The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1883-09-19
THE NORTHERN PACIFIC.

THE NORTHERN PACIFIC.
That we must 90 from home to
hear the news is markedly illustrated
by the following from the New York
Sun of a recent date: "The golden
9, ike of the Northern Pacific, al
though driven to the accompaniment
of music and the popping of cham
payne corks, did not in any way i'm
prove the market value of its stock.
| There seems also to be something
disagreeably suggestive in the way
Rufus Hatch's expedition has come
to an end. Neither he nor any of
bis guests has written anything
about it, and one OF them, Mr.. lie
Sage, Manat'er of the London Daily
Telegraph, skipped away very quiet
ly, in Saturdays steamer. We
shall probably hear a good deal
about the far Northwest and
the Yellowstone upon Mr.. Hatch's
return, but Wall street does not take
much interest in descriptions of the
beauties of nature. What it looks
after is the cash, and there are very
ugly rumors of a floating debt of
some ST., 0 1000 in that case. It is al
so said that two tunnels, which are
now dispensed with by hauling the
trains Owe the mountains at an enor-
nous expense, will cost $1,000 ,OOO."
In the first place there was no
''golden spike' driven, ncr was there
a popping of champagne corks."
If there was, the ears of Montana
visitors not tickled with their
music. But these are the least inn
portant points Of the rather mixed
editorial of the Sun. What is meant
by the livery ugly rumors of a float
ing debt of some SIT 600, 900" is about
as clear as mud. Whether it is the
"far Northwest" the Fellows tone"
or Mr. Rufus Hatch that is involved
to that rmount is lett to the discern
ment of the reader. AS to whether
the Bozeman and Mullan tunnels
will cost SIC, 600, 900, the San can have
no reliable information. Those tun-
nels were run on contract at a certain
price per foot, and their cost, when
completed, was as we'll known to the
Northern Pacific company months
ago as to-day, consequently their
cost can cut no more of a figure in
the present market value of the stock
than it did when the construction of
the tunnel was decided upon and the
contracts let
Montanians have very little inter.
est in the market value of railroad
stocks. The question IN which they
are more interested ISIS the railroad
of advantage to them? AS
is we'll known, the market
value of railroad shares is largely in
fuenced by the operations of Wall
street bulls" and bears" and as
long as their operations in them do
not increase the cost of local or
through transportation on railroad
lines it makes but little difference to
the mass of western producers
whether the market value of the
Pacific shares is eighty or
one hundred and eighty cents. The
interests of Montana and other Ter
.ritories through which it passes may,
however, be effected by low quota
tions of Northern Pacific railroad
stock. The unthinking or uniformed
may infer that the country over
which the road passes is poor in all
those essentials which in the ai~gre-
gate make freight and enrich lines of
transportation. AS far as Montana is
concerned a more mistaken idea
cannot be conceived. The great
mineral resources of the Territory
are but in the infancy oftheir de-
its agricultural products
can be multiplied a thousand fold,
and the full extent Of its grazing adj
vantages is far. from being reached.
When all these resources shall be re-
spending to the labor which, in the
near future, will be devoted to their
fuller development, Montana alone
can employ every car run upon the
two great roads in the Territory. 1t
quite possible that when that time
arrives, the "market value" of North
ern Pacific stock will be quoted at a
large advance Yer present quota
ions. That road is running through
4 country of great possibilities.