The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1901-01-04
MiLE-STONES OF THE
cENTURY'S PROGRESS

thc gram DrOadcast Dy hand, ana
when IL was ripe cut II with a scy-
the and thrashcd 1t on the barn
floor with a ilail, The enormous
crops OF to-day are made possi-
BILE by agricultural machinery.
We produce more than two bill
lion bushels of corn annually. Our
cotton dominates all markets. be-
ing W per cent of the worlds total
crop. Texas alone produces more
cotton than any foreign cotton
producing country. Our tobacco
crop is Ave hundred million pounds
per annum.
We are the richest country in the
world. In the amount of our bank
ing capital We stand first among
nations, with 1000, 900, 900. with
minerals II IL pretty much the same
rs with crops. In 1900 the world
produced 100000 tons of conl.
and Of this quantity 10000, 900 tons
came from the mines of Great
Britain, the United States contri-
butlng only 2Oo,000 tons. To-day
the worlds output Of coal is 6OO,-
900, ZOO tons. and our contribution
II i75 .OO0. 900 tons.
To return for moment to tn.
farmer; Three hours Of mans
labor was required to produce n
bushcl of wheat in 1900; to-day
the time required Is only ten min
utes. In the same period the cost
Of the labor needed to create that
bushcl has been reduced from is
cents to 3 i-3 cents.
Morse first exhibited his tclc-
graph In lS3j, but II was not until
1874 that the first practical test
was made over line between
Washington and Baltimore. con-
grcss having reluctantly appropri-
ated $50, 900 for the purpose. by
1850 there were one hundred thou
sand miles oi line In operation
in the world, aud in 1900 one mil
lion niles. About one million
messages are sent by wire every
day Ia the year.
The first submarine cable was
laid a. 1862, across the English
Channel. Now there ARE one hum
dred and seventy thousand mil, :
ofsuch cables, and the number Of
messages sent approximate six
million annually.
When the wife of President John
Adams Travelled from Philadelphia
to Washington, In November, 1900
she made the journey by single
coach, and IL took her week. The
distance Is now covered by train In
three hours.
In those days stagc-coachcs
were the moot rapid convcyanccs
known and the Indians described
them In wondering admiration as
"cabins on wheels"
The population Of the world in
1900 was about 10000, 900. II is
now estimated at 800, ,OO0, 900, but
while the number Of human beings
ON the earth has increased i3j per
cent. their cohesion has become so
much closer thnt commerce has in
creased ,23 per cent. From the
exchange of few articles Of luxu-
~, carried ON the backs of animals
or in slow-sailing vessels, com
mcrcc has expanded until II Is now
interchanges the products Of all
lands aud climes, utilizing the
swift moving train by land and the
scarcely less swift steamship by
sea.
The first steamship crossed the
ocean In 1919. In 1900 the steam
tonnage ailoat is over i3,000,0OO
and the sailing tonnage over H.
100000. The first vessel from New
York to China required fifteen
months for the round trip; now one
may accomplish the journey both
ways in little over u month.
In 1900 trip to Europe occupi-
ed over month, and was very
dangerous; now it is holiday cx-
cursion Of five days, and as safe as
a trip by rail. A century ago mes
sages of business took a year to
reach the Orient and obtain reply.
To-day only a few hours, or even
minutes, are consumed, thanks to
the telegraph.
The population Of the United
States century ago was 5,30S, ,4S3