The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1874-05-16

company; and now Major General
George A. Custer writes from Fort
Lincoln, Dakota, IN reply-propos-
ing to prove that the statements of
Gen. Hazen are not only unfounded
IN fact, but are exactly the reverse
of facts, and written in ignorance
thereof. Gen, Caster states that he
has ridden, by daylight on horse
back, more than once over every
mile of the route of the Road from
It's eastern terminus near the 92d
meridian, to the 10Sth meridian
and dlverging therefrom nearly eve
ry day from FIVE to fifteen miles on
either side. Gen. Hazen, on the
other hand, he states, having relied
on the assertions of Indian scouts
concerning country 500 miles north
of that under consideration, places
the Northern Pacific lands in false
light, and misleads the public and
wantonly depreciates the value of
"property in which thousands are
"interested." Gen. Hazen wrote
his letter from Ft. Buford, which is
a hundred miles distant from the
railway company's lands, and Judges
of these latter from region pro-
nounced by engineers worthless and
impractic able for railway route.
Gen. Custar states that the 225
miles between the Missouri and
Y Yellowstone were made with the g.
900 horses and mules and 600 beef
cattle of the yellowstone Expedi-
tom at the rate of fifteen miles a
day; and, with a single exception,
the evening encampment was made
where wood, water and green grass
were to be had-the horses requir-
inc but one-third the regular allow
ance of grain, and the beef cattle
subsisting in good condition entirely
upon the grass obtained in the even
ing. For $50 miles after leaving the
Missouri, the march was made over
beautiful rolling country practical
bic for a lady's phaton; and even
across the much talked-of "Bad
Lands, ,'-embracing a tract 5 miles
wide along the Little Missouri,
crossing the company's route at
right angles from north to south-a
wagon route was found without dis
placing shovelful of earth except
at the water-courses. And even the
valley Of this stream Zone of the best
timbered in the WesO possesses
san immense area of rich bottom
Gland, covered at that time with
"luxuriant growth Of the finest pas
''ture, and capable of maintaining a
"dense population" From thence
to the Yellowstone, the country,
though not quite so level as that
passed over from the Missouri, is
not unoesirablY broken; and graz
ing wood and water were ample
until the "Bad Lands of the Vel
lowstOne were struck which are
similar to those of the Little Mis-
souri,, and follow the Yellowstone
to its confluence with the Mis-
souri, at Gen. Hazen's post. To-
gether the so-called bad Lands"
then embrace breadth of only 80
miles along the company's tract;
and even these will, Gen. Custer
thinks, be found Of peculiar value to
the other portions, exposed veins Of
coal having been seen at a great
many points in both bad Lands"
sections. Taken as a whole there
lies between the Missouri and the
Yellowstone a belt of 200 miles, over
which 1--WE quote Gen. Custer):
"Our return marches averaged 80 miles
per day-not from necessity, out from choice.
! Sometimes it seemed almost as if we were
passing through beautiful meadows; as far as
the eye could reach, to the right and left, it
rested on an almost unbroken sea of green,
luxuriant waving grass, from six inches to
one foot in height Almost entire days were
spent in marching over such country. We
found the water not only generally good, but
abundant. | feel confident that | would have
no difficulty in finding an abundance of grass
| at almost every point while ample quantities
of both wood and water could be obtained on
an average every six miles. In returning to
the Missouri we occasionally passed our old
camps, made the latter part of June or early
T
months and half | more than once noticed
that where we had fed our horses on the
ground, the scattered grains of oats had
sprung up and matured finely. On one acca-
sion l plucked a few specimens. The stalk,
or straw, was fully four feet in height, and
the heads five inches in length, and well filled
out. This was not on bottom land, but on
high point of the upland
Passing northwest from the Yel-
lowstone to the Musselshell (the wa
ters of which are clear and abound
in fish, the soil improved and the
timber and grass increased both IN
quantity and quality.
The reports of Prof. Hayden and
Major Wheeler are quoted in proof
of the existence of good agricultural
and grazing lands i'll Montana and
Dakota; Gen. w. 2. Carlin is quo
ted to show that gardening has been
successful at Fort Lincoln ton the
west bank of the Missouri, opposite
Bismarck); and Gen. Custer finally
expresses the opinion that hay in
sufficient quantity to satisfy all pro-
bable demands and of most excel
lent quality can be contracted for
in the stack at not exceeding 81 per
ton. He saw horses, mules and cat
tie, which have wintered on the
open pasture within five miles of the
post, receiving neither hay, grain