AMERICAN RAILROAD JOURNAL.

755

in the region in question, as to form a very seri-
ous obstacle to the movement of trains.

Throughout the entire distance from the lakes
to the Rocky l\Iountains, it is quite certain that the
quantity of snow is very limited, and that it falls
mostly in November and the first part of Decem-
ber. After that period there is very little humid-
ity in the air or evaporation to produce it from
local causes, and the temperature is then too low
for it to reach that region from any very remote
source. The winters are in general characterized
by a line bracing atmosphere, greate uniformity
in the weather, more so than is experienced near
the coast, the cold occasionally intense, but on
the whole quite as agreeable and probably more
favorable to health than the winters of New Eng-
land.

Upon that portion of the proposed route lying
between the Rocky and Cascade range of moun-
tains the snow falls to a greater depth than upon
the portion last under consideration. Com. Wilkes
informs us that in the Columbia. valley north of
the latitude of 49°, a region covered mostly by
dense forests, “ the snow lies on the ground from
November to April or May on an average six feet
deep.” ,

At the missionary station at Lapwai, on the
lsiooskootskic river 150 miles south and elevated
1600 feet above the sca,.therc is usually but little
snow and the “grass continues green the year
round.” The mean annual temperature at this
point is 53° F. At Walla Walla situated to the
west of Lapwai and elevated 1300 feet above the
sea, scarcely any snow falls the entire winter. On
the plains of the Columbia 100 miles further north
“ the snow never covers the earth more than a
foot deep.”

Capt. Bonneville informs us that he the left
Green River valley of the Colorado for the upper
part of the Salmon river valley for the reason
that the winters in the former were represented
as more severe, the snow frequently falling to the
depth of several feet. He remained, however, in
the latter place no longer than the last of Decem-
ber, being obliged to remove to the valley of Lewis’
river. The snow, while he remained, was not so
deep as to prevent his horses from getting access
to the grass, and during that period and for the
remainder of the winter the incursions of the
Blackfeet Indians, whose te'rritory is east of the
Rocky Mountains, were frequent, showing that
the Passes through the mountains at that season
were not only passable but afforded sustenance
for the horses of the Indians, the number of which
were increased on their return by captures from
their enemies.

Capt. Bonneville, in his march to Lewis river,
found the snow on the great lava plain, which
forms a striking feature in the character of its val-
ley, only twenty inches in depth. His encamp-
ment on the river was probably in latitude 43?;°
N. between Fort Hall and l:Ienry’s fork, at an ele-
vation of about 4700 feet, Fort Hall being 4500
feet by Fremont’s measurement. Towards the
last of February he returned to the Salmon river.
The snow upon the plains was then 30 inches only
in depth. Upon these plains and in the mountain
defiles leading from them, the bufialo remain
throughout the winter. In one of these defiles
Capt. B. found the “ weather moderate” and “ the
grass sprouting more than an inch in height.”

Father De Smet who ascended Clark’s river in
a Ml/ILOC from below Kalispcl Lake to the Mission
of St. Mary’s, a. distance of 250 miles, in the be-
ginning of February 1845. states the depth of the
snow in the valley to be five feet. The mean ele-
vation of the valley is probably about 2600 feet.
From the preceding it is inferred that from three
to four feet is probably a liberal estimate, for the
mean depth of the snow upon the portion of the
proposed route between the Rocky and Cascade
Mountains.

In Irviug’s Astoria itis stated that “but little
snow falls throughout the winter in the plains and
vallics ofthc lower part of the Columbia, and that
it rarely lies on the ground more than two days at
a time.”

'l.‘hc remaining portion of the route to the Paci-
fic, lying west of the Cascade or Presidcnt’s
Range, it is well known is not subject to falls of
snow of any great depth. It is upon that part on-
ly which is situated in the more elevated portion
of the mountains that the road will be liable to
obstructions from this cause. ‘Licut. Johnson
passed this Range the last of May in a lat. 4.7% N.
and found snow on the ‘summit at the height of
about 5000 feet. The summit was live miles
across, and the snow extended down from it on
tl1c east side, making the distance covered by the
snow in all, eight miles, and the greatest depth,
ten feet. This snow being below the line of per-
petual congclation was all accumulated the winter
previous, and had probably wasted considerably,
so that the depth was undoubtedly much greater,
and it extended much farther down the sides of
the mountain.

