The Wichita city eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1872-1883, 1878-06-20
from sixty to two hundred barrels of

t from sixty to two hundred barrels q
. flour every twenty-four hours.
The famous Washburn Mills, of Min
neapolis, recently destroyed, were tn
largest in this country, having forty
! one run. l am told that these are &
' be rebuilt, with capacity of fifty-on
, run-being one in excess Of the larges
in the world.
1t is difficult to assign any sufiicien
reason why we ought not to -four ou
own wheat product, especially whel
we consider the immense difference il
the matter of transportation. WHY
we should ship twenty or more mil
lion bushels of wheat from the State
to be Toured abroad, when it could bt
fioured at home at about the same cos
as anywhere else, and the -four trans
ported to market for half what it costs
} to transport the grain from which it is
manufactured, will be very difficult tc
explain.
don't suppose there is mill in the
State with capacity to manufacture an
average of one hundred and fifty bar.
rels of flour daily, POSSIBLY there may
be one at Salina), and doubtless | am
safe in saying that there is not milling
capacity in the State to manufacture
one per cent. of our wheat product of
the present year. The maximum ca
pacity of the average largest steam
Touring mills in the United States will
not exceed two hundred barrels day,
or about sixty Thousand barrels per
aunum. In fact, the number in this
country having this capacity is very
limited. And yet, if ] have not over
estimated this years wheat product of
Kansas, it is sufficient to embrace over
a hundred and thirty of such man.
moth mills. This would give employ
ment to many millions of capital. Even
if the half of that product were -four
ed at home, it would save hundreds of
thousands Of dollars to the producers.
and would bring into action among
our people millions of dollars in the
prosecution of the enterprise.
| The gentleman to whom | have re-
ferred, said to me to-day that since he
had been informed of the magnitude
| of our this years wheat product, and
of the possibilities of our State in re-
spect to grain productions, he had
given the subject much thought, and
had reached the conclusion that it was
the best field in America for capital
| to engage in the most extensive manu-
facture of flour. "But," said he, 81
should like it still better if you had
ample waterway transportation to
| the seaboard. Your immense traffic,
and your remoteness from the Allan
tic coast, must inevitably invite the
liveliest competition in the matter of
railway transportation, which of itself
is an assurance of the lowest possible
rates. And railway transportation is
indispensable, because it affords speedy
intercourse with all the great markets,
But there is very much connected
with this business, as well as most
other manufactures, that makes the
slower and cheaper method of water
way transportation of immense adj
vantage"
believe the fact is that every well
conducted Touring mill in the State is
paying large profit upon the money
invested, and | doubt if there is any
other business in Kansas that pays SO
well.
In connection with the magnitude of
this years wheat product, let it be
borne in mind that we have not yet
reached to exceed one-ffth develop
ment, and we may therefore reasona-
bly, expect within the next five years,
to harvest an annual crop of over one
hundred million of bushels-twenty-
five per cent. more than the United
States exported in 1875.
1t is undoubtedly true that manufac-
lures in Kansas would be greatly stim-
ulated by q sufficiency of water trans
portation / have been at much pains |
to talk of our resources and facilities |
for manufacturing our various prod |
ucts, with men of large experience, |
and | have found IL generally to be |
their judgment, that if we had ade- |
quate transportation to the seaboard, |
we would ourselves be astonished at |
the rapidity with which manufactures |
of various kinds would spring up
throughout the State. | am one of
those who believe that we shall soon
be very well provided for in this re-
spect.
Only few days since | was aston
ished to see it stated, in a commercial
Journal, that eighty per cent. of the
grain received in New York the week
previous, arrived by waterway. The
Hon. Nathan Cole, of Missouri, men,
Der OF Que of the largest commission
houses in st. Louis, and one Of the
best informed business men in the
House of Representatives assures me
that a line of barges is now carrying
grain from St. Louis to New Orleans
for six cents per bushcl, and that when
the jetties shall have prepared the
way for sea-going vessels, which in all
will be very soon, bills of
aiding viii be made from st. Louis to
Liverpool direct, for from fifteen to
.wenty cents per bushel.
The immense agricultural and other
'esources of Kansas are coming to be
veil understood throughout the whole
The East and South are ri
rails for our commerce. This rivalry,
enough, finds its way into
Congress; and hence, we sh all find a
endency upon the part of that body
o be liberal in the expenditure of
money to open waterway for US when
ver it may be found practicable. And
o it is that the pending "River and
1arbor Bill" which passed the House =
ONE weeks ago, and is now pending
n the Senate, and will doubtless be-
ONE law this session, provides large
appropriations for thorough survey
f the Missouri river and the removal
f Instructions to its navigation; also Q
n appropriation for the improvement |
f the Usage river: also for q survey :
f the Kansas river to Junction City; .
lso for survey Of the Arkansas riy-
r up to Wichita.
We shall hear few "wiseacres" at
ONE railing against all these projects Y
nd we shall be told by them that they 4
re chimerical schemes. This class t.
as lived in all ages to proclaim, with VI
u air of great wisdom, the impracti-
ability of projected enterprises which r
ave nevertheless resulted in enrich t
,g and blessing mankind. a
| do not knoU that any of these a
leasures are practicable. believe =
Il of them are. If they are, it is diff y
cult to estimate their value to our ii
eople. Whether they are, or are not, v
the question which Congress has de- q,
,rmined to solve. If canal or river =,
avigation can be opened land that ii u
IN be | have no doubt) to us by the oil
rkansas, the Usage, the Kansas or n
10 Missouri, the interest involved q
i'll justify the expenditure of the =,
oney required to secure it, and there "
little room to doubt that Congress g.
i'll foster the epternrise If found to ~