National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-11-22
MAPS AND PICTURES.
Railway aud Land Office Exhibits for
The New Orleans Exposition.

the New Orleans Exposition.
The ofico of the commissioner Of rail-
roads will illustrate at the New Orleans
exposition, by series of charts and pno-
tographs, the progress Of railroad con.
struction west of the Mississippi river.
The principal chart will show, by years,
from 1860, the number Of miles Of COM
petcd railroad in each state and territory
Another chart gives tabulated state
ment Of the actual number of miles of
railroad in each of the states and territo-
ries from 1860 to 1883, and another shows
in tibulated form, tho practical result
attained by four Of the principal lines Of
railroad west of the Mississippi river
from 1870 to 1883. The items represented
are the number OF miles operated by each
road, the number of locomotives, passen-
gers, mail, baggage, express, and freight
cars employed; tho number of passengers
and tons of freight carried one mile, with
the average ratio per milo for carriage; the
gross earnings, operating expenses, and
net earnings of each company. together
with tho percentage Of operating ex.
| pensos.
A large map will show the location of
| tho entire system of railroads in the ter
ritory covered by the exhibit and the par
tculars of tho aid which they have
received from the government.
he scenery along tho lines and the
| feats Of engineering accomplished will be
| shown by paintings and photographs,
/ "rhe Overland Route of 1860" and The
| Overland Route of 1884" being the sub
jccts for two of the principal paintings.
The exhibit of the general land office
will consist largely of maps and pictures
| There will be maps showing the country
a hundred years ago and to-day, showing
| tho thirteen original states, and the ac-
QUESTION of territory from foreign powers,
maps of Indian reservations and land
grants, maps of surveys, mining lands,
and railroad maps, and, in fact, of abou t
everything In the country which can be
mapped.
There will also be fifty handsomely.
executed views, ranging in size from 20
| by 20 inches to 30 by 40 inches, ILLUS.
trating incidents in mining life, past and
present. and showing the manner of pro-
ducing the precious aud economic min
erals of the country. This series will In
cludo number of views illustrating tho
growth of the railroad interests in the
United States.
These exhibits will bo elaborate, and
| will Illustrate the curious and intricate
manner by which mining claims are fire.
quently located. The maps are compiled
from the best standard authorities. The
conjectural liues of the theoretical geolo-
| gist Is discarded, aud tho actual, known
lines, marked by the explorations of the
miner, substituted for them. The map
series will also include showing Of the
advancement by decades of tho railroad
| system of the country, from the first use
of the steam wagon in handling freight
and passengers down to July 4, 1884.
Tho subjects for the fifty picture men
toned are gathered from sketches made
on the ground by special artists, photo
graphs furnished by the mine owners,
and in few instances, to illustrate
ancient mining, from views in standard
publications. They will represent among
other things the crude methods of ex-
tracing tho precious metals from tho
native rock, the primitive method of
crushing quartz, and the deep fssure
mining as practiced by the aborigines.
early mining life in California, sc. The
| pictures take the miner from his early
work with the "cradle" through the pro-
gressive steps to the pressure boxes"
monitors" and STAMP mills" Of modern
mining.
The most important exhibit of this de-
partment, from a commercial point OF
view, is the collection of mineral speci-
mems, some of them Of nearly ton
weight, which have been gathered from
every part Of the country, and will show
as has never before been shown, the
mineral resources of the country. Thi:
collection will show the actual product o.
the mines to-day, and is the first collec-
tion ever made for this purpose. 1t will
not be limited to certain kinds of minerals
but will embrace every variety produced
by the mining industry of the Unitet
States.