St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-10-13
Montana Improvement Compan!


WASHINGTON, Oct 12.-The following
letter has just been received by COmmis-
sioner Sparks:
Department of the Interior, General Land
Office, Rathdrum, Idaho Territory, Oct. g.
1SS5.-Honorable Commissioner General Land
Office, Sir: I have the honor to report that
L have completed the reports Of the Northern
Pacific Railroad company and the Montana
Improvement company timber trespassage,
and herewith transmit eight reports, making,
with what have already transmitted thirty
one separate indictments in all, showing that
these corporations have caused to be cut
from the public domain 45,100.000 feet of
lumber and bridge timber, S4,744 railroad
ties, 15,400,000 shingles (61,600 bunches),
81, ,035 cords of wood and 10000 cedar posts.
To value the lumber at $40 per LOCO
feet, which would be low figure,
the railroad ties at cents per tie, the wood
at S3 per cord, the posts at $50 per LOCO, and
the shingles at So per LOCO or so cents
bunch, would amount to S613, ,402. This does
not represent all the ties and wood cut for the
Northern Pacific Railroad company by Eddy,
Hammond s. Co., which changed its firm
name into the Montana Improvement COM
pany in July, 1883, as 1 found it an absolute
lmpoSSlbility to get witnesses to testify in
those cases, or even find persons of whom 1
could obtain anything like satisfactory in
formation. Where the depredations were
committed between Rathdrum, Idaho
| and Bear Mouth, Mont, is very thinly settled,
and men who were employed on the contracts
during the construction of the Northern Pa
ciffc railroad have gone to parts unknown.
Owing to this, it has taken me much longer
to complete this investigation than
it otherwise should. l was hampered
by officers of the Montana improvement
company, who appeared to expect an in
vestigation and were fortifying their position.
The company had agents along the line en-
deavoring to suppress facts of the Montana
Improvement company operations. The COM
pany is an unscrupulous corporation that will
leave nothing undone to gain their point. I
found that no reliance whatever could be
placed upon the statements of officers of the
company. [ have mailed copy in duplicate Of
the contract between the Northern Pacific
Railroad company and the Montana Improve
ment company. 1t was furnished me by H.
W. Fairweather OF Sprague, VI. T., an ex-
division superintendent of the Northern Pa
cltic Railroad company. have the honor to
be, your obedient servant, NJ, J. HALEY,
Special Timber Agent, Rathdrum, Idaho.
The contract referred to by Agent Haley
in the above report is between the Northern
Pacific Railroad company of the first part
| and the Montana improvement company of
the second part 1t binds the railroad COM
pany to withdraw all of its timber lands
from sale and disposal and gives the I'm
provement company the exclusive right to
cut timber from the lands. In return for
the privilege, the Improvement company
transfers to the railroad company 1000 full
paid up shares of its capital stock of the
value of 81, 200, 600, reserving to itself
shares valued at 1899, 900. The Improve
ment company also agrees to erect at its
own expense all mills and furnish all plant
necessary for its business Of timber cutting.