Our forests of coniferous trees, and the snow in the pass was four inches deep. This was on the 14th of December. A day earlier, our horses' feet would not have touched snow in the crossing. Up to this point we had enjoyed clear and dry, pleasant weather. journey had been all along on dry ground; and traveling slowly along, waiting for the winter, there had been abundant leisure for becoming acquainted with the country. The open character of the country, joined to good information, indicated the existence of other passes about the head of the Sah-watch. This it was desirable to verify, and especially to examine a neighboring and lower pass connecting more directly with the Arkansas valley, known as the Poow-che. But the winter had now set in over all the mountain regions, and the country was so constantly enveloped and hidden with clouds which rested upon it, and the air so darkened by falling snow, that exploring became difficult and dangerous, precisely where we felt most interested in making a thorough examination. We were moving in fogs and clouds, through a region wholly unknown to us, and without guides, and were therefore obliged to content ourselves with the examination of a single line, and the ascertainment of the winter condition of the country over which it passed; which was in fact the main object of our expedition. Our progress in this mountainous region was necessarily slow, and during ten days which it occupied us to pass through about one hundred miles of the mountainous country bordering the eastern side of the Upper Colorado valley, the greatest depth of snow was among the pines and aspens on the ridges about two and a half feet, and in the valleys about six inches. The atmosphere is too cold and dry for much snow, and the valleys, protected by the mountains, are comparatively free from it, and warm. We here found villages of Utah Indians in their wintering ground, in little valleys, along the foot of higher mountains, and bordering the more open country of the Colorado valley. Snow was here [December 25,] only a few inches deep-the grass generally appearing above it, and there being none under trees and on southern hill sides. The horses of the Utahs were living on the range, and, notwithstanding that they were used in hunting, were in excellent condition. One which we had occasion to kill for food had on it about two inches of fat, being in as good order as any buffalo we had killed in November on the eastern plains Over this valley country about 150 miles across the Indians informed us that the snow falls only a few inches in depth; such as we saw it at the time. The immediate valley of the Upper Colorado for about 100 miles in breadth, and from the 7th to the 22d of January, was entirely bare of snow, and the weather resembled that of autumn in this country. The line here entered the body of the mountains known as the Wah-satch and An-te-ria ranges, which are practicable at several places in this part of their course; but the falling snow and destitute condition of my party again interfered to impede examinations. They lie between the Colorado valley and the Great Basin, and at their western base are established the Mormon settle= ments of Parowan and Cedar City. They are what are called fertile mountains, abundant in water, wood and grass, and fertile valleys, offering inducements to settlement and facilities for making a road. These mountains are a great storehouse of materials -timber, iron, coal-which would be of indispensable use in the construction and maintainance of the road, and are solid foundations to build up the future prosperity of the rapidly increasing Utah State. Salt is abundant on the eastern border-mountains, as the Sierra de Sal, being named from it. In the ranges lying behind the Mormon settlements, among the mountains through which the line passes, are accumulated a great wealth of iron and coal, and extensive forests of heavy timber. These forests are the largest I am acquainted with in the Rocky Mountains, being in some places twenty miles in depth of continuous forest; the general growth lofty and large, frequently over three feet in diameter, and sometimes reaching five feet-the red spruce and yellow pine predominating. At the actual southern extremity of the Mormon settlements, consisting of the two enclosed towns of Parowan and Cedar City, near to which our line passed, a coal mine has been opened for about eighty yards, and iron works already established. Iron here occurs in extraordinary masses, in some parts accumulated into mountains, which comb out in crests of solid iron thirty feet thick and a hundred yards long. In passing through this bed of mountains about fourteen days had been occupied, from January 24 to February 7, the deepest snow we here encountered being about up to the sattle skirts, or four feet-this occurring only in occasional drifts in the passes on the northern exposures, and in the small mountain flats hemmed in by woods and hills. In the valley it was sometimes a few inches deep, and as often none at all. On our arrival at the Mormon settlement, February 8, we found it a few inches deep, and were there informed that the winter had been unusually long-continued and severe, the thermometer having been as low as seventeen de. grees below zero, and more snow having fallen than in all the previous winters together since the establishment of this colony. At this season their farmers had usually been occupied with their plows, preparing the land for grain. At this point the line of exploration entered the third or western section, comprehending the mountainous plateau between the Wahsatch Mountains and the Sierra Nevada of California. Two routes here suggested themselves to me for examination; one direetly across the plateau between the 37th and 38th parallels; the other keeping to the south of the mountains, and following for about two hundred miles down a valley of the Rio Virgen-Virgin River thence direct to the Tejon Pass, at the head of the San Joaquin Valley. This route down the Virgin River had been examined the year before with a view to settlement tais summer by a Mormon exploring party under the command of Major Steele, of Parowan, who [and others of the party,] informed me that they found fertile valleys inhabited by Indians who cultivated corn and melons, and the rich ground in many places matted over with grape vines. The Tejon Passes are two, one of them [from the abundance of vines at its lower end] called Caxon de las Uvas. They were of long use, and were examined by me and their practicability ascertained in my expedition of 1848-1849; and in 1851, I again passed through them both, bringing three thousand head of cattle through one of them. Knowing the practicability of these passes, and confiding in the report of Major Steel, as to the intermediate country, I determined to take the other, [between the 37th and 38th parallels,] it recommending itself to me as being more direct towards San Francisco, and preferable