Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1897-08-14
THE OUTLOOK BRIGHT.
Great Resources of Kansas Presented
by WeII-known Financier.
Ex-Auditor Bonebrake Gives Interesting
and Valuable Statistics Regarding the
States Wealth of Grain, Coal, Salt,
Fruit, Live Stock, Etc

P Y Bonebralze, now president of the
Central national bank of Topeka. has
prepared a statement for the Daily
Capital which embodies his impressions
regarding the present business situa-
ton:
From the organization of the state in 1861 to
the year 1870 Kansas made normal growth
In 1870 the of railroad building began. and
from that date until in 1885 the state had
abnormal growth There 106 counties in
the state, and of that number 100 have rail-
roads Excessive railroad building stimulated
other enterprises of all kinds, such as street
railroads. electric light plants, courthouses
bridges churches, Schoolhouses, libraries,
that Kansas is to-day equipped with all mod
ern improvements, SURPRISING many of the
states. and sufficient in the main for her de-
mandS for years to come
But change came in 1886. The extraordinary
growth of the west called the boom burst,
and Ka nsas went down much further in the
public'S estimation than she had been above
prior to that time The state became the OBJ
ject of the SneerS and the butt of the jokes of
outsiders Kansas was thrown upon her ow
resources. and nobly has she responded In
the last ten years she has shown her wonder
full power of recuperation. Her state debt
outside her own funds has been paid off; the
municipal debt reduced to 500 600, 0J0, while
private debts have been reduced half.
Kansas has learned to depend upon her own
resources, not on borrowed money in the east
A brief review will show what success has at =
tended her efforts In little Kansas town
of A, 900 people (kansaS City, Kan-), there was
marketed in the year 1898:
Jaws 1890 iuo 100
90 o..
Sheep 993, 126
Total. 5 Alb sss
valued by the secretary of the stock exchange
at Sl03, 42 29S, more live stock than was mar
keted at any other place in the union except
Chicago. 80 per cent of which was produced
by Kansas This statement does not include
live stock shipped direct to Chicago, Omaha
and St Louis
Corn Crop of 1896.
In 1896 the corn product of the state amount
ed to e2i, 4l9 Ala bushels valued at 20 cents per
bushel. S44. 4SS, SsS Within the next 80 DAYS our
wheat harvest will be completed, and so, ooo 0oo
bushels of wheat, worth $50 600, O30 will be har-
vested Other agricultural products, such
oats, rye. barley, potatoes. broom corn, castor
beans, flax. hemp, timothy, clover and prairie
hay and Sundry other things were produced OF
a value of $50 4,O40
Zinc and Lead.
Within radius OF ten miles OF Galena,
Crawford county, zinc and lead have been pro-
duced amounting to SIS, Sol. and yet the in
dustry is in it's infancy. Twenty-six per cent
of the zinc mined in the country is mined in
the Galena district Oil is discovered in three
counties of the state. and the Standard Oil CO.
is investing large sums in lands and in develop
ment
Kansas Cow and Helpful Hen.
In 1896 the returns of the assessors show that
Kansas marketed butter, cheese and milk of
the value of "a 972,44 She next turned to the
helpful hen which produced a revenue of So. :
sos. Sl5 with her eggs and chickens, more than
twice enough to pay the interest on our munic-
ipal indebtedness.
Salt for the Whole Nation.
The salt beds in the Arkansas valley al
most unlimited The deposit far prospected
is 40 miles long and several miles broad. Reno
county being the center of the present produce
ton. Salt is found about 400 feet under the
surface, and the bed is 80 feet thick Last
year the production equaled $50 900 barrels.
worth 81. 250, 900. Were it not that the COM
modify is too cheap to be transported, Kansas
could furnish the nation with salt
Our Coal Industries.
Goa is found in IA counties of the state, the
larger portion in southeastern Kansas. The
veins are 40 inches thick and from 90 50 feet
miners were employed, 3, 1870, SAB tons produced
of a value of 50, $50 III.
There is provision of law whereby the an
nual production of manufacturing enterprises
be obtained. Referring to the United
States statistics of 1897 find that only three
towns where there were more less manu-
featured products The three cities. Kansas
City. Kan, Topeka and Wichita, report So,
906, 1ol proceeds of manufacture.
Reorganization of One Years Productions
Live stock products Observation-Disclosures So 7e9. 49,
Corn products. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Al 3SS. ST
Wheat products Observation-Disclosures 10000. DOC
Sundry agricultural products 20,514, OK
Cow products. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 4.972. A;
Helpful hen products. .-.--.......... {. COS, SI5
Coal products. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. $500. IA
Salt products. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 1,225 O0t
Minerals Observation-Disclosures. S.I01. sol
Manufacturing products. -...... So goo. 75
Total Observation-Disclosures 1916, or OF;
The total valua ion of all classes of property
in the state, assessed for 1895, amounted tC
SSI2, PIE. 95S True value is estimated three
times assessed value. 1895 65u. S14. The above
reorganization of income shows that an