Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-04-02

were between Nv ana l9U DuilUlp9S lcil
In the United States last autumn" said
John ID. Durham, formerly United
States Land Commissioner in Wyom-
ing, and later connected With the Vel
lowstone Park Commission, " ana the
mortality among the surviving beasts
has been greater this winter than ever
before during their captivity. The
Yellowstone Park herd comprised los
head in 1893. but the temptation TO gct
buffalo skin. worth nowadays from
$3.50 TO $3.50, and q buffalo head. which
Is worth as much more, has been too
much for poachers. Despite the severe
penalty for killing the big animals in
the national park. . dozen or more buf-
faloes have been slain up there every
year. Last year the herd was reduced
To cbput seventy, ana this season
formI,I Influenza has helped III Illegal
shooting 20 make Threads upon ,hc vet
eran bu.ialoes. T. believe there cannot
be more than, fifty OF them left.
Unless Congress does something there
Will not he d dozen buffalocs in he
world i've ycirs hence. | mean sueci-
mems Of the geruinc buffalo, The Ameri-
can bison. not he inbred specimens
which were found at buffalo geological
gardens, ana WcTe grown ut bunaid-
farms in TEXAS. Kansas and Colorado
There are now before Congress- a dozen
petitions signed altogether By more
than 10000 people in the West. prayin:;
That the few remaining buifalles OF
the former enormous herds be taken in
charge by commissioners. who shall be
responsible for The preservation OF the
beasts in region with n mildcr eli
mate than Yellowstone Park. Congress
has been urged at each session for sew
crnl years 10 do something to protect
buffalo s!ccics, but il looks now rs if
the Interesting and characteristic beast
OF the great American plains would b.
MS extinct in the next generation MS
the great "ul. or the iroqunis. \ good
many OF The Smithsonian Institution
people believe that the government
herd of buitaiucs ought 10 BE- taken to
tie National Geological Park a. Wash
inGton. OJhers believe that they ought
TO be kept in Texas, their natural
home"
MIR. Dunharn is an authority concern
ing the American buffalo. lie came
West from Brooklyn in 1876 and has
lived on the plains ever since lie has
written several papers for the smith
scnlm institute concerning his iuvcs-
legations Of the habits and cxterui-
nation OF the buffalo. ila went 10 the
city o? Mexico in 1850 to search the
government archives there for records
OF the opinions of the Spanish con-
ducrors who went as far north AS Col
orado ana a. far East as the Missouri
river III 1913, concerning the bufa!ocl
at tina; time.
SOME STATISTICS.
The Wholesale determination of the
huifa!oes seems almost incred bic to me
nov as | look back ut i;s real begin
ninS thirty Years ago" continued Air.
Dunh1m. ITO be sure The Indians SOL
diers and cattlemen ON the plains had
Killed buifaloes BY thousands for Il zen
Grafton before 1869. but the natural IN
crease OF the herds more than euualel
inc annua! losses. The building If tie
Union ana Kansas Pacific railroads
from the Missouri river westward to
the Sierras created market value far
buiialo meat. hides. tongues and bones
and the most remorscless. consoles
slaughter of Wild animals ever known
was begun From 1865 when the
railroad construction :...-t,. r.
gan. until 1869. about 100000 hnr-
ialoes were slain, but from 1869 to 1S-e
July 'O0o,0o0 We're killed. From 1S-c
until 1881 when the buffalo. north ana
south. was practically wiped off the
plains. about 100000 more of the beasts
were slain. In 1870 alone more than
2.oUo,0OO buffnloes were killed i'm Kan
sas, Indian Territory and Texas.
one large company of fur dealers in
II. Joseph and st. Louis bought be-
tween 10000 ana 100000 relts in 1871
ana there were scores of other connn
mes thet dealt in buffalo skins. Large
sheds ut railroad stations completely
iilled with dried buffalo skins. used n
6'e common sight at all the big boom
towns ol TeXaS, Kansas Nebraska ana
the Dakotas in the seventies. re.
member of seeing at Cheyenne. Wyo.
Union Pacific shed 175 fec, LONE en-
I. ;..I,
with buffalo hides that scarcclv y do.
en- moro could be squeezed into thn
piles. There used 20 be auction soIne
or buffalo hides at Fort Worth Toy
IN 1870 and 1871. ana rs many as 2aO
0oO hides were sold in a dav or t,,.o
To-day not Q. remnant of the buffaloo:
IS seen in those former depots for blf
falo skins. except an occasional ro:h-
eaten head of n hull ana now ana thor
n battered and fraYed old carriage robo
mace Of buffalo skin. y few months
ago q well preserved and carefrIiv
mounted head Of q big old bison wac
sold 10 san Francisco museum for
E4pc. Same day such n relic would
nrlng double or triple that price Tweu-
" years acO there were tens Of thou
sands Of heads rotting or he plains
FIVE THOUSAND BUTCHERS.
With the building of the paciac
railroads. gangs Of old-time plains hum
=, "i.N itu-h riders We're hired by
me railroad companies to go ont ana
Se1 buhaio meat for the railroad CON
struction camns. y dozen men like
.niam f. Cody. who earned his name
o. HUIalo 1871 at that time took con-
tracts To provide meat for the Union
ya"ifc railroad mon, The army gar
:.s2ns on the plains mu'Gplied afte,
me own war was over and buNfalD m NJ !
contracts wcrc made with them the
Naiuo II buffalo skin as . sleigh robe
lH ~ U.s. in :naiiinE cheAn fnrs h.