on this account for a road, if suitable ground could be found; and also as being unknown, the Mormons informing me that various attempts had been made to explore it, and all failed for want of water. Although biased in favor of the Virgin River route, I determined to examine this one in the interests of geography, and accordingly set out for this purpose from the settlements about the 20th of February, traveling directly westward from Cedar City, [eighteen miles west of Parowan.] We found the country a high table land, bristling with mountains, often in short isolated blocks, and some times accumulated into considerable ranges, with numerous open and low passes. We were thus always in a valley, and always surrounded by valleys more or less closely, which apparently altered in shape and position as we advanced. The valleys are dry and naked, without water or food; but the mountains are generally covered with grass and well wooded with pines; springs are very rare, and occasional small streams at remote distances. Not a human being was encountered between the Santa Clara river near the Mormon settlement and the Sierra Nevada, over a distance of three hundred miles. The solitary character of this uninhabited region, the naked valleys without water courses, among mountains with fertile soil and woods and grass abundant, give it the appearance of an unfinished country. Commencing at the 38th, we struck the Sierra Nevada on about the 37th parallel about the 15th March. On our route across we had for the greater part of the time, pleasant and rather warm weather; the valley grounds and low ridges uncovered, but snow over the upper parts of the higher mountains. Between February 20 and 17th of March we had sev eral snow-storms, sometimes accompanied with hail and heavy thunder; but the snow remained on the valley grounds only a few hours after the storm was over. It forms not the least impediment at any time of the winter. I was prepared to find the Sierra here broad, rugged, and blocked up with snow, and was not disappointed in my expectation. The first range we attempted to cross carried us to an elevation of 8,000 or 9,000 feet and into impassable snow, which was further increased on the 16th by a considerable fall. There was no object in forcing a passage, and I accordingly turned at once some sixty or eighty miles to the southward, making a wide sweep to strike the Point of the California Mountain where the Sierra Nevada suddenly breaks off and declines into a lower country. Information obtained years before from the Indians led me to believe that the low mountains were broken into many passes, and at all events I had the certainty of an easy passage through either of Walker's passes. When the Point was reached, I found the Indian information. fully verified; the mountain suddenly terminated and broke down into lower grounds barely above the level of the country, and making numerous openings into the valley of the San Joaquin. I entered into the first which offered, [taking no time to search, as we were entirely out of provisions and living upon horses,] which led us by an open and almost level hollow, thirteen miles long, to an upland not steep enough to be called a hill, over into the valley of a small affluent to Kern river; the hollow and the valley making together a way where a wagon would not find any obstruction for forty miles. The country around the passes in which the Sierra Nevada here terminates declines considerably below its more northern elevation. There was no snow to be seen at all on its eastern face, and none in the pass; but we were in the midst of opening spring, flowers blooming in fields on both sides of the Sierra. Between the point of the mountains and the head of the valley at the Tejon the passes generally are free from snow throughout the year, and the descent from them to the ocean is distributed over a long slope of more than 200 miles. The low dry country and the long slope, in contradistinction to the high country, and short, sudden descent and heavy snows of the passes behind the bay of San Francisco, are among the considerations which suggest themselves in favor of the route by the head of the San Joaquin. The above results embody general impressions made upon my mind during this journey. It is clearly established that the winter condition of the country constitutes no impediment, and from what has been said the entire practicability of the line will be clearly inferred. A fuller account hereafter will comprehend detailed descriptions of country, with their absolute and relative elevations, and show the ground upon which the conclusions were based. They are contributed at this time as an element to aid the public in forming an opinion on the subject of the projected railway, and in gratification of my great desire to do something for its advancement. It seems a treason against mankind and the spirit of progress which marks the age to refuse to put this one completing link to our national prosperity and the civilization of the world. Europe still lies between Asia and America; build this railroad and things will have revolved about; America will lie between Asia and Europe the golden vein which runs through the history of the world will follow the iron track to San Francisco, and the Asiatic trade will finally fall into its last and permanent road, when the new and modern Chryse throw open their gates to the thoroughfare of the world. - I am, gentlemen, with much regard, respectfully yours, Washington, June 13, 1854. ARTICLE V. Mobile and Ohio Railroad. TO SIDNEY SMITH, ESQ., President of the Mobile and Ohio Railroad Company. For the information of Directors and Stockholders, I have the honor to submit the following report of the Construction Department of their road: It will be recollected that in April, 1853, contracts for graduation had been made for the entire line from Citronelle to the State line of Kentucky, with the exception of a few miles light work in North Mississippi and Tennessee; all of which have been subsequently disposed of, and the remainder of the line through Kentucky, terminating on the Ohio river at Paducah, placed under contract to be completed ready for iron, as follows: fifteen miles next the river by the 1st of April, 1854, and the remainder, to a junction with the main line from the mouth of the Ohio river, by the 1st of November, 1854, simultaneously with the completion of the contracts through Tennessee and Mississippi. Of the main line through Kentucky, that portion only has been contracted which lies in Hickman county, including the Columbus, Kentucky branch; leaving thirty-one and a half miles in Fulton and Ballard counties to be disposed of. This small portion of the line has been postponed, for the purpose of securing the right of way and the required amount of subscription from those counties, who alone, of all the counties on the route of road, have to the close of 1853 been unmindful of their own interest by not advancing the road. |