Reports of explorations and surveys, to ascertain the most practicable and economical route for a railroad from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean: Vol. 5, Pt. 1

CANADA DE LAS UVAS.
dinate basins which collectively compose that vast tract of country which has been named the
(Great Basin. As Kern lake is 398 feet above the sea, it appears that in this part of the range
the descent from the summit of the Sierra to the head of the Tulare valley is nearly 3,000 feet
more than the descent from the same point to the rim of the Basin.
The crest of the Tejon Pass is 5,285 feet above the level of the sea.
The grades in the Tejon Pass were much greater than I had anticipated, and, owing to the
nature of the ridges, it is not possible to reduce them by side-cuttings. These difficulties consist
in steep and rugged ravines, which furrow the mountains on each side and descend to the
valley of the pass.
A view of one of these side-ravines from the trail is given in wood-cut on page 34.
I think the difficulties presented by the grades, taken in connexion with the tunnel that
would be required, render this pass unfit for railroad purposes.
CANADA DE LAS UVAS.
Before commencing the survey of this pass, a line nearly straight was run across the Tejon to
its entrance, to ascertain the absolute height above the sea of that point, assuming that the
altitude of the Depot camp had been correctly ascertained. We found its altitude to be 193
feet above camp, or 1,640 feet above the sea.
TULARE VALLEY, AND ENTRANCE OF THE CANADA DE LAS UVAS.
This pass possesses some peculiarities worthy of note, for the line of survey may be said to
go around the end of the Sierra Nevada, the pass being at the junction of the Sierra Nevada
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