Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-08-10

hundred miles shorter than by the Utah
Northern aud Union Pacific Toaas.
while the distance to Minneapolis and
81. Paul viii be
NEARLY 500 Mrr..s saosTEE
The Northern Pacific road rars iirsct-
IL across Montana FOR eight huaorad
miles, and tho most productive portion
OF tue Territory lies along this line and
II is. unQusstionabiy. the finest body of
wheat land ever saw. As vet it is only
spsrsels settled, becaGse Of the expense
aud difficulty Of reaching IL. There is,
hOxeyer, more active demand for the
purchase OF land for farming II this
region than in any other portion Of the
Pacific slope, and So soon as the North
ern Pacific railroad ia completed and
immigrants can te carried into it a;
reasonable rates. this region viii be very
speedily settled up.
wheat products of eastern Washington
and Minneapolis when the Northern
Pacific is completed!
Tie trade of Montana will certainly
come over the Northern Pacific railroad
50 soon az it reaches Bozeman and
Helena, and this trade is of very con-
siderable magnitude at present ard will
hereafter increase largely. Bozeman is
a well built town Of about 1000 people,
with fine agricultural country around
It; and Helena, the commercial center
of the Territory, is larger, better built,
richer and more prosperous city, before
any railroad has reached it, than Dem
Yer, Colorado, was ten..years ago. after
it had secured two lines of railroad from
the east. Missoula, Deer Lodge, and
Butte are all prosperous towns. The
distance from Helena, Bozenran vi
Butte to Chicago by the Northern Pa
cific railroad will be nearly 4UO miles
shorter than by the UtBh Northern and
Union Pacific roads, while the distance
to Minneapolis and st. Paul will be
n0ariy SOD miles shorter.
The Northern Pacific road runs di-
rectly across Montana for So miles,
and the most productive portion Of the
Territory lies along this line and north
ward OF it. When that country is
opened by the completion of tho rail-
way, st. Paul and Minneapo is should
DO greatly benefited if they
make proper efforts to obtain and hold
the Montana trade. 1. seems to me
4uAsO RAOOsboAC sAAt VIC WAC0S RhcAdNs
OF the great wheat belt of eastern Wash
ington Territory can also be brought to
this point aud 10 the lakes at Duluth. as
l understand the Southern Pacific rail-
road IS now carrying large quantities of
whea: from San Francisco t. Galveston
and New Orleans for shipment to
Europe. This is greater distance by
rail tnan from Washington 1erritory TO
Duluth.
What is the distance between the
eastern and western ends of the track,
and when do You think the road will ID.
When made tie trip the gap between
the two ends Of the road was about OJU
miles, and it has probably now been
to about $50 miles, and it il
said the track Is now being laid at the |
rate of one and half to two miles per
day. There are employed III the work |
OF construction about 1000 inen, and |
the grading is well advanced along the |
entire line. About 1860 men are at work |
III the Yellowstone Valley and east of
and 1000 Chinese and 1863
white men are at work grading and |
laying track from the ives. along Clark |
Fork. Probably 10U more men are en-
gagged III furnishing ties and bridge
timber. and in the two tunnels through
the belt range near BOzeman and tue
main range west of Helena. The work
of construction is going forward with
with great energy along the entire line. |
Ii the company should decide to pat in
u temporary switch back over Bozrman
tunnel, think. by January LIST next the
road could be- in operation to Bohemian
from the East, and neariy to M,ssoJia
from the west. At that date there will
probably be an uncomp,esed gap of only
go miles of track. We ought certainly
to expect the cars to be running through
from Minneapolis aud st. Paui to Port
land by midsummer of 1883.
1t is thought by some people that the
Northern Pacific railroad will have
greater difficulties from SHOWS Ill winter
than the other transcontmental lines.
Does this agree With your impressions?
fthink this Is entirely a mistake. The
highest elevation reached by the North
ern Pacific road ct any point between
the lakes and the Pacific coast is at the
crossing of the belt rause OF the Rocky
Mountains. This point is about 800
feet above the sea, and is 500 feet lower
than Cheyenne and more than $500 feet
lower than the highest point reached by
the Union Pacific road. Helena, II. L.,
il 100 feet lower than Denver. Col. |
There is less than $50 miles of the entire
line of the Northern Pacific railroad
that exceeds 1000 feet in altitude. Stock |
runs out tho entire year in Montana,
aud the snowfall from Glendive west |
ward is much less than in Minnesota. |
think that the company will require
very few snow sheds. and the only seri-
ous delays to the operation Of the road
from SHOWS that may occur will be in
Dakota and Minnesota.
Is there likely to be any serious diff
6culty in crossing the Flathead reserya-
ton?
do not think there will be any DELAY
nothing serious, at any rate. The |
Indians are DESTROYS of having this road |
built. and there is really nothing re-
but the mere fOrmalities of a |
treaty to be gone through with. / have !
no doubt but that the treaty will be |
perfected in ample time.
How far is it through the reservation? |
Only about sixty five miles.
What may be said of the scenery |
along your line, as compared with that |
Of the other Pacific roadsl
There Is really no comparison, in my |
estimation. for that along the route OF |
the Northern Pacific is so far the supe- |
rior both in grandeur and pastoral
beauty. Such magnificent mountains |
and such rich reaches OF prairie and |
fertile valleys il nowhere else TO lie |
seen.
Ia there much timber on any portion
Of the line?
When yon get west of Missoula there |
is large territory covered with white |
cedar, spruce, pine, FIR and tamarac,
and when you get along still farther |
there is some good white pine. There |
ia one reach Of $50 miles of wooded re- !
gion which is really very good timber. |
There is, in fact. scattering timber along |
nearly the whole line.
Then your trip has resulted in proving
10 yon that the route of the Northern |
Pacific ia even better than you sup
posed?
Yes, for there isn't foot of waste |
land, rs you s,ight say, the entire dis
tance. The route Is through the very
On rf7au If tina worid Az trim has rov,