Whatever the actual depth or extent of the
snow may have been, as an obstacle to the run-
ning of trains on a railroad it should not be con-
sidered very formidable. At a lower elevation
such as there is much reason to expect can be ob-
tained for the passage of the road, not exceeding,
it is supposed, 4000 feet above the sea, there
would not, it is believed, have been any snow vis-
ible at the period of Lieut. J ohnsou’s visit unless
in some very deep and narrow ravine where the
sun’s rays could not penetrate. The distance
across the highest part of this range is short com-
paratively, so that in the event of its being
deemed advisable to adopt a plan of construction
for a road more than ordinarily expensive to ob-
viate the liability to obstructions from snows, it
will not enhance very materially the cost of the
work.

The apprehension that any extraordinary ex-
pense will need to be incurred to prevent obstruc-
tions from snows on the Cascade range, may prove
entirely groundless when the road comes to be lo-
cated and constructed.

It is by no means certain that a pass, even
lower than that assumed, may not be found, or
that the mountains may not be in great part
avoided and the gradients lessened, without very
materially increasing the length of the road or
carrying it into the territory of a foreign power.

It is known that a complete opening through
the Cascade range exists near the international
boundary, where it is passed by Frazer’s river, and
it is known also, that Frazer’s river at that point
is very near to the boundary, and may possibly
be so near as to permit the location of the road

within the limits of the United States, and thus

avoid the additional rise and fall and higher
gradients and embarrassments from snows cou-

sequent upon the passage of the mountain by ad

more direct route. The branch to the main line

which will doubtless ultimately be "carried down-

the valley of the Columbia to the mouth of that
river, will avoid entirely, all the difliculties of the

Cascade range, whether proceeding‘ from the snow‘

or from any other cause.

When the New York and Erie railroad was pro-
jected, fears wese entertained by many, that if
built, it might be rendered useless for a. portion at
least of every winter because of the snows which.
fall and accumulate often to a great depth in the
elevated country through which it passes. In a.
report in relation to that road in 1838 I remarked
“ that the snow in the latitude of New York does
not fall on the average more than about 20 or 25
days in the year,and upon aroad doing a. constant
business with locomotive steam power cannot as an
obstruction exceed the ordinary interruptions to the
transportation upon canals from breaches in the
banks, repairs and floods and other failures during
the season of navigation.” A

This opinion has been fully confirmed by the
subsequent experience on that road, and upon
other roads in the northern and eastern States
where the snows constitute a more serious obstacle
to the regular running of trains in winter, than
any thing of a similar nature to be met with on
the entire line of the proposed railroad of nine-
teen hundred miles from Lake Michigan to the
Pacific Ocean, with the single exception of the
few miles embraced in the passage of the Cascade
M'.ountains already noticed.

It may be remarked in concluding this branch
of the subject, that whatever may be the difiicul-
ties from snows on the proposed northern route, it
is quite certain they will not only be equalled, but
will probably be surpassed by those which will be
experienced on any route which can be found
between it and the 36th parallel of latitude and
terminating not farther south on the Pacific than
San Francisco.

This follows from the greater humidity of the
atmosphere due to the latitude and from the great
elevation of the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Moan-
taius. It was, it will be remembered, not very
far from Santa Fee that Col. Fremontlost one-third
of his party and all of his animals in the snows of
the Sierra San Juan, and although the elevation
he attained was considerably greater probably,
than that of the pass which he intended to take,
still it is evident that the snows must at times fall
to a depth suflicient to be an impediment of rather
a serious nature to a railroad. Even upon the
high plains of the Arkansas snow storms have
been known to prevail with such suddenness as
nearly to overwhelm, men and animals when un-
able to find shelter from their violence. What is

true of the mountains and plains of the Upper ,

Del Norte in this respect, is also true in a greater
degree of the Nevada Mountains in California, as
may be seen by Col. Frcmont’s description of his
passage across them in the winter of 1843-4, and
also by reference to the journal of McKinstry
whowas one of a party of emigrants, numbering
eighty in all, nearly one-half of whom perished in
the snows in their attempt to cross the mountains
in the fall and winter of 1846 and 1847.’ ,

For the reasons above stated, it is probable that