The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1884-05-07
That Circular.

| tssss s. l.
The circulars issued by the Helens
committee in regard to the Helena
Fort Benton railroad were received in
this city Friday, and we give below
the important points of the same, omit
ting some paragraphs owing to the
length of the document:
| HELENA, MONTANA, April 25, 1884
Dear Sir-The necessity OF having rail
connection between Helena and Fort
Benton has been known for number
of years, and the advantages to be deriv-
| ed from the construction of railroad
by the most feasible and practicable
route have become from year to year
greater and more important; and if such
a road We're in existence now it would
not alone be an immense benefit to the
large portion Of Montana Territory trib-
| utary to said road, but would also real
| lZe to those who invest their money in
| it's construction handsome profit, as
the promoters of this enterprise firmly
believe.
Convinced of these facts, a number of
Montanians have associated and incor-
porated themselves into company
under the name and style of the Helena
and Fort Benton Railroad Company"
and after considering the matter fully
and carefully have come to the conclu-
sion that such road can and ought to
be built, if all interested in the welfare
of Montana, especially in the district
through which the road must be con
structed, will come up and assist accord
ing to their ability and according to the
benefit they will derive from such a road
when constructed and in operation.
And in order to secure all the benefits
to be derived from said road, it has been
decided that the same shall be built,
ouoeed, operated, managed, and con-
trolted by home company, independent
OF any other corporation.
To accomplish this, an available stock
subscription of at least Five Hundred
Thousand Dollars is required at home
that is in the district contiguous to the
line of said railroad. This is desirable
feature of railroad building, as it is
safe one for those who invest their mon
ey, and leaves to them the control Of the
road. It also secures to them the re-
turns from their investments instead of
being crowded out by some outside COM
bination, after they have paid in a GER
tain amount of money for their stock.
The stock of this company will retain
its value of one hundred cents on the
dollar as long as it remains in the hands
of home stockholders, and therefore
every merchant, real estateoWner, mine
owner, and other business men in the
district must acknowledge that he will
be benefited by the building of the pro-
posed railroad between Helena and Fort
Benton.
With an available stock Of home
capital Of one-half million dollars, near
ly one-half Of narrow gauge road can
he built, and this done, it will be an
easy matter to obtain outside capital on
bonding the property of the company;
while the stock, and thereby the control
of the road, remains in the hands of the
home company. E### &
Of the innumerable advantages to be
derived from said railroad, we will mem.
tion only these which will be most
apparent A home company can build
the road considerably cheaper than an
outside corporation, by having the work
|done in small contracts, instead of let
Ting the contract in lump, and giving
the contract 70 one party, thereby saw
ling the profit ACQUIRING to such a one
from sub-letting parcels to sub-contrac-
tors. In pursuing this course almost
every dollar expended for work would
remain at home all supplies and pro-
visions would be furnished by Fort
Benton, Sun River and Helena mer-
chants.
The road can be built very cheaply at
the present time. A number Of COM
tractors with their teams and plants on
hand, being idle, would take work at p
living price. The price for rails and
iron supplies have not been SO low for
many years as they are at present.
Thirty-two and half to thirty-fve
dollars per ton for steel rails is the
present price. The company could
doubtless purchase the necessary rails
and iron, paying part in cash and part
in stock, and there has never been az
more advantageous time for constructs
ing the Helena and Fort Benton rail-l
road than the present.
The newly discovered immense coal
deposits at Sand Coulee and other places
along the line Of the road, Of the best
bituminous coal found west of Pennsyl-
vania, will furnish one of the most pro-
fitable sources Of traffic to this road.
This coal has been tested and found to
make good coke, which fact will in
sure the erection of smelling works
somewhere along the line Of the road.
Inc HnesI quailly Ol SaHustoHe Ioi
building purposes is found along Sun
river; and lime Of the best quality
abounds at Helena and on the Dear
born, which, together with the rich sill
yer quartz mines of Wolf creek district,
will furnish portion of the traffic of
the road.
The large scope of country north of
Sun river to the British possessions is
almost devoid of timber for building or
fencing purposes, and must be supplied
with lumber from this end of the road,
not only for building up towns and
cities hut for fencing and other nur-