The Press., 1897-05-13
Number r.
A Section of Deserted Villages.

There used to be much travelling about New England to find deserted farms and write up abandoned sections. But the worst of those dismal accounts appears tame in comparison with what is heard now and then from western Kansas. A correspondent of the United States Inves- tor has been making a trip through Seward, Stevens and adjoining counties, which less than 10 years ago were in the hustle of opening up new and apparently fertile section to permanent occupation and de- velopment. Then eastern capital was pouring into the section in amount limit ed only by the modesty of the borrowers, and fine school-houses and other public buildings were going up on every hand. Now it Is veritable graveyard of buried investments which can never be resurrect- ed.
 Speaking of towns," says this corres- pondent, Git is interesting to see what has been done in the way of getting to through four towns, Woodsdale, Moscow, Springfield and Cargo in one day, and saw just IS people, the total population of them all. In 60 miles through Seward and Stevens counties we saw just one man at work, and passed just seven occupied houses" Seward county had popula- tion in 1880 of five souls in 1890 of 1903. Stevens county in 1880 was occupied by 12 persons; in 1890 by 1418. The fall since 1890 has been as rapid and apparent ly almost as extensive as the rise in the previous decade. The towns mentioned which now have population of IS, con- tained over HOO people in 1890, barely seven years ago. "Seven occupied houses" observable in these two countries how many deserted ones must be standing by the way Continues this correspondent; {; | Hugoton has three families out of the 400 that used to live there. Nine children go to the $10,000 school-house, and there is standing, like a monument of folly, @ | water works system that cost some east ern pIutocrats $36, 900. The town never paid cent of principal or interest on all this and never will. It Is not to be wondered at if the East is somewhat tired of hearing of Kansas investments after such experiences. The showing is not to be surpassed in the nation for foolish wastefulness of money, and the problem of getting out of the predicament in which the investors have placed themselves is a serious one. Perhaps the action of Mrs. Amanda Way of Boston, who, the other day, completed the legal process by which she became the owner of the court house in Ellsworth county, Is one way out of the trouble. She has not decided what to do with it.
 It would appear that the problem oi Igetting out of these investments was a serious one.
 Mean time the land is revertlng tc cattle and sheep gazing, and ere long nc doubt the $1O,O00 school-houses and fine brick court-houses will be sheltering some of the sheep during the IncIement seasoni while the expensive water works will dC for supplying the herds on the ranges Two or three years of unwonted rains in { region ordinary arid are responsible fol this amazing waste of capital and effort and not the least factor in the prodi
 gal expenditure was the unfathomabl gullibllity of people of small means in th
 East. Sometime irrigation may reclaim
 this woeful section, but it will not be pro bably in the lifetime of the generation
 which buried so much there.-SprjagtieI
 ReDetbLjcG71