The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1883-05-11
THE WILLARD VISIT.

President Willard and associate officers Of
the Northern Pacific Railroad Company have
made the transit Of Montana. They visited
MIssoula, Deer Lodge, Butte and Helena
and were accorded the courtesies properly
extended TO gentlemen representing - i'm
portant . factor In the history Of Montana
as does that corporation. As stated last
week Deer Lodge had nothing TO ask Of the
n. p. Company save ordinary business facil-
litiss, and had nothing to offer but q friendly
greeting and good will. Missoula, which
recently presented the Company 800 town
lots as peace offering to prevent the estab-
lishment of rival town few miles below,
was assured the compact would be respect
ed, but no promise was elected that the
town should be made the end of q division
with machine shops ETC., the President say
ing all such determinations were left to the
operating department. Missoula has been
exceedingly nervous over Its TOWNSHIP matter
for year or two, and In Its desire to make
the matter " solid" has endeavored to secure
a promise that appears unnecessary. While
the individual members of q corporation
may be naturally humane and susceptible to
all personal antilles and animosities, the
corporation collectively is as stolid as a
mountain range and has in view but one OBJ
ject, to make money. Missonla has made
it to the interest Of the N. P. Company to
build up that city and Its geographical posi-
tion assures its being the end Of division,
II not between the devil and the deep sea at
least between the eighty-mile He'll Gate
canon and the great trestles. 20.
The railroad magnates visited Butte. A
delegation of representative men from that
place met them here, accompanied them to
the Silver City, entertained them Hospitality
and, with the unequalled facilities Of that
mining camp, showed 10 them In q few hours
the great mines, the extensive mills, smelters,
and hosting works and sent the party away
favorably impressed with the tribute that
camp can legitimately pay to railroad that
will extend 1t prompt railro ad transit at
reasonable rates. While we stand by all
former sayings that in q business point Of
view the Northern Pacific Company made q
colossal mistake In not running Its main line
as far south as Butte, 1t is true the Company
has steadily declared Its purpose to reach
that mining region by q main or tributary
line. This latter has been secured by the
pool arrangement to lay a third rail from
Blackfoot to Butte, and other advices point
to the n. p. Co. building an independent,
standard gauge road between the two points
should the pool arrangement break. Butte
Is certain to secure Northern Pacific connec-
ton, and If president Willard was careful
how he made the promise IL was more owing
to modesty of expression than uncertainty
of purpose. The traffic of Butte Is too large
to be ignored.
In Helena his reply to the welcome ex-
tended by citizens Of the capital was chiefly
q review of the financial difficulties that had
encompassed the Northern Pacific enterprise.
No public promises were made Of favor In
establishing branch lines from there further
than as feeders from neighboring mining
regions, nor that the place should have
all aid from the Company In making it the
great intermediate city between St. Paul and
Portland. Ifhowever it Is made to the in
terest of the Company there Is not much
doubt Its energies will be directed to that
purpose. Incidental TO his speech Mr.. Viii
lard said the Mullan tunnel would be COM
pleted by August LIST 1888 but also stated
he had directed the engineers TO build q
" switcbback" or "overtop" road across the
range at that point similar to the one across
the Bozeman range. The ostensible reason
assigned for this was 10 give travellers an
opportunity 70 enjoy the scenic effects In
crossing the Rocky Mountains, but 1t looks
more probable that the engineers are appre-
hensive of caves In the tunnel and that the
d" overtop" road Is ordered to insure constant
communication should such an event occur.
II was originally believed the tunnel would
not require arching, but the driving Of the
tunnel appears to have demonstrated that
security can only be had by expensive and
tedious timbering or arching, the rock for
mhIIou III bcNSiaf piaScp h0'ihS PioNSa w S~
insecure for roof.
Aside from this change Of programme there
appears TO have been no important action
ordered by President Willard. The trip was
to considerable extent in the nature of an
exploration, he and several of his associates
having never visited the old settled portion
Of Montana before. That they we're favor
ably impressed Is evident from all public
and private expressions, and 1t is evident
TO all that Montana will furnish the North
ern Pacific from this time on more way
traffic than any transcontinental railroad has
ever had from an interior region. Montana
was equally we'll impressed with these rail-
readers. They are decidedly western men,
young, plain, practical aud energetic with
the big end of life ahead Of them and
fortune In sight. What they lack In expe-
rience is compensated by vim and spirit and
when they ask for the worlds overland traffic
at the Atlantic and Pacific ports 1t will
doubtless be from vantage point as astound-
ing as was that of the almost unknown
Henry Willard when he stepped into the
Northern Pacific Office 10 New York year
or two ago and told President Billings he had
come over from Oregon TO buy out and run
the Northern Pacific Railroad Company,
- A. - 1~A 4