The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-10-23

1,4oo miles. 9. In Iowa7 A. It is about
400 On miles in Iowa; 9; l How much n nb Msf
Kansas, 400 in Colorado, and I don't re-
member just now the Montana mileage;
215, l think, SO miles in Minnesota and
miles of main track, counting straight
main track, and about 400 and odd miles
of double track. 2
Won't Restrain Traffic.
@. Will the acquisition by the Great
Northern and the Northern Pacific of the
traffic between the states and for
eign countries? A. On the contrary, i
think that it will promote business very
greatly, and develop latent resources and
enable forest, mineral and other products
and resources to be utilized which are
now idle. We have a little over 2,4OQ
miles of track in Nebraska; there is not
a tree on it except the trees n shrubs
that have been planted there in hedges
and in timber claims, but there is no
merchant lumber; there is no lumber that
is cut in Nebraska and sold on the mar
ket; n lumber is a prime necessity ITO
assist in settling up that country. But
lots of others thought we, We're simply
boomers, as they do now, you know, ABOUT
the development of these Western re-
sources.
sunfiowers for Fuel IN Nebraska.
@. What was the supply>of fuel in Ne.
braska? A. There is no fuel whatever in
Nebraska, except I have known some OF
the Russian M~ennonites. who came there,
to burn grass tied together with iron
bales. as they did in the old country, n
l remember we used to burn sunfowers
there. / have seen a great deal of corn
burned there. and since our lines nave
been built through there and We havesdes
veloped coal west of h q territory n
wyoming and brought 1t in from Iowa,
coal is a pretty cheap fuel-and from Col
orado also. ~ ~.
the other states through which the Bur-
lington extends? A. There is no lumber
supply whatever on the Burlington Lines
with the exception of hardwood, and only
a limited quantity of h Lumber has
got to come entirely from the Pacific
coast; there is no question about that
in my mind.
out of the Great Northern and Northern
Pacific ownership, over what would be
the case if dependence was made upon
between the lines? A, Well, in my opin-:
ion, it tends to develop these latent re-
sources, to justify merchants
facturers in adjusting their affairs to DO
rather han one that may be cut off by
%anybody's volition from day to day., and
they say: THAT door has got to be
closed" But ownership common owner
ship, provides an open door, and the
means of access, ingress and egress. and
people take advantage of it.
flows in the line OF the least resistance.
1t removes the obstruction, .ssl ~. y
Ore Deposits on Burlington.
@. With respect to ores. smelted at
A. Well, there are precious metals at
various points on the Burlington road.
The largest deposit is in the Black Hills
6aRots, b [R fRe Te1 H ! cI Rart Lead ca s CITY,
Custer; it is all minerals. It is all low
grade. There are very few great bonan-
zas in mines. but there is an enormous
amount of highly refractory ore that costs
a large proportion of it's value to reduce,
and it is practically impossible to re-
duce that ore by using a barren fux.
1t must have an ore which is complement
tary and which also carries value to
act as a fux to enable its treatment. The
people with whom we talked about the
establishment of mineral reduction works
a expenditure and leave it
liable to be changed at any time; we
don't know just how long it will last
Q. What justified the building to Bill
lingS in the mind Of the company?
A. Well, it was very hard times then,
and I was rather anxious to induce the
directors Of the company to build a rail
road. I met a gentleman who was then
road and he said that Mr.. W~eyerhaeuser
had told him that the lumber that. would
flow over the line built in that coun-
try, to connect at or about Billings the
would be a very valuable thing for the
lumber merchants Of the West, for the
settlers in Nebraska, for the railroads,
and perhaps incidentally that he could
make a little something out of it him
self. So 1 mentioned 1t to some of our
directors and finally. brought them to-
gether with some of the Northern Pa
cifie people. That was one Of the con
trolling considerations which led to the
building of that branch up there; the
idea being that the Northern Pacific
sion of the Burlington and the Burling-
ton would be the eastern extension Of
the Northern Pacific to the field that 1t
reached, and especially the Missouri val
ley, where it mad a short and direct
line. The contract was as permanent and
definite as possible in its terms, proVid-
ing that the Northern Pacific and the
Burlington should cooperate in doing all
and copious flow of traffic thrugh that
gateway.
Mr.. Day Cross Examines.
Mr.. Harris was cross-examined by w.
A. Day, Of counsel for the government.
Mr.. Days questions were answered with
great frankness by the witness, but little
additional information was brought out.
The following excerpts from the record
will indicate the aim Of the attorneys
questions:
@. You don't testify that lumber was
lalU QOWn 10 the people Oh NEBRASKA Dy
reason Of your connection with the North
ern Pacific at Billings?
A. Yes, l do. l can't tell you what
the difference was, but 1 do know there
was a material difference in the rate, a
very large difference, after we had made
this arrangement for the through rate to
Omaha. This stuff was brought from it's
origin to the Missouri river and all points
west of there at a rate which was very
much less than that lumber was ever
laid down on our lines before that time.
@. Whom do you look to now, who is
the directing man hat tells you that
to do or what shall occur? A. Well,
there hasn't anybody told me what to
do. I nave trusted in some degree to
common sense, thinking perhaps that I
had a little bit of it..
@. No doubt of that, Mr.. Harris; 40
doubt of your ability as an operating
railroad man and as a traffic a But
you now lave two masters. Who directs
your policy, the policy of the Burlington
road?
A. The board Of directors is charged
with the duty and has the power of direct
ing the president and all the officers.
Q. The board Of directors Of THAT
road? A. The Burlington & Quincy.
@. You spoke of the class rates or
c-lassiication; is it not a fact that on the
first Of January, 1900, a new classical
ton went into effect in the United States
north of the Ohio river, whereby more
thar 500 articles were taken out of lower
classes and put into higher classes? A.
Well, I heard you say so yesterday and it