The Leavenworth weekly times., 1878-08-01
Big ON WHEELS.
Which is Exactly What Mr.. Muir, of
the Kansas Pacific, Says his
Road is
Giving in Substantiaiion Thereof
Some Facts and Figures.
The Difficulty Under Which the
Santa Fe is New Laborirg
Regarding IFS Col
orado Business.

Mr. John Muir, general freight agent of the
Kansas Pacific railroad, in a recent inter
view, an parted some information respecting
his road and the volume OF traffic POURING
over IL. Mr.. Muir said the company las just
completed a branch road nom junction CIiy,
ON the main line, one hundred and thirty =
eight miles west OF Kansas city, north 10
Clifton, nifty miles, and that this branch IS
u be extended at once 10 Clyde, some six or
seven miles beyond The contracts call for
the completion of this extension by Aug. 4.
Another branch, diverging from the main
line AT Solomon, which Is one hundred and
seventy-two miles west OF Kansas City, ana
running To Beloit, a distance OF sixty-five
miles, Is TO be completed by Oct. Is. The line
is already completed as tar as Minneapolis,
which is twenty-threc miles from Solomon.
These branches penetrate 10 the Solomon
and Republican valleys, and furnish an out
let for several populous and prosperous settle
ments. The line 20 Ciyde Will connect at that
point with the central branch of the Union
Pacific, thus bringing the Kansas Pacific in
direct communication with ConcOrdia and a
| vast area OF partlally-seItled country Oh all
sides of 1t. MIR. Muir says
THE GRAIN TRAFFIC.
of the Kansas Pacific has been steadily. in
creasing from year TO year. The shipments
over the line last year aggrs sgated ten thou
sand carloads. de thsnks the road viii
transport fifteen thousand car-loaGs this
year. The shipments OF grain DOW originate
AS far west as the Chicago colony, which Is
three hundred and thirty one miles west OF
Kansas City. This shows the spread OF set
tlenIent out upon the "Great American Des.
ert." The yield of wheat this season Is enor.
nous. The general average along The line is
twenty-eighT bushels 10 the acre, while in ez.
ceptional localities the average reaches ior-
ty-two bushels 10 the acre.
LIVE STOCK
forms an important item in the traffic OF the
road. The cattle which are driven up from
Texas are mostly shipped from Ellis aud Buf-
falo, stations far out ON the plains. Last year
there were seveniy-fve thousand head cf cat.
tie TRANSPORTED over the line, and the number
which will be shipped this year can not fall
Sk.x.Ff fs.f NaaF n 4 l-
shipments this year will consist mainly OF
native cattle to the western counties OF Kan.
sas and from farther west in colorado.
THE WOOL TRADE
is big feature of the business carried by The
Kansas Pacific, Tn. product comes from
sout hern Colorado, New Mexico, and eastern
Arizona. There were ten million pounds of
this freight shipped over the line last ! ear
The estimate of the amount which the road
will transport this year is from twelve to nf
teen million pounds. With three lines Of
rail leading TO eastward from the Rocky
Mountains, the Kansas Pacific, SO Mr.. Muir
say g, transported 20 per cent of all the wool
sent out of that country. The company also
derives n considerable revenue from the
transportation Of gold and silver ores. The
quartz carried over the road last year
amounted 10 about six hundred carloads.
Springs 10 81. Louis, where they We're treated
by the 81. Louis Smelling and Refining com.
pany, average All aggregate oi thirty carloads
daily.
an improvement in the volume of westbound
tfaffc. Last spring, curing the "war" be-
tween the Kansas Pacific, Union Pacific, and
AtchisOn, Topeka Santa Fe railroads, Col
orado merchants took advantage of the very
low rates then prevailing TO lay in heavy
stocks of goods. Ali This freight was hauled
six hundred miles and over at a loss TO the
railroad mpanies. When peace had been
declared and tariff rates had been restored,
the merchants had no merchandise 10 ship.
Many OF them have barely been able TO carry
the heavy stocks which they had on hand,
and consequently the shipments have been
exceedingly light. The business men of that
section are now recoyeri from the tenn
porary embarrassment resulting from their
heavy purchases, and transportation Is re-
viving accordingly.
ITs BAD TO lie LITTLE.
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe rail.
road is absolutely debarred fIom tsking busi-
ness destined to Denver, Col, and nsighbor-
ing points, by reason of the action Of the
Denver and Rio Grande IN applying arbi-
trary charges to all freight received from the
former line. These rates Llust be paid or the
hrst named road must refuse all Denver bus
tness. This II has been oblige to do. Hith- |
erto the Atchisop, Topeka and Santa Fe has
received a share OF its traffic-pariicularly its
share OF the wool trade-from the Denver and
Rio Grande railway at Pueblo The arbi- |
trary charges are now applied to east-bouud
as well as west-bound freight. The couse-
quence is that the Atchison road cannot az |
ford TO receive the freight that is consigned TO
II by the shipper, who is supposed TO have
some choice rs 10 routes. a few days ago |
twenty live carloads ofwool, which the ship |
per intended should be sent over the Atchi- |
son road, arrived at Pueblo from the south |
via Denver and Rio Grande, but the Atchi- |
son line refused To receive the freight, and IL |
was accordingly forwarded TO Denver. The |
policy pursued towa rd the Atchison road by |
the Denver and RIO Grande, which is being |
used by Jay Gould for a purely selfish pur- |
pose, Is severely condemned in railway cir. |
cles. As for the Atchison, Toceka q santa Fe, 1
II is not in position, at present, to defend |
itself against this injustice, and it must put |
hlSaHyQnfaU.s Pa- nS
will be in position some day to fly back in |
the face OF Gould with stunning effect.