Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1899-11-30
which leaves York q :: rs, You msy

river were Se0O1u& 1OOO anu ClOtuluX
to the starving people Of Kansas.
Thanks to the facilities afforded by the
railroads the corn crop of Kansas this
year is 34O, 100000 bushels.
It seems but very few years, said
the speaker. since made my first trip
to Colorado, and stopepd on my way
at the home Of Buffalo Bill, at North
Platte, Neb., on the Union Pacific. At
Ogalalla, 81 miles west Of North Platte,
the Sioux Indians were roaming over
the prairies and making more or less
trouble for the early settlers who ven-
tured so far out of the beaten paths Of
civilization. The Nebraska corn crop
this year covers 5000, 900 acres, and the
yield is 900, 000, 900 bushels.
Previous to the construction Of the
Northern Pacific, the Great Northern,
Northwestern, St. Paul, Burlington,
and other railways that traverse that
wonderful region known as the wheat
belt" there was nothing to be seen but
prairie grass and an occasional band Of
untamed savages.
Development Of Pacific Coast.
In 1S49 there came across the CONT
nent reports Of the discovery Of gold
in California, but the only means Of
reaching its Golden Gate was by sea
around Cape Horn, or the long and per-
ilous journey, with OK teams, across the
plains, including what was then styled
in our Biographies the American des-
ert, and through the hazardous noun
tain passes of the western part OF the
continent. The completion of the Pa
cifc railroads changed all this, and
opened new fields for all kinds fenter.
prises. in an unexplored territory
stretching over more than 1000 miles
to the west, northwest and southwest
of the Mississippi river, the products Of
which region were practically valueless
until the means of transporting ;hem
were provided by the railroads. The
wheat crop of California this year is
37,oo0,oo0 bushels. The largest crop
ever produced in California was in 1880,
when owing to exceptionally favorable
weather conditions that state produced
63,ooo,0oo bushels. The gold output of
California for the year 1899 is estimated
at $16,000,000. The vineyards and or
ange groves of California would be of
practically little value were it not for
the fact that the railroads, by their
trains Of refrigerator and ventilated
cars, make it possible to transport the
products of her fertile valleys to all Sec
tons of the country.
It seems but yesterday that the rail-
roads were completed into Portland,
Ore, Tacoma and Seattle, Wash, and it
is marvellous that for the year ended
June 30, 1899, there was exported from
the Columbia River valley 100000
bushels of wheat and from the Puget
sound region 100000 bushels. Ore
gon and Washington form the north
west corner of the territory of the
United States south of the line of Brit
ish Columbia and are directly on the
route to our extreme northwest possess
sion, Alaska. The wheat crop of the
states of Oregon and Washington for
the year 1899 is As, 600, 900 bushels. There
was exported during the year ended
June 30, 1899, from the Columbia river
direct to foreign ports 100000 barrels
of flour, and from Puget sound points
100000 barrels.
Colorado, which, with its inexhaust-
ible mines of gold, silver, lead, iron and
coal, forms almost an empire in itself,
will produce this year of 1899 of gold,
$24, o0O,0 co;. of silver, $14,2oo,0oo; Of
lead, $4,4oO,0O0, in addition to mag.
nifcent crop Of wheat, fruit and vegs-
tables. Thanks to her railroad facili-
ties, Montana is to-day the richest min
eral region of its size in the world. The
latest published statistics-those of
1S97-give the mineral output of Nom
tana as $54,0o0,000.
Without railroads, Kansas, Nebras-
ka, Minnesota, North and South Dako-
ia, Montana, Colorado, California, Ore.
gon and Washington would still be the
home of savages.
Service of American Railroads.
1t is beyond question that American
railroads to-day furnish the best serv-
ice in the world, at the lowest rates of
fare, at the same time paying their em-
ployes very much higher wages than
are paid for similar service in any other
country on the globe. In the United
States the frst-class passenger fares
last year averaged 2.9s cents per mile.
although on some large railways the
average was several mills less than two
cents per mile; in England the irst-
class fare is four cents per mile; third
class fare, for vastly inferior service, IL
two cents per mile, but only on certain
parliamentary trains. In Prussia the
fare is three cents per mile; in Aus
tria, 3.o5 cents per mile, and in France,
1856 cents per mile.
Our passenger cars excel those of
foreign countriesin all that goes to make
up the comfort and convenience of
journey. Our sleeping and parlor car
system is vastly superior to theirs; our
baggage system is infinitely better than
theirs and arranged upon much more
liberal basis. American railroads car
ry $50 pounds of baggage free, while
the German railroads carry only SIS
pounds free. The lighting of our trains
is superb, while the lighting of trains
on most foreign lines is wretched.
These are some of the achievements
Of American railways in passenger serv-