Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-04-08

Great Railroad Corporations Which Are
Striving for Dominion Over the North
west-Heavy Migration to the Northern
Pacific Country-Track Laying on the
CasseltOn Branch-Jay Cookies st. Louis
River Purchase-The St. Croix River
Lower Rates this Season-The Ida Fulton
Through Lake Pepin.
ST. PAUL, April 7.
The two great Northwestern corporations in
reaching out for division of the cuontry east of
the lakes between them, seem to move about
equally. When one gains one section the other
grabs another. Monday the c., M, & ST. Paul
company fbought theSMadison & Portage rail-
road under a mortgage foreclosure and the
@. & N. W. company bought the Sheboygan &
Fond du Lac railroad at sheriff's sale. But in
pushing for the business of the Missouri river
and Northern Pacific country there is yet
chance of one or the other company gaining an
advantage The latest new move is on the
part of the Milwaukee company, and. as is re-
ported is the letting of contract to Langdon
& Co. for extending the Hastings & Dakota
road past Big Stone Lake and Lake Traverse
and down the Red River of the North to a
junction with the Northern Pacific near Fargo,
distance of 40 miles. It is said this move of
the Milwaukee company is to forestall con-
templated extension of the Winona q St. Peter
road in the same direction by the Chicago COM
pany. The report is probably not entirely cor
rect. The Milwaukee company has for months
intended to extend its Hastings & Dakota line
into Northern Dakota by way
of the Dakota River valley and
has been delayed therein only by the necessity
of obtaining authority to cross the Sisseton
reservation. Except the report above referred
L.
noJhing to indicate change in the company's
plans. On the part of the Chicago & North
western company there is nothing official or
public 10 indicate that it will be directed from
its purpose to first extend the Winona & st.
Peter road to the Missouri river a direct line
to the Black Hills and wait the development of
central and northern Dakota before extending
its track northerly from Lake Kampeska. But,
all the same, the two corporations are reaching
out to cover about all of Dakota and make it
as far as possible tributary to their
long lines to Chicago. Had the North
ern Pacific been built originally from
st. Paul so large field would not have been
left open to the Lake Michigan roads; and st.
Paul men, when they had the opportunities to
buy and forever control the st. Paul & Duluth
and North Wisconsin roads, might have begun
Lake Superior system of roads which would
have kept the Lake Michigan roads out of our
Western field. as it is, the two great cOrpo-
rations referred to- N reaching for business for
their trunk lines, are striving to add to the
territory tributary to Chicago a large part of
the territory naturally tributary to st. Paul,
and ST. Paul hasn't much left with which to
dispute their claims. Whether the policy of
the two companies will remain discriminating
against st. Paul in favor of the long hauls to
Lake Michigan, time will tell. 1t is just possible
that the long tails of these two big dogs may
be 80 far extended as to become heavy enough
to wag the animals instead of being wagged by
them.
The Northern Pacific in the week ending
Tuesday at P. M. took out from St. Paul 2l4
Car loads of freight, of which 100 car loads
was immigrants goods belonging to persons
going to settle along the line of the road and
on the western side of the Red river valley. In
the week ending Saturday evening last over
800 immigrants-men, women and children
were taken from st. Paul in this company's
cars, for settlement in the Northern Pacific
country-mostly in the vicinity of Fargo. At
this rate the last years increase by immigra-
tion of 25, 900 in the population of the North
e-n Pacific country will be considerably ez-
ceeded by the immigration of this year.
Track laying on the Casselton branch of the
Northern Pacific is to be begun this week-the
intention being to lay the track fifty miles
northwest from the main line before the 1st of
November next.
Jay Cookies purchase on the st. Louis river
is larger than was represented the other day.
He owns both sides of the river, from some
distance below the foot of the rapids of the
falls at Thompson. A part of the
property, it is said, will certainly
be improved this season. and the building of a
railroad, from the st. P. & ID. track, near
Fond du Lac up the river bank is stated to be a
thing determined upon for this year or next
the time depending upon the result of pending
INN ont on ha
water power, and possibly, upon the progress
of the settlement of the Cooke bankrupt
estate.
THE RIVER FULLY OPEN.
The st. Croix river. line Eof boats will be
operated this season on substantially the plan
of last season, but lower rates for both freight
and passengers are promised. Capt. ReaneY
says the through rates, st. Paul to Taylors
Falls, will be little if any more than half those
of last season.
The Ida Fulton, of the Diamond 10 line,
worked through Lake Pepin Tuesday, coming
most of the way between the ice and shore.
Her officers report that there's too much of
solid ice in the lake to make its navigation
safe. But, though the Fulton stopped at Pres
colt or somewhere else along shore, according
to settled customs-the river being clear of
ice, navigation must be counted as opening
with the passage of the first boat of the season
through the lake. Ine nrsb passage unIOu8n Inc
lake of this season, being on the 5th inst,
is a contradiction of the prevailing
street opinion that this is late spring. In
tbirty-seven years there have been but five
seasons when boats came through Lake Pepin
so early although for several years prior to
the railroad era the first boat received such q
bounty in free wharfage as tempted owners
and officers of the boats to run considerable
risks in trying to force passage through the
Iak ko Tho fOIlOUipO ia fhn record from 1S44
to date of the first boats through the lake:
Year. Steamer. Captain. Date.
1884, Otter. ......... Harris. April
IS45. Otter Harris. April