16,2

ARIE IRIUAN RAILROAD JOURNAL.
3-

Il.allroc.d to the Pacific.

In considering the subject of a railroad to the
Pacific, we are saved the discussion ofits necessi-
ty to accommodate the wants of commerce and
tr-aye], or its probable value as an investment of
capital. The sentiment of the country is fully
agreed upon these points. Were there any doubt
or diiiercrice of opinion, in reference to them, the
importance of the road, in apolitical point ofview,
would at once secure an unanimous voice in its
favor. It must be built, and speedily, is the opin-
ion, and we may say the cmwictimt ofall parties.
The only question 1‘en13.-ining is the modu-s opmramii.
This appears it f0l'Il.‘llCl2l.ble one only on account of
want of knowledge as to the proper route ancl me-
thod. But We shall not long remain in ignorance
even upon these points. In 1'cf'crcnco to the for-
mer, every person in the United States who pos-
sesses any ini"ormation upon the subject has taken
the stand, and is giving in his testimony. The pub-
lic will soon be in possession of the evidence, and
will be busy at work collating and comparing the
tlitfereiit statements and reports with each other,
in sifting the true from the fictitious, until a toler-

ably digrcstccl body of evidence he presented. In
the mean time, further c:;plox':1tions, carried on
both by government and in:ilividua.ls, and guided
by a more definite object and better plans, are
adding rapidly to the stock of‘ inl‘ornw.tlon already
possessed; so that we are really ninlxingmpid pro-
gress without any apparent movement. So too,
with the question ct‘ ways marl '/nerz77.s'. We are
sntisficcl that the practicability of accomplishing
this work by private capital, assisted only by grants
ofland, and mail contracts, is first to be_dc1non-
strntcd, before the general governmefnt will aid it
by directappropriations of 'nun,w_1/. Such undoubt-
edly will be the policy of‘ the Administration, and
which, we have no doubt, it will be sustained by
the sentiment ofthc country. We do not see how
it would be possible for government to undertake
this work without being swindlcd out of a. greater
part of the money. We doubt whether Congress
would allow the road to be entrusted to competent
and faitliful hands. Too many members would
wish to be intercstedin the job to allow it to go out
of their hands. Congress too, would not agree,
probably, upon any one route, which will be an
additional reason for withholding aid. The con-
viction of the country is, we think, strongly against
any responsible,connection of the general govern-
ment with the matter, and this is probably the
principal reason why sofew prominent men take
the ground that the road is to be a government
work. Mr. Benton’s plan takes the affirmative
side of. this proposition, but we believe the reason
of his difference from the general voice of‘ the
country‘, is the utter impossibility 'ot‘constr11cting
the road upon_/bis route, by private means. Hence
he naturally assumes the proposition that the road
should be constructed, and owned by the United
States, as every other would at the present time
be if.-it-a.l. to his project. At any rate such is our
view of the case.

We do not regard the construction of a railroad
tothe Pacific as beyond the well directed‘ cflioi-ts
ofas. private company, aided it would be by liber-
al g'rsnts.of- lands. Properly managecl it is :1 work
which would command the co-operation of‘ capital
throughout the world. It would be a work, the
lnflnoncesof which would reach far beyond the
liciignclariéfi 01' W8 country. "Sustained by such so

universal sense of its necessity and value,‘its con-
struction would certainly not prove an insupcra-
ble ten years task for a nation that is constructing
more than twice its length of‘ line each year!

The first and great question to be solved is that
route, which should be made a. matter of e'v'ic1c7z.ce,
simply. This disposed of‘, that ofmezms would not
long occupy the public mind. Towards determin-
ing the first, should the entire energies both of the
government and the people be directed. We hope
and believe that the former will immediately place
2. number of parties in the field, sutlicient to give
us the physical features of the country traversed
by the proposed routes with the least possible de-
lay.

_ Lexington and Big dim:-(iy Rallraaul.

We have received the rope: I; of Professor W. W.
Mather upon the Geology of the country inter-
sected by the route of the above road. The re-
port states that this country abounds in mineral
resources available for profit to the owners, for
profitable tra11spo1‘tation by the railroad company,
and for supplying the wants of the country along
the line of the road. The line tmvcrses it rich
agricultural country from Lexington to the Licking
river, where it enters the mineral region. The
mineral iimterials available along the road, and
easy of access, are coal, both common bituminous
and c:-mnel--iron ore in numerous workable beds
of great extent and good working qualities-
building-stoncs and freestone of the very best
qualities, in inexhaustible quantities, where r.)_uar-
ries can be opened directly along the railroad-—
limestone oi‘. various qualities, adapted for making
white lime mid hydraulic cement. Fire clay and
tire stone are also abuiidaiit in the coal region.
The following table shows the order of super-
position of‘ the principal masses of the rock f'0r1na-
tions, strongly marked as distinct in theis general
characters, and each gives its distinct topograpl1i-
cal as well as its agricultural character to the
country occupied by it.

