The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-04-16
FROM WICHITA TO HELENA.
HELENA, Mont, April 9, 1890

To the Editor Of the Eagle.
The Rock Island route to Denver is
| good enough for any traveller. The
usual delay of three or four hours at Nc
| Farland, waiting for the delayed eastern
train, would have been tedious but for
the company of our distinguished geolo-
| gist, Prof. Robert Hay, who is mine of
| information regarding the varied mineral
wealth of Kansas in coal, salt, stone,
cement, plaster, coal oil, natural gas,
lead, zinc, ochre, ETC., and the probable
/ development in the future of other
| sources of wealth lying undiscovered be-
meath our fields of golden grain. Among
other things, he agrees with the writer
that the coal measures underly Sedgwick
county and Wichita at depth of $500
| feet.
At Alma the drill at considerable
depth discovered three veins of coal from
two and One-half to four feet in thickness.
The lower vein semi anthricite, shaft
is now 800 feet down on its way to solve
the problem OF abundant and cheap fuel.
Thus each wear adds new discoveries of
the wonderful wealth lying far down be-
meath the fUrrOw of the plOw. Pro
fessor Hay is spoken of as geologist
! to accompany the commission TO report
upon artesian wells for the arid districts
of the plains, under direction of Secre-
rotary of Agriculture Rusk. He or Pro-
fessor Cragin could give your readers an
interesting article on the recent find of
meteorites in Kiowa county. So much
for an otherwise tedious delay. Finally
or train came along loaded with people
seeking homes or fortune in the Rockies
or beyond. passing by a much better
country for the fascinating unknown IN
the far away, towards the setting sun.
In a short hour the Kansas river and
Manhattan IS reached. The beautiful
buildings and grounds of the Agricul-
tural college, surrounded by amphi~
theater of hills, look down
upon the train and river, impressive
evidence that ours is a state foremost in
education and intelligence, as it Is in
productiveness and enterprise.
The northern tier of counties, seen
partly by moonlight, contain some large
and fertile valleys and thriving towns
with solid blocks of brick and stone, but
do not exhibit the rapid growth nor en-
terprise Of the cities of southern Kansas.
and the country, though good, does not
seem equal to the Arkansas valley in
quality, improvement or promise for the
future.
The new dining and chair car service
of the Rock Island road on their Denver
line are superb. Such a supper as we
ate that evening while riding forty miles
an hour over the prairies and hills where
thirty years ago we gathered IN many a
deer. elk and buffalo was tit for a king.
The cruel Sioux and thieving Pawnee
no longer roam through this land
hereditary lord of leagues unmeasured.
and of herds a mighty host, Of which no
man can number. Natures great and
beautiful park Is now cut up into half
mile squares. with notices to keep out IN
shape of barb wire fences, scraggly
hedges and cOttonwoods, within which
are imprisoned farmer and his family,
with q little house some sheds. straw
stack or two, and a bunch Of cattle.
Here he raises cows, calves, children.
sunfowers and taxes; satisfied with ordi-
nary home comforts. knowing nothing
and caring less. of the glorious DAYS Of
freedom and chivalTy which vanished
with his coming.
Morning found Us gliding over the
high. dry, uuinhabited plains Of eastern
Colorado. Not a bush OF sage brush IN
sight TO vary the monotony Of the great
plain. At long intervals sandy creek
afforded water for sheep or cattle ranch,
and in few places feeble attempts al
farming had been name. A little house,
sometimes of sod. a few acres plOughei,
a shed and a little pile Of coal was al;
no fences. nor trees nor stocks These
plains have good soil usually. and would
De productive lands ii there was water.
Mountain reservoirs. irTlgatIng bitches,
aud aTte=ian wells may IN time render =
part Of these plains habitabie AID pro
ductive, bat the amount Of water avail
able i wholly inadequate 70 furnish one
tenth q the amount required The Ar
kansas river and all it, trIssutarle<. II
entirely diverted 10 irrigation. could
only furnish a drop where a gallon l.
needed Tie Aississipp5 TIyer az lis
present stage might be sufficient
While VET 100 miles from Denver there
arose above the plain white glis-e8iug
reak, standing distinct ard alone against
the western ky. The great ''N n1te
Mountain q me Indians ~ whlcA
MAJOR Zs5alon Piks gave rs name a.