Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1893-06-30
ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
What Can be Ssen ON a Trip From POI
land to St. Paul,

land to 81. Paul.
MILWAUKEE, Wis, June 22.-In this
fast age Of steam and electricity a trip
across the continent is Of such common
occurrence that but little attention is
paid to IL and very little preparation for
the journey is necessary. A three tbous.
and mile journey is yet quite an under
taking, but the progressiveness of the
age has rendered it of less moment then
the undertaking Of a hundred mile
journey a quarter of a century ago. You
step into Pullman in any town on the
coast, and at pace that is almost light.
ning-like in it's rapidity, are whisked
across mountains, over rivers, deserts
and prsiries, and before you think YOU
are fairly started you step out of that
same Pullman into the city of Chicago.
Verify one can ask with all sincerity,
Whittier are we drifting? There are no
bounds to the inventive genius of man.
Steam has probably almost reached its
age of perfection, but electricity-its sue
cessor-is yet in it's infancy. When the
power of steam was first discovered the
prophet that would truly have told it's
possibilities would have been incarcer-
sted in q madhouse. With the advent Of
electricity, and the wonderful strides it
10 making, who can tell what it will yet
accomplish? Comparing future events
with those of the past, will it be exagger-
alton to say that in fifty years time and
space will be annihilated; that before
the babes OF the present day are gray
headed one can go to sleep at night in
Portland and wake up in the morning in
Chicago? Probably. But who knows
what will happen? There is nothing
impossible. Man will never reach per-
lection, and yet he will continue to pro-
gress until the end Of time. But enough
Of this.
Boarding an overland train ut any
town in Eastern Oregon or Washington,
one sees but little of interest until he
reaches Montana. The splendid scenery
OF the Occur d'Alene mines. the beauti-
full and placid waters Of Lake Pend
'dOreille, the deep chasms, dark tunnels
and pine-clad hills OF Northern Idaho fit
before his vision as a grand and beautiful
panorama. But the things that rivet his
gaze and draw his deepest attention are
the broad plateaus, the green plains Gov
cred with luxuriant bunchgrass. extend.
ing as far az the eye can reach, the placer
mines and the smelling works of Mon
tana. Here Nature seems to put on her
choicest garbs and offers to man any.
thing he wants. If he wishes a stock
farm, the state is broad and long and
there is range for millions of cattle and
horses. If he wishes to engage in agri
culture, there is land in abundance that
will raise nearly anything. And if he
wishes to delve for precious metals, the
earth will yield to him rich returns, no
matter where he sinks his spade. But
many of the cities of Montana are not fit
for the abiding place of man. The smelt-
ing works and COMMENTATORS send out
their poisonous vapors upon the air and
plant and vegetable life wither and die.
At Butte, a city teeming with q, 900 busy
people, a dark cloud of smoke, like a
funeral pail, hovers over everything.
Within the city, nor for miles around,
can blade of grass, flower, shrub or
any green thing be found. Can man live
and flourish in an atmosphere that kills
all vegetable life? Nature teaches not.
But Dakota-beautiful Dakota! Where
upon this broad earth can prettier spot
be found for man to take up his habita-
ton? We dote upon the fertility of our
wheat lands of Eastern Oregon and
Washington, but they do not compare in
richness with those in Dakota. We talk
with pride OF our magnificent grain fields,
but they are mere garden patches COM
pared to the magnificent ranches OF Da-
knfo IND sxrtI.p seal g. rk- ~k4I
away of into the distance until it loses
itself in the horizon. And the prospects
for bountiful: crop were never brighter.
The seasons are later and wheat is not as
far advanced as in the Finland Empire"
but the Northern Pacific runs through
hundreds Of miles of it that is as green,
as rank, and as pretty as one would wish
to see. And yet Dakota has it's draw
backs. Times there are exceedingly
hard and money is very scarce. A large
portion OF last years crop has been held
for better prices, but the market has con-
tinued to decline until the cereal is now
quoted at only 80 cents. Just think OF
that, ye farmers OF the Inland Empire,
and thank your stars that your lot has
been csst in Gods country-in that great
land of good prices and never.fsiling
crops-in that great and glorious country
west of the Blues. With an excellent
crop last year not yet cold, and with the
best prospects for new crop in the his
tory Of the state, Dakota today is on the
verge of bankruptcy. A commercial
man who got on the train at Nandan
told me that in q ten-days' trip through
the state he sold $26 worth of goods.
He said there was no money in the state.
The banks had loaned everything they
had on the poorest security. and half OF
them had gone into liquidation, many of
them being closed permanently, and he
looked for great crash in that state in
the near future.
There is little farming done in Mime
sofa until you get within q hundred
miles Of st. Paul. The lumber industry
and sawmills abound in great profuson.
AS one gets nearer st. Paul he will notice
large field Of corn, with occasional fields
of rye, oats and wheat. Corn seems to
be the principal product, but it is very
backward, the tender shoots just appear
ing above the ground, while the smaller
grains present the appearance of com.
plete failure. Rain is badly needed, and
unless it comes soon Minnesota will
have no crop this year. FIN.
A SERIOUS ACCIDENT.