St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-11-07
BUTTE TO MISSOURI.
The Manitoba Is Surveying D
Line Towards the Pacific
Coast,
And the Party Is Locating q
Line From Butte to
MiSSoula.
The Unprecedented Railroad
Building in Washington,
on Puget Sound.
The New Freight Schedule
Meets With Approval, but
Might Be Improved.

In view OF the speculation about tho
route the Manitoba will take in build
Ing its Pacific extension, it may be of
interest to the world at large to know
thrt corps of surveyors in the employ
OF this road is now at work locating a
line between Butte and MiSsoula. Not
withstanding the denials of the men in
the Manitoba employ who should be in
position to know what they are talking
about. this would seem to indicate that
the line win be extended westward
from Butte, and will wind in and out
among the Bitter Root mountains until
It reaches MissOula, when it will run
due west to Spokane Falls. That the
line would be built to Missoula there
was never doubt, but Just where it
would begin has been matter of con-
lecture. The fact of this survey, while
not setting the matter at rest, would
seem to indicate that line from Butte
is projected.
Washington is fast being opened I'D
by railroads. A glance at the maps of
that new state will show bay only a
few miles south OF the international
boundary line. This is Bellingham bay,
an inlet from Puget sound. Several
railroads are building there. A place
called FairhaVen, new and booming
clty,ls the starting point of one of these,
which runs southwark to the coal and
iron mines On Skagit river. Another
road is projected from Fairhayen Iun-
ming IN a northwesterly direction along
the banks of Puget sound and Joining
the Canadian Pacific at a point near
Port Moody. These lines are being
built by Nelson Bennett, wealthy
Washingtonian, and it is thought they
are independent of either of the great cor
porations, the Northern Pacific and Mali
ltoba railroads. though in all probable
lty one or other OF these will eventually
absorb them. The Northern Pacific
viii build north from Seattle and join
the former of these two lines at the
Skagit river. The Seattle, Lake Shore
& Eastern has line IN course of con-
StructiOn from Seattle to Spokane Falls,
building east from the former and west
from the latter point simultaneously.
This, it is thought, is also an independ-
ent company, but it is just as likely
that either the Northern Pacific or
Montana money is in it. Another line
about which little has yet been said,
but which is now being laid out, runs
from Port Townsend, on Puget sound,
southwark to Portland. d. G. COrbin
has finished his line from Spokane Falls
to Fort COiyille, and is extending it
north at rapid rate, with the ultimate
intention of joining the Canadian Pa
cific. Puget sound, it will thus be seen, is
being tapped at every point, and when
these roads are completed will be en-
tirely encircled by railroads. Fair
haven has the finest harbor on the
sound-said to be superior TO that of
either Seattle or Tacoma. These two
cities are booming, and so are all in the
state. The three towns on Bellingham
bay are said to be forging ahead in an
unprecedented manner. Puget sound
is the objective point of all Northwest
ern railroads to-day. This new state is
being settled up by fine class of men,
and the population is increasing rapidly
more rapidly, in fact. than that of any
other state in the Union. When the
Manitoba goes through it will find
plenty of business, and if it can make
traffic arrangements with, or absorb,
some of these smaller concerns. it will
do well. Twelve months from to-day
the Manitoba will be at the Pacific
coast.