The Green Forest tribune., 1900-12-15
A FAVORED COUNTRY.
Arkansas Resources Discussed
 by Ex-Gov. Fishback.

Always ready to say something good for Arkansas, Ex-Gov. w. M. Fishback has contributed the following article to the Philadel- phia Times.
 'sI note with pleasure your edi- torial in a recent issue in regard to the undeveloped resources of the South, and it has occurred to me to call your attention to a region of which little is known in your country, but which as Bishop Galloway says is one of the richest in the United States.
 ''From Seligman, on the Frisco Railroad to Hoxie on the Iron Mountain and Southern Rail- road, the distance is 175 miles, and yet there is no railroad par allel to these two, and none run- ming east and west through Ar kansas. Yet this vast erea is richer in zinc than any equal area in the Union. Prof. Bran her, of Stanford University, says there are 216 square miles of this ore, and that it is within one per cent, much of it, of theoreti- cally pure ore. In the same re- zion are 2, ,19O square miles, ac- cording to the same authority, of marble, very much the same as the Tennessee marble. There are also immense deposits of phosphates, lead, copper, onyx :, and tripoli.
 "The whole area is covered with forests of hardwood and pine.
 "Seventy-five miles, as the crow flies, southwest of this region is the city of Fort Smith, in the very heart of a coal field, extend- ing forty five miles south, seven ty-five miles east and one hun- dred and twenty miles southwest. I enclose a leaflet on page 29 Of which you will find an extract from the official report of the Quartermaster General of the United States Army, in which he says these coals are from 25 per cent to over 100 per cent superior in heating capacity to any in the world yet tested. Yet coal land within four miles of this city can be bought for S15 per acre. A prominent railroad official con- nected with, one of the railroads running from here to St. Louis, said privately to a friend of mine not long since that if ever an air line Fort Smith to St. Louis, through the zinc fields of Arkan- sas, is built, would rather own it than any other road in the world, for it would have more that railroad wants than any other.' I share his opinion.
 The question naturally arises if so rich, why has no railroad been built through? It was partly accidental and partly through de- sign.
 ''In 1854 Congress gave large land grant to the Old Cairo and Fulton Railroad. In 1869, or thereabout, the Iron Mountain Railroad bought the franchise of this road to secure the land grant and built through eastern Arkan- sas, which carried it seventy five miles east of this zinc and marble field. At that time the presence of zinc was not known. Years ago Congress gave to the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad g large land grant through the Indian Terri tory west. The Frisco then built to Rolla, Mo-. bought the fran chise and built to Vinita in the Territory, and finding the country uninhabited turned south at Pierce City, Mo-, and came to Ft. Smith. This carried it seventy five miles west of this zinc field. After the. resources were discov- cred the two roads are accused of having formed a compact not to build themselves, and not permit < anybody else to build in this re- zion. The Frisco is now extend ing it's Eureka Springs branch into that region. In other parts of Arkansas are maris-all the