(' Containing common rind canncl
Coal locals, and numerous workable
formation. l and some worked seams of iron
l ore.
Garboni- C‘-alled the white limestone, and
ferous lirnc- covered by it seam of‘ workable
stone. and worked ll on ere.

Fine The same as the Waverly sand-
grained sa.nd- stone of Ohio, so much worked in
stone; ' ‘ ‘Ohio as a fine building stone.

Block (E The source of many mineral
slate. springs.
Buff colored Contains cement rock, zrndsome
limestone. beds of iron ore.
Blue limestone.

The Blue limestone region is eminently the agri-
cultural region of Kentucky. It occupies the
country along the line of the milrond from
Lexington through Mount Sterling to near Owens-
ville. T

The Slate furnace ore bed is an enormous bed
of iron‘-ore, intersected by the line of the road. It
is described as.a.n ooliticlimonite, lying on the
buff limestone, and occupying fifty acres or more
and where the road crosses it is‘ fifty feet in thick-
ness. The cre from thisbcd  mixed with other
ores may bemndc, it is believed, to produce good
iron. _

The fine grained sandstone forms the body of‘
the hills along the railroad line from the mouth of
’i"rlplctt’s crock to near its source. Itstbielzuess

is 300 to 400 feet. This rock is deemed very im-
portant to the road and is destined to furnish a
large amount of freight. It is the some quality
of rock that is quarried for the Ciucinn::.ti, Colum-
bus, and other markets in Ohio, at Waverly on
the Ohio canal, and at the quarries below Ports-
mouth. Qunrries can be opened directly along-
side of the railroad, inexhaustible in quantity, in
many places from near the mouth to near tlic.
source of 'l.‘riplett’s creek, fl. distance of 16 or 18
miles.

The C‘£u'boniferous limestone appears at several
points on the located line, zmcl is important as it
source of inexhaustible quantities of white lime-—-
as a flux for iron ores——as a building stone and as
a floor on which almost everywhere a bed of
iron ore of workable thickness and superior
quality is found wherever there is a few feet of
earth to cover it. The iron over this lime stone
has been examined in several places and f-._~unu.'l to
be of superior quality. It is czrllcd limestone ore.
and is generally from 8 to 18 inches thick.

M any distinct lieds of coal are found over nmuy
miles, along and on both sides of the railroad line.
Coal beds deemed worthy ct‘ extcnrsive working,
to supply the wzmts oi‘ the country to the west
along the line of‘ the road and thence to Frank-
fort and towards Louisville, exist on the voters of
the Little and East Forks of Little Sancly, and on
the waters of  Sandy. They are also destined
to be used extensive] y for the mzniufacture ofiron
with stone coal.

Cnnucl cool of good, quality is also found in
several places.

-The bituminous coal formations are large and
widely distributed. Ot“tl1csc Professor Mzrthcr
estimates 5000 tons of‘ coal acccsssiblc per mile on
the land within an). mile of‘ the road or -3,000,000
tons per square mile for 20 miles on each side cut‘
the road or one hundred and twenty million of
tons. This, it‘ demanded by it steady and reliable
market-, would aflbrd tmnsport.-ition for 600,000
tons per year for 200 years, from within a single
mile of the road. The country for miles in width
on each side of the road is equally well provided.
with cool, so that the resources of the country
along the railroad line in Glrconup and C£lel‘l.f3-l‘
counties may be consiclercd incxhainztilile, and
willfurnish all needed supplies of this useful fuel
for ages of time, to all the country bordering on
the line of the road. The expenses and risks of
river transportation have prevented bringing this
coal into extensive use in Lexington and other
points west.

The expense of this cool delivered at points 100
miles distant from the mines, including value of
coal in ground, all charges oi‘ mining, moving,
&.c., is estimated by Professor lllatlicr lib  
per ton.

The iron ores abound on the route of the rail-
road from the head of ’_l‘riplett’s crock to the
mouth of‘ Big Sandy, but are most abundant
between the Little and Big Sandy. T '.l‘here is pro-
bably no region of equal extent, says Professor
Mather, supplied with a‘ greater quantity, or with
more varied qualities of good, easy working iron
ores. The iron formations, like those of’ coal, al-
ready noticed, are numerous and widely distribu-
ted, besides being generally accessible to the line
of the road. _

Profos.-:orMstl1o1~’s estiiiurto of tho 02§.l&{3llli of tho.