Special Report of a Reconnoissance of the Route for the Northern Pacific Railroad Between Lake Superior and Pubet Sound, Via the Columbia River, Made (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1869 edition. Excerpt: ... and Mr. Cooper, who is working a coal mine at this point, on the Dearborn river. We passed across several forks of the Dearborn, and were on some very elevated points, affording us a good view of the topography which was spread, map-like, before us, unencumbered by trees, though covered with some of the richest grass we had seen anywhere during our long journey. In the afternoon we arrived at Cadotte's Pass. I went down about two miles on the west side to the waters of the Blackfoot, to where I could see the character of its valley, which below here is favorable for a Railroad. This Pass was surveyed under the direction of Governor Stevens, and its general characteristics are known. It is not materially different in its elevation from Mullan's Pass, and like that has abrupt ascents on both sides; but a much longer tunnel is unavoidable. The approach on the eastern side, from its appearance, is much more costly than that from the western side, on account of several heavy ravines, and because the country on the eastern side is 567 feet lower at the proposed tunnel entrance than the western. Captain Mullan, who surveyed this Pass, thus refers to it in his report: "The tunnel will be 4.19 miles in length, when there will be a cut commencing fifty feet deep, and coming out in the valley of the Blackfoot five-hundred and fifty-eight thousandths of a mile west of the tunnel, nearly six-tenths of a mile. The cut and the tunnel have a grade of sixty feet to the mile. The highest point of the road, therefore, will be at the entrance of the cut, an elevation of five thousand one hundred and ninety-five feet above the level of the sea, and eight hundred and forty-nine below the mountain summit. Summit of ground 6,044 feet. The entrance of the...