The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1899-11-23
which leaves New York at s::5, ysu may

which leaves New York at s:-5, yen may
be sure that your correspondent in San
Francisco will he reading it next Nom
day night-four days from New York
The trainers of our constitution would
have considered man entirely beside
himself who would have suggested such
a possibility.
In 1875 the states east Of the Missouri
river were sending food and clothing
10 the starving people Of Kansas.
Thanks to the facilities afforded by the
railroads the corn crop of Kansas this
year is 340,000,000 bushels.
1t seems but very few years, said
the speaker, since / made my first trip
TO Colorado, and stopped 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 100000 acres, and the
yield is 290,000,00O 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 conti-
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
cific railroads changed all this, and
opened new fields for all kinds of enter
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 lem
were provided by the railroads. The
wheat crop of California this yer is
37,000,000 bushels. The largest crop
ever produced in California was in 1880.
when owing to exceptionally favorable
weather conditions that state produced
63,000,000 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.
1t 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 80, 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
United States south of the line of Brit
ish Columbia and are directly on the
route to cur extreme northwest possess
sion, Alaska. The wheat crop of the
states of Oregon and Washington for
the year 1899 is As, 100000 bushels. There
was exported during the year ended
June 80, 1899, from the Columbia river
direct TO foreign ports 100000 barrels
of flour, and from Puget sound points
100000 barrels.
Colorado, which, with it's inexhaust-
IDLE mines of gold, silver, lead, iron and
coal, forms almost an empire III itself,
will produce this year of 1899 of gold,
$24,O00,0C0; of silver, $14,200,000; of
lead, $4,400,000, in addition to a mag
nificent crop of wheat, fruit and vege-
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 statistcs-those of
1S97-give the mineral output of Mon
tana as $54,000,000.
Without railroads, Kansas, Nebras-
ka, Minnesota. North and South Dako-
ia, Montana, Colorado, California, Ore
gnn 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 en-
ployes very much higher wages than
are paid for simila" service in any other
country on the globe. In the United
States the tirst-class passenger fares
last year averaged EOS cents per mile,
although on some large railways the
average was several mills less than two
cents per mile; in England the first
class fare is four cents per mile; third
class fare, for vastly inferior service, is
two cents per mile, but only on certain
parliamentary trains. In Prussia the
fare is three cents per mile; in Aus
tria. 800 cents per mile, and in France,
1856 cents per mile.
Our passenger cars excel those of