The Great Falls leader. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1888-1900, 1888-10-23

A Beautiful Route for the Tourists or Bus-
fness Man,

Beautiful Route for the Tourists or Bus-
iness Man.
There is probably no railway line on
the continent of similar length that pre-
sents more attractive landscape or more
varied or enchanting scenery than that of
the Montana Central connecting Helena
and Great Falls. Skirting for about sixty
miles along the banks of the beautiful
Missouri, it finds an easy, almost natural
grade, nowhere exceeding more than 50
feet to the mile. So gentle are its in
clines that, without observation, one feels
as though he was rolling over prairie
land instead Of through defile of rug
ged spur in the Rocky mountain range.
There are five tunnels between this
city and Helena, distance of 81 miles.
Tunnel No. is 813 feet in length; No. 2,
172 feet; No. 8, $40 feet; No. 4, 362 feet;
No. 5, 573 feet. Between Helena and
Butte there are five more, the longest Of
which, the Wickes, is 6,112 feet, or near
ly one and quarter miles. The first
train will pass through this great tunnel
on the 24th inst.
Without indulging in any exuberances
of thought, we may say that better bal
lasted, smoother new road cannot be
found in the country. Indeed its run
ming reminds the traveller of that sliding
movement peculiar to the Michigan Cen
trial. Lake Shore, and other eastern steel
rail lines, where, by the science of the
engineer and the skill Of the road-mas-
ter, the jar and roll Of the newly laid
track have been almost wholly over
come. r.
The average speed of the ksi" is "~~,-
thirty miles ner hour, but Where the
through trains over the Manitoba COM
mence, which, as already announced, will
be OH the 10th day of November, this
rate will be increased to about forty
miles per hour At present, however,
the feet skimming along of these fine
trains affords release from the sluggish
movements Of some Of the more preten-
tious western roads. The stationary
tanks OH the line are very substantially
built, and most of them are fed from
springs so pure that the engines run from
10 to 80 miles on single tank Of water
The hills and mountain sides along the
route, adorned with luxuriant growths OF
pine, spruce and fir, and covered with
nutritious bunch and other grasses te
their very submits, are pleasant sights tc
gaze upon, especially after trip over
the far-famed Denver & Rio Grande, the
so-styled "Scenic route of America,
where the mountains, though grandly
precipitous, are awfully void of verdure
foliage, or anything to relieve the dull
cold grey of the towering granite, lime
and sand stone masses, standing as they
were left after the tremendous earth
throes and upheavals through which wa
brought forth the backbone Of thu
continent.
About six miles above Great Falls, Of
trip over the road last week, were Oh
served a fine bunch of deer, and in tn
bayous of the Missouri thousands Of NAL
lard and other ducks were sporting them
selves, oblivious of the fact that tn
peripatetic hunter might suddenly spo1
himself at their expense.
Of the officers and employees on tn
, road the unyarying testimony of its pat
rons is that their courtesy is unboundec
- and truly Col. Broadwater may be cor
graduated upon having under his pres
dency and wise supervision one of tn
:. most elegant lines of railway and mos
: efficient and gentlemanly subordinate
= within the regime of the mighty railwa
systems of the country.