The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1871-08-18

rs railroad, or OF the Indian Territory,
which lies south OF Kansas. have just
returned from journey TO those local
tiles, and now offer yen the results of
my observations.
Il possible that some of your read
ers lot fully Informed with regard
to t. present extent of the n. &. & 4.
II. r., as 1 was NOT. before my attention
was more fully attracted to 1t during
this trip. 1t seems that this corpoTa-
ton is now operating about three hun
dred and seventy five miles of road,
without including the Usage division,
and q considerable exsension beyond its
present terminus is almost ready for
the iron. Tho extent Of the Neosbo
division is one huua d aua fifty Elk,
the Sedaiia one hundred and fifty nine,
and the Cherokee d4T:4.an eighty ave
miles. Tho cara asereKpected TO run 30
the Arkansas riveF, ct a point Lear Fort
Gibson, in about two weeks. nnd thence
to tue He'd river by the coming spring,
and to tho Mexican Gulf at Galveston
at nc distant day. The br inch 70 Aus
tin and Comago, and finally to the Mex
lean capital wiz DO pushed forward as
rapidly as the work. can be accomplish
ed. It cannot be denied that Mr.. r. S.
Stevens had found his fort, when he en-
gagged in railroad operations.
The road is already carrying censid-
cradle quantities of freight in both d.
rections for the people of Texas. Con-
siderable heaps of cotton bales were
piled at Choteau awaiting shipment to
the eastern market. There was also a
large amount of merchandise and other
freights ready for wagon transportation
to the towns slong the frontier of Texas
and for the military pests in the Indian
Territory. Among these were some
flne carriages from Chicago manufsc-
tory. destined for Sherman, Texas.
Ch0teau, the present temporary ter
minus of the road, contains no valuable
improvements, except 10 be the simple
railway station, which Is provided with
comfortable Offices, including one for
he use OF the telegraph. Although
there is no hotel building all of the ne
cesssry comforts that are usually fur.
nished at n good hotel are provided By
the use OF two raj way cars, and a sup.
ply of tents. One of the carsi is arrang-
ed as dining room, the other az .
kitchen, and the tents arc mostly used
as lodging places. We found their table
as amply supplied as st almost any
western hotel.
The strict rule of the government
with regard to trade with the people be-
longing to tho Indian nations retains
| most of this business in the hands Of
the Indians, or their representatives.
The small number OF persons who OBJ
tain the proper permits for traffic with
them, enables such persons to realize
very large profits from their invest
ueuts.
/ Choteau has been the terminus OF this
road for about two weeks, and it may
| thu -efnain for some two or three
We longer. The very transient nature
Of I business at these successive ter
limitations Of tho road, has led the rail-
road managers and Others to exercise
some ca Ition in the matter OF iEnprove-
ments.
A line of stages, provided with lTst
class Concord coaches leave Choteau on
The arrival Of the trains. This limo
passes Fort Gibson twenty-five miles ;
OemuIgee, the proposed capital Of tho
Indian confedeFRt; 4, seveBty-eight
miles; and Sherman. Texas, two-huu-
| dfed miles
1t seems o great waste OF lands TO
leave so vast q country Ia the hands CT
the Indian tribes, who es1 make no use
of all OF them, even as hunting grounds.
This viii be inferred from the fact that
the present Indian popul' ion now oc-
cupyinS the territory lie about as fol-
lowe. CheEok es $4,000, Choctaus 49,
600, Greeks 13,0O0, and 6eminoles 800.
There arc other small tribes or bands
which may swell the whole number in
the territory to about seventy thousand.
AS tho railroads are confined to the
use OF but one hundred feet on either
side Of the track, all improvements be-
longing to citizens must therefore be
confined within these limits.
1t lie to be hoped that our government
will ere long obtain, by proper treaties,
such portions Of this country as do not
contribase TO the interests Of the red
me6, in order that they may be moro
properly occupied. G.