"Asa Whitney of New York, railroad pioneer:

"He was the author of a book A Project for a Railroad to the Pacific, printed by George Wood of N.Y. in 1849. In a preface 'to the people of the United States', Asa Whitney explains that he is about to describe the results of 7 years of research into the building of a railroad across the Continent. He states that 'it is not at all probable that Congress would ever appropriate the money for such a work, and there will be many objections to the carrying out of such works by the General or State governments'!

"He estimates the building cost at $60,600,000. Further, he proposes to ask Congress to sell him a sixty mile wide strip of land for 2,030 miles across 'mostly wilderness' from lake Michigan to the Pacific Ocean, amounting to 77,952,000 acres at 10 cents per acre, 'far exceeding the amount the governemnt might expect for the same lands from any other source or plan ...', at a cost of a further $7.7 million. He proposes to pay for the enterprise by raising an average of 88 cents per acre which 'can be done by connecting the sale and settlement of the lands with the work itself'. Then follow some detailed calculations to show that if he can build the first 10 miles of road, and then sell the first 5 x 60 mile strip, the whole project will become self-sustaining!

"I have no idea whether Asa Whitney wrote another book after the project was completed, but I guess that many books on the subject exist and must provide fascinating reading. I wonder if there is a biography of him?"

References:
1. Imperial Atlantic and Pacific Railroad [microform], [London, Trelawny Saunders, Colonial Publisher, 1851], includes extracts from the New York Tribune and the Pennsylvania Inquirer pertaining to Asa Whitney.
2. Margaret Louise Brown, Asa Whitney and his Pacific railroad publicity campaign, [Cedar Rapids, Iowa : The Torch press, 1933], "Reprinted from the Mississippi valley historical review, vol. XX, no. 2, Sept., 1933." Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Michigan, 1931.
3. Loomis, Nelson Henry, Asa Whitney: father of Pacific railroads, [Lincoln, Neb., 1912?], "Reprinted from the Proceedings of the Mississippi Valley Historical Association, volume VI."
4. Plumbe, John, Memorial against Mr. Asa Whitney's railroad scheme, [Microform] [Washington] : Buell & Blanchard, printers, [1851], "To the honorable the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States in Congress assembled."
5. United States, Congress, House, Select committee on the memorial of Asa Whitney relative to the construction of a railroad from Lake Michigan to the Pacific Ocean, Railroad to Oregon ... : Report ..., [Microform], [Washington : s.n., 1848], "June 23, 1848. Mr. Pollock, from the select committee to whom the subject was referred, made the following report." "To accompany H.R. Bill no. 468."
6. United States, Congress, Senate, Committee on Public Lands, Report to accompany bill S. no. 246 [of] the Committee on Public Lands, to whom were referred a memorial of sundry citizens of Indiana, praying the construction of a national railroad from the Mississippi to the Columbia River, and the memorial of Asa Whitney, ... for the construction of such road from Lake Michigan to the Pacific Ocean ..., [Microform], [Washington : G.B. Maigne, printer, 1846], Senate. [Doc.] - [United States], 29th Cong., 1st sess. ; [no.] 466.
7. United States, Congress, House, Committee on Roads and Canals, Whitney's railroad to the Pacific [microform] : to accompany bill H.R. no. 156 .., [Washington : s.n., 1850], United States. Congress. House. Report ; 31st Cong., 1st sess. no. 140.
8. United States, Congress, House, Committee on Roads and Canals, Railroad to Oregon ... : report, The Committee on Roads and Canals, to whom was referredd the memorial of Asa Whitney, of the state of New York, praying the appropriation of certain public lands to construct a railroad from Lake Michigan to the shore of the Pacific, made the following report, [Washington, D.C.] : Blair & Rives, [1845], Rep. / 28th Congress, 2d session, Ho. of Reps. ; no. 199, "March 3, 1845, read, and laid upon the table." "Mr. Owen, from the Committee on Roads and Canals, made the following report ...".