Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-06-07
nln,Y pOSf-lHfELLIGEBOER


In discussing the matter Of building
vestaru railroads in advance o. proper
business requirements for the same, the
Nav York Railroad Gazette says that 1T
d necessary 10 take care not to build 700
much nsw railread at once as well - no'
10 build it too soon, and the question OF
loo uueh oe too little also depends upon
Hhe st.sunstsuoss and The probable fu-
~. eeur,e Of ~vsnss. Il h vsEy easy 70
ooau tossstlsmsnt By means OF faiiroeos
more country than can b occopiso 1of
s,vseal years; and In this much depends
IN the concurrent action Of the different
oompsniss reaching the came territory.
Fo, instance, Dakota being the chief
Asld for settlement, and ths innux prom
isine 70 justly the construction OF looo
miles as this time, the Northwestern
may begin 800 miles. estimating that the
other roads will not build over 70O; II
than the Milwaukee 4 st. Paul builds
600. the st. Paul 4 Omaha 200, the Man
itoba 400. and the Northern Pacific 3OO'
% have 1900 miles Of road where but
1000 arc required, and consequent delay
In the time whom they viii become profit
.bls-dslay which may affect all OF
them; for the population which other
wise would have bsen concentrated
along 1000 miles Of road ID now scattered
over 1900. II the nsw lines were con-
structsd a little At . time, then the extern
sions OF each year would b adjusted to
The prospects Of tho next succeeding
year; bat tho competition OF tho COM
naniea induces them to build much at
time. whom there is prospect OF rapid
settlement, lest they b anticipated by RI
vala. Not q mile Of railroad was built
in Dakota after 1873 until 1873, and in
1873 but a miles; then in 1879 PAL miles
mills. in 1880 ia miles. and in 1881
40 milss-l355 miles within three years
The eastern border Of Dakota, it must
b rsmsmbered, 10 about 40 miles long
and settlements are being made from
the sxtrems north to the extreme south
which il more extensive than twice thu
border Of either Nebraska or Kansas
Nevertheless, this large mileage OF nov
road constructed within three years, to
ssther with another large mileage built
IN contiguous thinly populated country
IN Western Minnesota, Northwestern
Iowa and Northeastern Nebraska, has
eoeued TO settlement vast area OF az
risultural land, which. judging from thu
expsYienos Of Iowa and Minnesota, will
not b generally utilized for many years
Thsre il, however, one reason to sup
pose that this new territory will grow
faster than tho States adjoining it on
The east. Il now includes most Of the
very cheap lands for cereals in the
United States east of the Rocky Noun
tains. Fifteen years ago the eastern
nigrator could choose a homestead
along frontier Of 800 miles, AZ far south
a the Indian Territory, and through
many degrees of longitude-in Western
Iowa, almost anywhere in Kansas and
Nebraska, in Southwestern Missouri a.
veil a. in Minnesota. Now the desira-
bic agricultural land in Kansas and Ne
b.sska south Of the Platte is mostly
taken (not BY any means all cultivated)
70 the borders Of the grazing belt; no
homsstsads are loft in Iowa; COMPARE
lively few in the prairie lands Of Minnie
sofa. The hsld for settlers il 30 con-
Aned that there is great overflow into
Manitoba. To got fertile land with a
reasonable certainty Of sufficient rain
fall 70 mako grain growing successful
for less than five dollars An acre, the
Immigrant must 20 10 Western Mime
seta, Dakota, or Northeastern Nebraska,
or cross the continent TO Oregon or
Washington.
Should this country grow for four or
i've years - Kansas and Southern Ne
bFaska grow for few years after 1876.
The investment in the new roads there
will doubtless b extremely profitable.
and the companies which have built the
most road will reap the Rrsetsst advan-