The Globe-republican., 1899-12-07


the early settlers who ventured SO fal
out of the beaten paths OF civilization
Tie Nebraska corn crop this year Gov.
ers eight million acres, ard the yield
is two hundred and ninety million
bushels. Previous to the construc.
ton Of the Northern Pacific, the Great
Northern, Northwestern, ST. Paul, Bur
lington, and other railways that trav.
erse that wonderful region known as
the wheat belt there was nothing to
be seen but prairie grass ard an occa-
sional band OF uItaned savages.
Minnesota this year will ship ninety
million bushels Of wheat, South Da-
kota forty-five million bushels, North
Dakota sixty-fve million bushels and
Montana four million bushels.
In 1919 there came across the con-
tinent reports of the discovery of god
in California, but the only means OF
reaching its Golden Gate was by sea
around Cape Horn, or the long and
perilous journey, with OK teams, across
the plains, including what was then
styled in our biographies the Ameri-
can desert, and through the hazardous
mountain passes of the western part
OF the continent.
"The completion CT the Pacific rail-
roads changed all this, and opened new
fields for all kinds of enterprises, in
an unexplored territory stretching over
more than two thousand miles to the
west, northwest and southwest of the
Mississippi river, the products of which
region were practically valueless until
the means Of transporting them were
provided by the railroads.
THE wheat crop of California this
year is 100000 bushels. The largest
crop ever produced in California was
in 1880, when owing to exceptionally
favorable weather conditions that state
produced 63,000,00 bushels. The gold
output of California for the year 1899
is estimated at s16,000.cCO. The vine
yards and orange grows of California
would be of practically little value
were it not for the fact that the rail-
roads, by their trains of refrigerator
and ventilated fruit cars, make it pos
sible to transport the products of her
fertile valleys to all sections of the
country. 1t seems but yesterday that
the railroads were completed into
Portland, Oregon, Tacoma and Seattle,
Washington, and it is marvellous that
for the year ended June 80, 1899, there
was exported from the Colunib ia River
valley 10000, 000 bushels Of wheat and
+ ON the Puget Sound region. 10000
600 bushels. Oregon and Washing ton
form the northwest corner of the ter
ritory of the United States south of
the line of British Co'um bia, and are
directly on the route to cur extreme
northwest possession. Alaska. The
wheat crop Of the states of Oregon and
Washington for the year 1899 is 49,
100000 bushels. There was exported
during the year ended June 80, 1899,
from the Columbia river direct to for
eign ports, 100000 barrels of flour.
and from Puget sound points 500 900
barrels. Colorado, which, with its in
exhaustible mines Of gold, silver. lead,
iron and coal, forms almost an en-
pire in itself, will produce this year of
1889 Of gold, $4,000, goo; of silver, s14.-
100000; of lead, $4,000, goo, in addition
to magnificent crop of wheat, fruit.
and vegetables. Thanks to her rail-
road facilities Montana is today the
richest mineral region OF its size in
the world. The latest published sta
tistics-those of 1S97-give the mineral
output OF Montana as $4,000, 900.
Without railroads, Kansas, Nebraska,
Minnesota, North and South Dakota.
Montana, Colorado, California, Oregon
and Washington would still be the
home Of savages.
Our passenger service is the finest
on earth. In the United States last
year the first-class rates averaged 2.9S
cents per mile, although on some large
railways the average was several mills
less than two cents per mile; in Eng
land the first-class fare is four cents
per mile; third-class fare for vastly in
ferior service is two cents per mile.
hut only on certain parliamentary
trains.
in Prussia, the fare Is three cents
per mile; in Austria, sos cents per
mile. and in France, 1886 cents per
mile.
Our passenger cars excel those of
foreign countries in 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 bet
ter than theirs and arranged upon a
much more liberal basis. American
railroads carry $50 pounds of baggage
free, while the German railroads carry
only IS pounds free. The lighting OF
our trains is superb, while the light
ing Of trains on most foreign lines il