The weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1878-1881, 1881-04-19

Usan Northeru acknowledgements
Raaeh, E.c Etc.

1.-THE New York Times OF the 27th ult. COZ
tatns the Following interesting letter writer
nom Deer Lodge under date Of March 18th
The writer's name is not attached, but un
q~uestionably it is from the pen of Free
Hart, the pleasing and able correspondent o
the above named journal.]
The narrow gauge railroad running from
ogden, Utah, into Montana is one of the Sc
rles of railroads being built by Jay Gould, o.
under his auspices, to strengthen the Unior
Pacific railroad and enable him to control thu
freight and passenger traffic Of the entire re-
gion west Of Salt Lake. The talk is thai
Gould made an offer to Huntington to poo
the business of the Union Pacific and the
Central PacIfc, which, being declined, he
(lOuld) made q VOW that he would destroy
the business of the Central Pacific. Ofcourse,
. great deal of talk is by men who do a big
amOlnt of guessing on a small capital OF
knowledge, but judging from Gould's rail-
read operations, there must be fire as well as
smoke in all this hearsay. l heard it stated
u Salt Lake that Gould said in that city,
when asked why he did not visit San Fran
cisco, that he would never enter California
unless he could make the trip from New
York to San Francisco entirely over a road,
or roads, controlled entirely by himself. If
this is his desire, he is in a fair way of realiz-
ing it. What the objective point of the
Utah and Northern railroad is nobody seems
10 know, except that it will be run to this
u. place. Did it have no other object it would
possess no significance as part of a system of
a trans-continental road, except that it would
connect with the Northern Pacific. In this
valley the surveyors stakes OF the Northern
Pacific and the Utah and Northern run side
by side in places.
The Utah Il Northern now controls the
freight and passenger traffic of Montana and
easter Idaho. 1t extends to a point called
Dillon, about three hundred miles from Og-
den, where it connects with the Union and
Central Tactic roads, aud is considered a
northern extei sion of the Union Pacific. 1t
It's surveyed to this point, 124 miles beyond
Dillon, and operations are being vigorously
pushed to extend the road to Butte-now the
principal town in M~ontana-which it is eX-
pee ed to reach in June. Aud it is probable
that it will be completed to this place before
the snow flies next fail. 1t is doing an i'm
.ense freight business, and is said to be
building itself. 1t was started by the Nor
mon church, which built the Utah Central
and a large portion of the Utah Southern.
When Huntington refused to enter The pool
so rumor says-Gould cane out and cor
raled the Utah Southern, Utah & Northern,
ly q connection between the Overland road
aad Salt Lake City. The Utah Southern will
capture the trade of all the agricultural re-
gion of southern Utah, will tap some Of the
most extensive and valuable c,al and iron
beds on the continent and give the Central
Pacific a livery competition for the trade of
southern and southeastern Nevada. The
latter road already feels the effect of this r.
valry, and has established a system of COM
petitiye points, whereby all places whose
trade has heretofore naturally belonged to
the Central Pacific have by that road been
given special rates at figures which induce a
continuance of the trade. The roads now III
do not yet iniure the Central Pacific
to any great extent, but there will be a lively
strife between the roads this summer for the
river, as the region is called, is a lately dis
region of mining country in eastern ,
Idaho. l shall learn some particulars about
it on my return to Salt Lake and shall trans
the knowledge gained to the readers of
the Times. The Utah & Northern, connected
with the Union Pacific, will have the best of
The contest for eastern freight for Wood river
and the Central Pacific will probably have an
in the matter of western freight.
Both companies claim to possess the nearest
and most feasible route. l shall investigate,
and, without f ar or favor, set forth the mer-
It's of both rou'es. 1t is expected that there
be an immense rush into the Wood river
country during the coming spring and sum
Iner. and that large quantities Of ores will be
to Salt Lake for reduction. Hence,
there is a long, tedious stage travel from
any railroad, the question of the best route
will be an important one to a great many peo-
Pile all over the Union.
The railroad which. if it is built, is likely
to bother Central Pacific folks some, is a
road that it is stated Jay Gould is about to
building from Granger. on the
Union Pacific railroad and running west 10
Portland, Oregon. 1t is claimed that this
route would save four days between China
London over the present time. In that
case, and If the Central Pacific did not do
something 10 head it off, Jay Gould's roads
would gain control of The great traffic in tea,
silk worm eggs, and the various other Asiatic
products we import, and would probably car
ry the British mails to and from Australia,
Japan, China, &c. -