The avant courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1871-1872, 1872-02-01
The Avant Courier
TIE SUPERIOR Il NORTIIWESTs
ERNfRAILROAD.

1t Ii gratifying to be able IN Inform oillE
readers that the contract ioastAe Soisfrgstisa
OF the Branch Line aof the abherietaasid 81 y
Croix Railroad. Tor that extensionsof the
a. st. q. r.. X. from thisscity to the .Northeri
Pacific Junction which is known as the 81;
perior and Northwest m X. r. Ehas beei
awarded to Capt. James Starky OF ST. Paui
who will commence operations at once. ID
has been in conference with Chief Enginees
Sargent during The week, receiving the neces-
sary profiles aud instructions, and will sooi
be opening the path Of the Northern Pacific
to Superior, with all the push and vim s
characteristic Of this able and energetic rail
way pioneer. III
Capt. Starky's wide experiences in the Ole
and new worlds, and especially here In the
Northwest where he has carried through sey
eral important railroad contracts, never one
failing to complete them satisfactorily fur
nishes sufficient guarantee that the preseu
enterprise will be put through in railroa
time. and turned over IN railroad order Gu
readers win recall the heavy clearing COZ.
tract on the L. S. g nj. X. II. extending 3
miles west of Duluth, which was compiler
BY Capt Starky some two years aga +.
had finished previous one on the same road
between White Bear and Rice. Greek, ait: af-
ter these, was selected to break ground IN
February, 1870. at the initial point of the
great Northern Pacific Railroad in the wilder
meas % failes west Of Lake Superior. tieyery
point toward which the present contract ca
ries him. and with which the Superiorean
Northwestern r.. r. directly connects, afford
ing the n. p. X. II. the sonly outlet to al.
Superior which can be called the shortest and
most practicable. Capt.ssS. who had the first
contract ON the N. r., now in his practical
continuation of that great sthoroughfare, has
ire nsost important, at least in the eastern
half of the Northern Pacific The vetera
contractor had other worksoll the N near
Rice and Mud rivers, then at the Mississippi
crossirg.) ,...
His last contract was on the Hudson Branch
Of the st. Paul, saltwater and Taylor's Falls
Railway. This was very heavy work. en-
bracing some 100000 cubic yards of earth.
work and masonry. Commenced only last
August, and is now about completed. and
the iron is going down. On this contract
Capt. Starky employed about 400 men. He
used there too, thatl notable modern improve
ment on the old wagon and dump cart, the
Portable Peteler Car and Track, which will
be transferred to the present contract at once,
together with q large outfit OF men. horses,
tools, etc., when the work of clearing, and
grading will Immediately commence.
The contract, signed, sealed and delivered,
calls for the construction Of a road-bed in full
readiness for the iron by the lst Of Sept. 1872.
The grading is to be such as to make the
road available for adodble track, and will be
first-class work in every respect. The route
is practical air line along the Nemadji and
st. Louis divide, on what is by far the easiest
grade III the head of the Lake, nowhere rising
above 81 feet to the mile, and scarcely attain
ing that lin this respect as in the virtual alb
scence Of curves afferding remarkable CON
trast to the steep grades and frequent and
abrupt curves found in the railway that
winds down the north bank Of the st. LOUIS
river to Duluth, and over which the North
Pacific il now compelled to carry its supplies
for lack of better outlet to the Lake, but
would not be able to transact 1.-THE Of its
continental trade over that precarious route
il confined to it permanently. '4f = y
The Superior and Northwestern R. r. will
be completed just in time to relieve the trans
continental railway of pressure which its
growing trade will soon otherwise render
uncomfortable.
The contracts for the ties and bridging on
the route have been let as fol ows Henry
+. Miller Of this place, takes contr act for
delivering 10000 ties before June lst, 1872.
Roswell Palmer takes : contract for deliver
ing 10000 ties to be furnished by the same
time. Charles Anderson furnishes 5000 ties
by date haentisned. VIM. r. Farrell OF
Duluth, has the contract tor constructing the
bridge over the Pokegama, by or before June
1st. 1877.
The work ot constructing, and coupling
the road throughout in all its departments,
will betyigorously pushed from this time for
wad. The ironing which begins Sept. LIST,
can be easily completed within the month
and we see nothing to contradict the expecta-
ton that the citizens of Superior can take the
cars At their own door for a trip ON theel
Northern Pacific by October LIST, lS72.-Sa-
psrior Times.
It III = - y -Tr---s zHa
III r -. No. H. n