New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-05-19

| to it from the other Pacific roads. He invited
| Jay Cooke TO become its financial agent and
under that wonderful operator, who sustained
il for four years, IL actually completed $50 miles
| Of railroad, running from Duluth, via Lake Su-
perior, and from ST. Paul, on the Missis-
sippi, across the Rcd River at
Fargo to the Missouri at Bismarck,
and from knlams, on the Columbia River, 70 Ia
coma, on Puget Sound. 1t had earned IL, 900, 900
acres Of its land grant 1t had surveyed its route
across the continent. II Ind established n score
OF cities, and had sent ont thousands OF settlers
But the financial resources OF Mr.. Cooke had been
drained, and the war in Europe dissipated his
scheme of Rothschh connection. lie and his
bonds were dead weight on the market at ! 2
cents.
Then, in 1874, George w Cass became president.
lie contrived 10 give his name 10 this the richest
Of Dakota counties, and to give his railroad into
the hands of q receiver. Thence it was rescued
by committee OF its bondholders, chief among
whom was William Window, and Charles B.
Wright was intrusted with the task OF reviving
the fallen enterprise lie did good deal toward
paving the way for n greater man, and he might
have done much more but for his physical IN
frmities. lie ran trains at all cvents. sold large
areas Of the earned lands and put live, earnest
population at work growing wheat, whose profit
able labors attracted Congress- attention, and
enabled his successor, Frederick Billings, in 1880
to throw westward another hundred miles OF
track And then came the era Of Henry Willard,
the famous blind pool triumph and prosperity.
Mr. Willard in 1875 became interested in the
budding railroad enterprises OF Oregon, and he
soon became president Of the consolidated trans
portstion companies Of Oregon and Washington.
lie and Mr.. Billings got along very well at first
and made traffic arrangement, bnt when Mr..
Billings began 20 plan the pushing OF HIS road into
Mr.. Wizards territory they clhshcd and the weak
er man went under Mr. Willard conceived tho
idea, unique in It's propcrt oas offs cai2g $4,000
600 from friends who should know nothing Of
what he was about, and, with it. Of buying up o
controlling interest in Northern Pacific stock in
open market lie got the money. lie gave no
receipts He took no one into his confidence, but
he or somebody else, began 10 tell sad stories Of
Northern Pacific decrcpitudc and when its stock
had fallen 10 proper ebb he quietly bought u
in and one fine morning he called on MIR. Billings
asked him how he did, and informed him that the
stockholders were dissatisfied with his manage
ment and would thank him TO resign MIR.
Billings made u virtue OF necessity. lie parted
with his stool; and got out. In two more year,
Mo remaining 500 miles Of railroad were complies
ed. md the company has from that day grown in
prosperity and usefulness. II was not materially
injured by the temporary reversal OF Mr., Nllards
fortunes n few years since and he has now re
covered his hold upon it. 1t runs daily trains
from ST. Paul 10 the coast, over 1000 miles OF
! rail
The fortunes OF this railroad enterprise have
! had great influence upon Fnrgo and the Rcd
River Valley, and in this respect more than IN all
Others, that they made the great bonanza farms
OF North Dakota possibility. These wonderful IN
situations cxi nowhere except along the line OF thu
Northern Pacific because such immrns" tracts Of
country can nowhere else he acquired. They cN-
isl in their finest form here around Fargo, hecans"
here in the Rcd River Valley, is the soil most
favorable TO the growth OF wheat Under the Gov
,rpucpt laws no individual can acquire moro than
| 90, or under certain conditions, 3?O acres OF
ground. The talk one hears from political deulii-
gogucs in the East about rich men getting vast
arcrs Of the public lands and holding them for
speculation Is mostly nonsense Many frauds have
been attempted. and some have been Trrpetrntcd,
bnt 70 no considerable extent. When jay Cooke
collapsed however. the opportunity to get hold OF
immense areas OF land presented itself TO those who
had bought, the railroads bonds and they weTc
ouick TO improve il as thc only way OF getting
their money back The bonds were worth from
twelyr 10 twenty cents az various times. and were
cxchanarable at par for the compnnys lands. Scv-
cral OF the Landowners who saw into IN" future
wisely forgave the cumranys debt and took In "N-
change from / 600 10 80, 900 acres Of land. This
whole Western country, rs | have explained IS
laid ont into sections each Of ihirty-slN square
miles. Tho Northern Pacific land-grnnt comprises
every other section in Il strip for forty miles On
either side Of the track, II was thus made possible
10 buy a large farm probably, either al the rail
road price or through the exchange Of the rail
rood's securities One Northern Pacific investor
who thought himself completely ruined 10y JAY
Cookies failure took land for his bonds, and To-
day Possesses the largest farm the earth's sur
face with 10000 acres under cultivation, and
yielding him q prnccy incom" every year.
Thr bonanza farmS-iherc arc eight Of them.
VARYING in size from 1000 20 10000 aCrrs-ar"
conducted upon the most careful business prlnri-
pies They require larV" capital, nnt no manu-
featuring or mercantile institution In the East Is
governed by moro exact or rigorous rules. The
finest and latest appliances are used in their opera
ton The land. being perfectly level and contain
ing neither stones nor trees 10 imp"d" cultivation.
can be worked with great rapidity and upon u
large scale 1t is nm Interesting process by which
the soil is first brought into subicrtion soon
after the grass has started In the spring the prairie
sod is ploughpd 10 depth Of about two inches,
process called breaking The grass roots
quickly die in the sun. and during July the SINE
sod is turned over again with about one inch OF
dirt covering IT, Tins is called Lack-cttILg'
Nothing further is done until the following sprn2'
when the ground is deeply ploughcd and narrowed
and sown 10 wheat, which is cropped in the usual
manner Seeding begins in this district about Tia"
LIST Of April The breaking Of new soil occupies
the latter mart Of May Hay Is cut alter The
Fourth OF July Backsctting begins about the
25th OF the same month. Oats are harvested abodt
August / 0, and wheat ten or twelve days later.
As many us ten fifteen crews OF men arc al
work on the bonanza farms. each under different
foreman, who is himself controlled by II super
intendent. Press drills run by SIX horses do their