Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-01-19
THE ANACONDA o
The Routes Open to the Company-Expense
of q New Road ON the Hill.

The Routes Open to the Company-Expense
of q New Road on the Hill.
The only occurrence that has so lar
transpired to give color to the announce
ment OF the intention OF the Anaconda
company to- build it's own line to the
smelter from Butte was the presence OF Mr..
Mcfarland, the engineer OF the company,
in the city on Monday, making inquiries
and collecting maps and prfiles oil the
routes between Butte and Anaconda al
ready surveyed. The fact that Mr.. Mac
| arland was formerly connected with the
Union Pacific and was of the party that
surveyed the present line of the Montana
| Union renders him peculiarly competent to
undertake such a work as the present, and
| with the light of his own past experience
| and the guidance OF the surveys since I'M
dertaken on behalf OF the Montana Central
| will render his task comparatively easy.
Talking yesterday with a gentleman who
| was on the engineering corps that performed
| this work., he stated that the Montana Gen.
| trail engineers surveyed a line that passed
| through Silver Bow canyon, part OF winch
| the Montana Union railroad afterwards oc-
cupied when they Strengthened their align
i menu aDOub SNhb luz IO hbOWf "a "
least was persuaded, that the Montana
Union in doing so were actuated by no dog
in-the-manger policy of hostility to the Cen
| trail or with the intention of crowding them
out OF the canyon, but simply because they
supposed that if not lone then the oppor-
tunity for repairing the alignment OF the
| Montana Union would be lost irreparably.
At first the Central people thought OF going
to law about it and did actually begin legal
proceedings. ADMINISTRATION of the ground
by the engineers subsequently convinced
them that the Montana Union hao failed
/ to avail themselves OF the best route
through the canyon which would be open
to the Anaconda engineers should they con-
] clude that as the most desirable route.
But it is not certain that it is. 1t is not
quite certain but that the most practicable
route lies by the way of the Hump, outside
of the canyon altogether. ltwould require
a pretty deep cut there, but otherwise the
engineering difficulties are not believed to
be great.
There is very little doubt that if this in
dependent line to Anaconda is built the
heavy grade from Stuart at present oper-
line can be found by skirting the foothills
and entering the city back of town. This
would increase the distance but materially
decrease the hauling strain.
The idea was advanced yesterday that
it was doubtful whether. ii the Anaconda
should build it's road, it would attempt to
build a bill road to the mines. The gentle
man who advanced this idea held that the
Anaconda company, in the first place, fur
nished the bulk of the business to the
Montana Union on the hill, and that il
would hardly pay the latter road to oper
ate it's hill road with the Anaconda bust
49,. IoFA 100 rl.oL ~@1ll he thu host
reason for some understanding being
reached that would allow the Anaconda
to use the hill road to their mines. In thu
second place, if the Anaconda company
we're to build q road of their own to theil
mines, they would have to build new orr
houses or change the location OF the pres
emit ones, which would be a very expensive
addition to the cost of the hill road.
A leading official OF the Montana Unior
was asked That he thought OF h proposet
new line.
Il don't take much stock in it," said he
II will believe it when l see the Surveyor
at work on it, but not before. Peopl
have no idea OF the cost of building a road
1t would take upwards of a million dollar
to build it and a million dollars is not tt
be had every day. 1t cost the Montan;
, Union six hundred thousand dollars TO
the grading alone when the gauge wa
: changed from Garrison to Butte from
narrow to a broad gauge. The Anaconda
company cannot haul it's supplies to tn
smelter 40 cheaply as we can and tn
business has never paid u.s."
SURVEYING TO BEGIN MONDAY.
g From one OF the party itself. it wa
learned last night that two parties of Ell
gineers have been engaged to go out an
l commence the work OF surveying the rout
for the Anaconda Company's road O
Monday. One party is to be under the d
~rection OF Mr.. Wagner, the engineer OF tt
e ditch built by the company from War
Springs Creek to the smelter. He is e!
pected to arrive in town to-day or to-mo
row to make his preliminary arrangement
> 1t is not definitely arranged, but rune
has it that,the other party will be in char!
of Mr.. Blackn ore. The MINERS inlormar
o stated that it was most probable ths
n a route through the canyon would be s
lected, but on leaving it the line would /
q run directly to Anaconda avoiding tt
r heavy grade at. Stuart. 1t was stated
a certainty that the Anaconda Compan
o have it in contemplation to build the hi
road to their mines independent Of tt
d Montana Union.