Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-06-06
PROGRESS on THE NORTHERN
PACIFIC.

Construction work on the Yellowstone
division Of the Northern Pacific Is prog
ressing favorably. The end of the track
il now at the commencement Of Guys
bluff, l5S miles from Glendive and 80
miles from Miles city. The track lay
ers are now waiting for the completion
of some heavy grade work at the bluff,
but track laying will begin IN day or
SO, and progress at the rate of a mile to
a milo and a half day. The Big Horn
will probably be crossed by the 1st of
June. The tunnel near the Big Horn,
which has already been excavated
through the formation, will be 80 far
completed as to admit of track laying
by the 10th of June. The Big Horn ~
only sixty miles from Billings. Just be-
yond the first crossing of the Yellow
stone. From the Big Horn track lay
ing will proceed without further OBJ
struction. AZ the grade follows the val
lev, which is as level as a floor. The
last crossing Of the Yellowstone will be
at
BENSON $ LANDING,
where the road crosses the belt range
spur of the Rocky mountains into the
Yellowstone valley through the Bo2e-
man tunnel, on which work fine pro-
gress is now being made. Benson's will
probably DO reached by October. Col.
ClOugh feels confident of running the
construction train into Billings by July
18th, certainly not later than the LIST of Au-
gust. At Benson's Landing begins the
mountain division, which is under
charge of Gen. Dodge, whose headquar-
ters are at Helena. On this division
there are two tunnels and n great deal
of heavy rock work which is being
rushed through quito rapidly. On the
Yellowstone division alone over 5000
mon are employed in construction work
and the grading is nearly all done now.
Vexatious delays which hampered
construction work last year-lack of
men and material-have been amply pro-
vided against this season. Eighty thou
sand ties have just been flOated down
the Tongue river by Hubbell d. gilbert
son, and $4,000 more arc being doomed
down tho Yellowstone from the noun
tains, while the track laying has reached
& point SO far above navigation. that
the demand for freight and crew ser
vice on the Yellowstone can hardly in
terfere with construction work. There
is now on hand Mt the material yard
near Fort Keogh large lot of rails. and
more are arriving from the East all the
time, 50 there can be no delay from that
cause. Col. ClOugh has just moved his
headquarters to Billings. whence work
on the Yellowstone division will be di-
rected III the future.
Dyke work for the protection of the
grade along the bluffs of the Yellow
stone is holding its own against the
juno rise, and no danger of u break is
apprehendsd, unless there should be a
bad winter, u heavy snow fall and warm
rains in connection with the next spring
breakup, when moro ample provisions
will have been made. The country all
along the limo Of tho road from Miles
City east Is developing rapidly. Nearly
all Of the railroad lands already plated
at Miles City have been sold already
while there il an active demand 70,
town site property and lands all along
the line.
Vegetation is two weeks III advance of
Minnesota all along the Yellowstone
division, and as far east rs the Troy
farm, in Dakota. The town of Dicker
son is being plated, and Gladstone. on
the Green River valley is in the marke,
on the colony plan. This is q colony
established on tho morality basis by
parties from Ripon, Wis. The lands in
this vicinity have been surveyed by
county and township lines, and special
survey is being made for the benefit OF
settlers from this basis. The Northern
Pacific boom has set in for the season
and every train is crowded with settlers
and land hunters. A party from along
the line of the Pittsburg. Fort Wayne i
Chicago, will come out in June. Five
hundred have already engaged trans
portation. Miles City is their. objective
point.