76 
COST OF CONSTRUCTION. 
RECAPITULATION OF ESTIMATE. 
Sections. 
Distance. 
Preparation of 
road-bed. 
Superstruc¬ 
ture. 
Equipment. 
Engineering & 
contingencies. 
Amount. 
Fort Smith to head of Pajarito creek_ 
706 
$5,294,472 
$11,192, 690 
$2,747,500 
$1,923,466 
$21,158,128 
Head of Pajarito creek to Isleta_ 
144 
■ 5,995,800 
2,769,764 
706,000 
947,156 
10,418,720 
Isleta to Campbell’s Pass__ 
116.7 
1.564,500 
2,558,540 
570,500 
469,354 
5,162,894 
Campbell’s Pass to mouth of Rio Puerco 
121 
1,840,070 
2,803,814 
670,500 
531,438 
5,845,822 
of the west. 
Valley of Flax river_ 
35 
371,000 
774, 856 
142,400 
128,826 
1.417,082 
Flax river to Leroux’s Spring_ 
81 
4,401,400 
1,713,662 
434,300 
654,936 
7,204,298 
Leroux’s Spring to Aztec Pass__ 
87 
5,281, 174 
1,787,544 
478,900 
754,762 
8,302,380 
Aztec Pass to Cross mountain... 
23.3 
351,580 
476,424 
113,300 
94,130 
1,035,434 
Cross mountain to Big Sandy_ 
27.5 
1,207,000 
563,556 
169,100 
193,966 
2,133, 622 
Big Sandy to Rio Colorado_ 
53. 7 
599,100 
1,099,132 
431.800 
426, 006 
. 2,556,038 
Rio Colorado to Soda lake_ 
96.8 
1,380,800 
2,006,062 
731,700 
823,712 
4,941,274 
Soda lake to point of leaving Mojave 
70.5 
822,400 
1,448,345 
380,900 
265,165 
2,916,810 
river. 
Point of leaving Mojave river to Tah-ee- 
63 
856,200 
1,263,621 
513,000 
263,282 
2,896,103 
cliay-pah Pass. 
Through Tah-ee-chay-pali Pass_. __ 
» 38. 5 
3, 465, 000 
Tah-ee-chay-pah Pass to San Francisco... 
f 288 
14” 400^ 000 
From Fort Smith to San Francisco_ 
1,952 
93,853,605 
Average 
48,081 
° At $90, 000 per mile, according to Capt. Humphrey’s estimate, 
f At $50, 000 per mile, (see Capt. Humphrey’s estimate.) 
RECAPITULATION. 
From a glance at the preceding estimates and remarks, founded upon examinations of the 
data obtained by the survey, it seems evident that the route near the parallel of 35° north 
latitude possesses some important advantages. Among them may he mentioned the general 
directness of its course from the principal commercial cities of the east to the harbor of San 
Francisco ; its temperate and salubrious climate ; its freedom from heavy snows ; the large 
amount of timber and fuel upon its extremities and interior portions ; the convenient distribu¬ 
tion of stone for construction ; the generally plentiful supply of water ; the comparatively great 
extent of arable valleys along the route, and frequency of spots adapted to settlements. The 
objections that may be made to it, both with regard to grade and the barren character of the 
soil upon the western portion of the line, have already been noticed. The latter, to a greater 
or less degree, seems to be common to all the routes. There are portions of this desert region, 
however, that, by the labor of man, may undoubtedly be renovated, and made productive. 
This, and other changes, which the construction of a railroad from the Mississippi river to the 
Pacific would produce upon the country traversed, can scarcely be appreciated by one accus¬ 
tomed to view its present desolation. Many who visited California in 1849 and 1850 pro¬ 
nounced the country to be^ almost destitute of agricultural resources. The same mistake, in a 
less degree, has doubtless been made regarding a considerable portion of the uncultivated region 
under consideration. 
In reference to the first objection above noticed, it may be remarked that, in the progress of 
the science of railroad engineering, considerable changes have taken place within the last few 
years in the practice of the art. Grades that were formerly deemed impracticable without sta¬ 
tionary engines, are now readily overcome by the ordinary locomotives of the train ; ridges t'hat 
