Butte semi-weekly miner., 1888-01-18
An OPPORTUNITY
Omen to Hendricks OF the
Northern Pacific.
How He Can Increase the
Company's Dividends
By Prompt Utilization Of the
Pipestone Pass.

a
in conversation with representative o.
The MINER yesterday, advanced the follow
ing views on the railroad situation. 1T IL
clear that the time has arrived when the
combined action OF some OF the leading
citizens of Butte can be used with tremen
dous benefit to themselves and the city
generally. It ia probable that every observ'
ing citizen who has been in Butte Tor the
last seven years is fully aware OF tho great
superiority Of the Pipestone route over that
chosen by the Northern Pacific in 1881
It vas not merely matter OF observa-
ton, bnt the fact was proved by Keith
a capable engineer, who was discharged by
Colonel Dodge for venturing to publish his
belief in the superiority OF the Pipestone
route in the way OF tighter grades, cheaper
construction, shorter distance, and inn
nitely greater business to be obtained. Ii
| the people of Butte had then
PULLED TOGETHER,
as we'll as the people OF Helena did, it
is probable that they would have
secu, ed a place on the trarse ,ntinental
line, and the benefits to tho camp would
have amounted to many millions OF dol
lars, and the Northern Pacific would have
been gamer to an amount it makes the
directors sick to figure out. They have
long since realized the value OF the traffic
from Butte, and if it had lain with the d.
rectors alone, the line from Gal
latin, or Bozeman, via ths Pipe
all questions of construction depend large
ly upon the decision of the "hyas tyee"-
the engineer in-chief, of course the con.
struction of the short line to Butte de
pended almost wholly upon his inclination
to take up the notes Of Engineer Keith, and
verify them by further surveys. and. find
| ing them as represented, to submit the ac-
tual state OF affairs to the directors, rec
ommending the immediate construction OF
the line. But there was
THE DIFFICULTY.
General Anderson had staked his reputa-
ton on the superiority OF the Mullan
route and the road was built there. He
| could not afterwards take up the Pipe
stone route without seriously injuring his
reputation as an engineer. Eyan if the
Pipestone route presented greater en-
gueering difficulties than the Mullan. which
it did not. he knew it was practicable, and
for the last three or four ears certainly, he
knew that If the short line was built in
from the Gallatin Valley it would at once
enjoy traffic, beside which that obtained
from Helena would sink into insgnificance
Ev, ry pound of freight obtained from Butte
in excess of that from Helena would detract
so much from the reputation of the engi-
neer-in-chef as general OF engineering, and
so it was decidedly against the interests OF
General Anderson SO long as he remained
AT THE HEAD
of the Northern Pacific construction de.
partment, to permit the short line to
Butte to be built. The company wanted
line to Butte, and to one not acquainted
with the circumstances. it might seem
very peculiar move on their part to build
that line, not by the natural open way up
the valleys Of the Jefferson and Pipestone,
but by series OF ups and downs by steep
grades and a tremendous amount
OF curvature, over the bunch
OF mountains between Helena
and Butte. Or course q short
line between the two cities
was required, and that line, lying through
out in rich mineral district. will develope
a very remHnerative trade. But it is not |
the road to carry the enormously heavy
and rapidly increasing traffic of the great
mining camp. and it wont answer. I sav
THAT line ls necessary to the Northern Pa !
cltic, but the direct line is infinitely more
SO, and should have been built first, had |
"a ehe company, as company, consulted |
their most
IMPORTANT INTERESTS.
VI course you know that several promi-
nent members OF the operating depart
ment have invested largely in Helena real
estate, so far out Of town that there must
'e large growth to enable them to sell
,ut at profit, and it is to
he interests of those gentlemen
70 have all roads lead to
Helena. Their influence is not all, but it ia
great deal. and it is not to be operating
experiment. that Butte must look for the
ectlncatlon OF the grand mistake, if you
nay call it 40, made by General Anderson
md Colonel Dodge. 1t is to the chief ene;.
eer and the Board OF Directors. just zee
mat an opportunity lies before Mr.. Ken.
rick Immediately on his succession to the
noes OF the lllustrious General What
;atner IL Will be in his cap to rush 4 partv .
nrough from Gallatin to verify the sur.
eys OF Keith, and submit his report to the
lrectors, proving the great advantaees of =,
nar route: Before next winter such a =
amc would run through the Pipestoue :,
as as K N me cars OF the Northern Pacific,
lat Aendrick would at once havsa
VALUE OF MILLIONS
the eyes OF the directors. Now to iust;.
my statements just consider for a mo.
ent the plans Of Mr.. W. A. Clark. He is
Nv greatly enlarging the capacity oil the g
ute Reduction Works. and will ne.t u
'i'ng nuc up concentrating works. for
'at! Not simply to treat the copper ores t!
ouu 49, ooe also the ores from the Bell O
;Io VI ln!nes al thompson Falls, 227 a.
cry other copper mine between Butte and cl
oKane Falls that will ship ores for reduc1 -
IN. Ihen il met on favorable terms by the Il
'rtnern Pacific, he proposes, at the sama in
ne' 10 erect immense silverlead works tn
al e, the argentiterous galena OF the 0enr
A'enes' at once giving the road a traffic
several hundred tons day, on a haul
several hundred miles. Let the Com In
u! give Mr. Clark the ENCOURAGEMENT he hi
luires' 10 get his enterprise fairly estah.
~, ~ ano you w1llse his example followed
1Ies that are yet son-
TO BE ORGANIZED,
result Will be constant procession a, -
trains coming down to Butte from, .n
mining districts from the head Of II. ref
Ter Root to the Kootenai, If von
II am carried away by enthusiasm ~
subject just look at the number ~ ena on
ms kept running bv the Anaconda MR. Ee I
le. Dont You think that the distr;ote Pa
we named will furnish more ora .fLees +ha 1l
anaconda? n Well, you see, the North %
Pacific has a big stake in otbH tb;s Jan
ness, its directors .S "u;m :"
no time in secur;,. VIII {"
, don't want this traffic fo -. L. :.
ed up by the Manitoba and run 20 DE 90 !"
'reat Falls, and out of their erasn o1~n 'or
, :. and they can now easily secnr. 'os oh
: 70 &C control ; of that traffic, that niE aI
- 20 D. 'n9ealculable ?. proportions" Tha r
ons . require by the smeltins oe enton con -
- %; nere, and proceed with tbs;r .aa his
c.Ion :. - as soon as the westber Ion, ON sati
rom Garrison, INDEPENDENT msn s
OR SOME pon- go il
o,,. mou
OF 1t through Butte to q eonn.c+;o,
.ne man line in the Gallatin VALLEY
will then begin to bave., NJ