The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1883-11-07

There is nothing Montana should De
more proud of than her newspapers.
They are certainly a credit to the terri
tory, as well as to their publishers. a
great many western people have an idea
that newspapers in the far west. and IN
a new country, are, to a certain extent,
inferior to those published in the east
but a glance at some of the Montana pa
pers soon %convinces them of their mis-
take.-N. p. Railroad Journal.
We learn from John Cashier that he
has improved the last few rainy weeks,
when the coal demand was slack, in
putting in a first class coal chute, which
will hold rs tons, at his mine at Little
P%ittsburg. Teams can now drive under
the chute and have the coal u into
their wagons. He has also done con-
siderable grading on the road leading to
the mine, so that big teams can now
easily travel over it. The demand for
coal at 81 a ton at the mine has been
good so far this fall and has kept the
miners rustling to supply the customers.
We learn from a party just in from
the log drive up the Missouri that the
timber is all safely oyer the first or Black
Eagle falls if it can be got over the first
one there is no reason why 1T cannot be
run over the remaining ones, so we may
| expect to see it laying at Roosevelt's
island before the river closes up this
| winter. MI. Allen, who has charge Of
| the work. reports that the Missouri at
lhigh water will be the easiest river to
Ildrive On that he has ever tried, and as
he has been in. the business for many
| years in Wisconsin and Minnesota his
| opinion oughttob be worth something.
Everybody will be sorry to hear that
Dick Berry is sick at Poplar river
agency, his lungs being affected. He
went down there with a herd of 294 beef
steers for T. G. Power, but was unable to
return with the party on account of ill
health. We learn from those h came
back that horse thieves are plentiful IN
that country. The Indians at the agency
are reported to be very near star
yation, as they would follow the party
two or three days to get a little some
thing to eat. The poor creatures do not
get enough food furnished them at the
agency in a week to last q day. Small
game of all kinds is very scarce around
there as it has been hunted SO much, SO
they cannot live very high on what they
kill. They are trying to exc out a mis-
cradle existence with what little meat
they can procure from the government
or kill themselves, and with rose hips
and other berries which they can pick
from the bushes.
Gus Ernst and family, from Sand
Coulee, are spending a few days in the
city. We had the pleasure of staying
over night at their place, during one OF
our rambles, and were most hospitality
entertained. Gus has oneof the finest
hay ranches in a coulee that is full OF
good ones. He showed us fine, large
cabbages and potatoes, which were
growing nicely although they had not
had a drop of rain on them for over two
months. The soil of Sand Coulee is a
clayey loan, which holds the moisture
much better than the more sandy loan,
so common in this country. Fine blue
Joint hay is raised without irrigation
and we saw several small patches O
grain raised for an experiment which
locked very well-a good average crol
for n country. Sand Coulee has alst
some good coal banks, which insure'
the ranchers plenty of fuel at a reason
able figure. When the city OF Grea
Falls has its mills, manufactures ant
railroads, the of these coal mine
will have q fortune insured them, a
it is only a few miles from the site Q
the coming city.