Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1881-09-08
THE NORTHERN PACIFIC.
The Trip of Vice President Cakes and
his Party.
interview with Gen. J. III. Hammond.

From the st. Paul Pioneer-Press August 271
Vice President I. F. Oakes of the Norther
Pacific arrived in ST. Paul yesterday from tn
West, accompanied by Gen. J. H. Hammon
OF Evanston, ILL.,, Mr.. James Gamble, lat
superintendent Of the Western Union Tele
graph Company on the Pacific coast, Genera
Manager Haupt, and Private Secretary Yer
milyea. Mr.. Oakes was not accessible to re
porters after his arrival, being fatigued will
journeying. He will visit Minneapolis thi
morning, as he has never before seen the city
and will return by noon. Gen Hammond
was found at the Metropolitan last evening
and although very desirous of retiring early
kindly received the PiOneer-Press reporter
acceding a lengthy interview, portion O
which is herewith reported:
On the Pacific end of the line, the road is
finished from Kalama up to Tacoma, w. r.
thence there is a branch thirty miles to Pre-
yallup coal mines, and branch sixteen miles
to Olympia; from Portland to Spokan Falls
about 45O miles, in which is a gap that will
be closed by January 1, 1892 This gap, by
q
ers. From Spokane Falls to Pend d'Oreille
twenty-eight miles, grading and track laying
is going on. The lake is crossed by steamer.
ABOUT THE PASS THROUGH THE ROCKIES,
about which so much has been said, the
company prefer the Mullan pass to the Pipe
stone. This is about G,000 feet above the sea
level. fit is tunneled the tunnel will be a
little more than 3,40O feet long. The Mullan
pass is used every winter by wagons and
sleighs there being no serious snow inter-
ruptions to travel. The engineers cover the
line Of the road ali the way from Duluth to
the Pacific Ocean. Very little of it is left
that is not located. The party first saw the
graders at work near the mouth of the Little
Rosebud, about forty miles west of Miles
City and Fort Keogh, and from there into
Glendive, distance Of eighty miles, numer-
Gus parties were working over the whole line.
Track is laid seventeen miles west of Glen
dive, and the cars will run beyond Miles
City before winter sets in. At Glendive the
party were met by the special train that took
them to Glyndon, thence to Winnipeg and
lastly to Duluth and
SUPERIOR CITY.
At this point the Northern Pacific COM
pany has not built docks as yet. Its action
will depend on what the people will do. The
company want the prOperty-Owners, most of
whom are nOn-residentS, to sell lots and give
a chance for population to come in. So far
the same old story, so familier for the last
twenty seven years, is repeated i'll Superior
City, and is being told over again. The
city OF Duluth was founded because the
of Superior City would al
low neither railroads, people nor business
men to get a fOOthold there. Twice they
had the opportunity of securing railroad
In at least one instance they
enjoined a railroad company, and, fighting
it in the courts, succeeding in preventing
its entrance into the city. Last winter
few men, who have stood by Superior City
through good and evil report, made an ar
by which considerable portion
of the property of the city was donated to
the Northern Pacific, conditional On build
ing into the town in 1881. The company
has been endeavoring in good faith to COM
ply with that part of the contract. Many per-
sons have endeavored to buy property there,
to enter into business, to make homes on ac-
count of the expected arrival of the railroad.
In most cases, lot holders have refused to
sell at any price, or even name price.
There is constant inquiry to buy, and con-
slant leaving Of persons who could not get
foOthold because of the refusal of owners to
sell lots. A large coal company who desired
to establish coal depot at Superior, were
unable to buy ground, and were forced to 60
to Rice's Point, in Duluth, where, in city
Of less than 5000 people, they were able to
purchase at less money than in Superior,
with it's present limited population. 1t is !
difficult to see how it can improve, if the
present policy is persisted in. Such course
must necessarily have some bearing on the
action of the railroad company. The origi- |
nal reason for the Northern Pacific's seeking
Superior City, was to obtain dock room, being
unable to get a suficiency at Duluth to ac-
the rapidly increasing business
If the road.
EASTERN CONNECTIONS
Beyond Superior City, beginning at North
,rn Pacific junction, the line is located 122
niles to Montreal river the boundary be-
ween Michigan and Wisconsin. Graders
md grubbers are at work at various points
If the line, pushing as fast as possible.
The Marvnette Houghton q Ontonagan
Dad is in process of construction, ninety
niles from Ontonagon river to Marquette.
)f this forty miles are in operation.
The Detroit, Mackinaw & Marquette road,
n two branches, is also being constructed,
ach branch $50 miles long. One runs from
Iarquette to Mackinaw Half of this was
inished in July last, md it is expected to be
ompleted this winter to Mackinaw. The
ther branch runs to the Sault Ste Marie.
It Mackinaw this line connects with the
Iichigan system, and the Sault Ste. Marie
With the Canadian.
Tn answer to questions, Gen. Hammond !
tated there had been no change in the route
through the Rocky Mountains, for the reason
hat none had been settled upon previous to
he adoption of the Mullan pass.
AS to the purpose of the Union Pacific to
uild a branch to the Yellowstone Park, Gen.
Hammond was not advised and knew moth
ag of the intentions of that road.
aq transpired incidentally in the course
e y murder trial at tSteubenville, o., the
ther day, that a man now serving term
n the penitentiary for robbery is wholly
AI.~A