Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-10
YELLOWSTONE PARK
Greatest Number of Visitors
Last Summer.
BIG TRAFFIC TO COAST
Needs of National Reservations De-
scribed by Ballinger !.
MAIL REGISTRATION FEE
Increase Justified by Deficit in Rev
enues-Use of Sawdust in
Foreign Mills.
BY WILLIAM L CIRTIS

BY WILLIAM T.. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.'
There were -, 545 visitors in the Yellow
stone Park last summer. the largest num-
Der on record, and 100 above the esti-
mate of the railway companies.
The largest number for any previous
year was in 1905, the year of the Lewis
and Clark exposition at Portland. Then
the total was 26 1888
So this years total is 6337 above the
record. There were 17.1S2 visitors in
1906. and 16. Ala In 1907 and is. 749 in 1908.
At the same time there were 1888 Wis
itors in the Yosemite valley, which is an
increase OF 30 per cent for this year.
With a new hotel ard the present ar
engagements, SO that people can make the
Journey In winter. as we'll in summer,
this number should be rapidly increased.
Big Traffic to Coast.
d. f. Burley, general passenger agent
of the Oregon Short Line railroad, tells
ME that nearly $4,000 travellers from the
east passed over that line last summer to
the Seattle exposition. against 116o1e
during the year 1905, when the Lewis and
Clark exposition was held at Portland.
MS business was pGdCIlcdlly ConllHeu W
the four summer months, June, July, Au-
gust and September, or 122 days. which
is an average of 1.36S passengers daily
one way.
And. as the great majority of them
must have returned to the e4st the daily
average of the passenger traffic was
about ?. $50. which shows the capacity Of
the road. This does not include the local
traffic, but only tickets sold at stations
east of Butte, Mont, and Pocatello,
Idaho.
In addition to the other regular bust
ness the Oregon Short Line railway car
ried 30,844 home seekers during what
is called the colonist period in the spring.
between the first of March and the first
of May, and in the fall. between the first
of September and the first Of November.
OF these 3O,S4 home seekers 6.2Io drop
ped off at various points in the state Of
Idaho, and "a, $50 went on to the north
Pacific coast.
1t would be interesting to know how
many OF them remained in that country.
Travel on Other Lines.
This statement does not include pas
sengers who went west over the Northern
Pacific. the Great Northern. Union Pacific.
Santa Fe and other transcontinental lines.
but only those who travelled on the Oregon
Short Line and the o. r. & y. Com
panys lines which run from Ogden and
Salt Lake City to the Yellowstone Park
and to Portland, Seattle and other points
on the northwest coast There is a con-
nection also from Butte, Mon, to the
Yellowstone Park and with the main line
from Ogden westward.
What are known as colOnist tickets are
second class and are offered each spring
and fall to hOmeseekers and actual Bet
tiers. They have done a great deal to
build up the western country, because
they have enabled prospective settlers to
go out and investigate different localities
for themselves at a low rate in advance
Of purchase.
These tickets are sold at a fiat rate of
$25 from all points on the Missouri river
until they reach points where the local
rate is SIS from the Missouri river After
passing that point 1T becomes blanket
rate of $50 to all Pacific and intermediate
points.
The lines between Chicago and st. Louis
use this SO rate as a basis, adding pro-
portionate amount to the price Of the
ticket to cover the ride across their own
territory.
If every transcontrental railroad car
ried as many people last summer as the
Oregon Short Line, not less than 10000
visitors from the east reached the Pacific
coast.
Ballinger Suggests improvements.
Secretary Ballinger made a personal in
SpeCIlOl VI the 1tllOWSIOne anu 1OSeTltc
National parks last summer. Like every
other person who visits those great ma
tional Fairgrounds, he became convinced
that the government should adopt a more
generous policy in regard to their i'm
prOyement and maintenance.
Therefore he will recommend more lib
eral appropriations than formerly, and,
as he expresses it in his annual report,
will inaugurate an advance policy" on
the following lines:
I'D A continued extension of roads
trails and structures for public travel
and convenience are required to enable
the tourist to obtain the benefits of the
scenic beauties of these natural play
grounds-the most wonderful in the
world.
"(2) These parks have ceased to be ex-
perimental as to the operation of trans
portation lines hotels and other conces
sions. because of the steady stream of
travel freqenting them, and the large
profits In most cases should require the
devotion of reasonable share thereof to
the maintenance of the parks.
Il have therefore determined to i'm
pose upon all the concessionaires. so far
{Stjp or a