Omaha daily bee., 1884-01-07

IYEST or TIE MISSOURI.

bonds to any railroad company upon
of 100 miles of road north
Cheyenne, has been accepted by the
Cheyenne, Black Hills 81 Montana rail-
road company. These bonds were first
voted to the Union Pacific, but the com-
pany failed to comply with the conditions
within a certain time, and the commits
sioners of the county were left at liberty
to vote the bonds to any other corpora
ton. The agreement with the new COM
pany provides hat it shall construct and
put In operation 100 miles of road by
November l, 1885, and when so con
the company shall receive from
Laramie county $500, 600 in bonds, draw
ing 6 per cent interest.
The proposed railroad will start from
Cheyenne and run northeasterly along
the most practicable route to the North
Platte river, thence there will be one
branch northward to the Black Hills,
Dakota, and a second branch to the most
desirable point in the territory of Mor-
tana, as shall be determined by survey
of route. The officers of the company
are as follows: A. FL. Swan, president;
f. L. Warren, secretary; M. L. Post,
treasurer, and w. G. Irvine, vice-presi-
dent.
The advantages of theroadt to Cheyenne
and Wyoming generally are numerous
and important. 1t will facilitate the de-
velopment of the coal and mineral inter-
ests of the northern portion of the terri
tory by providing rapid transportationfor
the products. The immense stock inter-
ests tributary to the line will furnish a
constantly increasing business for the
company, and agricultural communities
will spring up in the valleys as 1901 as a
market is made for the products. The
construction of the road will prove the
most important and beneficial work I'M
dertaken in the territory since the build
ing of the Union Pacific.
The building of the Northern Pacific
road through Montana has brought about
a contest between the iron horse c%iviliza-
ton and the free and frolicsome steer
punchers of the foothills and valleys.
The formalities and restraints of the
east are a menace to the liberties hereto
fore enjoyed by the lariateers, and a war
to the death is being waged between the
two extremes. The stage coach and the
bull trains have been practically banished
and the forelorn cowboy is left to give
battle to the advancing hordes. The
town of Livingston, on the Yellowstone,
is the center of the struggle at the pres
ent time. An eastern theatrical company
gave an entertainment there, recently,
and received an introduction, though
somewhat brief, to a trio of cowboys and
their cayuses. Soon after the doors were
opened they rode up to the boxoffice,
purchased and paid for three ticket and
then coolly informed the manager that
they proposed to ride up to the front seat
in the show. They all made a dash for
| the door and one of them entered, much
to the dismay of the audience, but as the
town constable, whose avoirdupois is not
less than 300 pounds, happened to be
among the patrons of the company that
night, he quietly arose in his seat, pulled
a six-shooter with a barrel as long as a
shotgun, leveled it at the cowboys head
and told him in tones which drowned the
music of the cornet solo that he would
give five seconds for the intruder to skip.
The cowboy ~dismounted and quickly led
his horse into the open air, where, meet.
ing his two confederates, the trio rode
off and entered a saloon on horseback,
where they employed the evening in
Jumping their animals over the billiard
| table for the drinks.
Helena, the capital city, is the marvel
of Montana. Few cities in this country
have been so substantially built up witt
out outside help as has Helena. Com
pletely isolated from the states, surroun
ded by towering mountains and with NJ
rail communication from it's birth til
August last, she has built up an immense
business, amassed wealth and established
all the institutions of civilized society
Helena is to-day probably the wealthiest
city of its size in the country. Her foul
national banks have an aggregate de-
post of over 81, 00O, 900. Some of heI
merchants carry stocks eff 1926, 900. II
is claimed that there are so men in
Helena who have an income of $4,000 a
year. Her churches and school build.
ings compare favorably with Other
towns of seven thousand inhabitants,
She has a fine opera house with seating
capacity of 1900. The United States
assay office located there is a model OF
substantial architecture. This office it il
aaid, assays more gold than any Other
Office in the United States excepting
only the New York Office. There hai
been taken out within the limits of tn,
town plat of Helena over $40, 00U, 900 o
gold, and oven yet gold is being minet
within the city limits. The business por
ton of the city is built in Last Chanc'
gulch probably the richest placer min
ing gulch.ever discovered) and the street
are narrow and irregular. The Northern
Pacific company have located their depo
and shops out on a broad plain, about
mile from the business portion of tn
town, expecting, or at least hoping t
draw the business of the city in that di
r%ection. AS yet Helena has never beel
doomed, like most western towns; he
growth has been and is substantial an,
solid.
Governor Hale, of Wyoming, in his re
port to the secretary of the interior, pre-
sents a variety of statistics to show tn
growth and prosperity of that territory
The population is estimated at $4,000
/ mora than ~ hn1e ~ x-l.~I 2. =. 4N..~,