Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-06-15

L NC ot1eO iuoduO tSl lulus NHlCu Is quilt
on high land two miles south of the city,
is the most beautiful of all the public
buildings in the state. The building as it
now stands cost S2lO0O0, contains one
hundred and eighty rooms, and has under
treatment nearly two hundred patients.
Although the city of Lincoln in its
geographical location is quite east of the
centre of the state, still at present with
this city for centre. a radius of forty
miles includes within the circle thus de-
scribed two. fifths of the entire population
of the state.
Lincoln has excellent hotels. wide streets
and fine business blocks. When one re-
members that thirteen years since a COM
pany of spectators plated the lots of
this now thriving city on paper, and staked
out blocks and streets on the then broad.
open prairie, he is almost overwhelmed
with the magnitude of the change which
has taken place since that time
Both the Union Pacific railroad and the
Burlington and Missouri river railroad in
Nebraska run into this city, but it is the
latter railroad which has captured largely
the carrying business, not only of this
city, but by its network of railway lines tap
ping the state at its hest points, has secured
the cream of the carrying business for all
the eastern portion Of Nebraska.
This railroad is the continuation under
another name of the mammoth railroad
enterprise known as the Chicago, Burling-
ton and Quincy. which, with its head
quarters at Chicago, and main and branch
lines through Illinois and Iowa, reached
the Missouri river in Iowa opposite Platts-
mouth in Nebraska, and procuring tteir
charter from the legislature, erected n steel
bridge across the Missouri river, and built
now have in operation nine hundred and
seventeen miles of road in Nebraska. and
are engaged in extendingitheir lines rapid
ly in different directions throughout the
state, with view to controlling the entire
trade of that portion of the coun-
try in which they operate at all, by giving
all the railroad facilities the demand will
warrant.
Coupled with their charter rights was an
immense land grant of 100000 acres of
land situated part in the North Platte and
part in the South Platte country. This is
the best line for an eastern
man to take who comes by the Michigan
Central, for without transfer he steps from
one train to the other in the same depot,
reaches Lincoln in just twenty four hours
from Chicago. From here at the arrival
of the trains from the east he can within
the hour depart in six different directions
Nebraska, or south easterly to
Kansas via Atchison.
The Platte river running from the west
to the Missouri through the state and
nearly in its centre from north to south =,
divides the state into two principal parts,
and all land is either in the North Platte"
or the "South Platte" The South Platte
section was first and principally settled,
and is to day by considerable the wealth.
lest and most populous part of the state.
1t is in the South Platte that the "B. and
NJ. in Nebraska 'is built, but their lands are
in both districts. They have sold in the
last ten years 100000 acres of land, and
have now for sale about 100000 acres OF
land nearly equally divided between the
North Platte and South Platte districts.
They sell their lands on five different
terms:
|. Ten years credit; interest only for
four years after that. Principal in six an
nual payments. Limited to eighty acres
to single purchaser,
2. Ten years credit with one-tenth of
principal down, then interest only for two
years, payment after one-eighth of prnci.
pal each year. Limited to one hundred
and sixty acres TO single purchaser.
3. Six years credit. Onefifth down,
interest only for next two years, then one
third of principal each year. On this plan
they discount five per cent from the ten
years credit prices.
4. Two years. credit. One-third down
balance in two annual payments. Discount
of ten per cent from ten years'credit prices
8. Cash, discounting as last above
The Interest in all these terms of credit is
only six per cent, which is much below the
average western interest.
Their sales thus far have been to nine
teen thousand two hundred persons, a
prices per acre in the South Platte regior
at from 81 to $40, and in the North Platte
region a: from $2 to So From 1870 tt
1877 the company gave 20 per cent dis
count for Improvements made by the pur
chasers, and in this way actually paid bacl
or rebated from the purchase price owe
500, 900, but since 1877 improvement
had become so general in the township
where their land was located that the bust
ness necessity of rendering their land
attractively improved farms in the vicin
ity no longer existed, and hence they hav'
not made or offered the discount. Ar
rangements are made by this railroad will
eastern connecting lines like the Crane
Trunk, Lake Shore and others for explor
ers' tickets, and to all such who buy O
them this company deducts 800 if thei
first payment is equal to that sum.
Three thousand purchasers have com
pleted their payments and have receive
their deeds. Over fifteen thousand con
tracts of purchase are still in existence
and less than one thousand of all VIII
have purchased in the last ten years hav
abandoned their contracts and allowed th
lands to revert to the company. Thi
shows an exceedingly healthy state of al
fairs for the settler, and helps to explai
the almost abnormally large growth of th
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