Omaha daily bee., 1896-01-14
KNOX COUNTY IMPROVEMENTS
Irrigation Will Be Pushed in All Town
ships This Year.
PLAN FOR A RAILROAD FROM OMAHA
advantages of that City I'm thr
Way of n Fine Waterfall
and Agricultural Sur
~roundings.

NIOBRARA, Neb., Jan. 13.-(Special)-
One of the determined movements in Knox
county this year will be irrigation by means
of artesian wells. Capitalists of this To-
cality have decided TO make 1t possible for
every owner of 100 acres of land to have an
artesian well, and since this is almost al
ways a sure discovery at a depth of from
$50 to $50 feet, less than 81 900 thus invested
in a well, a reservoir and necessary ~laterals
is considered the safest security that can be
found for capital. This is no longer a mat
ter of experiment, wells having been found
in many parts of the north half of Knox
county and as far west as old Fort Ran
dali. The Niohrara wells are wonders in
their power and supply, the eight-inch well
having a pressure of ninety-five pounds,
and the enc finished this winter having 107
pounds pressure. Others are in contempla-
tlon during the year.
1t Is believed by all who have made this
a study that the insurance Of crops by means
of artificial moisture will enable this COM
munity to prosper moro effectually than In
any other way. for it is one Of the well
known things that Niobrara, though better
known than many larger towns in Nebraska,
is without that boon which makes the ham
let a city-a railroad. The theory has been
for the past few years that In order to JUS
tify its claims for recognition from rail-
road circles its citizens should first
help themselves and show the outside world
that 1t has confidence In itself. This has
been done, the citizens now think.
The Carter White Lead company Of Omaha
has been investigating the Niobrara chalk
rock deposit with a view of placing a plant
here. The chalk-rock of Niobrara, used for
body to paints and in the manufacture OF
cement, abounds in unlimited quantities.
Not only is it valuable for the purposes
no t,a nj Htt fhoro tS M navp1 gtrnat in No
braska that equals the main streets of Mo
brara, which have been graded with this
chalk-rock and gravel, and after a service
of ten years are harder than asphalt ana
more enduring. 1t has also been suggested
that as railway ballast it would surpass
anything found in the west, equalling the
lime rock of the great eastern trunk lines.
Then the Niobrara river, with its 400 miles
of drainage and tremendous fall, passes
within one-quartsr of a mile of the town.
Omaha and Douglas county would give So
900, 900 for Niobrara's water power and ar
tesian wells, and Maicr Furay, when he in
times past visited this town in the, capacity
of postoffice inspector, used to sigh: on,
If Omaha had only your chalk rock. how
useful 1t would be-" But with the Mo-
brara river Omaha would want no expensive
canal bonds. No place short of Minneapolis
has a finer natural ~power-almcst limitless
in its capacity. Omaha has had it's eye on
Yankton as a possible connection ana Mis-
oGuIl IlNel ClOSoii5
The Bee correspondent a few years ago,
with the aid of The Bee, did wake up some
of Omaha's prominent business men to the
important fact that the Elkhorn valley at
Veidigre was only twelve miles frcm a Ne
braska town named Niobrara, which is stu
ated at the confluence of two great rivers
and in South Dakota. 1t seemed strange
that Omaha was more anxious to boom
Yankton than to help a weak sister. But
a joint delegation from Omaha and Mo
brara did wait upon President Hewitt Of
the Northwestern system. but it was against
his wish. to hear Omaha and Niobrara men
at that time, though he yielded to the in
terview. Omaha, Niobrara and South Da-
kota still remain unconnected by only
twelve miles,! Omaha, Yankton and South
Dakota are yet apart thirty miles, The fail
ure Of Yankton and English capitalists to
come to an agreement on the purchase Of
the Norfolk & Southwestern grade BODIES no
good to Yankton and Omaha's prospective
connection. Omaha business men ought to
remember that N!obrara Is in Nebraska and
n grand country lies around it.