, 1874-09-03

created by the construction of the rail
road. It did not exist heretofore, ant
could not have existed until the RAILROAD
was built.
"What has been the result of th,
construction of this railway upon Cali.
fornia? To raise its population in foul
years from 500, 900 to 500. 900.
Nevada. adjoining California on tn,
east, then entirely uninhabited, excep
by starving Digger Indians, produces
now $35. .0Oo, 900 gold and silver annu.
ally.
"Utah, still further eastward, has
since the completion of the Pacific R. H.,
discovered silver mines which already
produce $4,000. 900 annually.
"About year later, the Kansas Pa
cifc Railway--on line averaging 15C
miles south of the Union Pacifc-suc-
ceeded in spanning the Buffalo Plain,
and reaching the foot of the mountains
in Colorado. The effect is seen in the
increase of population in Colorado in
three years from 80, ,S64 to 10000
"About 5000 tourists visit Colorado
annually. ~
A still more remarkable effect of the
construction of the railroad is to be
found in the results from the Denver
and Rio Grand Railroad-such q road
as we propose to construct. The follow
ing is taken from document prepared
to be used before committees, as the
same was gathered from the report of
the Denver and Rio Grand Railroad Co.
The report goes to say:
1.-The territory described, containing
no navigable waters, had been cut off
from the great plains, and by wondering
tribes of Indians from previous ready
access. The frst railroad had but just
reached it from the East when the Den
yer and Rio Grande Railway Company
was organized" Tfi1l4
Before the railway replaced the stages
coach from Denver to Colorado Springs.
the latter ran tri-weekly and carried (as
is shown in the prospectus of the co.,
an average of five passengers per trip.
or thirty both ways, weekly.
During the year 1872 the railway.
while under construction. carried on the
same route 25,16S passengers, or an av-
erage Of over l,5OO per cent. 9 bje
1.-The estimate of passenger business
that the road would carry the first year,
as stated in the company's report, pub
lished before work was begun on the
road. was thirteen passengers both ways,
daily, or 1872 weekly between Denver
and Colorado Springs. The actual rs-
suit was 23,16s passengers carried an
average distance of 81 miles-equiva-
lent to %, 1877 carried from Denver to
Colorado Springs, or 429 passengers
weekly--over two and half times the
estimate. Jt4 $500
GAS regards tonnage, few Mexican
and other teams before the railroad was
built, carried all there was.
1.-THE actual freight hauled by the
railroad in 1879, an average distance OF
81 miles. was 1922 tons. or, leaving
out construction material, it was 34,682
tons of commercial freight.
"Again, by the United States census,
taken immediatel; before the commence
nent of the Denver and Rio Grande
Railway, Denver had q population OF
over $1,000. Pueblo, the present ter-
minus, had not over zoo people. A
count made few weeks ago, shows that
it has now, IN the old and new town, q
population of over $500, which will, in
all probability, be doubled the coming
year." r gar1 d1 +i.t
Colorado Springs did not then exist:
now it has a population of about 1900,
and is continuing to grow at rate that
will give it 5000 next year. Colorado
City had about 800; it has more than
doubled, while Little Fountain and 9th.
er lesser points on the road, which
scarcely existed, are growing into impor.
tant country towns. ogsi ga
The farming population along the line
has increased proportionally. Nearly
one hundred miles South of Pueblo a
similar growth is shown; and Trinidad,
which had but a few hundred people
when the railroad started, has now l, 100.
" In the mountains adjoining, west
ward. the mines of gold and silver have
more than doubled their yield, which
is now, in Colorado, from four and a
half to five millions yearly. 1tI3 1ae