The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-08-16

HV STducS eACccuI1S 20 IeeI per nullc aSoihoC
the heavy traffic from the east. In operating
the road, trains will be made up on the Vel
division adapted to the grade ofthat
division, that is 20 feet per mile. They will
be taken over the Bozeman Pass with assis-
tant engine power. From there with one IN
CINE they can be taken via Of the Pipestone
route to the foot of the mountains where, in
crossing, lwo additional engines will be re-
CURED on the 26 miles Of 1l6 feet grade. aE-
ter passing which, the grade descends all the
way to Missoula. On the Helena route,
though the grade may not exceed SO feet per
mile at any one point, yet heavy grades ex-
ceedipg the controlling grade of 20 feet per
mile and requiring al least one heavy addi-
tional engine, will be met with upon leaving
the Three Forks and at several points until
the main range be passed west of Helena-a
dis auce of at least one hundred miles.
The engine power required to move a train
on different grades does not vary directly as
the grade, but we have to add, in each case,
the resistance caused by friction, &c. of the
track and cars. This resistance is about
equal to that caused by gravity alone on a
grade of 20 feet per mile. The resistance
then on a 26 feet grade may be represented
by 4G, and that of a 1l6 feet grade by 1876,
showing that the power required on the ll6
feet grade would be a trite less than three
times that required on the 2G feet grade. The
best authorities estimate that the cost OF an
assistant engine used on heavy grades adds
about 80 per cent. to the cost of operating
that portion of a railway where it is required.
Now in the case Of the Pipestone route where
two assistant engines would be required for
2G miles, the cost of operating the division
would be increased as much as though the
length Of the road were increased 26 miles.
On the Helena route where one heavy assist
ant engine would be- required for one hum
dred miles we should add something more
than one.half of this distane, or say 60 miles,
10 represent the comparative operating econ
omy. We thus perceive that i'll economy of
operation the Helena route would be IA miles
the longer in addition TO lis actual greater
length, as to the distance of which We have
no positive knowledge. The altitude of the
grade at Mulian's Pass may be the lower Of
the two, but this advantage, if it exist, will
be more than offset by the undulations of the
grade between the Three Forks and Helena.
Another point we will consider. 1t is APP
parent u al the cost of construction of the
Butte route will be less than than that of the
Helena route. The crossing of the Little
JJI,,,, c,,o ,,,,;,ne ~, +pnralo md tla nypa
~vations will be in all ea~sily-worked soft gram
tie and sand. With the exception Of about
IS miles the work is extraordinarily light.
On the Helena route the company must start
with a tunnel estimated to cost 100000.
The approaches for many miles will be made
in the hardest kind Of granite, blue limestone
| and quartzite, and the rock and material at
| Mu'lan's Pass will c ST at least fifty per cent.
more to excavate than that at the Little Pipe
stone, besides the route will have seventy
miles across the bench lands Of the Missouri
which will Involve a considerable amount of
work al great cost.
we have in the above endeavOred to pre-
sent a fair. candid statement CT facts in which
we think we have shown that first in bust
ness, second in freedom from snow, third in
economy in operation, fourth in cheapness OF
construction, the Pipestone Pass via Butte
has a great advantage over that of Helena, AND
we predict that the Engineer-in-Chief and the
Directors of the road will > decide and build
the main line of the Northern Pacific through
Butte.