The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1881-09-21
TRACK TALK.

| The Utah & Northern has three companies
of surveyors at work on the proposed line
| between Bedford and Benton, so we are in
! formed by Judge Hlger. The work OF the
first party extends from Bedford to Prickly
| Pear that OF the second party from Prickly
| Pear TO Little Pear and the third party be-
gins at Little PricklytPear and works down
| the bank of the Missouri river. The point at
| which the Benton branch will diverge from
the main line to Helena will be btubbs Fer
ry. OF course these are merely preliminary
surveys, but they serve to show that the COM
pany means business in regard TO giving
Benton railroad connection. -Indepen.
dent
There will be no railroad to Butte. Messrs.
D'Acheul and Foster, in behalf Of the pros
perity Of Butte, labored hard and with un-
firing energy to bring the railway to the city
without delay After the arbitrators had
made their report. new obstacles arose. Some
Of the claimants asserting that some Of their
ground had been omitted and no valuation
placed upon ii, while new claimants ap-
peared asserting that they owned land over
which no railway would pass without COM
| pensation. These obstacles presenting them
selves, at this late season, the railway COM
pany decline to build their road to Butte
MSner.
| Capt Mills, writing from Helena to the
| Nea0 North Vest Of last week, has the fol-
lowing in reference to the route of the
| Northern Pacific at and near Helena 'sCol.
| Dodge, engineer ia charge of the Rocky
| Mountain division, day Or two since kindly
| showed to couple visitors, including the
undersigned, The maps and profles of the
Northern Pacific rna' from Shields river 70
q *ho IS ~, hav vo
| yet no reason to amend or qualify the guess
made several weeks ainoa to he location
!, The NOrIz OF the drew, n ~ vast Ia
bors has been perfnvtoael IN the field, several
| different lines having been run at many
points, and even yet the alignment is being
rectified as the locating eurveys progress.
| The road will pass in the valley about 8 mile
below Helena, and circlng around to the
! right of the hills. between Helena and the
old Blue Wing station, run up past Jack
Reynolds old place. and penetrate the
| mountain from The ravine TO the left-a little
| TO the sontf Of the old kTullan crossing. The
length Of the tnrnel will be $3.50 feet. It's
western exit will he about three fourths of a
mile from the Carbon Moor coal mines. AS
sisfant Engineer Chnehorouoh is now survey
ing and l0catinr from the tunnel down
Meadow Creek f. The Fsrenchw"man's and
will 60 thence n the mouth of Little Black
foot Both in the mountain range east Of
PoZenan and on tho approaches to the t11n-
mel. the maximum grade Of 116 feet he's been
| reached A com narisoD Of the Drof'es Of
1871 with those Of 1881 demonstrates that
the engineers Of 10 -dav prefer straight lines
even # IT nncessitates heavier grades on the
| ranges where extra engines will he neoea-
! cary anv how. Much distance and an enor-
moss amount cutting filing and trestling
are saved hv this method"
Col Dodge. engineer in charge of the
Rocky Mountain division Of the Northern
Pacific was in Benton last Friday evening,
returning 70 Helena on the next morning 8
coach The object of his hasty trip to the
river metropolis was to get 8 general idea OF
the Law Of the land from Helena to this point
The surveyors are slowly making their way
in this direction.