The semi-weekly miner., 1883-07-25
Warm Springs in Line With
the Helena Boom.-Deer
Lodge Equilibrious.
Tho Railroad Gap to be Closed by
September 1st.- Disguised
Ticket Holders.
Route Of the Railroads.-Tem-
porary Bridge Building.
The Tenderfoot and His Little
Pop.
Missoula's Prospects.
Special Correspondence of the Miner.

/
The first thing that attracts the at
tention of the traveller from Butte t.
Miss0ula is the improvement beinl
made about the Warm Spring asy
.um. It is suggested that the en-
largement is in anticipation of 9
number of guests from Helena, who
as John Chinaman would express it
seem to he going "clazy" on real es
tate. The town of Deer Lodge ap
pears to be entirely free from the
feverish excitement and fictitious
values from the railroad boom. The
residents expected nothing, and have
not allowed their equilibrium to be
disturbed by the hurrah from the
transient people connected with the
construction of the railroad. They
have the business and indust, les
which they had before the railroad
came and which they will hold after
it has passed through and made its
connection with the Northern Pa
cific.
The stages running from Helena to
Missoula are now crowded by travel.
ers and tourists holding through
ticket, on the Northern Pacific.
Many Of them indulge in strong,
nervous language for having to
switch off from q Pullman palace car
to a stage coach, having bought their
tickets with the expectation of COM
pleted road. Such parties charge no
imposition upon the railroad compa-
ny, put only negligence upon them
selves; for the company Invariably
tells them who inquire, of the 12O-
mile stage gap. Parties, however,
buying tickets from points in the
East, are not in position to obtain
correct information on this point.
Gilmer & Salisbury are doing
everything they can for the comfort
and speedy transit Of passengers.
They are sending four and six-horse
stock over the road, and every other
day they send two coaches. The dis.
tance from Deer Lodge to Missoula is
made in eighteen hours. It is sad
commentary on the boasted govern
ment ''celerity" in the transporta-
tion of mails that all Eastern mail
for points below Deer Lodge actually
lies in the Deer Lodge postofice is
hours. But the people seem to have
submitted to it without a murmur,
and the newspapers of Missoula
county have Elade no "kick" on
matter that has stared them in the
face for the past two years.
It is cf no use to stir up this mat
ter now, for the reason that in the
oouroo of 1oof;nvv Tho ,>,o %<ov will a Il
adjust itself within the next six
weeks. The gap between the east
ern and western ends of the North
ern Pacific will certainly be closed
by that time. An influential rail-
road man, who had just left Presi-
dent Willard in New York and was
fellow passenger on the down coach
last Sunday, states that Mr.. Willard
has issued 400 invitations for an ex.
cursion over the Northern Pacific to
start from New York August 18th,
and has sent word along the line
hat the road must be completed for
he accommodation of these excur-
'ionists. They willspend few days
IN the National Park, and proceed
thence to Portland. It is probable
hat they will be ready to pass
through western Montana tho first |
week in September.
Increased activity in work along |
he line of the railroad tallies
With this information. The piles
or all the larger bridges have been
lriven, and the pile driving force
oova1 nm fo No(lorfhx,). - n.>,I
lodge county, on the 18th. There
re three quite large bridges within
tx miles of Missoula-two over the
Iellgate and one over Big Blackfoot.
Trains are running overthe Hellgate
,ridges and will be over the Big
3lackfoot bridge in a day or two.
Che next bridge across the Hellgate
9 six miles further up, and another
bree miles above this. The road
hen runs along on the north side of
he river for about twelve miles,
vhen, just above Beaver Tail Hill, it
rosses to the south side on a very
arge bridge, and about two miles
,bove recrosses again to the north
ide on which it continues up to Nc
1arthy's, just above Medicine Tree
Hill. From McCarthy's the road
uns on the south side of the river up
0 Bears mouth, from which point
n to the mouth of Little Blackfoot
he bridges are rather small affairs.
None of the bridges put in across
he Hellgate are at all formidable in
be work of their construction. They
re probably intended to be only
structures to last but a few
ears. These bridges rest on sets of
lies driven in the river twenty feet
part. It is then but light job to
aw off the piles to a uniform
eight and throw the bridge
cross. He'll Gate river is noted for
8 ice gorges and jams, which have
epeatedly destroyed bridges across
3 channel. If these railroad bridges
land for four years the company will
ave immense luck. The bridges
cross this stream that give any
romise of permanence' have to be a ,
ingle span from bank to bank, with
o obstructions to force the water in
, q new channel and possibly tear
% the track for miles. The Jams I
rom floating driftwood and trees in ,
Ugh water are still more to be dread
d. The utmost vigilance has had to
e practiced, and occasional logs that
,dged against bridge pier cut I
way before a jam could be formed. j
appreciating the danger ,
- l. thu ;1raoH hoo