Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-12-31

~ tho Oregon 4 Transcontinental compa-
by, which is the largest stockholder In the ,,
Northern Pacifc) OF we'll ordered system
Of branch lines whenever and wherever
needed in Minnesota. Dakota, Montana,
Oregon, Idaho or Washington. The late
agreement of the Northern Pacific company
with the st. Paul & Manitoba company, re-
ieves it from pressing necessity Of build
ing new branches in Minnesota or northern
Dakota, and it may be presumed, there
fore, that all the capital and material
the Northern Pacific will employ
the coming year will mostly be expended
in completing the main line.
THE BETTERMENTs,
OF the property during tho yu..r
have been extensive, including relaying the
track with steel to the amount of $4,000
tons, completing the steel track to Bis
marck; laying 100000 new cross ties and
new ballasting 125 miles of road. About
seventy-fve bridges, etc., were rebuilt and
a large number were repaired. The ad-
ditions include 10000 feet of new sidings.
Five stock yards have been provided and at
Duluth 800 feet front of new coal docks.
The new buildings include sixteen station
houses, of which ten are on the Missouri
division, or between Bismarck and Glen
dive; thirteen station buildings besides five
nearly doubled in size; thirteen standard
tanks, each of 1900 barrels capacity; six
pump houses; one freight house and four
enlarged; three new engine houses and one
round house enlarged by six stalls; repair
shops at jamestown and Glendive; and a
large number of lesser buildings, such as
telegraph Offices, baggage and tool houses,
etc. The new station house at Mandan is
mentioned as the handsomest west of St.
Paul. It is two stories, 3Ox1OO feet, of
brick, in the Queene Anne style.
The new shop buildings at Brainerd are
among the most important of additions to
the facilities for operating tie roads
They are all brick buildings with stone
trimmings and slate roofs and will COM
pare favorably in size and appointments
with the best railway shops in the United
States. The principal new buildings will
occupy ground space as follows: Engine
house, BIG feet in diameter, with forty -four
stalls and at the center a wrought iron
turntable ffty-six feet in diameter. Ma
chine shop, 12Ox24O feet, with engine and
boiler house, 4O18O feet. Blacksmith shop,
S0x20O feet, with engine and boiler room,
2Ox3O feet and storehouse 26x16O feet
Boiler shop. 8O1175 feet. Cooper and
tank shops, 8Ox16O feet, with boiler house
20124 feet, and store and fuel house.
2611OO feet. Oil house, built throughout
Of iron and brick, 4O16O feet. Office and
stbre house. two stories, 4Ox2SO feet. Most
of these buildings have been finished at this
date and the others are rapidly approach
ing completion, As are also the round
houses at jamestown, which are being
built of brick, each of the same diameter
as the new ono at Brainerd and ultimately
to have the Same number of stalls, forty
four.
THE MISSOURI BRIDGE.
Another prominent work of the year il
the completion and opening of tho great
steel bridge over the Missouri from Bis
marok landing to Mandan. This bridge,
which was lately fully described in the
GLOBI,su the plan of which was discussed
in the last annual review, is regarded
among engineers and bridge builders a.
one Of tho most remarkable works of this
era Of railroad building. Primarily the
great river had to be controlled by a diff
cult and costly dyke. The bridge consists
of two spans Of 125 feet each and three
spans of 400 feet each, besides an approach
| OF Q quarter of q mile in length on the west
| side. The trusses are constructed entirely
Of iron and steel. The height of the trussea
| is fifty feet and tho distance from the rail
to the river surface is sixty feet. The piers
and abutments are of massive granite and
12O feet in height. A year and half was
| occupied in its building, and it was form.
ally opened for traffic on the 21st OF
October last, when each of the
| 4OO-feet spans were tested with q
| continuous train of eight Mogul engines,
having an aggregate weight of 100000
pounds. The test which was witnessed by
large number of bridge engineers and
railroad men from all parts of the coun-
try, was eminently successful and was
made the occasion of great rejoicing in
Bismarck and Mandan.
THE EQUIPMENT
of the road was increased during the last
fiscal year by fifty four locomotives, forty
three passenger cars and 2,O79 freight cars.
OF locomotives sixty -four have been added
since the close of the fiscal year and
General Manager Haupt estimates that
the traffic of 1883 will require the fur
| Their addition of 1875 locomotives, 100 pas
senger, baggage and express cars, and
1000 freight cars, of which 1900 should be
box cars.
The expenditures, improvements and
betterments of the last year amounted to
*1,1S5, 944.7O, of which the following are
the principal items: Brainerd shops,
$260, O06.12; general Office building, St
Paul, go. 141.O3; other improvements in
st. Paul, $64,388.18; buildings and grounds
at way stations, ETC., $21O,O58.94; cost of
steel rails over iron taken up, $345, 1884. 20;
road bed, $53.75O.77; side tracks, $124.-
O71.5O; and new docks at Duluth, $685.
3OS.84.
AT ST. PAUL.
The general Office building at st. Paul,
62x150 feet, four stories and basement, is
built, the basement story of stone and the
walls of brick, is rooted with iron and slate
and has non-combustible floors, division
walls and partitions. It is planned for
twenty Offices with subdivisions, and will
be ready for occupancy during next spring.
Other Improvements of the year in this
oft hno -