The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1874-09-18
THE TRAFFIC IN CATTLE.

" THE TRAFFIC IN CATsELI
ii Denver Sews.l
IL Those who have watched, dl
'e ring the past few years, the cours
y of the cattle trade on the plain
e have seen, with its growth, q col
!. slant changing of trails and shiE
{ ing points. Speaking of thi
Q changed and changing conditio
c of affairs, it is noticeable, espeC
tally to our stock men, that tn
: opening of n new route across tn
: plains and into Colorado, namely
> the Atchison, Topeka ID SAINT
> te Railroad, is doing much to
ward bringing about this new or
der of things. At the same time
owing to the constant increase il
the business the Kansas Pacifi,
shows great gain over last year
and at the present time, which i:
the hight of the season, is running
extra stock trains, to accommodate
the demands for transportation
There has been q marked increase
lately in the shipments from Car.
son.
A statement from the books OF
the auditor of the Kansas Pacific
gives comparative exhibit of the
business, and shows the number
of car loads for the first seven
months of this and last year. 1t
| shows total of ,666 carloads for
the first seven months of 1874, as
against ], 1913 for the same period
of 1873. A carload will average
about sixteen head of cattle; so
the figures for the first half of
1874 show the shipment of about
26, 700 cattle, and those of 1873 a.
bout. $4,000. Almost the whole of
this stock was taken to Kan's City,
and there distributed to Chicago
or st. Louis, while some went east
ward via Leavenworth and the
Rock Island route.
The shipments of the Atchison,
Topeka d Santa Fe road, now
that it has penetrated to the stock
growing region of Southern Colo
RADIO, are greatly in excess of
those of the Kansas Pacific. The
principal points along the line are
Wichita, Hutchinson, Newton and
Great Bend. The auditors books
show that 1861 head of cattle
were carried during the first half
of 1874, as against "a, 800 for the
first half of 1873, this years ship
ments thus far being nearly four
times greater than last years.
The fact that both the leading
railways show so marked an in
crease in the trade is significant in
view of the fact that the general
has been that the cat
tie business would be small this
year, owing to the scarcity of mon
ey and the unfortunate and ruin
GUS ventures made by parties last |
year. 1t is a fact that all the cat |
tie men, from the Missouri river
to the Rocky Mountains, and from
to Texas, are unani- |
nous in their complaints that |
there was no money in the bust
ness last year. 1t is also notice
able, from financial troubles, and
one cause or another, that many |
of the most venturesome and |
largest cattle dealers do not appear
on the board at all now, and mum
erous new operators, On a large |
scale, have taken their places.
Times here and at various ship
ping points are just beginning to
pick up, foreshadowing great &C
tivity for some time to come.
The months of September and
October generally constitute the
busy period in this industry. 1t
is claimed, by some, at least, that
there are sufficient cattle awaiting
shipment at the various shipping
points to equal during the next
two months the entire shipments
for the first half of the year. We
see it estimated that the entire
for this year over the
new east and west line to Colorado
( the A, T. & S. F. will not fall
far short of 100000 head. This
is, to the people of Denver, espec-
ALLY, a surprising fact, consider
ing that the cattle shipping trade
Of the plains was monopolized I'M
i'll within year past by the Kan
sas Pacific road. The fact is, the
former line, as it has progressed
toward the mountains, crossed the
Did trails south of the Kansas Pa
eific, placing stock raised in the
south one or to days drive nearer
the shipping points, and cutting
off, of course, some of the bust
ness. Still, most of the large
herders and dealers prefer to drive
LOO miles further and ship by the
Kansas Pacific. This is mainly
due to the fact that 4 majority of
the heavy shippers make Denver q
sort of headquarters. What this
business is, and how it is increas-
ing, on the Kansas Pacific, may be
inferred from the fact that in the
first year the trail was opened,
only 37,400 head of cattle were
carried over the road. The num-
Der transported in 1873 amounted
to I64, $50.
The railroads recognize the par
value of this trade. Some
one has recently estimated that
the drive from Texas this year
into Colorado and Wyoming will
100000 head. The whole
face of the plains are becoming
dotted with herds of immense
size. At Hugo, a stock company,
composed, by the way, in part Of
Denver men) controls from 10000
to 10000 head. Near Fort Lyon
the children of Kit Carson own
herds of from 5000 to 5000 head. |
Up north of us, on the Larmie
plains, Creighton &c Co. have a
herd of $4,000 cattle; j. w. lift,
1900; Z. Creighton, 5000; Tay-l
Ior, Gaylord & Co., 5000. There
are over twenty herds, numbering
from 1000 to 5000 each. In Bent,
Pueblo, and Las Aaimas counties
very large herds are found.