The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1885-04-01
RAILROAD MEETING.
An Enthusiastic Gathering OF interest.
ed Citizens.

On Saturday afternoon, in response to
q call made by Chairman Monroe, very
large number of people from the country
and city gathered at Speith & Krug's
hall. Chairman Monroe explained the
object of the meeting, referred to the
Illustration of the peoples wishes, and
the pocketing of the railroad bill. Beisg
unable to secure territorial aid the meet
ing was for the purpose of aiding our
selves.
TT. Lynde was then called upon and
stated that from conversations he had
had with representative farraers, believ-
ed that twenty miles of the road could
be built by the people of Gallatin county
who were all fully alive to the benefits
Of such an undertaking, and would sub
scribe work or money.
Engineer Wickes then responded to
call and made very intelligent and in
teresting statement, based upon the esti-
mated cost of building the road seventy
miles. The grading, iron, ties, bridges,
plates, track-laying, eight passenger
coaches, two hundred freight cars, would
cost 81, $50 per mile. Pipestone he said
was not unsurmountable mountain, and
from data in his possession he gave the
grade as 121 feet to the mile across this
mountain. The coal fields extending to
within three miles of Bozeman, he said,
form thirtY-siX miles of out-crop, demon
strated that there was an inexhaustibIe
supply of that article in this field He
spoke at length of experiments made of
the coal and its gas, and coke making
qualities as demonstrated by frequent
tests. With washer it would produce
better coke than the celebrated Connels-
vile, and proved his statement by the
figures of recent analysis. His remarks
were listened to with wrapt attention,
and were delivered with that earnest
ness that convinces the most skeptical.
Walter Cooper was called upon and
spoke of the great need Bozeman bad of
railroad communication to Butte, the
work that had been done in Butte and
Helena to accomplish that end, and eulo-
gized Ironically Gov. Carpenter and his
No. headed friend, Galloway.
Mr.. Queally, of the Queally Hoffman
coal mine, Timberline, was next called
upon, and briefly stated that he had been
engaged in the coal business all his life,
had been the means of inducing men to
invest many thousand dollars in Boze-
man coal, had put all the money he
could raise in Bozeman coal property
in short had gone his pile on it. He had
sent car load of coal to Pittsburg to be
washed and coked, and expected in few
weeks to demonstrate to the world that
Bozeman coal will coke.
Mr.. W. w. Anderson followed with
carefully compiled statistics, relating to
the freight business of Butte-amounting
to S6,000000 last year-which explains
tina anirnus of the Union Pacific's expires
sions regarding Bozeman coal. He also
presented figures regarding the grain and
produce raised in the Gallatin valley,
and proved that this alone would give
the proposed road large amount of bust
ness and enhance the value of all our
productions.
Engineer Green and Robinson each |
gave figures nearly the same as those of |
Engineer Wickes.
Ex-Judge Conger of Madison county,
then being called upon addressed the
meeting and said that he was heartily in
favor of the move, and thought that ali
Madison county desired that road should
be built Monied men he said had long
and anxiously looked for railroa' He
spoke of the mountains of metal tribu-
tary to the road, which now lay idle and
for the lack of fuel and trans
portation. The speaker had always
that Bozeman should be the
capital of Montana, and believed that
the day would come when it would en-
Joy that honor.
Geo. Nichols arose and briefly gave
his views regarding the proposed road,
of its necessity, and added that if the
bill Lad been passed removing the capt.
tai to Bozeman, the Governor would
have taken it out of the territory with
him, and the people left without any
capital at all.
On motion a committee was appointed
consisting of J. NJ. Lindley. E, A. Rouse
and Mr.. Rohart to propose plan for
future action and organization of railroad
The meeting then adjourned until $50
when larger crowd filed the hall and
were addressed by several gentlemen.
Articles of incorporation have since
been filed for the Montana Central Rail-
road Co. and the proposition now is to
90 ahead and with such men as Story,
Mendenhall, Sloan, Lindley and other
substantial citizens of Bozelnan and Gal
latin County build to Red Bluff this sea-
son. BY the assistance and aid that has
been promised by the people of the val |
ley and Bozeman the company have
every assurance of being able to grade /
the road at least 30 miles this summer
AhOuf Petitions.