Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-12-20


ltwa~ announced that. hy the middle Of
November thi, new road would hecomplctcd
90 this Missouri river. four hundred and
tilty-two miles west Of Duluth Thi, will
be an addition ui two hundred miles since
spring Trains have been raining daily be-
tween pIluth and Red River since April
la-;, and now rolling tocS is ready O. equip
the extension
On the Pacific side in Washington Terri
tory small section of twenty-five miles has
been some time in operation. Forty miles
more Of track VIII be- completed before the
close OF the season. Adding the completed
portion on the Pacific side TO the eastern sec
tion, it give total of five hundred and
seventeen miles OF track laid in a little more
than two years from the commencement Of
the work When the DELAYS encountered
the first year In making the surveys and de-
Gliding ou the best line through the forest
region are considered. the result i- marvel
Gus. and attcSt~ the energy with which the
work IS pushed forward Some idea of the
work accomplished will be conveyed by
stating that the finished portion of the road
in November will exceed in length the New
/ York Central. with all il lateral and
branch lines included.
Besides the actual construction. ,he work
of surveying ard locating the entire line
across the continent has proceeded with
yigor. The exploring parties have fought a
few scattering Indians but had carried their
surveys successfully 10 the Yellowstone. The
portion of the road now in operation has
large and increasing local traffic 1t inter-
~ects'the Red River al Moorehead. and from
Glyndon, eleven miles east OF Red River, a
new railroad Is being constructed northward
up the valley to Pembina, where it viii
meet and JOIN line soon to be built south
ward from Fort Garry. 1t commands the
eastward bound freight and travel of the
/ British settlements in Manitoba. and also of
the Hudson's Bay Company. Il viii also
be the outlet of a large portion Of the grain
grown in Minnesota.
When Jhe contracts for this season are
completed the company viii have perma-
nent business in the great traffic Of the
Upper Missouri River. with all the govern
ment transportation of the Northwest. \
few miles beyond the point where the rail
way strikes the Missouri the river bends to
the westward, and Is navigable for steam
boats for one thousand miles Of water way
from the railroad crossing to Fort Benton.
at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, in
Western Montana
Nearly forty steamers have been employed
during a single season in the trade Of these
upper waters.
In April next, at the opening Of naviga-
tion. there will be direct communication
east and west by rail and river, from Lake
Superior, in longitude % degrees, to the
populous districts in Western Montana, in
longitude llO degrees From this point
westward it is about 400 miles through the
passes of the Rocky Mountions to that por-
tion of the Columbia river whence it is navi-
gable 10 the Pacific
The finished sections Of the road entitle
the company to apout ten million acres Of
land, granted by the government, constitu-
ting an area about twice the extent Of Mas
sachuset:s. Ten million contiguous acres
belonging to the government are at the
same time rendered habitable and sahble