The Delta independent., 1902-06-20
DENVER, NORTHWESTERN AND PACIFIC RAILROAD
AND THE FUTURE DEVELOP OF COLORADO

sand and one" profitable opportunities
presenting themselves in the new dis
tricts, when opened up by the Lew
railroad, which will be supplemented
by capital from the other financial CEN
tiers of the entire country, when the
capitalists can, in the minimum of time
and with the maximum of comfort,
visit the new districts personally, and
realize for themselves the opDOrtuni-
ties existing.
The variety and Importance of the
natural resources Of the country to be
opened up are shown by the following:
The Colorado commissioner of mines
says that the country traversed by,
and tributary to, the proposed railroad,
is rich in gold. silver, copper and lead !;
that the decision To build it will see
hundreds, if not thousands. of pros
pectors" spend the coming summer in
that section. and that its completion
and operation of a large number of
metalliferous mines. justifying the en-
ployment of at least 1000 men. which
number will be annually increased,
Denver being the base of supplies.
The Colorado state inspector of coal
mines, in his official biennial report for
1899 and 1900. gives the accessible area
Of one coal field alone in northwestern
Colorado NOW 100 miles from a rail-
road. but which will be tapped by the
new railroad) as 440 square miles with
an available gross tonnage of 5.961.-
100000 tons. and says that the amount
Of wealth in the undevelOped coal de-
pOsits of that section is beyond
comprehension. He estimates the
value of one fourteen-foot anthra-
cite seam. 800 acres in extent, at
S52OOO.OOO. This. anthracite. by analy-
sis. shows a higher quality than that
of Pennsylvania. and by means of the
new railroad will find ready market at
all points between the Missouri river
and the Pacific. In the country to be
traversed by the new railroad. ii is es-
timated that there are 1000 square
miles of coal fields. anthracite. blum
inous ana Ignite. OF which Denver will
be the base of supplies.
The Colorado state engineer says
that the new railroad will have tribu-
tary TO IL in Colorado alone. west of
the continental divide. TO say nothing
of Utah, an aggregate area of 10,OJp
square miles. almost every acre of
which will yield something. If only pas
turage. to agriculture: also that there
are 1.O0O.OOo acres which can be put
the minimum water supply is availab blc
on the eastern side of the continental
divide. in the South Platte and its trib-
utaries. on which latter. the prosper
Gus farming communities OF northern
Colorado have been built. and that it is
only matter of time when such farm
ing communities on the eastern slope
will he more than duplicated along the
line of the new railroad on the west
ern slope. 10 the extent of a minimum
rural population of 100000, with Den
yer as the base of supplies.
Northwestern Colorado and north
eastern Utah. by reason Of present re
moteness from railroads. ara now
mostly devoted TO the live stock indus
try. Supplemented by railroad connec-
tion and agriculture. such live stock
industry will soon I've quadrupled with
continual Increase after that. on COM
pletion. the new railroad can depend
on an annual minimum freight busi-