The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-05-06
GRAIN OUTLET.
Export Statistics Show a Di-
version of Kansas Crops
From Atlantic Ports to the
Gulf of Late.
$40 A CAR is SAVED.
By Sending to Galveston Rather
Than Gotham.
The Santa Fe a Great Factor
Says w. E. Curtis.

Says w. e. Curtis.
j Under a Wichita date W. E. Curtis
continues his letters to the Chicago Rec
ord on his impressions of Kansas. He
| says:
I There has been a notable diversion of
| the grain trade from the Atlantic ports
| to the gulf of late, and the results are
beginning to be apparent in the export
statistics. Much of it is carried to New
orleans by the Missouri Pacific and the
Illinois Central, but more is going to
Galveston by the new Santa Fe line,
which has it's northern terminus here.
For years Galveston has been de-
mandlng a deep-water harbOr that
would accommodate ocean ships and a
northern line of railway that would
give it access to the wheat and corn
helds of the north Congress made lib
eral appropriations for the one and the
enterprfsing people of the city subscrib-
ed literally for the other, but it cost
more than they thought, and they were
able to build their road no farther than
the center of TeXas-not quite to Fort
WOrth-when the hard times came on
and they had to suspend construction.
Then the Santa Fe company bought it
and continued it nOrthward through
Indian Territory and Oklahoma, MAX
ing an air line from Wichita to Gal
weston and connecting here with the
vast railway system of Kansas, which
is surpassed by those of only two other
states. 1t is a little more than 200
miles long, and gives the farmers of the,
west their shortest outlet to tide wa
ter.
From Superior Neb., the northern
most point on the Santa Fe system, Gal
weston is about the same distance as
chicago, and thus thousand miles OF
transportation is saved to the corn and
wheat growers of that region in reach
ing the seaboard- The farther west,
the farther from tide water you go,
the lower is the price of wheat and all
expOrtable products, for their value is
usually fixed in London, the worlds
greatest market. Therefore the Gal
weston line reaches the cheapest source
of the winter wheat and corn supply in
the country. About three years ago
grain began to go that way, when the
harbor of Galveston was ready to re-
ceive big ships. Until then the move
ment of tonnage was east and west, on
latitudina1 instead of longitudinal lines,
and the larger portion of money invest
ed in railroads was spent to build up
that trade. The Santa Fe company
spent $1,000, 900 last year to reduce it's
grades, build new bridges, lay heavier
rails and make other preparations for
what it believes will some day be a
large and profitable business.
The rates on grain from central Kan
saS to Galveston are about 5 cents
hundred higher than to Chicago, which
is nearly the same distance, because
there is no return freight, but the ship
perS save IS cents a hundred from Chi
cago to Baltimore and Is cents a hum
dred to New York. This makes a diff
ference of about 81 a ton, or $40 a car,
in favor of the Galveston route, and the
steamship lines from Galveston give
rates to London not more than 81 ton
higher than those charged from the At
lantic ports. The result has been an
enormous increase in the grain sent
that way. The total exports from Gal
weston in 1888 were valued a only $15,-
700, 147; in 1898 they were sos AIS, 621, and
the promise for the future is a, steady
growth in similar ratio. The eastern
railways look with diSmay upon this
diversion of their traffic. but there is no
way to prevent it. They cannot haul
cargOes any cheaper than they do at
present, and exportable products, par
ticularly low-priced freights, will seek
the seaboard by the shortest or cheap
est route just as naturally as water
runs down hill.
The terminal charges at New York
have a good deal to do with diverting
the trade. In Galveston the cars run
directly to the side of the steamer. In
New York everything has to be han
died by awkward and expensive meth
DDS.
P L Bonebrake, president of the Cen
trail National bank, Topeka, is recog-
nized as one of the leading fnanciers
of Kansas, and no one knows the con-
ditions in the state any better than he.
Ten years ago. he said investments
in Kansas were so popular that peo-
pies heads were turned We built too
many railroads, school houses, water
works, court houses, electric plants,
business blocks, etc. Almost every city
and village had these. In all these
things we kept pace with states 100
years old. In a word, we lived too
fast, and as result a reaction came
and went to the low-water mark
But for five years past we have been
S7aI,k
utilizing our resources. Financially we
are all right. Kansas has no state debt
and in the period just named more than
half our municipal and mortgage debt
has been paid. Where the debt has
matured and has not been paid in many
instances the municipal debt has been
refunded at 4 or per cent interest.
Last year we harvested an immense
wheat crop, and if we only had another
Joe Letter to corner the wheat our peo-
pie would be out of debt in year.
Our banks continued Mr.. Bone
brake "Show an enormous reserve, and
in some localities it is difficult to dis
pose of the deposits. Unfortunately for
the banking interests, the rates of in
terest have decreased in proportion to
the prosperity of the state. Where we
used to get 8, 9 and 10 per cent we get
only and per cent now. The harvest
time for Kansas bankers is spring and
fall, when the live stock men have to
borrow to carry their cattle, sheep and
hogs. To those unfamiliar with our
affairs the extent and the value of this
market is always surprise. The little
town of Kansas City, Kan, alone han
dies nearly 100000 head of live stock
every year that is worth not less than
$115 1000, 900.
In the early days. as you remember.
Kansas was pronounced an uninha bita-
BILE country. Lieut.. Pike, VINO was our
first explorer declared that the great
advantage of the Kansas plains would
be to restrict population to the eastern
Of