The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1878-12-13
THE FAR WEST.


DenNtt 70 WhetAhARs
WHEELING, W. Va, December l2.
Editors IntellIseneer.
Passing through your city from the Far
West, permit me to say:
Have spent two summers travelling in
Colorado, New Mexico and Wyoming, and
coward wave Of progress is sweeping
over those regions. The Atchison, Topeka
& Santa Fe Railroad is being rapidly
pushed into New Mexico, and will be
finished Us miles into that Territory by
April 1st; 1900 men now at work on it,
They propose to connect With the South
ern, OF California. in two or three years,
and are asking nothing Of Congress. The
amount OF wool, hides. &C., coming for
ward from New Mexico indicates that
it PAYS as fast as the track Is laid, Was
in the tunnel uuderl Ration Mountain,
a spur OF the Rockies, which }is about
three-fourths OF q mile long when COM
pIeted. The Denver & Rio Grande mar.
row gauge has been leased to the above
Company, so that they have line now
into Denver. ia rs,.-a -. Ia % ).
The pool between the, Union Pacific and.
Kansas Pacific It is understood will be
broken, thus giving them competing lines
TO Denver and Colorado. The Kansas
Pacific has the advantage in being the
direct route TO Denver. Leadyille on the
heatIwaters oithe Arkansas Is daily grow
ing into importance and is the.El Doraro
OF Colorado. All the railroads are COM
peting for her traffic, though she Is city
Of only year or two; population 1000.
Bythis time the Denver South Park and
Paciichas got about 75 miles from Denver
up into the mountains and is some so
miles from Leadville. Jay Gould, Sidney
Dillon, w. A. H. Lovel and others, have
organized another road pointing from
Georgetown at the base OF the continental
divide ria Leadville TO the South Colorado
line. Tho Sante Fe is building up
Arkansas Canon 20 that there are three
lines pushing across tho Rockies in
Colorado and one in New Mexico.
Great improvement is taking place on
tile so-calied plains OF Western Kansas.
Very little public Government land can
now be had this side oiHays City, the best
having ali been selected. West Of this
there Is plenty. The Kansas Pacific Rail.
road Company are settling thousands OF
families on their lands all along the line Of
their ruad u. far as the settlements extend,
and they are pushing westward every year,
and the rainfall Is increasing as the plow
and vegetation advances. There was q de-
cision by Secretary Schurz TO the effect
that their lands had reverted TO the United
States and were for sale at 81 IS per acre,
but 1t was set aside by the United States
Court, and they are going on selling rs
usual. Their general land office Is at Sail.
ma, Kansas, Mr.. Gilmore being at the head
oft, and he has all manner Of information
concerning Kansas which he sendsfree on
application. .,
country and certainly free from nalarious
tevers. They have In many places plenty
ot stone for building and fences, and water
by digging. The land produces well, max.
ing thirty to forty bushels OF wheat per
acre. West Of Hays City it is mostly q
grazing country, and thausands Of cattle
roam over. all those high extended plains.
Governor st. John, Of Kansas, who takes
his seat now In few days, told the writer
that he would arm his militia and front.
iersmen in case OF any more Indian raids,
and that no fears need he entertained
from that quarter. ....
The writer has travelled around the
world once and all over this continent,
and oan say that Colorado Is tho finest
summer resort Of which he has any knowl'
4 edge, The altitude OF the Rockies Is about
two and q half miles, or fYe times the
i Alleghanies, and the air and scenery u
beyond description. There arc numerous
mineral spring., chief Of which arc ,thG
MAINTAIN, south OF Denver. Came in oyel
the Kansas Pacific road, leaving Denvel
about noon and reaching Kansas City mex
day at evening; thence down over the ST
Louis, Kansas City 4 Northern road TO ST
Louis. Both Of these roads arc In gooC
t6rier and make last time. Game Int
your city over the Panhandle via steuben
Vile. Always like to travel over Tom
, s0otes roads. They are kept in good or
der, and when you get on q through trail