The Miller sun. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 190?-19??, 1904-09-14
THE STATE CAPITAL I!
The Editor Of The Sun TeAs
Something of His Trip
to the River.

a Trip TO the state capital, situated
In the center Of the state, on the east
bank OF the Missouri river, 80 miles
west Of Miller is full Of educating in
tereSt to anyone The first 80 miles of
the distance is over the longest per-
feet Straight railway trick in the
United States. During this 2-hour
ride over a level prairie one notices
continual evidences of progress and
wealth, in the way of fields of corn,
stacks OF wheat and other grain, mead
ows covered with shocks and ricks of
hay, here and there a grove or belt of
timber and an occasional orchard Of
plum Or apple trees. An interesting
scene on either side of tne track.
particularly near the towns, is the
running water, standing i'm which and
grazing near arc hundreds of head of
horses, sheep and cattle. While nat
urally there is enough water along the
Mne, yet the increased volume is caus-
ed by artesian wells. During the last
three or four weeks 8 of these have
been added to the former large num-
Der around Rec Heights alone. These
spouters are increasingly in evidence
clear through to Blunt, as are the re-
suits from them. The 5 miles after the
turn at Blunt is made toward the big
river, is down a most crooked and pic
turesque little stream, known as Med
icine creek, on either side of whose
banks are nestled groves of plums,
buffalo berries, wild grapes, etc., be-
sides box elder, cottonwood and other
timber III considerable quantities.
The train crosses a bridge almost every
minute Of the time required to make
this smile run. Pools of water are
visible constantly, standing in which
and in the bushes and timber about
are hundred of sleek cattle, fat horses
and woody sheep. Fields Of grain
and corn may be seen, carefully fenced
in, while near Canning is a productive
appearing market garden. AS the
high bluffs of the Old Muddy are ap-
preached the timber increases and at
the mouth of the Medicine where it
empties into the Missouri the rich
bottom land would seem to be capable
of great agricultural production. The
remaining Is miles to Pierre is up the
river. Along the stream the bluffs
are covered with native rock i'm large
quantities. There will be stone enough
for the foundations and walls OF a city
of a half million people. The large
island in the river now passed, thickly
timbeEed for 6 miles, belongs to the
city of Pierre. AS the train moves
into the town timid passengers cry out
fire! The stream Of flame from the
gas,pipe to which a match has been
touched by the Pierre people to show
the strangers that they are in a nat
ural gas belt, is the cause Of the fire
alarm in the train, which subsidies
when explanations follow. A visit to
the gas well is Of great interest. A
round black iron tank, some 25 feet
across and about ten feet high, is the
storage place where the gas is separat-
ed from the water and turned into
mains for the purpose that lead to ho-
tells, private houses and public insti-
buttons, where it is used for cooking,
lighting, heating and power. Enough
water flows from the gas well to feed
a small river or furnish power to oper-
ate the machinery Of a city, but not
being needed after the gas has been
secured that comes up with it, it run
off into the river. The water from the
gas wel4 is soft, clear and not SO
warm as many artesian wells. But a
small amount Of the gas is now used
for lack of mains to conduct il about
the city, bSt they are being extended
as rapidly rs possible. Its largest one
saving is tor cut off the $40 a day coal
bill that the city used to pay for fuel
before 1t adopted gas to furnish power
to pump the river water from the sta
| tion west of the Locke hotel to the
receiving reservoir on the bluff a mile
north of the city. The immense en-
gines work smoothly and constantly by
gas power Having Toasted his eyes
upon the wonders that come from
1000 feet below the stranger now sits
at his hotel to hear the dining-room
girl whisper in his ear, baked catfish.
The novelty Of eating fish that swim
when alive over fuel that cooks them
when dead is new and the hungry man