Jamestown alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1878-1882, 1881-07-15
Mr.. Montgomery Interviewed.

| Y Yasterday the Alert representative
found Mr.. Montgomery, a prominent
stock holder and one of the gentle
men who backed Mr.. Willard in his
successful move to secure the North
ern Pacific road for himself and
friends. Making known our mission,
he stated he would be pleased to give
us any information that might prove
interesting to our readers.
REpoRTER.-Will you please give
us an insi ight into the movement Of
the present management; what they
propose to do in regard to building
branch lines, &c?
MR.. MoNTGoMERY.--The object Of
the Oregon and Trans-Contine entail
| company is to obtain and hold con-
troll Of the Northern Pacific, the Or.
egon railway, aud the California
railway. By these lines there will
be a better route from New York to
San Francisco by way of Portland
than by the Union Central Pacific, or
by the Atchison and Central Pacific
route. This may be surprising to
some, but the grade being lower, they
can make the trip twelve hours
quicker than by the other routes.
This is one of the obi iects Of the road.
The other is to build branch lines,
feeders running into the Northern Pa
clfc and preventing a system Of
milking" the line, as has been 60
ing on under tho former manage
meut.
R.-Do you think this plan would
nave been carried out under the old
regime?
Mr.. MI think not, from the fact
that they could scarcely get capital
enough to build the main line, let
alone the branches, although syn
dicatc of bankers had agreed to fur.
nish money, but the bonds were at a
discount and the syndicate induced
Mr.. Willard to take possession Of the
road, since which time they have
gone up Is per cent. They intend
building a series of branches, and l
have no doubt within II months
there will be roads running north and
south, one to Devils lake region, and
one south. This Trans Continental
company will proceed to build num-
Der of branches in Oregon. Parties
who now have control of this road
have $50, 100000 cash; not promises,
but cash.
R.-What is your opinion of our
country?
Mr.. M.-Mr. Willard and party
went out to the end of the line to
the Yellowstone. They had heard
some very high sounding praises Of
the country; of it's fertility and abil-
ity to produce large crops, but it ex-
ceeded our expectations. There is
much less poor land on the road than
we expected. In fact there is very
little poor land. These 'sbad lands"
are myth. They extend for very
short distance and at least third
of the land in that region is good, or
equal to the same amount to be found
in Pennsylvania.
R.-And you think in the course
Of few years the " bad lands" will
be settled and cultivated?
Mr.. MI have no doubt. They
appear to have large amount of lig-
mite which mixed affords a fair coal
for heating purposes and for locomo-
tives. I was informed by Col. James
S. Brisbine that up in Montana,
right along the line of the Northern
Pacific, there is the best quality of
bituminous coal, god for blacksmith,
steam or amy purpose coal can be
made use Of
R.-What do you think of our
village?
Mr.. MI think jamestown is one
of the handsomest places on the line,
even the handsomest, and with these
branches built it will become a very
important place. | don't see why it
should not rival Fargo. This North
ern Pacific will be great line. 1t
has five times as much productive
land as any other line, and for pleas.
ure seekers there is no rival has as
many places for fishing or hunting
and there is no road has anything &C
equal the Yellowstone geysers. Prof
HAYDEN told me that all the geysers
in the world put together would no,
equal the geysers of the Yellowstone
R.-The company has great conf
dence in the Yellowstone region?
Mr.. M.-Prof. Hayden told me
five years ago that five hundred o1
six hundred miles of the Valley o
the Yellowstone had no equal in tn,
United States. Any place that viii
support buffalo will support man
Out in Oregon and Washington Ter
; ritory the fine large bunch grass lant
was put down by the first surveyor