Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-05-05
Wisconsin RoGdS.
TSpecisl Telegram TO the Globe. 7

lOROOloA 4CAokAoA1 W ILAO NAObO'l
NEW YORK, May 4.-Ex-Gov. Pound, of
Wisconsin, who is now in New York, states
that the railroads in Wisconsin have gener-
ally an excellent outlook for business, es-
pecially in northern Wisconsin. He says:
'This section embraces the forestry of
Wisconsin, and in fact large majority of
the forestry of the northwest. The early
winter was unfavorable to logging, but the
season extended into the spring 30 that
very large per centage of logs has been Sc
cured. The aggregate of white pine in
Wisconsin and in the peninsular of Mich
igan amounts to about two billion feet. Of
course there is corresponding increase in
other products. This alone insures very
large profits for our railroads. Thera has
within few years been a radical change
in the handling of forest products. For
merly we were in the habit of rafting lum-
Der down the streams. Lumber in the
northeastern part of the state went
by river and lake to Milwaukee and
Chicago, thence was distributed by rail.
The central and northwestern sections
foated lumber down the river into the
Mississippi and to points on the Missis-
sippi, thence distributed by rail to con-
sUmers. Now that railroad connections
have been secured, lumber is uniformly
taken from the mills to points west of the
Mississippi by rail. The construction of
the Northern Pacific and Manitoba lines
and other northwestern lines has drawn q
majority of the trade to the northwest,
thus bringing consumers as near to the
mills as are Chicago, st. Louis and other
distributing points. The st. Paul road is
increasing its business, and I believe,
is finding its short lines are not weighing
down the other portions of the road. The
Omaha is doing large forest business
this year. The former president, Mr..
Porter, was the first to establish an ex-
elusive lumber line. Lumber carrying
has proved so profitable, however,
that all the railroads are making a
specially of rolling stock adapted to carry
ing lumber. The Northwestern company
has suffered little from the falling off of
the iron traffic, especially in the cheaper
classes of ore. 1t has, however, increased
its general business materially. The Mil
waukee, Lake Shore & Western is becom-
ing very valuable property. It is build
ing up through the thickest part of the
pine forests of Wisconsin and entering the
mining districts as well. had occasion
to go over it from Wausaw few days ago,
and was surprised at the amount of traffic
in sight all the,way down to Milwaukee.
was assured by the traffic men of the road
that they had as much business in sight as
they could dispose of with their rolling
stock this year. The road is in the hands
of conservative parties. 1t was built and
is operated economically, and, unlike
many roads, it is capitalized at very low
figure. The bonds are only
$4,000 per mile and the
preferred stock only $4,000 a mile.
The road is reported getting into posi-
ton where dividends can be regularly paid
on preferred stock. I am constructing an
east and west line from st. Paul to Lake
Michigan. The road is called the st. Paul
Eastern Grand trunk. There is no east
and west line connecting st. Paul with the
lakes and we expect to make a good road
of it's