The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1881-05-27
RAILROAD NOTES.
4. they .. pl...a % preml.es ,s.ly.

During the past week a large number Of
Mormon laborers with teams have passed
through Deer Lodge to the Dunn contract,
aad work Is progressing in various places
from Gheerdts' rancho down to James Nc
Gurran's, below Gold creek. Those who have
been down say the scraper system discounts
the shovel and cart method.
We are advised on good authority that the
NorthernPacifcc company has given Washing
ton Dunn. Esq, an additional Fifty mile con-
tract, which will include the distance between
the mouth Of the Little Blackfoot and Mis-
soula..
Mr.. Chenoweth, engineer In charge Of the
party surveying ola Little Blackfoot, the
Frenchwoman's, Railroad Pass and Green
horn to Helena, was In town last Saturday.
His party had reached the Railroad Pass on
a practicable grade, and would start down on
the Helena side Monday or Tuesday. The
pass itself Is through a gorge, and the APP
proach Is such that high trestle work will
have to he used In securing practicable gra-
dients. Mr.. G. has, however, comprised that
difficulty, and says II an east side grade can
be found there Is no great obstacle in the way.
The pass Is the lowest in the mountains. The
distance from mouth of Little Blackfoot to
the summit is about 30 miles. The difficulty
about that route Is the greater length 1t will
make the road If 1t is built through the Gal
latin valley.
Still, Helena has encouragement In devel-
opment Of the past week. The Union Pacific
company is stated to have put force OF
graders mt work In the Jefferson river canon.
This means precisely what the action of the
Northern Pacific In the Hell Gate canon
means: To secure the most available route
through difficult caiions and force the next
road off to an expensive line. IL the Northern
Pacific Is to run ria Deer Lodge pass or Butte
and the Pipestone pass, It must necessarily
traverse the Jefferson canon where the Utah
& Northern is now building its road bed. The
canon is said to be very difficult one, and its
prior occupation might be serious obstacle
to the Northern Pacific. If the Utah North
ern completes and holds a road bed through
IL, 1t is not likely the Northern Pacific will
attempt to build second line through 1t.
This will leave the Helena or Boulder routes
as the alternative.
There is an object forthe Union Pacific and
| Utah g. Northern in this. The further the
Northern Pacific is crowded north the more
country will be tributary to the former lines,
and If they can hold Butte and its business,
that alone will pay for operating the Utah q
Northern.
In another view those two roads might
| have made very advantageous tempo
| rary arrangement with the Northern Pa
| cihc. The latter has now, practically, only
two points at which il can construct road-al
Glendive and beyond the Pen d'Oreille Lake
over 800 miles apart. With the desirability
of rapid construction of the road 1t seems to
Us the Northern Pacific would have desired
to expedite construction by commencing also
at an interior point, which could have been
done by receiving its iron and rolling stock
| over the u p. and U. & N. at Silver Bow Of
Butte and building thence down the Deei
Lodge aud He'll Gate valleys TO timber. II
the road should run by Butte this read would
be part of the main line; ifnot, It could b.
operated n a branch to supply Butte with
| timber, etc. Doubtless such branch road
| will eventually be built III the Northern Pa
cific goes by Helena. The Utah & Northern
haj apparently slected to take vantage GROUND
IL the Jefferson canon anyhow, and as re
marked Helena's possibilities are improved
thereby.
To this writing Mr.. Kellogg's surveying
party has not returned from Dry Cottonwood
pass, and we have no news from that quarter
The party of railroad engineers who were
surveying the Bozeman Pass, reached Goa
Banks last week, and, returning, are nov
making a survey ov r the Trail Creek Pass
thence down to and through the lower caIor
of the Yellowstone 1t Ii reported that the
i grade from Hopper's Station to the summit
1 was found TO be about 80 feet to the mile. Al
easier grade can be obtained, however, by
commencing the ascent several miles east O
Hoppers.-Bo1eniaa Courier, 18th.
On Saturday last, five teams, with grader,
1 ahd tools, passed Twin Bridges on their way
20 Jefferson canon. to begin work in building
the Utah & Northern railway through there
The line, we are informed, is to run from
Birch creek, on the Butte read, down the Biz
Hole valley to Twin Bridges, aud Themes
down the Jefferson adisonidn.
The Lewiston Teller of May 18th says tina
about 800 men are engaged on the Northern
Pacific between Spokane Falls and Pen d.
Oreile Lake. The company wants 1000 more
men on that division and cannot obtain then
ut present.
AN INDIAN FUNERAL.