The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-09-03
CORN ROAD OF KANSAS.
As FIRST COSSTRUCTED ITS WESTERN
TERMINUS WAS 4 PRAIRIE.
Two systems Fought for the Limo and This
Opened the Wonderful Corn Belt Pro-
ducing This Year 3OO,OOO.O0O Bushels
A Fall Festival with Novel Features

n run WIN -'oNNh
From The 81. Lotns Globe. Democrat
The corn road has no place by that title in the
railway guides Perhaps the general officers who
preside hundreds OF miles away over its operation
would hardly identity II by that name. Certainly
the travelling world will tail to locate it, The corn
road" begins at Atchison and ends out in the short
grass counties OF Western Kansas Its inception
was most ambitious The plans OF those who
originated this road contemplated transcon-
tinental route from tho Missouri TO the Pacific. a
good protensc OF building in that direction was
made Construction westward from Atchison
was started about the same time that II was IRON
Omaha and from Kansas City But the days
came when more powerful influences in OF the
other routes dominated, and the building on the
Atchison line stopped in the prairies Central
Branch. Union Pacific" was the name given to the
road without a terminus According TO the under
standing among projectors, when the land grant
legislatio was obtained in Washington. about the
close OF tho civil war, tho Central Branch was TO
have continued west to a junction point with the
Omaha and Kansas City lines near the Rocky
Mountains II was to be combined with them in
common route through to the Pacific coast BUTT
was not
This Central Branch retained its msnomer with
ie loose end in the prairies 1t languished while
until patient pioneers began to discover the corn
producing qualities oil the counties through which
It's course lies Even tb- Union Pacific company
was tardy In recognizing the possibilities Jay
Gould travelling leisurely the western country
and picking UP bits OF road, from which TO construct
O great systsm. saw the growing acreage in corn
in the double tier OF counties from Atchison west
Hcleased the Central Branch. The Union Pacific
Company seemed very willing to let 1t 60. The
corn fields grew. From the loose ends In the
praries feeders constructed the country be-
nrn,, IL, nav
ent stem. with sprangled termini still farther out
in In prares Then time came when the Union
Pacific could give a little and willing to sell.
Two great systems struggled tor possession. The
Gould system won Oficiay this is still the Gen
trail Branch" BY the people who know the tori
tory it serves and the wonderful development "the
corn road 10 the familiar designation And Ger
tainly no route in the country more naturally
merits the title.
One OF the kings in Kansas, Frank NJ
Baker. through whose elevators passes no incon-
siderable part OF the crop along this road sat in his
Office at Atchison and did some impressive figuring
on tho now maturing crop. He showed that IL
would take so. 900 cars to move this crop That
means 900 trains There are ninety stations on
the corn road" and its spranglng feeders Rpen-
ing in the fields tributary to these ninety stations is
yield OF which 1t will require over GOO cars TO
a station to move Some OF these stations will
need from 900 to 800 cars Others will caliior
less than 500 The average will be over 600.
When Mr. Baker figures on so 900 cars to move
this years crop from the ninety stations OF the
corn road OF Kansas" he counts only that proper
ton OF the crop which will naturally 20 TO market
as corn. One third Of the raised in the ter
ritory considered will be ted to live stock The
naming two thirds will 60 in original form, For
tunately tor the peace Of mind OF the transportation
people the demand Tor the so 900 cars will be we'll
distributed. The farmers will begin picking in
October and Smelling in November They will be
Mt IL all winter and into next March. The moving
pi the crop will begin in November and IL will con-
tnue until next summer, taxing the ability OF the
officials to furnish cars When hot weather comes
again hall OF this great crop, Mr. Baker estimates
will still remain reserve in the hands OF the farm
ers and OF the local dealers along the road
In OF the corn counties oil Kansas lived
some years ago Ellen p Allerton. Her
husband was farmer. He had been all
his lite moving TO Kansas from Wisconsin.
The picture OF Ellen p. Allerton shows the deep
lines which grow with the cares OF a farmers
home II is pathetic. Children did not come to
soften the lite. This woman found her respite
from the duties OF the house in her pen. She
the early evolution OF the corn belt and she
wrote OF
Whose banners toss on the breeze OF morn.
Mrs Allertons lines are even more impressive
now than they when written She did not
live to SEQ such walls OF corn" as this year has
produced. Her poesy has gained in force with
the crop OF 800 900 600 bushels II embodied a
spirit Of prophecy in the light OF what has come
true. The marvellous change she noted stands
greatly magnined today. Her question Is more
timely than ever before:
And where do they stand. these wallis OF corn.