St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-12-25
Northern Pacific.

at present 2, 694.5 miles of track are be-
ing operated by the Northern Pacific Rail
way company, of which 31.3 miles of main
line and 1875 miles of branch line were
added this year. In Improvements of track.
and in the construction of buildings. bridges
and new line. over So, 10000 were ex-
pended. Of the improvements the most i'm
p0rtant were 1.36 miles of new
steel laid in Minnesota, 1918 in
Dakota and 1.01 miles in Montana.
at cost of S3S. 500; new ties in the main
line relaid on the eastern division. $50 900:
twenty-three miles new ballast, $40. 600;
new sidings, S37. 500; new yards at West
Superior $4,000 and at Duluth Sll,250;
total SIT. $50; new buildings in Minnesota,
$40, $50; Dakota, SO, 375; in Montana,
SIT, S75; total, S37, 500; new snow sheds in
Montana. S4. 500.
In Minnesota elevators and greenhouses
were erected with total capacity of co.
900 bushels, and in Dakota with capacity
of l, 125. 600 bushels.
New snow fences built in Minnesota cost
$500 and in Dakota, So. 500; combination
bridge across the Mississippi at Brainerd,
$50 feet long, renewed, S14, $50; new stock
fence % miles long in Montana, 81. $50.
Besides these improvements standard
bridges, crossing signs put up at all cross
ings, station signs at all stations section
signs at all sections, mile posts, yard limit
signs at all yards over the entire road from
st. Paul to Helena, including branches.
The new Marent viaduet bridge in Montana
finished in April cost S153, $40.
Many new extensions are contemplated,
among them being that of the Fergus
& Black Hills to junction with
the James River Valley; the Fargo
d Southwestern. from La Mourne to Bis
marck; branch up the Tongue river,
from Miles City to the Union Pacific;
branch line from some point on the main
line to Butte, Mont; branch
southwark from Spokane Falls up
the valley of Hangman's creek to
Pennington and Moscow in the Palouse
country. and thence to Lewiston, at the
junction of the Clearwater and Snake
rivers.
Work on the Cascade division continues,
and as soon as completed the company will
have its own outlet to the Pacific.
The marked increase of commercial move
menI at the head of Lake Superior is one
of the most interesting features connected
with the traffic of the road.
ST. Paul, Minneapolis & Manitoba.
Though it has made no very extensive re-
pairs this season, what it did was as much
as was necessary. 1t has built 70 miles of
new line and has under consideration many
extensions which, when completed. will
add few hundred miles of line to its sys-
TEN. The most important of these pro-
jected extensions are: One from Crookston
eastward to Leech lake and eventually to
Duluth. Surveyors have been over the
country as far as Leech lake, and about
nifty miles OF this line will be built next
season. Another extension will be from
Devils Lake city northerly to probably the
Turtle mountains. Then, there is some
talk of extending the Devils Lake branch
westward to the Missouri river but it will
be some time yet before this is done. Of
new steel laid this year. so miles were in
Dakota, from Wahpeton north, and 20
miles from st. Cloud sOuthweSterly. The
cost of the tifty-mile extension was $780,
900, and the other of 20 miles, $500, 600.
At st. Paul $40, 900 was expended in put
ting in new turn table and building
paint shop. $40, 900 for tracks to the fair
grounds and depot there, and $4,000 for
a union switching apparatus at the Fourth
street crossing. At Minneapolis an iron
bridge was substituted for wooden one,
and other repairs around the union station,
amounted to S25. 900. In building new de-
pots and making improvements along the
line $50, 900 was expended, and for new
tanks $4,000. The total expenditures
for improvements, extensions, ETC..
amounted to about S1.200 600. The policy
of the company in acquiring ample terminal
facilities at all important points. and pro-
viding convenient freight and transfer
yards, has been continued, and now the
company's yard, passing and side tracks
amount to 203 miles, enabling it to handle
traffic with economy and promptness.