Daily globe., 1883-08-29

Yesterday morning party of some fifty
Helenaites (among others an Independent
reporter,) in expectation of the finishing
of track laying on the Northern Pacific
boarded the construction train for the
west, with the end of the track for their
destination.
This train was the first one to carry pas
sengers through to the mouth of Little
Blackfoot. It consisted of two ordinary
cabooses and a Pullman sleeper. The
train left the depot at 6:20 a. N. The
murky weather of the preceding day had
left heavy mantle of fog over everything
in the valley, which the party greatly re-
GREETED, as they feared that the splendid
view to be had from the summit route
would be obscured. On proceeding up
the line few miles, however, the train
got above the fog, and it was found that
''beyond the clouds was the sun still shin
ing" The sensations of one on his first
trip over the summit line are almost be-
yond description. To one unaccustomed
to railroads in the mountains the trip
seems to be fraught with a good deal of
danger, for the trestles are high, the grade
steep, and the curves sometimes sharp.
But the Mogul locomotive hauled the train
right up the steep mountain grade, and
the passengers were not asked to get off
and walk single time, as in the stage
coach days.
The overhead line is marvel OF engi-
neering. Here was a mountain range
which few years ago was considered a
very difficult place to cross with wagon,
and now on notice of scarcely more than
sixty days (af.er the time when it was
found impossible to complete Mullan
tunnel by the 1st of September) broad
guage railroad is built ard in operation,
over its very summit OF course the grade
is sometimes very steep-almost like
climbing up steep roof-but the North
ern Pacific trains get there all the same.
The scenery along this overhead line is
magnificent, and to the. writer the effect
was greatly heightened by nervous fear
of the train jumping the track, and diving
into some gorge or other few thousand
feet below-but it didn't. On the out trip
yesterday morning, the scenery was large
ly adulterated with cinders from the To-
comotive, but was duly appreciated never
theless. At the summit, or Tip Top, as
the railroad calls it, is board with the
following inscription "Tip Top: Divide
between the Atlantic and the Pacific;
5,773 feet above sea level"
The mouth of Little Blackfoot was
reached without incident worthy of note,
and soon after the tracklayers wer5 come
up with. This was at about 12:45. One
of the gentlemen overseeing the work
stated that the men had been at work
since o'clock in the morning without
stopping to eat. This gang had already
laid about four miles of track for the day,
and they were stretching out the rails in a
remarkably rapid manner. They were
timed for ten minutes and in that time
laid $50 feet of track-more than one
tenth of mile-which would be at the
rate of mile in one hour and forty
minutes. 1t was asserted, however, that at
one time during the forenoon, a mile of
track was laid in an hour.
The reason for all this hurry was that
the road was to be completed during the
afternoon, and both gangs (that from the
east and that from the west) were trying
to do the biggest days work. The track
layers on the east end were generated by
Mr.. w. o. Winston, while those on the
west were headed by Mr.. z. B. Winston,
the two gentlemen being brothers. At the
close of work Tuesday it was found that
ten miles of road yet remained to be built.
Each of the two brothers asserted that his
men could lay the most track at the wind
up, and to settle it they divided the un-
completed road equally, placing a stake
with red flag upon it in the center. The
contest was to see which gang could build
the road up to the red flag first.
Bright and early the men on both di-
visions ate a hearty breakfast and then
started in to go to the red flag first or
break something. They worked like he
roes, and, as was remarked yesterday, each
map strained himself as if he was person
ally responsible for getting there on time.
At the time the excursion arrived On the
ground the ends were less than two miles
apart, and were closing as fast as muscle
could accomplish it.
The visitors took a position under
tree near the central point marked by the
red flag, and waited anxiously to see which
side would win. In few minutes the tie
distributing gang moved up from the
west. laying the ties in place as fast as
man would walk. In fifteen minutes
more, the tie men from the east came
round the bend half mile east, and it
was but few minutes until every tie was
Strengthened and ready for the rails.
Then came a pause while awaiting the
tracklayers, who were not yet in sight,
from either direction. In about half an
hour those from the west came round a
point quarter of mile distant. Steadi-
ly they marched (or worked), toward the
red flag (the winning point, like an army
of well-drilled soldiers. Not false mo
tion made they, but every move by any in
dividual forwarded the work just so much
At ten minutes before 2 o'clock the work
from the west reached the central flag, but
the gang from the east, having suffered
several unexpected delays, were only just
coming around the curve three quarters Of
a mile away.
The locomotive from the west moved up
to the end of the track and indulged in a
good deal of triumphant whistling, which
were answered by the locomotive from the
east-not triumphantly, however. The
engineer from the west stated that rath-
er than waste time in watering his locomo-
tive he let her run down almost dry, feel
ing sure that ne would have enough water
to carry the machine to the meeting point
and after that-well, he didn't care much
what.
At o'clock the tracklayers from the
east came up and the ends of track met.
The 1nst tuO roiIc unrn puf fO nrOn6r