Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-09-24
Washington, Sept. II.

dSlilllSloI, oCpl. -
Certain very marked tendencies in the
growth of population are coming to light
In the return of our cities which are from
day to day given out at the census office.
Two classes are growing with phenome-
nal rapidity-those Of the Great Lakes
and those chiefly devoted to manufac-
turing. The river towns are growing
more slowly. The coast cities south of
Norfolk are making little progress, while
north of that point, as far as Portland,
Me, the ocean continues to be a SER
viceable factor in drawing population.
The railroad cities are growing much
faster than those which were founded
because of supposed river advantages.
Few cities in the south having an alti-
tude of less than 500 feet above the level
o fthe sea are showing much growth,
while in the north it is the rule that the
lowland cities are the ones getting ahead
the fastest. This is, Of course, partly
due to climatic conditions.
These general tendencies are illustrated
by the percentage of growth for the
decade. For the six lake cities the rates
SO, Toledo 81, Cleveland 46 and Buffalo
81, an average of about 40. One peculiar
ity of this growth of the lax cities,
which is now attracting so much atten-
ton, is that it is merely a repetition Of
what took place in the preceding decade.
~ 1Ao1 AbI'e W W No~ SAN
1890 was in this region. In that decade,
of the twelve cities having a population
between 200, 900 and 500, 900 the four which
grew most. rapidly were on the Great
lakes. Even the fifth of this series of
twelve, Pittsburg, is almost a lake city,
in that it belongs to the same industrial
belt. Were it not for the Great lakes. the
coal of Pittsburg would be SO far away
from the iron Of the upper peninsula
of Michigan as to have materially chang
I'd tho annnnnOiP 6aVnlnnmpnH or the
United Statse.
Compared with this average for the
lake cities, the river towns shows a dis
tinct falling off. st. Louis gained q per
cent in this decade and % in the decade
before. Cincinnati gained 9 per cent this
time and 16 before. st. Paul increased
% per cent in the decade just passed.
and Minneapolis, it's %neighbor, % per
cent. Richmond, on the James, increased
but 4 per cent, while Albany, Omaha
and Sioux City showed a decline. OF
course, it is rather difficult to SEPARATE
the river element from the railroad ele-
ment in classifying these cities, since
they are all more or less railroad cen
tiers. 1t is safe to say that in SO far as
they have looked to river traffic as q
great factor in their growth, they are
disappointed. The reason for this is two.
fold; our rivers are becoming less SER
cutting off of forests, they are growing
more inconstant. Either flood or low
water is injurious to commerce. At thu
same time that the river has been grow
mercial vehicles the world over has beer
increasing. Ocean steamers n lak'
craft nave taken advantage OF the econ
omies which the larger sized vehicles
afford, while the river traffic has no
been able to do 80. 1t has had to NEE
the competition of the railroad, which
has, through heavier rails and large
freight cars, led this general tendenc.
Of modern times. This accounts for tn,
phenomenal growth of the lake cite
and the comparative ,stagnation of tn
river towns. Nature has made 1t pos