Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-11-24

vh;eb leaves New'York at Is, you may
be sure that your correspondent IN san
Francisco will be reading l. next MOI
day NEIGHBOUR days from New 1ork-
The trainers of our constitution Woulo
have considered q man entirely oesloe
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 TINS
year is $40, OOo, 900 bushels.
1t seems but a 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
Ogaialla, 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 5000, GOO acres, and the
yield is 290,0oo,000 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 UNEMPLOYED territory
stretching over more than 1900 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
100000 bushels. The gold output of
California for the year 1899 is estimated
at S16,co0,00O. 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 ii 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 10000, 900
! bushels of wheat and from the Puget
sound region 100000 bushels. Ore
gon and Washington form the north
west corner of the territory of the
| United States south of the line of Brit
ish Columbia and are directly on the
| route to our extreme northwest possess
sion, Alaska. The wheat crop of the
states of Oregon and Washington for
the year 1899 is As, GOO, 600 bushels. There
was exported during the year ended
June 30, 1899, from the Columbia river
| direct to foreign ports / 100000 barrels
| Of flour, and from Puget sound points
SOO,O barrels.
Colorado, which, with its inexhaust-
| ible mines of gold, silver, lead, iron and
| coal, forms almost an empire in itself,
Will produce this year of 1899 of gold,
| S24,0OO,CCO; of silver, S14,2OO,O00; of
lead, S4,40O,GO0, in addition to a mag
nificent crop of wheat, fruit and Yege-
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 statistics-those of
1S97-give the mineral output of Mon
tana as S54,O00,0OO.
Without railroads, Kansas, Nebras-
ka, Minnesota. North and South Da1o-
ia, Montana, Colorado, California, Ore
gon 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 similar service in any other
country on the globe. In the United
States the first-class passenger fares
last year averaged 2.9S 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, 3.O5 cents per mile, and in France,
$50 cents per mile.
Our passenger cars excel those of
foreign countries in all that goes to make
up the comfort and convenience of a
journey. Our sleeping and parlor car
system is vastly superior to theirs; our