wood and water along 
portions of the proposed line on the great plateau of the continent, hut this is true in a greater 
or less degree of every other line across the continent, particularly in regard to the supply of wood. 
The scarcity of water is found on plain stretches, where the grades will be exceedingly light, so 
that the maximum effective force of the locomotive, on portions of the road where heavier grades 
are encountered, will not he materially diminished by the additional weight of water required 
to traverse the increased interval between stations where the lightest grades exist. 
As to the time required to complete the construction, this will depend on other considerations 
* Applying the same standard to the western section from Fort Yuma to San Diego, as applied to the most difficult por¬ 
tion of this route, between the Pimas villages and the Rio Grande, and to the portion of the Gila valley from the Pimas 
villages to Fort Yuma, we have to add to Poole’s estimate $3,258,500, which gives for the total amount of western section 
to San Diego, $62,264,000. Average cost per mile, $40,775. 
6 T 
