The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1880-04-02
SPYING OUT THE LAND.
Hunting . Terminus for the Utah q Northern

urnt;nr n Terminus for the utan q
Massrs VIM. Cleburne and II. J. hoscr'p'
the former, We understand. being Locating
Engineer Of the Utah & Northern Railroad
arrived in Butte this week Ola the Deer
Todue Pass and, remaining two days. de-
narted on Wednesday ola the Plpessone
Pass. Engineers generally reserve express
sion OF their opinions until their TASK ~
completed and then give the party employ
inc them the first benefit Of their observa'
t;ons and conclusions. Mr.. Cleburne seems
70 have been no excepti)n 70 the rule, al.
though rumor very naturally accredits MIN
with being favorably impressed with the
Deer Lodge Pass. having doubts as 70 the
vet uncxplored Pipestone and dismiss'ng
the Park route with shake Of the heac.
Il IL expected surveying party will DO az
work this side of Beaverhead Canon INSIDE
OF three weeks. The object Of the explora-
ton of Mr.. Cleburne is to select the route
or routes upon which they shall work. FOR
a wear or two past it has been evident thst
either Butte or Helena would be the OBJ
iective point of the road."S The former Of
fers the greatest Inducements in import ana
EXPORT tonnage-that is, legitimate bust
ness the latter would doubtless give more
direct ard and it is desirable on the part OF
the Railroad Company to shut off the river
shipments to that place. OF course Butte
would have to patronize the Utah q North
erp even If it came no nearer than the Jei-
ferson valley, but the cream of the carriage
profit would be SKINNED off by wagon
transportation on that thirty-fve or forty
miles. Hence it is to the interest Of the
Company to run to Butte, and Butte would
interpose no objection, on the contrary
would be benefited, IL Helena should be
the eventual terminus. The Glendale re-
gion Is only less important than Butte.
The question arises whether the Company
contemplates running the main line down
the Jefferson and Ola the Crow Creek and
Missouri River route to Helena, with a
branch into Butte, or whether 1t contem-
plates building the main line to Butte.
One or the other of these projects 1t has in
view or its Locating Engineer would not
now be diminishing through the snowy
passes. y couple Of years since Chief En-
gipeer Berthoud made an exploration to
Helena. He gave the first preference to
the route ola Browns Bridge, Deer Lodge
Pass and Deer Lodge ; the second prefer
ence to the Crow Creek route which Is the
longest, and the route following the Over
land Stage Road he pronounced impractical
BILE except at enormous expense. He ad-
vised the location Of the road to Deer
Lodge. Since then the Trapper, Butte and
Pbilipsburg mines have developed magnih-
Gently, the Pepobscot, Bear and Wallace
Districts have been developed contiguous
to this route, and above all the Priest Pass
has been discovered and surveyed. The
Grow Creek route remains now as then
chiefly through an agricultural region, with.
out material imports, exports or occasion
for travel. 1t seems to us therefore this
new investigation must reasons bly, indicate
q purpose TO build the main line to Butte
and that IL Helena is to be the eventual
! terminus the line will be extended Ola
Deer Lodge, the Little Blackfoot and
Priests Pass. Another thing appears with
In the reasonable probabilities The North
ern Pacific will be built across what Ii
known as the Boulder Route crossing the
! main range between Boulder City and Deel
Lodge. If the judgment of such men al
Granville Stuart and A. }. Elder Is to bt
relied upon it was through the Northern
Pacific engineers exploring the wrong pas
that that route was rejected in 1870 or II
II these routes should be determined upoi
the two reads would not double on eacl
other and nearly all Of settled Montan'
would have rail or river facilities. As Dee
| Lodge makes no claim for either termi
nus or branch line 1t is only fair that VI
should have the junction and this we hav
qualifiedly determined upon-as above? A
any rate, the visit Of Mr.. Cleburne to Butt
IL fair omen that she at least will hea
the whistle of the locomotive before man!
| months have gone.
II