The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1899-12-07

fields 10, ull 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 63,000,000 bushels. The gold
output of California for the year 1899
is estimated at $16,OOO,OO0. The vine
yards and orange groves of California
would be of practically little value
were 1T not for the fact that the rail-
roads, by their trains of refrigerator
and ventilated fruit cars, make it pos
slble 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
w osoh, anu IL ID lldINGlOuS ludl
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, 10000
GOO bushels. Oregon and Washington
form the northwest corner of the ter
ritory of the United States, south of
the line OF British Columbia, 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 As
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 100000
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
1899 OF gold, $24, 100000; of silver, S14,-
100000; of lead, 81 100000 in addition
to magnificent crop of wheat, fruit,
and vegetables. Thanks to her rail-
road facilities Montana is today the
richest mineral region of it's size in
the world. The latest published sta
tlstics-those of 1S97-give the mineral
output of Montana as $54,000,OOO.
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 2.93
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.
but only on certain parliamentary
trains.
"1n Prussia, the fare is three cents
per mile; in Austria, 3.O5 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 So pounds free. The lighting of
our trains is superb, while the light
ing of trains on most foreign lines is
| wretched.'