The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1881-09-02
THE soRrHxzn PACIFIC ROUTE.

The question which more than any other
has agitated Central Montana this summer
has been the line of location Of the Rocky
Mountain division Of the Northern Pacific
Railway. The mouth of Little Biackfoot,
on the west Of US, was one well established
point; Miles City, on the east, was another
All between these was indefinite and unde-
termined. There were three routes proposed
for the crossing of the Main Range, the old
Deer Lodge Pass having been ruled out: /.
The line ria Butte and Pipestone Pass. 2.
The line ria Mullan, or Priests, Pass and
Helena. 3. The line ria Cottonwood Pass
and Boulder. The first two Of these have
been surveyed; the last, although the short
est, has not been. A principal objection to
1t was that it did not fill prerequisite that
the road should, If practicable, follow the
line of settlements that would command
local traffic.
The distance from Bozeman to mouth OF
Little Blackfoot ria Helena or Butte is
about the same-in the neighborhood of l55
miles. BY way of Boulder and Cottonwood
the distance is 100 miles. The altitude Of
Cottonwood Pass, at the surface summit, Is
6,S36 feet its elevation above Deer Lodge,
1920 feet. The line from here to the sum-
nit could be developed TO twenty miles,
which would make an average grade of l14i
feet, and in no place on the eastern approach
does the maximum grade reach 100 feet.
This line, however, was not favored with a
survey, and the issue settled down between
the Butte and Helena routes. They have
been carefully surveyed, and perhaps our
readers have noticed reference to the matter
In the press of those cities, and some intima-
ton of their respective resources and bust
ness.
We recently submitted eur guess that the
Nullan Pass route would be determined
upon, and assuming that guess to have been
correct, we give herewith some figures that
have been floating about promiscuously, and
have doubtless entered into the consideration
given the question. They are considered
the most reliable that can be obtained until
the engineers reports have been made public:
Mullan Pipestone
Pass Pass.
Height Of summit tsurfaceD 5,T74 IT. 6,455 IT,
Height Of summit tgradel. 5,5J2 IL. 6,595 It.
Maximum grade, ascend
ing west. ITO III. III III.
Maximum grade, ascend
ing east. ................. io1t III III
Length Of mountain work
miles,. 10 ID
1t will be seen from the above that the
elevation of the tunnel grade obtained on
the Mullan Pass Is S4S feet lower than that
on the Pipestone. The tunnel Is designed TO
cut the Mulan Pass 222 feet below
the surface of the mountain, whereas
only a 60-foot cut would be made on
the Pipestone. The canon work is also less
on the Mullan route. 1t is held In theory
that the snow fall increases with the alti.
tude, but this is sliding rule
and very unreliable. I'm the vicin-
ity of the Mullan Pass the snow
falls deeper than on almost any other pas:
we know Of i'm the mountains, while the
Pipestone, although higher, is noted for Its
freedom from deep snow. The tunnel will
however, obviate some ofthis difficulty. The
recent conference with the Crows and other
circumstances indicate the road will be built
up the Yellowstone and uia Bozeman to
Three Forks.
1t has been distinctly stated as the pur
pose of the company TO reach both Helens
and Butte with the Northern Pacific Rail
road. If the main line goes uid Helena 9
branch road will be built to Butte from the
Mouth of Little Blackfoot. IL is suggested
that as Butte would export and import .
great deal offreight from and to the East and q
large proportion of its travel would be in the
same direction, 1t would be more desira bic
to build the road from Three Forks or Gal
latin City. It is held in answer to this that
the bulk of business with Butte will be In
carrying lumber and timber from the great
pineries of the West, and that branch
from Three Forks would necessitate heavy
mountain work OH seventy mile line, as
against all valley work on fifty mile line
from Blackfoot. Had the Pipestone Pass
been selected for the main line, the branch te
Helena would have been built from Three
Forks.