The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1884-04-02

vote.
Short but enthusiastic addresses were
then made by Messrs. Donnelly, Tattan,
McIntire, Collins and others, when,
upon motion Of E. G. Maclay, the meet
ing adjourned sine die.
The articles of Incorporation of the
Helena & Fort Benton railroad were re-
ceived by mail yesterday, and were
duly signed by the following gentle
men: E. G. Maclay, T. E. Collins,
Chas. E. Conrad, L. A. Cummings and
F. c.. Roosevelt The document is now
fully signed, and the next thing will be
the election of officers. Then the sub
scription books will be opened, and we
trust there will be no difficulty in secur-
ing the funds necessary to begin opera
tions before the season advances very
much farther
Mr.. J. J. Hill, the proprietor OF Great
Falls and railroad king Of the new
northwest, is daily expected in Helena,
and on his arrival he will give some
consideration to this proposed railroad
enterprise. IF the project looks encour-
aging, and sufficient inducements are
offered him, Mr.. Hill will take hold Of
the enterprise and push it through to
completion. If he agrees to take the
lead there will be no temporizing, no
delays, no foolishness. The railroad
would then be built just as speedily
as possible and the cars running into
Fort Benton early next season. Con-
siderins these facts no effort should be
spared to enlist Mr.. Hill's aid, and if the
people most interested at Helena, this
city and along the line do the right thing
it is certain to be forthcoming. We
would much rather see Mr.. Hill at the
head of the enterprise than the North
ern Pacific folks.
One of the most important undertak-
ings that Helena can now engage in is
the building of this road from Helena
to Benton, through the rich mining and
pastoral regions which lie between, and
upon the route of which hosts of small
towns must necessarily spring up and
become tributary to Helena. The Falls
of the Missouri. with its almost limit
less water power, will certainly become
at no distant day great industrial Gen.
ter for the manufacturing of the various
products necessary to the advancement
of Montana, and especially woollen
goods, with Helena and Fort Benton as
distributing points, and more so as the
road must necessarily be extended to
connect with the Canadian Pacific
Herald.
Our reporter met Mr.. Paris Gibson
yesterday, who recently returned from
Minneapolis, and the con versation nat
urally drifted to that topic which is a
popular theme of conversation when a
Helena man meets one from Benton,
viz: The Helena and Benton railroad.
Mr.. Gibson agreed with us that the road
enlisted warm sympathy at Benton as
we'll as at Helena. The enterprise only
needed a head about which its friends
could rally to make it an assured sue
cess. That head, Mr.. Gibson is inclined
to believe, can be found in J. J. Hill
president of the St. Paul, Minneapolis
& Manitoba railroad. Hill is self
made man, started as steamboat clerk
and is now worth twenty millions Of
dollars, although still in the heyday of
life. He is man of no ordinary capa-
city-far-reaching and full of enterprise,
and we understand is already favorably
impressed with the Helena and Benton
railroad project. In fact, Mr. Hill in
conjunction with Mr.. Paris Gibson has
already embarked in the enterprise of
building up city at the great falls of
the Missouri, and a railroad to Benton
would touch that point and add greatly
to its Importance The title to large
bodies of land embracing the greater
portion of the falls has been secured, be-
sides other valuable interests in that
vicinity. The valleys of the upper Mis-
souri, Mr.. Gibson regards as the finest in
Montana, and in the production of
wheat especially, are unequaled. His
company propose to erect first class
grist mill this season at the falls, which
will supply a long felt want in region
destined to become the Campania of
T,Io,,arn1nnf
The Flood at Belknap.
Major Lincoln, Indian agent at Fort