190 THE AMERICAN BISONS. 



involve considerable expense. There has, however, been a great falling off 

 in the annual amounts shipped since that date, in consequence of the great 

 decrease of the bufiklo throughout the region through which this road passes. 

 Respecting the quantity of the products of the buffalo shipped over the 

 Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad during the years 1872, 1873, and 

 1874, I have been favored with the following statement by the General Su- 

 perintendent, Mr. C. F. Morse: — 



Statement of Buffalo Produc'.s shipped over the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad during a period of 

 three years, from 1872 to 1875. 



Hides, in 1872, 105,721 



in 1873 251.1 IS 



in 1874, 42,289 



Rohos, in 1872, No account 



" in 1873, " 



in 1871, 18,489 



Meat, in 1872, No account. 



" in 1873, 1,617,600 lbs. 



• in 1 S 71 632,800 " 



Bones, in 1 srj 1,135,300 lbs. 



" in 1873, 2,713,100 " 



in 1S74, 6,914,900 " 



From the above statement it appears that the number of hides shipped 

 over this road during a period of three years was nearly half a million. 

 while the robes, of which the number shipped in a single year only is given, 

 would make the number exceed this sum. In addition to this number we 



have to add. for the number of buffaloes Utilized or SOld as meat, only the 

 small number of from three to eight thousand a year mure! 



In answer to inquiries respecting the shipment of buffalo products over 

 the Union Pacific Railroad, I bave been kindly informed by .Mr. E. I'. Vining, 

 General Freight A.gen^ that m> large amount of buffalo products has been 

 received by this road, and that consequently no statistics of the business 

 have been kept, as ii the case with all the important branches of their 

 lni<ine><. These statistics respecting the shipments over the railroads relate 

 only to the Kansas range "I the buffalo, and hence refer merely in a limited 

 district, and to tin' slaughter l>\ white hunters alone. 



